Final Steps

The past few days I haven't been able to sleep. Or I've been sleeping in very late because I haven't fallen asleep. My stomach has been aching and I just haven't felt quite right. Tomorrow is my last day in Madrid and then I head back to the States Saturday afternoon.  It has been an incredible past 7 months and I honestly can't believe it is coming to an end.

In honor of my last week, my host family and I have been trying to do some extra fun things, before time runs out. On Sunday, I made arepas with my host-dad, Luis, and my host-sister, Amalia. It was so wonderful introducing them to a new dish and seeing their responses. And seeing how each person stuffed theirs! In return, my host-mom, Titi, taught me how to make a Spanish tortilla on Wednesday.

Amalia and I making arepas!

tortilla española

My host family: Titi, Luis, Amalia, and Popi

It's been a wonderful last week, if not a bit stressful, and I really am sad to see it come to an end. But while I may be leaving Madrid for now, I am coming back to incredible family and friends and cannot wait for my return. As for now, I have bags to pack and last minute good-byes to say.

Santa Klaus

Berlin Air introduces you to this christmas wonderland before you even arrive!

With Klaus being the most popular male surname in Germany, it is no surprise that the country truly comes to life and overflows with holiday spirit when Christmas comes around. Still, I’m unsure if ‘overflowing holiday spirit’, nor any cliché statement for excitement (i.e. kid in a candy shop), depicts an accurate image of German Christmastime.

Berlin Christmas tree in front of Brandenburg Gate

Christmas tree in front of Parliament

International Christmas tree at Checkpoint Charlie (checkpoint during Cold War between West Berlin and Communist East Berlin)

transformation of menorah to christmas tree: Jewish Museum

Me in front/on the Pergamon Altar (c. 300 BC)

I went to Berlin last weekend to visit my friend Zach (Zach Maher, YSC/SY ’13) who is currently working in Berlin teaching English as a Fulbright Scholar. We had an incredible time together and I really loved being able to explore Berlin and have me show him around his city, his home away from home. We saw the Berlin wall in every form (original, reconstructed, painted murals, brick memorials of where it used to stand), most of Berlin’s most treasured museums, holocaust memorials, German parliament, abandoned warehouses, a children’s circus, and so so much more. I was thoroughly impressed by the city and the kind hospitality of everyone there, regardless of the city’s dim history.

fragments of the original Berlin Wall

Zach and I at the Crystal Dome in Parliament

walking through the holocaust memorial (pictured on the right): varying heights are meant to give the impression of gradual disillusion and disorientation

abandoned building exploring

However, all of these exciting Berlin must-do not compare to the plethora of Christmas markets we constantly encountered. Imagine being stuck in a Christmas movie where every turn leads to another candy filled, ornament lined side-street. Now multiply the by ten. We are starting to get somewhere. Berlin is a city of large holiday markets that swallow you as you step inside scatter throughout the center of the city and accompany every major site. They stretch on beyond site and are covered with wooden kiosks, each carved with different Christmas themes, from good ol’ St. Nick to the nativity. Some have carnivals—full size carnivals with Ferris wheels and Youth Fair rides—while others are strictly dedicated to creating a market winter wonderland. But apart from the occasional carnival, most central markets are essentially alike, and equally addictive. 

merry-go-round at market

Christmas spirit...and then some

There are two types of stands at a Christmas market: food and gifts. Classic German fare lines every ornament and trinket and there is no doubt what season each represent. Yet, the best part of a Christmas market is not something tangible—and no, it’s not the Christmas spirit either—it’s the smell!! A vast majority of market kiosks serve Christmas treats of some sort, creating an incomparable sensory sensation. Every 2-3 stands serve glühwein, a mulled wine typical to the German holiday season, while others sell holiday sweets (candied apples, spiced nuts, German pastries) or hearty snacks (bratwurst, currywurst, cabbage). Just taking a stroll through the market is a treat for your senses. But the occasional indulgence is, of course, a must.

chocolate covered chilies!!! (this pic is for you, Matt)

spinning nativity

markets!

ice skating rink in the market! note: the small girl in red to the right using a "penguin" to teach her how to skate. adorable. 

eggnog in mini-cones!

Determined to branch out a bit, we ventured to one market, in particular, that only happens the second Sunday of each year and donates its profits to a local charity. All gifts are hand made and unique, thereby setting it apart slightly from the others. But not too much. Christmas is Christmas, after all.

and more eggnog

I will, reluctantly, admit that by the end of my 6^th market, I was ready for a break. Still, to anyone planning a trip to Berlin, December is the time to go. Soak up that holiday spirit (and scents!) and indulge in some delicious treats. And if the cold is too much for you, glühwein is there to warm your hands. And then head to a beach getaway after your trip to defrost. That’s my plan at least—Miami, here I come. 

café hopping

This post is a bit different; it is more of an ongoing set of reviews than personal reflection. As such, I will be updating this post over the next 2 weeks as I visit new places.

These last few weeks are jam-packed academically with exams and papers. However, they are also my last few weeks in Madrid and Europe. So, I have decided to use studying as an opportunity to continue to explore the city...through its cafés. Every day I am taking my studies to a new café, settling there for a few hours with my laptop, and enjoying the unique atmosphere that each place boasts. I am a HUGE café fanatic, so this task is an absolute delight for me. All of them are within a 5 minute walk from my apartment; I've been very spoiled to live in such a trendy and central neighborhood.
Below are the places I have been to thus far.

Bicicleta *****

A known favorite and frequented place during my stay here, located just across the street from my apartment. Appropriately decorated with bicycle memorabilia, Bicicleta advertises itself as being a "Working Café" and that's exactly what it is. It is consistently packed with 20-somethings on their macbooks, while indie music from the past decade plays in the background (lots of Belle and Sebastian, Arcade Fire, and Elliott Smith). The staff is super friendly and, despite the crowds, there is always plenty of seating. At night, the café transforms into a trendy bar--still filled with 20-somethings and Belle & Sebastian.


La Cocina de mi Vecina  **
I was drawn by the adorable name of this bakery, which is a 2 min walk up the street from my apartment, and visited one of the first weeks I was here. While it is cute and neat inside, I was rather underwhelmed by the cupcake I got, which was stale and less than ideal. However, it was quite and had free wifi, so it wasn't a complete waste. But with so many other options, it also was not worth settling.

Daisies at Café de la Luz

Café de la Luz ****
I stumbled by this café by chance and was a little skeptical as it is on a quieter side street in Malasasña. It quickly proved me wrong. A very modest café, Café de la Luz has small tables each topped with a handful of daisies. The music ranged from soft jazz to Fleetwood Mac and my coffee was served with itsy bitsy galletitas Maria.





Toma Café ****
Any review that you look at will say that Toma Café has the best coffee in Madrid. To be honest, I am not much of a coffee connoisseur as a café-atmosphere seeker, but I will say that the ristretto I had was exceptional. Unfortunately, the café is very small, so it's not the place to hide away and work for hours. But, for all you coffee-lovers out there, ve y toma some toma café!

Sepia seemed the only appropriate option for this vintage café

Lolina Vintage Café *****
As the name suggests, a vintage café decorated in 50/60/70s theme--wallpaper, mismatched love seats, decorative table top lamps, and music to match. I ended up sitting in there basement seating the whole morning and was the only one there for most of the time. It's the perfect place to situate yourself for a long stay. To top it off, my espresso came with a shortbread cookie!

La Central café: view from above

Café La Central****
La Central is a small, but very well known and respected, book store in Callao. To any Miami readers, think Madrid's equivalent to Books & Books. The bookstore has local concerts (jazz, pop-punk, alternative) and various authors come in for book signings regularly. Inside the bookstore, there is also a small café, perfect for lunch, snacks or, a coffee and pastry. I had a wonderful magdalene dipped in dark chocolate and was extremely productive during my stay there. It is a wonderful environment for anything you want to do: study, peruse books, eat, or watch a show.

Tipos Infames: Vinos y Libros *****
Loved. This café is based on the theme of wine and books. It is a boutique book store with a café that serves wine, coffee, and sugary treats. I personally found the environment extremely conducive to studying, maybe it was being surrounded by so many books....This was not your typical café, but I think that actually what is what makes it one of my favorites.




Café Manuela 
Café Manuela is very unique from most other cafés: it is the place to be to grab a drink and play board games with your friends. Yes, board games. The café is only open in the afternoons/evening, but as soon as it opens at 4pm, it is completely packed. They have at least 50 different games for you to pick from, and while I was there, there was not a table without a game on it. Unfortunately, this popularity does not go well with studying. However, I did meet a movie director while there, so that was an added bonus!

I'm really going to miss all of these places and wish I had more time to visit them again. To be a frequented costumer and to have the staff know me. And while I look forward to Koffee and Jojo's at Yale when I get back, neither of those places are quite the same.

It's Christmas Time, Charlie Brown

Madrid is flooded with Christmas decorations, every shop is covered in cotton snow and tinsel and street are decorated with christmas lights, figurines, and huge metallic Christmas trees. I really should have written this post a month ago, as Madrid pulls out the Christmas decorations the moment Halloween celebrations commence, but my loyalty to Thanksgiving (and my distractedness) allowed me to hold back.

Even though I claim my Thanksgiving loyalty, I will admit that the one good thing about the country skipping over this holiday is that the Christmas spirit comes that much sooner. With an entire city lit up and decorated, there is no way to escape the festivities and Christmas bliss. Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is always my go to music year round to put a smile on my face. When I was growing up we used to listen to this at the dinner table regardless of the season. But, in the past month, I have start listening to it nonstop, as well as whatever other Christmas songs and playlists I can find.

Fuencarral lit up

Every main plaza in Madrid--Callao, Gran Via, Sol--has its own respective tree. El Corte Ingles, Spain's huge chain department store, at Sol has 2 floors which are labeled "Christmas Wonderland." Essentially, they are sponsored by Disney and decorated with life size Christmas themed Disney characters for children (and adults) to enjoy and take pictures with. If this isn't the most wonderful time of the year, I don't know what is.

Vodafone sponsored Christmas tree on Gran Via

Golden Metallic Tree in Puerta del Sol  

Callao Christmas Tree

When I got back from my church's potluck last saturday, I stumbled upon my host-sister, Amalia, and her friend decorating their table top Christmas trees. It was the perfect and seamless holiday transition! I got to help them decorate the trees too, making colored paper chain links and beaded ornaments. I absolutely love doing crafts and was elated to get to help. The next day we went ice skating together--there are a few small outdoor rinks set up around the center of the city--and continued the holiday celebrations.  

To top it all off, this past Wednesday I woke up to a lightly dusted Madrid. Snow is very rare here, despite the freezing temperatures we've reached, yet this week the weather surprised us all. Madrid's White Christmas is coming early to guarantee I won't miss out on it before I leave. Madrid, you never cease to amaze me.

Madrid's snowy sprinkle

An amazing city during the best time of the year. What a perfect way to spend my last few weeks.

The Ultimate Way to Bring People Together

I am a firm believer of the unifying power of food. Food brings people together in every aspect of the culinary art: cooking food, choosing dishes, and, of course, sharing a meal. Food is so much more than a nutritional necessity--it is an expression of culture and ideas.

Over the past 6 months I have had the pleasure of experiencing numerous cultures in this way--from the cheeses, chocolates and pastries of Switzerland and France to the jamón, sangria, and paella of Spain (dabbling all this time in so many of countries and traditions). You can learn so much about a country from their food. Not just from the food itself, but from the tradition that surrounds it. For instance, in Spain there is a huge emphasis on the importance of fresh food. Spain still promotes small, specialized markets over supermarkets and fruterías, pollerías, panaderías, etc. continue to line the streets. At home, all meals are cooked fresh and, usually, take hours to prepare. In fact, locals rarely eat out in restaurants here, because they value cooking fresh meals at home. Further, lunches and dinners are always eaten together as a family. Family is of utmost importance here, and this is reflected at the dinner table. I've grown to love Spain and really appreciate this relationship with food, freshness, care, and family.

However, as I have dabbled with different dishes around Europe and taken from other cultures, I have not had the opportunity to share my own. Over the past two weeks, in preparation for Thanksgiving, I decided to share some of the American culinary culture as well. I made a loaf of spiced pumpkin bread for my host family, which they were a bit skeptical of at first, to share with them a typical American autumn treat. Plus, I was (as I always am) craving pumpkin. Win-win. Although sweets and pastries are rarely eaten here--dessert usually consists of fruit, they absolutely loved it and were pleasantly surprised by the outcome of this unknown, new treat. It was gone in 2 days. I was so delighted of this success and affirmation of both my cooking and my culture.

This past weekend my church, which is an international church consisting of a congregation from nearly all around the world, hosted a Thanksgiving potluck to celebrate the American holiday. This was the first Thanksgiving celebration for the vast majority of the church, including all of the staff. Still, everyone brought a dish (I made chocolate chip pumpkin cookies!) and came together to share in this feast. And I mean feast. It was such a beautiful time of community and blending of cultures that was only made possible by the nature of this event: food. While it may not have been an extremely traditional American Thanksgiving (there was no pie, let alone the 6 my family usually has), the value in this event was so much more. The non-Americans tried to understand a foreign culture and everyone came together to praise and cherish the difference in our community.

So while I may have missed my annual family Thanksgiving cooking marathon, the value of food over these past few months has not been lost. I look forward to the sharing of meals and tradition with each of my family members and friends upon my return.

What does your food and culinary traditions say about your culture?

¡Esto es África!

nuestra guía

¡Esto es África!  

Fui el jueves por la madrugada a Tánger, Marruecos. Fue mi primera vez en el continente y la primer vez desde que entré a Europea ese junio que recibí una marca en mi pasaporte. He viajado bastante durante mi tiempo en Europea, pero nunca he obtenido ninguna marca en mi pasaporte cuando viajo a otro país porque solo había viajado entre la Zona Schengen.

El viaje a Tánger fue demasiado largo: 8.5 horas en un autobús, 3 horas esperando para los billetes para el barco, una hora en barco, y para colmo, 1.5 horas esperando después—14 horas viajando en total. Sin embargo, mereció la pena cuando, por fin, llegamos.  

la vista de Marruecos del barco

El primer día, damos una vuelta por la ciudad y montamos camellos en la playa. Fue tan divertido montarlos en la playa y disfrutar la experiencia de estar en África. Para cenar, comimos tres comidas tradicionales de Marruecos: una sopa (que olió de canela pero saboreó de verduras) con una brocheta de cordero, cuscús con pollo y verduras, y baklava. Además, Marruecos es famoso para su té de menta que ellos toman después de cada comida. Como todos saben,  me encanta té, así que tomé vasos y vasos de este té cada oportunidad que tenía.

¡montando camellos!

Taylor y yo en la playa al atardecer

el entretenimiento con la cena

cuscús

el té de menta 

Taylor, yo, Tina, Holly y Alyssa en Kasbah

El sábado fue un día lleno de actividades para ver y recorrer la ciudad y sus alrededores. Empezamos la mañana con una visita a Kasbah, la ciudad vieja de Tánger. Visitamos a todos los mercados por la calle y a tres fábricas: una de alfombras, una de bufandas y bolsos tejidos y una de cosméticas y especies. Fue increíble que hubiera vendedores quien nos siguió por las calles en todos lugares que fuimos. Es muy fácil fijarse a los turísticas, y todos los vendedores se aprovechan de la oportunidad de gastar dinero. Después de Kasbah, nos fuimos a Asilah, un pueblo en la costa con vistas del mar, la playa, y las rocas. El pueblo era lleno de artistas y productos hechos local. Todas las paredes con arquitectura tradicional con murales pintados por artistas locales. Todas las fachadas eran coloreados y distintos. Era impresionante.

la fábrica de alfombras

las vistas de Asilah

cuevas de Hércules

una muralla en Asilah

Durante todo el tiempo allí, siempre estuve pensando de mi Grammie y su fascinación con África. Siempre nos ha dicho de sus viajes allí y las maravillas del continente. Me alegro que pudiera visitar a un sitio tan precioso para ella. Y que tengo bastante fotos para mostrarle a ella cuando vuelvo a los EEUU.

Fue un sitio muy distinto de algo que había visto. Sé que todos los partes en África son muy distintos y ahora quería investigar más del continente. ¡Supongo que tengo que viajar más y ampliar mis horizontes!

¡Viva la Huelga!

My entire abroad experience began with a French airline strike that delayed my connecting flight  from Madrid to Geneva. However, it has quickly become clear that Spain has a similar, arguably worse, attraction to this sudden refusal to work. Over the past week and a half there have been a total of 4 new strikes in Madrid.

Ten days ago there was an education strike. Spain recently raised annual college tuition from €1,500 to €1,900 a year, causing a huge uproar among students and faculty. Many professors canceled classes and other university staff took the day off, meaning that even professors who decided not to cancel classes still had difficulty opening offices, printing material, etc.

A few days later, there was an incident with ETA prisoners of war, leading to a diplomatic strike. The next day I opened my laptop to an email detailing a strike on the city trains; I rely on these trains to get to school daily. Apparently, this will continue through the end of the year.

Finally, to top off the huelga chain, when I was walking back from class two days ago I noticed a bunch of trash on the streets. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but later that night my host-mom informed me of the indefinite strike on street cleaning. Oh Madrid.

After one day of the street cleaning strike

In all honesty, Spanish strikes never actually result in change, they are just expression of angst. So what will be next? Let’s just hope it’s not a strike on food…I don’t think I could handle that.

I give it 3 days until the next one pops up. ‘Tis the season. 

Great Things Happen When We Are Together

picnic at Casa de Campo

It wasn’t until sophomore year that I became friends, or in some cases even met, some of my closest friends at Yale. Cici Wang, my beloved suitemate, is one of them. We have shared some incredible memories together at Yale—6 hour baking sprees during snowstorm Nemo, dumpling and arepa nights, scrambling to finish comp sci p-sets, tea parties, late night girl talk—and I am confident that there are many more to come when we both get back to Yale in the Spring. But for right now, we are each abroad and have been separated from the Yale bubble since the spring; Cici is spending her semester in Paris following a summer in Beijing. However, our adventures are in no way limited to Yale.

Cici visited Madrid last weekend and we definitely made the most of our short time together. It is incredible, I have been in Madrid for nearly 3 months now, yet when Cici and I were together, we explored Madrid in a new way and went to things I still had yet to see. This city and our friendship never cease to amaze me.

Madrid’s monthly farmer’s market <<Día del mercado>>, which I have never been able to go to, was the Saturday that Cici, my perfect foodie companion, was in town. The market, located next to Casa de Campo park, is filled with local vendors—ranging from fresh produce, to baked goods, to cured fishes, to wines, to chocolates, to olive oil—all located in Madrid. There seemed to be infinite samples of cheeses, breads, wines, and oils. This month advertised a guest vendor there this month: honey from a local beekeeper. It was the perfect compliment to the already darling market and completed the display of Madrid’s freshest products. We followed our farmer’s market adventure with a stroll through the park and a small picnic by the lake to enjoy the sunny weather.

miel del mercado 

Cici and I then decided to explore Madrid’s cathedral, which is located right in front of the royal palace. Although I have been to nearly every cathedral in the towns surrounding Madrid and everywhere I have visited in Spain, I had not actually seen Madrid’s. The cathedral is a huge building, which, unlike all other Spanish cathedrals, is decorated with modern architecture and art inside. To top it off, an organ concert began as we were inside.

On our way to visit Reina Sofia so Cici could see Guernica, we stumbled upon a market in Plaza Mayor. We investigated what it was and found out it was a ham market that was there for the week. There were ~12 different Iberian ham vendors, each thinly slicing and serving ham off of cured legs. So, we got a plate of, supposedly, the best Iberian ham in Spain.

madrid cathedral 

Cici and I in front of Palacio Real

Jamón! 

As we started walking again, we passed a clothing shop with a sign outside that everything was €1. Ends up it was a thrift shop, Spain’s version of goodwill, having a 1-day only sale. Cici found some incredible deals and we both enjoyed some exciting, girly spontaneity. After we visited the Reina Sofia, we were both in need of some dinner. After some unsuccessful wandering, I eventually to Cici to a restaurant I knew was good, but as soon as we got there, we were told that there were no available tables if we didn’t have a reservation. However, the manager made an exception for us and set us up outside, which is only supposed to be for drinks, and sent a waiter out to serve us. Cici and I are together and all of the sudden, regardless of the fact that we are in relaxed Europe, we experienced some of the best customer service. Not to mention the best salmorejo.

The following morning, and Cici’s final day, we were on the way to Retiro Park when I decided that we should make a detour and visit El Rastro, Madrid’s acclaimed flea market that sprawls across the city center every Sunday morning. We spent over 3 hours there sifting though antiques, clothes, and jewelry. I made friends with a few little old men at the antique shops, one of which gave me an old Spanish stamp as a present when I asked the price. Definitely a successful Rastro visit.

We tried yet again to make it to Retiro, but were averted by Madrid’s Ayuntamiento (city hall), one of the city’s most beautiful and grand buildings from the outside. As Cici was taking a picture, on a whim I said that we should go inside. I have passed this building dozens of times, never stepping foot inside, but decided we should at that moment. Sure enough, there were free art exhibits inside. Yet another successful find.

Ayuntamiento

inside el Ayunatmiento

statua de Alfonso XII por la noche

We ended our time together the best way we both know how: a delicious meal. We went to a restaurant, Ginger, that I had heard about but had yet to visit. Cici ordered a grilled salmon and zucchini dish and I got ahi tuna with a chutney glaze. I think this was the first time I have eaten tuna since the States, so I was elated. And of course, what would a trip to Madrid be with chocolate and churros to follow the meal?

churros con chocolate 

the crystal palace at night (Retiro)

ahi tuna

salmon and zucchini...and cici!

Cici’s visit was such a wonderful time filled with spontaneity and adventure. Yet, everything ended up working out better than we could have ever planned.

I think it is safe to say: good things happen when we are together.