Last Friday I jumped on a plane to meet Keegan (in from Barcelona) in the small summer-resort town of San Sebastián, on the northern coast of Spain in the Basque region, or Pais Vasco, as we say en español. Although the weather when I left Madrid was misty and gray and somewhat cool, the weather in the north was warm. In fact, it was downright balmy, with the wind from the ocean blowing warm air. We flew in under blue skies so I had spectacular views of the mountains on our descent into the airport. When we landed, it looked like we were almost going to land right on the water. (In fact, the five year old a couple rows in front of me was quite sure of it). I met Keegan in the airport and we decided to take a taxi (although more expensive) so we wouldn't have to wander around aimlessly once we arrived. Turns out we only slightly helped ourselves out – the main part of the old city is unreachable by car, so our taxi driver let us out as close as possible and pointed us in the right direction. Nevertheless, we weren’t exactly clear on where we were going and the map that I so preparedly printed from google maps seemed to be unaware that instead of 4, there are actually about 20 streets in this section. It was a good way to see almost the entire section of the city though, and we did finally find our hotel. We watched the sunset on the boardwalk, and I just kept marveling at how beautiful it was. I’m surprised Keegan didn’t get sick of me right then and there. We capped off the night by sampling pintxos, the local food that the region is famous for – mini tostada/sandwich/seafood/ or skewer concoctions that are sold for about 1-2€ apiece. We tried to do it as the natives do, stopping in at 4 different places and having a drink and a bit to eat at each. And there were so many! We probably sampled a total of maybe 10 places and there had to be over 50 to choose from right within walking distance.
Saturday, we began our morning with a quest for coffee. For the record, not as easy as one might think! I also do miss the lack of “breakfast places” in Europe, it’s kind of a problem. Eventually we found this random hole-in-the-wall kiosk looking café that turned out to have the best cappuccinos. First of all, they were cheap (about 1.40€ each), and they were topped with a little bit of chocolate and cinnamon, Probably the most delicious coffee I’ve had here in a while, and the slight sweetness was a nice touch. Then we walked around a lot again, down the entire sections of beach that line the city’s coast, and also did some exploration of el centro. It was grey, almost downright muggy, and so eventually in the mid-afternoon the clouds did let some water down, but not too much. I never even used my umbrella. That night we tried to find a proper restaurant online (using the very unsteady wifi connection and Keegan’s laptop – all a race against time because Keegan hadn’t brought her charger), when I stumbled upon an Asian fusion restaurant. Okay, not exactly Basque, but I’ve found that I treat most Asian restaurants in Spain as “questionable” and this one looked delicious, not to mention that we were both craving it. So we went there, had a nice bottle of white wine from Spain, and left there to try out a few more of the bars (and yes, tapas). We actually ended up wandering upon an outdoor concert! – Though only for the last two songs.
Sunday was equally gray, and a little colder, and also a little bit sad when I realized that there was a casualty from the night before - my sweatshirt! But note how warm it must have been, because I had been carrying in on my arm all night – it was far too warm to wear and apparently warm enough to forget it without noticing. Oh well. We did a little more poking around and headed to the airport around 3p. It was the perfect break because, most importantly, it followed right after midterms, but also because San Sebastián is the type of place that you get the most out of just by wandering around, sightseeing whatever is on hand, and enjoying the food and the city. It was so nice to be in a town where there wasn’t this pressure to see all there is to see, especially since I know my next 11 days, starting Friday, will be go go go.
Also we had another gorgeous day in Madrid yesterday – it was beautiful and warm and all the trees are budding and the flowering ones smell amazing! A few of us went to the main park – Parque de Retiro – yesterday and wandered around and rented a rowboat. We also had lunch at this “vegetarian-friendly” restaurant nearby (quite rare for Spain), and the waiter significantly comped our bill! (All good.) More good: my laundry is finally finally finally being done! I might even have clothing to wear tomorrow! (Walking naked around Madrid is slightly frowned upon, I’ve found…)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Has Spring finally Sprung?
So it's finally a gorgeous day - bright blue sky, temperatures in the low 60s - the type of day the rest of you probably imagine as a typical Madrid day. And no, this weather isn't typical; Madrid's on about the same latitude as New York City and Princeton. And after two weeks of rain, and then a week of sun but low temperatures, I am more than ecstatic about this beautiful weather. Some of the cafes and cervezerias on my street are even putting out tables and chairs on the walkways where I didn't even know enough space existed. It's making me extremely excited to be ending my weekend travels in the next 3 weeks and spend the end of my semester enjoying the warm weather and eat outside in the plazas or the parks. Unfortunately, I can't advantage of this amazing weather currently, because of these horrible things called midterms that my school is holding, to make us feel that we are attending some semblance of a university institution. If they could simulate productivity and inclination to study for me as well, I'd be set, but unfortunately I have to come up with this studiousness on my own. We'll see how that goes. With all this complaining I suppose I should stop using this post as a procrastination mechanism, but look how productive I'm being! This weekend I'm heading up to San Sebastián, on the Northern coast in the Basque Country (País Vasco, en español) for a quick weekend with Keegan, hopefully the nice weather will stay around for that! More next week, hope everyone's well!
Food craving: grilled chicken
Food craving: grilled chicken
Monday, March 8, 2010
Morocco Photos!
Saturday night dinner
Market during the day
The girls in front of the minaret
Minaret Koutobia
The narrow streets
Orange trees abound!
A close up of the ornate architecture
Marrakech Market at a distance
[There are more on facebook...]
Salaam Alaikum
As of Sunday evening, I have officially: been to the African continent, been to an Islamic country, finally gotten customs stamps! (Okay, so there were probably more firsts than that, but that's all I can come up with right this second.)
This weekend I visited Marrakech, in Morocco, with a small group of students from my program. I say small because it was only a fraction of the entire group, but there were still about 35 of us or so, plus three of the program coordinators. I was really excited to go before the trip, but also a bit nervous because I didn't know what to expect, especially with regards to customs of dress and covering up. And so the adventure began.
Thursday afternoon we all took the metro from IES to the airport to meet the group, after checking in and going through security, we had plenty of extra time to wander aimlessly around the airport shops, which was fun, and we finally boarded the plane around 4:30. I was randomly assigned a seat in row 1, in the bulkhead, and it was the most leg room I have ever seen! I could have sat on the floor in front of my seat with my legs fully stretched out! The flight itself was short... only about 2 hours, and around 5:30p (Marrakech is an hour behind Madrid) we began our descent.
The first views of Morocco are very different from flying into Barajas (in Madrid) or Newark. While you could definitely see a city, it's not at all built up (in fact kind of run down), and all the buildings are orange-colored stucco-type structures. On the tarmac you simply deboarded and wandered inside the airport, where there is immediately a customs check. After the customs check we were able to get our checked luggage, but not before another uniformed man checked our passports again. (In case we had, you know, changed our identities in the 10 meters between the customs booth and the doorway). Finally, we collected our luggage and headed for the coach bus which transported us the ten minutes from the airport to our hotel. (Which was very nice, by Moroccan standards. They served us tea while we checked in, which was delicious. They also serve the same sweet green tea after all meals.) Then we took a night bus tour of the city, and ended in the market square of the old city, which they toured us around for about 15 minutes and then let us free.
As soon as they told us we had free time, we all just sort of stood there, shell-shocked. The market was intensely crowded with both Moroccans and tourists. There were tons of shops and stalls around the edges, plus side streets with restaurants and shops, and in the center were dozens upon dozens of food vendors, women drawing henna, men with monkeys and cobras, all vying for our attention (and most importantly, our money). Finally we decided to break off into smaller groups, deciding staying together was important, but that it would be impossible to navigate the crowds with a large amount of people in tow. My group of five decided to brave the crowds and find a food stall at which to eat. Immediately we were surrounded by calls to try the various foods and overeager vendors rushing to show us menus. We resisted the first few and decided on #75. (The food looked fresh and the drinks were free!) We had delicious chicken, lamb, and vegetable kabobs, as well as cous-cous with vegetables and spiced olives with this circular/ flat local bread. It was all amazing. Afterward we wandered around all the stalls, looking at everything for sale and chatting with the vendors. Although it was a little overwhelming, the bartering aspect and all the cacaphony was at the same time extremely fun. We finally returned to the hotel around 10:30, walking the 30 minutes back from the market since the weather was so nice.
Saturday morning we awoke and began our touring at 9:30, visiting a minaret, tombs, an herbologist selling spices, and various other places. In the afternoon we had free time, so 10 of us returned to the markets to brave the vendors again. We first went to lunch on a rooftop terrace, followed by dessert on the street. Many women sit in the square selling trays of cookies, so we finally decided to get some. They were delicious - like macaroons, only not as dense and chewy, more like actual cookies. We then returned to the hotel for a couple hours before heading out to a restaurant closer to our hotel - the Lebanese Cafe. There Paige and I split hummus, tabouleh and falafel (with Lebanese flatbread). Unfortunately they almost forgot about one of the boys' meals so it ended up being a verrry long evening. We tried some delicious Moroccan white wine though! (Can't remember the label). Afterward we joined up with a few others who had been eating at the same restaurant with a different group, and wandered over to the train station, where we got dessert at a rooftop cafe. It was about 65 degrees and absolutely balmy and beautiful. We returned to the hotel around 11p.
Saturday we all met at ten (after breakfast in the hotel, which was amazing because there were OMELETS, which I have been missing), and went to ride camels! It was so much fun! It was a bit precarious to get on them, because we were two to a camel, and when the camel gets up it first stands on its front legs, then back, so the person in the back (me) feels like they might almost fall off! I believe Paige and I handled it very gracefully, however. Afterward we had more time to explore on our own, so this time we headed back to the hotel since we had braved the market twice already, and it was raining. Luckily it cleared for a bit so we all sat out by the pool... and when it clouded over again we went for lunch, which was quite the long ordeal and concluded in four separate receipts. (A single dessert, four other people's desserts, our beverages, our food). By then it was already 4p (and raining, again. It had of course been beautiful for the duration of our meal), so we reconvened in the hotel. We kept hoping it would clear so we could check out some gardens we had heard about.... but the weather refused to help us out. At 7:30 we all as a group went to a dinner at a Moroccan style Medieval Times. For those of you who don't know what that is.... we basically went to this strange, disneyland type palace with food (this part was delicious) and then a spectacle. I didn't really get the point of the second part of the evening, which included some guns and some horses and a belly dancer, but the food was at least good. And we got to see some guys do some really interesting tricks on galloping horses, but that was about it. Also a scary large bug bit my leg and it was really painful... but nothing happened so that's good.
Sunday, the weather was of course hot and beautiful again, because we were leaving. After a quick breakfast, we returned to the airport, standed in long lines, and ran to our flight! But we made it! And now I'm back in Madrid, preparing for my midterms this week and next, and also my exciting weekend in London that lies ahead!
This weekend I visited Marrakech, in Morocco, with a small group of students from my program. I say small because it was only a fraction of the entire group, but there were still about 35 of us or so, plus three of the program coordinators. I was really excited to go before the trip, but also a bit nervous because I didn't know what to expect, especially with regards to customs of dress and covering up. And so the adventure began.
Thursday afternoon we all took the metro from IES to the airport to meet the group, after checking in and going through security, we had plenty of extra time to wander aimlessly around the airport shops, which was fun, and we finally boarded the plane around 4:30. I was randomly assigned a seat in row 1, in the bulkhead, and it was the most leg room I have ever seen! I could have sat on the floor in front of my seat with my legs fully stretched out! The flight itself was short... only about 2 hours, and around 5:30p (Marrakech is an hour behind Madrid) we began our descent.
The first views of Morocco are very different from flying into Barajas (in Madrid) or Newark. While you could definitely see a city, it's not at all built up (in fact kind of run down), and all the buildings are orange-colored stucco-type structures. On the tarmac you simply deboarded and wandered inside the airport, where there is immediately a customs check. After the customs check we were able to get our checked luggage, but not before another uniformed man checked our passports again. (In case we had, you know, changed our identities in the 10 meters between the customs booth and the doorway). Finally, we collected our luggage and headed for the coach bus which transported us the ten minutes from the airport to our hotel. (Which was very nice, by Moroccan standards. They served us tea while we checked in, which was delicious. They also serve the same sweet green tea after all meals.) Then we took a night bus tour of the city, and ended in the market square of the old city, which they toured us around for about 15 minutes and then let us free.
As soon as they told us we had free time, we all just sort of stood there, shell-shocked. The market was intensely crowded with both Moroccans and tourists. There were tons of shops and stalls around the edges, plus side streets with restaurants and shops, and in the center were dozens upon dozens of food vendors, women drawing henna, men with monkeys and cobras, all vying for our attention (and most importantly, our money). Finally we decided to break off into smaller groups, deciding staying together was important, but that it would be impossible to navigate the crowds with a large amount of people in tow. My group of five decided to brave the crowds and find a food stall at which to eat. Immediately we were surrounded by calls to try the various foods and overeager vendors rushing to show us menus. We resisted the first few and decided on #75. (The food looked fresh and the drinks were free!) We had delicious chicken, lamb, and vegetable kabobs, as well as cous-cous with vegetables and spiced olives with this circular/ flat local bread. It was all amazing. Afterward we wandered around all the stalls, looking at everything for sale and chatting with the vendors. Although it was a little overwhelming, the bartering aspect and all the cacaphony was at the same time extremely fun. We finally returned to the hotel around 10:30, walking the 30 minutes back from the market since the weather was so nice.
Saturday morning we awoke and began our touring at 9:30, visiting a minaret, tombs, an herbologist selling spices, and various other places. In the afternoon we had free time, so 10 of us returned to the markets to brave the vendors again. We first went to lunch on a rooftop terrace, followed by dessert on the street. Many women sit in the square selling trays of cookies, so we finally decided to get some. They were delicious - like macaroons, only not as dense and chewy, more like actual cookies. We then returned to the hotel for a couple hours before heading out to a restaurant closer to our hotel - the Lebanese Cafe. There Paige and I split hummus, tabouleh and falafel (with Lebanese flatbread). Unfortunately they almost forgot about one of the boys' meals so it ended up being a verrry long evening. We tried some delicious Moroccan white wine though! (Can't remember the label). Afterward we joined up with a few others who had been eating at the same restaurant with a different group, and wandered over to the train station, where we got dessert at a rooftop cafe. It was about 65 degrees and absolutely balmy and beautiful. We returned to the hotel around 11p.
Saturday we all met at ten (after breakfast in the hotel, which was amazing because there were OMELETS, which I have been missing), and went to ride camels! It was so much fun! It was a bit precarious to get on them, because we were two to a camel, and when the camel gets up it first stands on its front legs, then back, so the person in the back (me) feels like they might almost fall off! I believe Paige and I handled it very gracefully, however. Afterward we had more time to explore on our own, so this time we headed back to the hotel since we had braved the market twice already, and it was raining. Luckily it cleared for a bit so we all sat out by the pool... and when it clouded over again we went for lunch, which was quite the long ordeal and concluded in four separate receipts. (A single dessert, four other people's desserts, our beverages, our food). By then it was already 4p (and raining, again. It had of course been beautiful for the duration of our meal), so we reconvened in the hotel. We kept hoping it would clear so we could check out some gardens we had heard about.... but the weather refused to help us out. At 7:30 we all as a group went to a dinner at a Moroccan style Medieval Times. For those of you who don't know what that is.... we basically went to this strange, disneyland type palace with food (this part was delicious) and then a spectacle. I didn't really get the point of the second part of the evening, which included some guns and some horses and a belly dancer, but the food was at least good. And we got to see some guys do some really interesting tricks on galloping horses, but that was about it. Also a scary large bug bit my leg and it was really painful... but nothing happened so that's good.
Sunday, the weather was of course hot and beautiful again, because we were leaving. After a quick breakfast, we returned to the airport, standed in long lines, and ran to our flight! But we made it! And now I'm back in Madrid, preparing for my midterms this week and next, and also my exciting weekend in London that lies ahead!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Give me your stamp of approval!
I just got back from my long weekend in Strasbourg visiting Anna! (And coincidentally, Jane, too!) Thursday was a very loooooong day of traveling. I flew SpanAir to Frankfurt, and unfortunately they made me check my bag, since their weight limit is 6! kg. Which is roughly 13lbs. Which is nothing. [Actually checking it wasn't really a problem, in fact it was kind of nice not to lug it around, but complications to follow, of course.] It was a easy flight, and I arrived in Frankfurt around 4:30p. Since I flew in and out of Frankfurt and took a bus through Germany to Strasbourg, I feel I can count that I've "visited" Germany, right?
[Speaking of visiting many countries, and to comment on the title of the post, I am extremely sad that traveling within the EU doesn't yield a traveler any customs stamps! I guess they figure if one of their brethren let us in originally, we can't be half bad. But how am I supposed to show off all my worldliness if my passport doesn't reflect it?? Although I suppose it does make traveling easier.]
Anyway, here's where the checking a bag thing became a problem. The woman who checked it in Madrid told me it was checked through to the bus station in Strasbourg. I was pretty sure that wasn't right, so I asked her specifically if that was what she meant. Her answer: yes. Reality: no. So I find the bus pretty quickly, and there's actually a 5:30 one that I can jump on, even if I'm scheduled for the one 3 hours later, which is perfect. Then I ask the driver about my bag, who confirms that I do in fact need to transfer it myself. Duh. So I go back down to baggage claim... and the carousel says that off-loading is complete... and there are no bags left circulating around. So I go to some guy, who points me to another desk, who points me to a baggage carrier, who finally knows what I'm talking about, although he directs me to a completely different carousel than the one that matches my flight number. He was right (luckily), but why it would have ended up 6 carousels away is anyone's guess. Very clear. Unfortunately it was 5:25 by then so I couldn't make it back to the bus, so I ended up spending 3 hours in the Frankfurt airport. It's a very nice airport, though, so that wasn't too bad. FINALLY I took a bus and arrived in Strasbourg at 11pm. After walking back to Anna's room at the foyer/boardinghouse, we decided to go out for a drink at a bar, met a friend of hers from the university, and chatted.
Friday we wandered around Strasbourg a bit, but it started raining so we ducked into an adorable restaurant in the German quarter called Le Gruber. It had very authentic Alsacien food - we shared a tarte flambée (an extremely thin-crusted pizza with gruyere, ham, and onions), onion soup (most delicious ever, not salty!) And something with a German name that I don't remember that had choucroute (sauerkraut), spaetzle (potato-y noodles) and ham. It was all extremely delicous, and then I went with Anna to a yoga class! It was really good and I'm thinking of looking into classes in Madrid now! After that we wandered around for a bit and got delicious smoothies (pineapple and mango with fresh-squeezed orange juice and mint!) before rushing to our cooking class! That was definitely the most exciting - the two of us, plus another friend of Anna's - and lots of French people! We split up into four groups and spent time learning how to make four different appetizers: little tarte flambées, an amuse-bouche of smoked duck w/chives and spices and apple w/balsamic reduction, puff pastry with all sorts of fillings, cheese sticks, and crab w/ginger and beets deep-fried as a croquette. (I kept the menu and recipes of course! I'll be sure to cook you all French delicacies when I return.) We rounded out the night making chocolate chip cookies (they were very melty in the oven and came out extremely flat, I think because there is no packed brown sugar in France, but they were still chewy and delicious!) and watching a movie.
Saturday, I accompanied Anna on her program field trip to Schirmeck. We visited a very cool interactive museum about the history of the Alsace-Lorraine region and then went to a DELICIOUS lunch. Afterward we visited a monastery on top of a mountain with spectacular views of the valley. Then we went on a "hike". At least, I thought it was supposed to be only an amble through the woods. I hadn't even known about it so I didn't even have sneakers with me! While it might be a pleasant walk with some slight inclines and steep steps occasionally in normal weather, here it was still snowy/slushy and icy so it became a very interesting walk indeed. I have never felt more uncoordinated while hiking in my entire life. Also we lost our gropu so after wandering for 45 minutes, we had to go back the way we came! It was kind of more like rock climbing/scampering. I'm not sure the boots I was wearing are going to make it home from Europe alive...
We got home around 7, and then met Jane (and Maddy and Julia who were traveling with her) at 8:30. We wandered around looking at menus for a bit, and ultimately decided to go to Le Gruber again! This time we got three different tarte flambée (traditional, traditional with chevre, and one with olives and tomatoes). I also had a delicious tarte a l'oignon, plus desserts (chocolate mousse and apple streudel (or apfelstreudel, on the menu) and of course a delicious bottle of Riesling. Afterward, we went to a bar that's on a boat docked on the quai. It was really cool looking, and fun to be on the water (Check out my photo album on facebook!)
Sunday we had a delicous breakfast and wandered around again and took lots of pictures. We visited "Le Petit France" and went to a pub for lunch, an establishment recommended by Biere Magazine, according to the sign on the door. I figured I was the closest I would be to Germany this trip, so I decided to taste a local brew (Erdinger Hefe Weizen): tasty!
I had to depart Strasbourg at 5p... just in time to get back to my apartment by 1:30a and get up for school on Monday at 7p! Eventually I'll get around to sleeping...
Unrelated: I watched a film screening at school today of a film called "Tesis" [Thesis], a Spanish film directed by Alejandro Amenábar - it was very good and I think I understood almost all of it, give or take a few words! (okay, so there were Spanish subtitles as well, but still).
Next fun adventure: I'm going to Marrakesh in 2 days! Can't wait to tell all about THAT!
[Speaking of visiting many countries, and to comment on the title of the post, I am extremely sad that traveling within the EU doesn't yield a traveler any customs stamps! I guess they figure if one of their brethren let us in originally, we can't be half bad. But how am I supposed to show off all my worldliness if my passport doesn't reflect it?? Although I suppose it does make traveling easier.]
Anyway, here's where the checking a bag thing became a problem. The woman who checked it in Madrid told me it was checked through to the bus station in Strasbourg. I was pretty sure that wasn't right, so I asked her specifically if that was what she meant. Her answer: yes. Reality: no. So I find the bus pretty quickly, and there's actually a 5:30 one that I can jump on, even if I'm scheduled for the one 3 hours later, which is perfect. Then I ask the driver about my bag, who confirms that I do in fact need to transfer it myself. Duh. So I go back down to baggage claim... and the carousel says that off-loading is complete... and there are no bags left circulating around. So I go to some guy, who points me to another desk, who points me to a baggage carrier, who finally knows what I'm talking about, although he directs me to a completely different carousel than the one that matches my flight number. He was right (luckily), but why it would have ended up 6 carousels away is anyone's guess. Very clear. Unfortunately it was 5:25 by then so I couldn't make it back to the bus, so I ended up spending 3 hours in the Frankfurt airport. It's a very nice airport, though, so that wasn't too bad. FINALLY I took a bus and arrived in Strasbourg at 11pm. After walking back to Anna's room at the foyer/boardinghouse, we decided to go out for a drink at a bar, met a friend of hers from the university, and chatted.
Friday we wandered around Strasbourg a bit, but it started raining so we ducked into an adorable restaurant in the German quarter called Le Gruber. It had very authentic Alsacien food - we shared a tarte flambée (an extremely thin-crusted pizza with gruyere, ham, and onions), onion soup (most delicious ever, not salty!) And something with a German name that I don't remember that had choucroute (sauerkraut), spaetzle (potato-y noodles) and ham. It was all extremely delicous, and then I went with Anna to a yoga class! It was really good and I'm thinking of looking into classes in Madrid now! After that we wandered around for a bit and got delicious smoothies (pineapple and mango with fresh-squeezed orange juice and mint!) before rushing to our cooking class! That was definitely the most exciting - the two of us, plus another friend of Anna's - and lots of French people! We split up into four groups and spent time learning how to make four different appetizers: little tarte flambées, an amuse-bouche of smoked duck w/chives and spices and apple w/balsamic reduction, puff pastry with all sorts of fillings, cheese sticks, and crab w/ginger and beets deep-fried as a croquette. (I kept the menu and recipes of course! I'll be sure to cook you all French delicacies when I return.) We rounded out the night making chocolate chip cookies (they were very melty in the oven and came out extremely flat, I think because there is no packed brown sugar in France, but they were still chewy and delicious!) and watching a movie.
Saturday, I accompanied Anna on her program field trip to Schirmeck. We visited a very cool interactive museum about the history of the Alsace-Lorraine region and then went to a DELICIOUS lunch. Afterward we visited a monastery on top of a mountain with spectacular views of the valley. Then we went on a "hike". At least, I thought it was supposed to be only an amble through the woods. I hadn't even known about it so I didn't even have sneakers with me! While it might be a pleasant walk with some slight inclines and steep steps occasionally in normal weather, here it was still snowy/slushy and icy so it became a very interesting walk indeed. I have never felt more uncoordinated while hiking in my entire life. Also we lost our gropu so after wandering for 45 minutes, we had to go back the way we came! It was kind of more like rock climbing/scampering. I'm not sure the boots I was wearing are going to make it home from Europe alive...
We got home around 7, and then met Jane (and Maddy and Julia who were traveling with her) at 8:30. We wandered around looking at menus for a bit, and ultimately decided to go to Le Gruber again! This time we got three different tarte flambée (traditional, traditional with chevre, and one with olives and tomatoes). I also had a delicious tarte a l'oignon, plus desserts (chocolate mousse and apple streudel (or apfelstreudel, on the menu) and of course a delicious bottle of Riesling. Afterward, we went to a bar that's on a boat docked on the quai. It was really cool looking, and fun to be on the water (Check out my photo album on facebook!)
Sunday we had a delicous breakfast and wandered around again and took lots of pictures. We visited "Le Petit France" and went to a pub for lunch, an establishment recommended by Biere Magazine, according to the sign on the door. I figured I was the closest I would be to Germany this trip, so I decided to taste a local brew (Erdinger Hefe Weizen): tasty!
I had to depart Strasbourg at 5p... just in time to get back to my apartment by 1:30a and get up for school on Monday at 7p! Eventually I'll get around to sleeping...
Unrelated: I watched a film screening at school today of a film called "Tesis" [Thesis], a Spanish film directed by Alejandro Amenábar - it was very good and I think I understood almost all of it, give or take a few words! (okay, so there were Spanish subtitles as well, but still).
Next fun adventure: I'm going to Marrakesh in 2 days! Can't wait to tell all about THAT!
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