Venturing into the North

When asked about my favorite city in Spain, my immediate answer has always been Granada. The beauty of the landscape and architecture, coupled with the fascinating Arab-European cultural heritage made it my obvious choice. Then this weekend, San Sebastian had to go and shatter all that certainty. (Don’t get me wrong. I love Madrid, but as a cosmopolitan city in which to live. It just doesn’t have the encanto of so many smaller Spanish cities.)

So why all the love for San Sebastian? Three reasons.

First of all, while it might not have the Arab intrigue of Granada, it is not lacking in the compelling cultural mélange department. While walking along the river into the city center from the bus station, I was so struck by the French-looking architecture that I broke into a little rendition of “Aux Champs-Elysees” (an Elementary French classic). The occasional ugly block of apartments reminded me of my actual location, but on the whole, the city looked very un-Spanish. The k’s and tx’s that littered all the street signs made clear the Basque identity of the city as well.  For the first day of my visit, it seemed not quite as nationalistic as Bilbao. Then, one night, I ended up on a street filled with Basque speakers and Euskal Herria flags. We also happened upon a party/demonstration advocating for the transfer of ETA prisoners back to the Basque country (The banner in the picture basically says "Basque prisoners should be returned to the Basque Country"). Given the hard stares and mildly frightening appearance of many of these activists, we quickly decided to seek other venues for the evening. (Ended up at a bar that had real beer! It’s hard to find good beer in this country…)

That brings me to the second reason: gastronomy. San Sebastian has the most Michelin stars per capita of any city in the world, and while my meager auxiliary salary didn’t quite permit a 100 euro menu at one of the double Michelin star restaurants,
it did allow me to gorge myself on the most delicious tapas of my life. In Basque, tapas are referred to as pintxos and the San Sebastian pintxo scene is legendary. Dishes that normally would have been far out of my range were suddenly manageable when served individually. Some examples of things we ate:

• baby squid with mango sauce and foie gras; 
• a kangaroo shish kebab (our Aussie hostel friend said it was the best he’d ever had) with onions, peppers and peach; 
• shark stuffed with shrimp, breaded with tiny noodles, and fried
• gold leafed artichoke with a delicious mushroom sauce; baked goat cheese, honey, and jamon;  
• a vol-au-vent stuffed with mushrooms and ham
• baked bay scallops in a white herb sauce served in the shell. 

All of this was washed down with sidras, albariños and txakolis (a super light white wine typical of the Basque Country) that were cheaper than water. The environment of the pintxo bars is also incredible. They’re packed with people, but move far more efficiently than busy tapas places in the La Latina district of Madrid. Everyone, locals and staff included, is friendly, and the food covers the bar like tantalizing edible art.

And reason number 3: nature. After several months living in central Spain, I was in desperate need of some natural beauty. While the occasional hike satisfied my cravings for a bit, the north of Spain was practically heaven on earth. For those of you that have never been to Spain, let me explain. The center of Spain (read: Madrid) is dominated by a mountain-ringed plateau called the Meseta. The entire region is incredibly dry for most of the year, as evidenced by the fact that I have only needed my umbrella for two weeks since arriving. As a result, the countryside is far more barren than what I am accustomed to. The drive to school has increased my appreciation for the full range of shades of brown. For an Arkansas boy whose family all lives in the Bay Area, this takes some getting used to.
There aren’t spectacular drives through forests filled with color, and there certainly aren’t any beautiful outlooks over the ocean. San Sebastian gave me everything I was looking for. Not only were the tree covered mountains breathtaking, but we happened to arrive on a weekend with some of the highest waves in months. We sat for hours, watching the roiling water, white with froth, crashing into the cliffs below. I may have taken one too many ocean pictures, but it was certainly one of the most picturesque places I had ever been.

Oh, PS. Bilbao was amazing too. Eskerrik asko, Euskadi!

To see more pictures from the trip, go here.

Thankful

So for Thanksgiving, I thought I'd do one of those deliciously cheesy "Things I'm Thankful For" posts.  22 things for 22 years.  (Not even going to apologize for the massive blogging delay.  It happens.  Will apologize for possible triteness, but given the nature of the post, did you expect anything less?)

1. Madrid- You know how those study abroad orientation booklets always talk about the “roller coaster” of living abroad? Well, it’s been about three months, and I’m riding steadily high (knock on wood). Sure, there have been days when I haven’t been in love with this city, but I still consider myself extremely lucky to be living here. It may not be the most beautiful city in the world, but I am constantly finding new and exciting things.

2. The United States- I love traveling and I particularly love Spain, but the more time I spend abroad just continues to show me things I love about America. While it may be extremely flawed (and considering people like Herman Cain or Michelle Bachmann as near legitimate leaders), I really can’t think of anywhere else I’d like to call home.

3. Friday menú del día- There are a million and one good things about a four day work week in and of itself, but a couple friends and I found yet another. We’re able to take advantage of Monday-Friday “menu of the day” deals that let us sample food all over the city at a decent price.

4. Lavapiés- Sure, it’s a bit rougher than neighborhoods like Salamanca. Sure, it’s not quite as clean. Sure, you’re not going to find Madrid’s elite anywhere near the area. But nonetheless, living in Lavapies has been one of the highlights of my time here. In a neighborhood where over 50% of the population is foreign-born, I never feel like an outsider. I can find foods and spices that are unheard of elsewhere in Spain. Best of all, it has a fantastic culture of coffeeshops and bookstores that I missed so much when I lived in Salamanca and Alicante.

5. Cheap travel- While Fulbright allows me a fairly comfortable lifestyle, my budget rarely includes much room for extravagant trips across the continent. Thankfully, Europe’s airlines have perfected budget friendly travel. I refuse to fly Ryanair, the company famous for pinching pennies by screwing over customers (the occasional 10 euro flight is still impossible to turn down), but even by avoiding this cheapest option, I’m still able to travel on the cheap. During one recent long weekend, I was able to make a quick hop over to Italy to visit friends all across the north. Round trip flight cost? Just 80 euros. And that was on the expensive side.

6. University of Arkansas- I’m still slowly adjusting to the reality that I’m a UA alumnus, but I am so grateful for the time that I spent in Fayetteville. Since being here, I’ve seen numerous college friends, and UA gave me the study abroad and language experience that has served me incredibly well thus far. I continue to cheer on my beloved Razorbacks from afar, and even gathered with two other hog alums to watch the painful loss to LSU. I just wish I could head back for the Cotton Bowl. Woo pig!!!!

7. My high school staff- When I first learned that I’d be teaching in IES Atenea, I was less than thrilled. As I stared at its location on Google Maps, far away from Madrid, on the very edge of the city of Alcalá de Henares, I realized I had a year of long arduous commutes ahead of me. Now that I’ve begun working there, however, I’ve realized that the community of teachers makes up for the hour and a half of travel back and forth. They have been extremely welcoming, tending to my every need and buying my coffee most days in the cafeteria. They love teaching me new things about Spain, and even those that know no English always greet me with a smile and “Good morning.”

8. My students- They may be snots at time, but there is nothing more energizing than walking into a room and being greeted by 30 beaming faces yelling “HELLO ANDREW!!!!!!” I don’t think that will ever get old.

9. My roommate- If you’d told me when I met Javi in Fayetteville that we’d be sharing an apartment in Madrid four years later, I would never have believed you. Even last spring, when I sent him a message asking for advice on places to live, I don’t think either of us imagined where it would lead. But then, in September, we went and looked at the first apartment we’d found online, and we took it. This year could not be the same without him. He’s introduced me to fantastic new friends, and our extreme Spanglish keeps up both of our language skills. He’s always a resource for whatever Spanish thing I may be curious about, and overall, he’s just a very good friend.

10. Tastes of America- This Thanksgiving, thanks to the efforts of Emily Nevala and Ethan Carter, my friends and I were able to enjoy turkey, stuffing, potato casseroles, pumpkin pies, and best of all, cranberry sauce!!! If you’ve had a Thanksgiving in Spain before (I have) you’d know that many of these things are nearly impossible to find. It was a welcome visit back home, even if it was only in the gastronomic sense rather than the physical.

A wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.  (Also see numbers 9 and 20.)

11. Wine- Whether it’s a silky smooth glass of Ribera del Duero, a powerful Rioja, a light and bubbly Txakoli, or a refreshing Albariño, Spain is a wine drinker’s paradise. Enough said.

12. Fruterías- One thing I decided when I moved to Madrid was that I was going to try to eat healthier. In a place where the average meal involves only white, brown, and red (potatoes and jamon), I knew it might be difficult. Much to my delight, I ended up living next to two Bengali-owned fruterías. (They’re literally next door to each other in the same building. I don’t understand it.) They have fantastic prices and mountains of fruits and vegetables that typically would be quite hard to find in Spain. As it is closer that the supermarket, my healthier diet plans have been quite easy to fulfill.

13. English- Living in the US, it’s hard to grasp just how lucky we are to have English as our mother tongue. When you leave and realize that what for you was a natural consequence of growing up is an indispensable commodity for others, it hits you. Just by speaking the way I was taught, I have a hugely marketable skill. Not to mention, when you’re traveling through places with uncommon languages, English is the natural lingua franca. It is our key to exploring the world, and it’s a pity that Americans don’t do it more.

14. Clases particulares- As I said, speaking English is a very marketable skill here, and so I’ve been able to pick up several private lessons (clases particulares) in which my only requirement is to sit and have conversations. It pays well, and I’ve learned so much about Spain, its culture, and its challenges.

15. Retiro- El Parque del Buen Retiro is essentially the Central Park of Madrid, and it is only 15 minutes from my house. This means that rather than running through the packed, dirty streets of the city, I get to go run the couple of miles on wide dirt paths around the perimeter of this beautiful park, surrounded by trees and a multitude of bikers, runners, and roller bladers.

16. The bathroom window of my apartment- It may seem strange, but I love walking in to see this:

Hello sunset!

17. Fulbright- I certainly appreciate the money, but the best part of being a Fulbright is the amazing community of people that it has allowed me to meet. It’s an instant source of interesting coffee dates, travel companions, and dinner party guests.

18. Political debates- I arrived in Spain at a very important point in its history. In the last month, I’ve witnessed a presidential election, sat in on meetings to organize strikes, and personally debated the options that remain for the Eurozone. Living with Javi has been a big part of this, as he shares my diplomatic aspirations, but in general, these are topics that I’ve found most Spaniards very willing to talk about. By the time the election came around, I felt like I had gathered enough information to make an educated decision about who I was supporting, however little it mattered.

19. Rooftop cafes on a clear day- One of my favorite places in Madrid is Gaudeamos Café, a rooftop café above a library in the heart of Lavapiés. The library in and of itself is astounding, built into the ruins of an old collapsed church. The contrast between the sleek modern décor of the library and the old brick frame of the church is beautiful and only enhanced by a coffee on the roof as the sunset paints the sky in shades of orange and red.

20. Everyone I’ve met this year- As experienced as I may have become in traveling abroad and making new friends, graduation presented me with a tough reality. I won’t be moving back to Arkansas, and the friends that I had become so close to were going to be scattered all over the world. I had always made new friends before knowing I’d go back to be with the old ones, but this time was different. Then I spent a summer getting to know an amazingly inspiring group of Iraqis that I grew to love dearly, and this fall, I have developed even more close friendships in a remarkably short period of time.

21. Tapas- Goat cheese, pine nuts, and caramelized onions; smoked cod and roasted red peppers; jamón (gold in pork form), brie, and berry jam; sobresada and manchego cheese… You name it, this country has turned snacks into a world of food masterpieces that I’ve only just begun to explore.

Heaven.

22. My family- The past year has been rough at some points, and has only proven to me what a wonderful family I have.  As we gathered to celebrate my parents’ 60 incredible years this summer, I looked around and knew that this, above all, was the greatest blessing I could have received.