Special Day

ALSO, and more importantly, today is the mark of one year with my lovely boyfriend. Although he can't be here and I can't be there it's nice to know we made it this far and only 3 weeks until we can celebrate properly. Thanks for putting up with me even though I'm so far away (although maybe that's made it easier for you?!) I love you :) x

Two birds one stone

This is somewhat of a sad post as I'm feeling right now that my blog has come to a complete standstill at the moment but I feel the need to explain why. Some of you will already know this (most likely because of my attention seeking Facebook status) but I got my beautiful little iPhone NICKED during a lovely weekend with my sister, but for full dramatic effect I'm going to tell the story one more time in the hope it might also save someone else from suffering the same dreadful fate!

So there we were, sitting outside the Reina Sofia, basking in a ray of sunlight, something which has been few and far between of late, when we were approached by two hombres asking for money. This is a regular occurrence in Madrid, though is especially annoying when you're sitting in a restaurant enjoying your lunch! They did the usual trick of handing us a piece of paper with their sad story on but, knowing full well we had been targeted for our English voices and touristy feats, we firmly said no. These pesky hombres were persistent though and simply would not leave, my sister, being the braver of the two of us, employed the use of an icy glare whilst I sat trying my best to avoid eye contact. Still persistent in their quest for change one of them actually dropped the paper into our food at which point Lizzie's eyes almost popped out her head and we assumed that this was the reason he took his cue to leave.

Distressed by our experience we decided to leave the cafe and head into the museum and after waiting in line and going through security we proceeded happily into one of the exhibition rooms. With me having the most technologically advanced mobile phone of the two, Lizzie asked if I could write some artists names in my notes and send them to her later but when I went to do so my heart sank as I searched frantically for my better half to no avail. I ran back to security hoping it had got lost in the security scanner, as my bag had ddecided to do a roly poly on it's way through but I was told no and sent to Lost Property. Coming from a line of women who don't do well under pressure and who panic A LOT we ended up running in and out of the museum like headless chickens, resulting in us having to go through security no less than three times!

After it dawned on us that the last time I'd seen my phone was at the restaurant before we were approached we soon realised I'd fallen victim to the Spanish Mafia. I was a bit down but like a trooper I carried on with my day determined not to let it be spoilt by this.

The next day we went to the Police station to report the crime (so I can hopefully claim it on my insurance) which we presumed would be a long and tedious process but was actually made much more interesting by the fact Spanish police look like they've stepped out of an Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie. England definitely cannot compare. As I explained what had happened my action man began to finish my sentences for me; while I'm almost sure this must mean we're soul mates it could also have something to do with the fact that I had been conned with the oldest trick in the book. My phone had clearly been on the table with my view of it obstructed by the dirty piece of paper the thief so generously placed on our dins! There is no other possible explanation because, as I'm sure my mother will agree, my phone does NOT leave my site ever and is, in fact, most of the time glued to my hand. 

So, fellow year abroaders please watch out for this trick because I honestly had no idea until about half an hour later! Anyway, going back to the start, this is the reason my blog has been so quiet of late; my trusty iPhone was the perfect blogging companion - always with me, ready for action, perfect for taking snaps of the sights. I will attempt to find some alternative as soon as possible but if you don't hear from me for a while it's probably because I think posts without pictures and like tea without biscuits...just not right!

It's disappointing this has happened right at the peak of my blogging game as I can proudly say I've finally reached over 1000 views so thank you for everyone reading and I hope you'll patiently stick around for more!

Donjuan x

Cafe y Tapas

Just a short post this evening, partly because I want to review this tapas bar and partly because I'm determined to reach 1000 visitors (i'm currently standing at around 960) so be prepared for lots of self promotion coming your way!

If you're familiar with Madrid you will probably have noticed the prevalence of a chain called Cafe y Té. I discovered it on my first week here when I went for breakfast with Teesha before our flat hunt began; I was delighted to see they did English and American style breakfast as I thought that might provide some comfort on really hungover days when I was missing home. 

Anyway, whilst strolling down through the red light district one day I noticed Cafe y Tapas, a   slightly more sophisticated looking spot but nonetheless linked to the Cafe y Té chain. Thankfully, it is positioned more towards the police station end of the street than the prostitute patrolling end of the street(clearly, the police are not doing a very good job)  so me and Aleesha decided to go there for a coffee. 

Our coffee quickly turned into Tinto de Verano as it normally does in Spain at 4o'clock in the afternoon but we decided that it was practically happy hour and it was really rainy and cold so we deserved it. We ordered some Tapas to accompany our drinks and this is what we got

Albondigas (Meatballs) in curry sauce with mini patatas fritas (chips) which came in this adorable little dish which I was really tempted to steal. 

Calamares (calamari) with a really tasty garlicy dip and then Aleesha got a Pincho of crab in some saucy dressing 

Although a couple of the dishes are quite expensive (as is the norm in Sol) I have to say they were the best Calamari I have had since I have been here so definitely worth it! The interior of the bar is really rustic with big wooden dining tables and warm neutral colours. They also have an outside area which is thankfully covered and we even noticed they provide blankets for people who might be a bit chilly come November time! 

I will definitely be taking a trip back here to try some more of the dishes, they have something for everyone whether you want a quick drink with some nibbles or a few tapas or even a paella to share. Also I think this is one of the first places where the staff actually took an interest in us and weren't hovering around waiting to swipe the plates from under us as soon as we'd finished in an attempt to kindly remind us not to stay too long! 

I'll try upload some pictures of the inside next time I go :)
Also, I realise I said this would be short but I'm trying to procrastinate until Young Apprentice is up on iPlayer so you'll just have to deal with it...if you made it this far, congrats and thankyou!

Donjuan x

Bienvenido a mi piso

So, only about two months after moving in I decided it's finally time to reveal to you all what my humble little abode is looking like right now! Here's my weak attempt at some kind of virtual tour...

First is our lovely little entrance, I absolutely love our front door. Although it doesn't feel exactly safe or secure it is definitely pretty, and that's all that matters, right? It has a pretty useless peephole (that big gold circle) because when you open the little door the other person can see you, not so good if you then decide you don't want to invite them in! Then we have that cute little tartan thing...not quite sure what it is but useful for sitting on nonetheless.

To the right is the lounge area. Looking a bit bare at the moment so I'll upload a picture when we sort it out, we're hoping to get another sofa/some bean bags to fill it up and maybe a few posters! The lounge has a little balcony which is actually quite scary because it feels a lot higher than it is and it also kind of slopes downwards which I'm not entirely sure was an intended feature. Here's some pictures of the view

Next we proceed down the green mile, otherwise known as our corridor. The flat is quite a quirky shape it's really unusual, also very stressful as there's a bit of a trek to the kitchen/toilet for me. When Aleesha's around you can hear her slippers scuffling along the corridor for what seems like an eternity. If you're interested in the shiny floor I can confirm it is the perfect surface for a running sock slide (generally makes the trek to the kitchen/toilet much more amusing).

Anyway, some months after embarking down the corridor you reach the kitchen, all relatively newly renovated so pretty nice if you ask me. The only issue is our table and chairs. Both perfectly adequate when considered individually, but together require a deadly combination of hunching and twisting. The chairs are for a breakfast bar and the table is definitely not breakfast bar height. Fortunately you can get a back massage for pretty cheap around these parts, may have to be a future investment if I don't want to end up like Quasimodo. 

Just off the kitchen is a little utility room and, strangely, our shower. I'm starting to think it's more of a wet room though as every time you step out the shower you're greeted by a nice little puddle of water on the floor, we haven't quite managed to find a way around this yet. 

Finally, slide back down the corridor towards the front door to find my little pink room. Although it bears a striking resemblance to a page out of the Ikea catalogue I think it's pretty damn cosy. I really like the tiles on the floor, despite their dusty topcoat. 

Watching Gray's Anatomy there, sorry. 

I tried to make my room more homely because it looked a bit bare so I've added some pictures but I still need to print a couple more off. I even managed to make it nice and cheesy by adding this picture of Azzedine next to my bed so now it feels like I'm never sleeping alone (I bet my Dad just went 'pass the sick bucket' or 'ohhhh isn't that nice' very sarcastically or something)

However, I think Spaniards already thought of a solution to this problem by creating the monopillow. It's like two pillows in one, pretty much like having an extra comfy bed time companion. 

So there you have it, our beautiful little piso. Can truly say I am very happy with it except for the one minor issue of the man on the floor below who appears to be dying and very rudely plagues my ears and nose with his farting (non-ashamedly and full of pride I might add) and what appears to be him coughing up his guts. Sometimes at night I can hear him breathing, rather unsettling not going to lie, have to close my window and listen to some music to forget about it. 

Special thanks go to my lovely Mum for spending a very stressful three days negotiating with my horrible thieving old landlord and helping me find this flat which is much much nicer! Love you mummy xxxxxxxxx

Donjuan x

Went for a wander...Retiro!

What better way to finish off a lazy Sunday than a visit to Retiro with Meg (Hey Meg, I just mentioned you again, hope you appreciate it, now....Shutup Meg). We treated ourselves to a Starbucks - Skinny Vanilla Latte, of course - and braced ourselves for the wind, it was not a very nice day! Not letting our dreadlocked hair deter us we carried on like the little troopers we are and decided to FINALLY go see Retiro park, and this is what we saw along the way.....

So there's a little peak at Retiro, unfortunately, most of my photos look a bit grey and gloomy because of the weather but I'll try and update them when it's a bit sunnier! It kind of reminds me of Hyde Park a bit, everyone goes round on rollerskates and there's little sandy paths to follow. As you can see there's statues everywhere, can't really see the correlation between this horse and what looked like an Egyptian mausoleum but oh well! 

Donjuan x

Mercado de San Miguel

As some of you know, as soon as I arrived in Sol I fell in love. I knew straight away that this was where I wanted to spend my year in Madrid and I have to say one of the main attractions was definitely the Mercado de San Miguel. 

Mercado de San Miguel is the last Iron market left standing in Madrid, it's named after a church which previously stood in the same spot. Now, I've seen an indoor market in Spain before and, compared to the only other indoor market I've seen (Birmingham...grimace), they're pretty cool. You're surrounded by mountains of colourful fresh fruit and vegetables and impressive arrays of fish and meat. However, Mercado de San Miguel is certainly more unique for not only is it host to a fresh fish stall rivaling all others....we're talking full octopuses on display, but it has what I believe is the perfect combination of necessities under just one roof! 

For the early riser, there is a juice bar with a wonderful display of exotic fruits which the barista will transform into a refreshing smoothie for you, or, if you return later at night, he might even add a little something extra...

For the seafood lover there is the aforementioned fish counter at which you can buy fresh seafood as well as a little taster, I definitely aim to make trying their fried seafood cones a top priority!

There's also a bar devoted entirely to oysters...might save those until I'm feeling a little more adventurous.

For the not so adventurous, or those who don't appreciate foods with the consistency of a bogey (so I've heard), there is numerous other options such as sushi, croquettes, nuts, olives, cheese and bread.

And finally, if you're strolling past after dinner one night why not step inside to one of the many bars serving wine, beer and, my favourite, cocktails! 

If you have any room left after your meal they have a glorious selection of mini desserts, they look outstanding (another one to add to the priorities list!) I can't wait to take my Dad there I'm sure it will appeal to his sweet tooth! This one's not so mini, but glorious nonetheless...

Mercado de San Miguel is truly unique, has a lively, relaxed atmosphere and I think it is the kind of place I will never get tired of taking people to when they visit me...as long as they pick up the cheque!

Donjuan x

La Latina

Being a lazy student, it has taken me three weeks to actually take a trip down to La Latina, an area literally a seconds walk from my flat! In England I can happily waste a day pottering about the house but as I'm now living in Madrid, home to some of the most beautiful streets ever and, more importantly, regular host to the sunshine, it seems a shame to waste the days sitting inside. Me and Megan were starting to get a bit of cabin fever so we decided we'd venture down to La Latina for a little wander and a cheeky cerveza!

Being that it was only 6pm and the evening doesn't really begin until about 10 here we were expecting it to be pretty quiet but La Latina was packed! Friends were relaxing round the square or sitting enjoying the cool evening air with a drink, 

as ever it was a totally laidback relaxed atmosphere. People had even brought speakers down and were listening to Spanish music. Others were sitting on the steps having brought their own alcohol, again, I wish this happened in England!

We strolled around looking for a table, which was unsurprisingly a near impossible task! We settled at a small bar on the corner only to be pounced upon by two Spanish men. Having realised we were English one of them began to pull his ears out saying 'Principe Carlos' whilst the other continued to stare. Realising we weren't going to be able to have a quiet drink here and, on my part anyway, feeling rather offended (I may have mistaken his impression of Prince Charles for an insult to my lovely little ears) we decided to leave before the waiter even had a chance to serve us, much to their dismay. 

In our haste to escape we walked in the wrong direction and realised we were leaving La Latina but, too embarassed/scared to have to walk past our Spanish admirers again, we continued towards Tirso de Molina. I thought the buildings were so lovely!

Fed up of searching and ready for our cerveza we chose the nearest free table in a small square filled with market stalls host to impressive displays of flowers and also this lovely yellow building...

I wish I lived there!

Unfortunately for us, having escaped the awkward situation at the first bar we had walked right into another one with our chirpy waiter who claimed he couldn't believe we were from England and insisted we must be from heaven, I guess some things never change!

Lessons learned: get to La Latina early on a Saturday evening and know you can never enjoy a drink in peace if you're an English girl in Spain!

Donjuan x

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

It´s safe to say I didn't expect much in the way of organisation when I decided to go to university in Spain, in fact, if my experiences with Birmingham´s Spanish department were anything to go by, I knew any chance of getting things done on time was pretty much doomed from the start. However, I never in a million years expected to come across any thing, person or institution which could make me, Amy Donegan, (the girl who only realized she needed a student card three months after being enrolled at the University of  Birmingham) feel organized!

On the 24th of September all the philology students were gathered for a welcome session in which we were supposed to find out more about our modules. Bearing in mind our course started the following day I was growing increasingly nervous about the fact I hadn't even looked at what was on offer. We were told that we were allowed to take pretty much anything we wanted, first year modules included. This was great for anyone who goes to a normal university but, unfortunately for me, I chose Birmingham, land of the least helpful Erasmus department EVER! We were told we weren't allowed to do any first year modules and given that five out of the eight second year options were medieval literature I was forced to turn to third and fourth year choices.

What came next is what one can only call a complete shambles! I turned up to university bright and early the next day, having dragged myself out of bed at 7 for my first lecture at 8.30. I fell victim to the completely illogical placement of buildings and rooms in the philology faculty. The buildings, which incidentally do not give any indication of their letter, are arranged in a circle in the order A, D, B, E. C doesn't seem to even exist. When I finally located building B I had to ask at three different information desks before someone could point me to the correct room. The result was a very flustered Amy rushing into class five minutes late to be greeted by the grouchiest old lady ever. I positioned myself at the back of the class and sat trying to understand a word of what she was saying, but before I knew it people were packing their bags and leaving. I was absolutely furious to have got up so early raced around the building only to be told the lecture was over after five minutes and worst of all I had no clue why! I returned home, defeated, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

Refusing to return to the class of the old witch lady I opted for different modules on day two. Accompanied by some friends from my course we decided to tackle a linguistics class. In hindsight, I should have known this was a bad idea from the start given that I barely managed to get a 42 in Linguistics at Birmingham, Aengus hates me. We had just settled into our seats and been handed the module program when the lecturer, an old, grumpy looking man, approached our desk before shouting to the class ´THIS MODULE IS FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS ONLY...UNLESS YOUR WRITTEN AND SPOKEN SPANISH IS PERFECT GET OUT OF MY CLASS NOW, I WILL NOT TELL YOU AGAIN´. We exchanged a confused look, this was majorly awkward, fortunately we were on the front row, but our attempt to sneak out unnoticed was ruined when he, ever so kindly, added ´Well, if you´re leaving give me my handout back´.

Reduced to a quivering mess by the wicked witch and old mr scrooge I returned home to ponder my options. The only other lecture I had attended seemed a lot better yet I was advised by the lecturer that the exam would be extremely difficult for Erasmus students. I emailed Birmingham to clarify why we weren't allowed to take first year modules when every other student was and, as usual, received no reply. Cue several more days of turning up to lectures that were either impossible to understand or which we were rudely denied entry to! After three more (increasingly angry) emails I still had no response from Birmingham and resigned myself to the fact it was a hopeless cause.

The only thing left to do was to head to Tapas 44 for a jug of Sangria with the only person who can feel my pain right now....

...it's just a shame she won't see this post for a while; to add to her list of worries her internet isn't working! Anyway, rant over and thank the lord for Teesha because I definitely couldn't handle this stress alone!

Donjuan x

Spanish Cooking!

So we figured since we can't afford to go for tapas every night (boohoo) we would attempt to make our own at home! Here's the recipe for our first dish!

Spanish Tortilla

(Serves 6-8 people)

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes

1/2 an onion

7 eggs

Oil

Seasoning

Method:

Peel and chop the potatoes and onion into thin slices

Meanwhile, heat a generous amount of oil in a pan until sizzling

Add the potatoes and onion to the pan and fry until softened

Whilst waiting for the vegetables, beat the eggs in a large bowl and season to taste

Remove the frying pan from the heat and drain the excess oil from the potatoes and onions

Once drained, stir into the egg mixture

Return the frying pan to the hob and add the mixture

Ensure the omelette is thoroughly cooked on one side before attempting to flip it over

Continue to cook on the other side 

Serve and Enjoy!

Notes

1. The potato to egg ratio can be altered to suit your preferences
2. Extra ingredients, such as cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms etc can be added for extra taste
3. The larger omelettes are much harder to flip so make sure you're prepared! We flipped ours onto a plate before sliding it back into the pan
4. Spanish Tortilla is meant to be quite thick, not flat as a pancake so make sure you don't spread the ingredients too thin in the pan

If you try our recipe let me know how it turns out!

Donjuan x

El Tigre

Just a little post slash recommendation for anyone planning on ever visiting Madrid! 

After spending two grueling weeks revising Spanish conjugations and endless grammar exercises we decided we needed to celebrate the end of our language course. As you can see I was devastated when we finished...

L to R: Caroline, Marlies, Geertje, Holly, Me and Justyna

Anyway, Geertje and Marlies, two of my lovely classmates, suggested we for tapas at a bar called El Tigre, just off Gran Via. 

The bar itself has a traditional Spanish feel to it, the mounted deer heads are truly complemented by the scattering of prosthetic pig/lamb limbs. It was quirky to say the least! It had a lovely homely feel though with groups huddled round tables as if sitting down for a family meal. Despite being a group of about 15 the wait staff ushered us into the already overcrowded bar, we couldn't help comparing it to England where health and safety would never allow for so many people in one small place, blocking all those fire exits! 

Eventually we found a bigger space and settled around two big barrels fashioned into tables (amazing). The waiters were a spectacle they manage to navigate their way through the masses holding trays stacked three tiers high with just one arm! 

For every drink, or should I say bucket, of drink you buy you get a new tapas dish, and as there was so many of us it's fair to say we got what can only be described as a feast!

It was amazing, but definitely carb city, prepare to be unable to move for a while after! The atmosphere was indescribable it was so lively and the waiters do an excellent job and at only 6 euros per person you can't really go wrong! 

Photos courtesy of Geertje!

Donjuan x

Botellón!

Ok, so I know I have posted in a while but as you can appreciate I've been wildly busy! I'm probably going to make up for it by clogging up everyone's newsfeed/timeline with several posts today...sorrrryyyyy.

Anyone who took Spanish in school is almost undoubtedly aware of Botellón. Calling it a tradition may be somewhat far fetched but if you could see what I witnessed then you'd most likely agree! My first experience of Botellón was when I revisited my GCSE exchange partner in sixth form, a group of us gathered in one flat and concocted some sugar-filled fluorescent pink substance then settled in an almost derelict building and proceeded to get drunk before we went out. There was about ten of us and we were joined by a few other random groups. I have to admit I didn't really see what all the fuss was about! So I have to admit when I was invited to join the Botellón here in Madrid I wasn't particularly excited but I decided I'd go along anyway.

I met up with Megan, one of my new flatmates, and we proceeded towards Plaza de España to join a vast crowd of people. We weren't entirely sure if this was the group we were meant to be with but we went along with it anyway. We sat down next to the fountain with our cheap wine and a few beers and I couldn't help feeling I had suddenly turned 14 again, it was definitely reminiscent of those nights every teenager spends drinking WKD and Smirnoff Ice in the park (so cool).

Little Chinese ladies were walking round with plastic bags full of beers selling them for a euro to anyone who was buying. While this confused me at first it did at least explain why one had said hello to me as I walking through the park the previous night.

After a short while someone shouted to the crowd and everyone began to move through the plaza towards another park where we met even more people! We settled ourselves on a grassy verge and joined a group of people playing Wonderwall by Oasis. There was people from all over Europe and while we tried to use our Spanish most people soon reverted to English.

After a good night socialising I made my way back to my apartment for my nightly Skype and to my surprise (bearing in mind this was 2 oclock) found HUNDREDS of people only just arriving. Whilst Botellón would never be so pleasant in England's cold setting I have to say it is definitely an experience not to be missed and I love the fact its just accepted into Spanish culture, the police just let them get on with it and everyone just has a good time!

Donjuan x

To Do To Done

I often write lists when I'm at home of all the things I must complete in order to survive. My lists often comprise a few menial tasks such as 'call bank' or 'tidy room', on a rare occasion I get to cross one of those tasks off my list and I feel like I've accomplished something in life. 

Today my list consisted of three tasks:

1)check room for test

2)adapter

3)simcard

but now my list looks like this

1)check room for test

2)adapter

3)simcard

I started with tasks 2 and 3, mostly because I couldn't tackle 1 without the equipment from task 2. I managed to purchase the most high tech adapter ever, it actually has an array of pokey things which pop out/tuck in at the press of a button, I think my Dad would be really impressed.

For task 3 I headed to Vodafone and apparently returned to the 90s with the purchase of this bad boy

Unfortunately it wasn't cool enough to have snake but hey ho.

Task 1 was pretty easy, shame I couldn't say the same for actually locating the building. We (me and Vanessa one of my future flatmates) managed to walk an extra half an hour round a ring road only to return to our starting point and find the building we'd been looking for all along was right there. The test wasn't too bad.

I'm too tired to tell you about the flat now so I'll pretend I didn't find it yet and feign excitement tomorrow.

Donjuan x

Day 1

After a restless night I woke up at 7 to prepare myself for my busy day ahead! I managed to embarrass myself at the airport by repeatedly attempting to push a trolley with brakes on and ending up crashing into some old man but my luck changed when my case weighed in at just under the 23kg limit (ok, only by 0.3kg but that's beside the point). After a last good old cuppa with my dad I was off through security where, as per usual, I was the only person who set off the beepers, always great to start your travels with a quick frisking. I bought myself some entertainment for the flight

I was thoroughly grateful for this after we were delayed for boarding! Lucky for me I got a window seat and had a spare seat next to me so it was all good in the hood

Next I was off in a taxi to find my hostel. Much to my dismay we pulled up on a gloomy little alley covered in graffitti and filled with gangs of teenagers. My attempts to calm my nerves by reassuring myself that a lady on trip advisor had claimed it was a perfectly safe area were quickly squashed by the driver's advice: 'be careful with your bags here' After dragging my two cases up a flight of stairs and into the tiniest escalator man has ever seen the lady in the hostel told me I'd been upgraded to an apartment down the road. At first I resented her for the fact I'd almost got a hernia just pulling this case up the curb but once I saw the apartment I was pretty relieved, no graffiti and gangs here!

After a quick nap I went off to explore and get some food, I adventurously went for a traditional Spanish meal...

...okay it's only Starbucks but they give you mini olive oil with your pasta salad, and anyone who knows me well knows miniature things are the way to my heart. Cute!

Now it's an early night for me. Why? I hear you ask. Is it because I have a flat viewing at 10am? Well, no, not really, it's because I forgot to bring my adapter so I am now alone in my apartment with only Spanish television for company. No phone, No laptop. Brill! 

Donjuan x