To all of my family and friends,
I am alive and well and still in Spain!
For those who do not know my first project fell through in Granada :( I guess the funding did not suffice so it was postponed until next spring. This unexpected event resulted in a whirlwind month of travelling in Spain with friends both new and old! The short notice of my work cancellation led to the most economical decision to rent an apartment in Madrid for the month of August with my friend Sandra, because for those that don’t know, in August everyone in Madrid goes on holiday, (YES, VACATION, a difficult thing for most Americans to grasp!) leaving their rooms for a month until the unsuspecting pair of American girls decide to take advantage of the vacancy. This was a good move for the both of us, providing a kitchen to cook inexpensive meals (disastrous tortilla espanolas were my contribution) and a safe place to store our things during our various side trips.
Madrid is a very easy, and very beautiful city to live in. The apartment was in a great location next to the park Retiro, and had easy access to the very convenient metro system, (Angelinos please take note of the emphasis of the metro’s EASE and be jealous!). The buildings have been around for centuries and there are amazing monuments at every corner you turn (the park is a perfect example of this!). Spain is a very social culture and everyone has a great appreciation for enjoying life with friends, food, and drink. With this being said, it can be difficult to plan your day, in summer especially, because the hours businesses are open coincide with the siestas and such. It is also looked at as strange to travel solo, even to the park, so I definitely stuck out at times. The daily routine has also taken some time to get adjusted to. People wake up later than the US (which is great for me, since you know I am not a morning person!!) eat very little for breakfast (usually just a coffee), and eat a larger lunch around 2 or 3. From 2:30 to 5 almost all businesses are closed, then around 8, 9 or 10 people have dinner. The nightlife does not end and it is not unheard of to stay out until 6 am on the weekends! Madrid does not sleep! Since arriving to Spain, we have met wonderful friends that have given us a proper introduction to the city and added an element of comfort to being in a foreign country. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=102328&id=693271938&l=8038673450
This style of travel has proved interesting and at times frustrating because you don’t know where life is going to lead you! I had planned to work a grape harvest in northern Spain but it also fell through. Fortunately, with the aide of the help-exchange website, I was able to quickly find a replacement project with a wonderful and generous woman named Marjolein. I am now working on her finca, La Vida es Bella, outside of Madrid, which is why I have time to sit down and write without any distractions. I love the Spanish country lifestyle and have been balancing working on the property with creating little projects for myself (for example harvesting grapes and juicing them with my feet!)
So far I have built the walls of a shed out of burled grape wood to keep firewood dry and am trying to figure out how to construct a roof that will be waterproof, before resorting to a plastic cover. I am experimenting with weaving poplar branches together tightly, but don’t know if it will work…any suggestions? The finca is off the grid completely and is powered with solar and wind. The neighbors have similar properties and I have learned a lot about sustainable building and permaculture from one couple in particular.
With observing these sorts of properties, my research and documentation of sustainable/communal- farming/gardening has begun, and any insights or links to similar projects will be appreciated as I travel. I have started a directory and it can only grow!
From this point on, I will be posting updates on the blog along the way, so check in periodically as posts may be more frequent when Internet access is available. Subscribing to the blog will give you email updates, otherwise I would hate to be sending you junk mail.….. now you all will have a look to my vagabond lifestyle at your leisure! I will also try and post interesting places, events, and of course restaurants and foods as I move through Europe and beyond!
For those that are not on the crazy online social network known as Facebook, I have at least been posting a photo representation of my trip along the way because it is convenient to upload and quickly share. I will provide those album links on the blog so you can see photos as well!
Hope all is well stateside! I would enjoy updates from your lives when time permits! Sending lots of love XOXO Alex
Here are very brief descriptions of those side-trips I mentioned and other interesting links:
Bilbao: The Aste Nagusia/ Semana Grande (or great week) in Bilbao is a weeklong festival of Basque culture. We met a great group of transplants from the US (and England) that showed us a wonderful time and housed us in a lovely flat! Basque country has natural beauty and the culture is quite different from the rest of Spain. While everyone also speaks Spanish, the Basque language itself is pre-Latin and was impossible for me to understand. We took the necessary trip to Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim and I was thrilled to find that one of my favorite artists Cai Guo Quiang’s I Want To Believe exhibit was showing (I had missed by a week during my last visit to New York!). It was amazing and worth the whole trip!
Pintxos (pronounced pin-chos) are the Basque’s version of Tapas, and was one of my favorite parts of visiting Bilbao. The quality and range of flavors these small bites provided made for an unexpected culinary experience, and presentation of the food was even more interesting. A selection of different pintxos are laid out on the bar, and, at your leisure, you pick and choose depending on your mood. From the traditional tortilla patata to more sophisticated creations, the freedom and complexity of pintxo bar dining was extraordinary. Hoping that this small bite style of eating catches on in the states!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107557&id=693271938&l=29c3596b0e
Lisbon, Portugal: Sandra and I were off too a rough start in Lisbon, but the 5-day jaunt was worthwhile. The city drew many parallels to San Francisco with the rolling hills, cable cars, and it’s very own golden gate bridge. I was pleasantly surprised to meet a man there that sold tillandsias and bromeliads at a flea market; apparently he is the only person that sells them in Portugal! Lisbon has delicious, inexpensive food and wonderful outdoor coffee kiosks that were great places to sit and people watch. We stayed in a hostel in the Barrio Alto and area full of bars and Fado clubs. The streets were packed nightly with young people from all over the world! I wish we could visit more of Portugal and would consider a longer trip in the future.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107562&id=693271938&l=8373d4d046
South of Spain: You all know I love a road trip! Getting to Spain’s southern beaches proved quite an adventure, but camping at San Pedro beach, Cabo de Gata in Andalusia was one of the most relaxing destinations I had ever experienced. The contrasting energy made it one of the most memorable and fun road trips I had taken thus far, and gave me an opportunity to see parts of Spain that I never would have otherwise. A million thanks to my driver J! On our way back we made a stop in Granada for lunch and I briefly saw how charming the old city was, I will definitely have to make it back sometime to see the Alhambra!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107575&id=693271938&l=574e0b34b4
La Noche en Blanco (The White Night): In Madrid (and apparently all of Europe) there is a surprising number of cultural events each month funded by the city and in this case the smaller banks of Spain. The white night is a good example of this sort of event. It was spectacular, and affirmation that Madrid does NOT sleep! Sandra and I did not either…except on the metro. http://lanocheenblanco.esmadrid.com/lanocheenblanco/
Hope you enjoy these updates! Send me questions if you have them, and any recommendations from you are always appreciated, I would love to report back on places you have heard were worth visiting!
