Roads Less Traveled... in Madrid

As usual, my blog posts have erred on the side of retelling travel adventures rather than relaying Madrid happenings. I promise that I do still live in Madrid. In fact, so much fun stuff has happened since I returned from Semana Santa (which was way back in April)! With only a few more weeks left in this city, I have taken on a new motto: “Take the road less traveled.” It’s so easy to just fall into the normal swing of things—do the same things, go to the same places, eat at the same restaurants, etc.—but for my last hoorah in this crazy city, I am trying to explore it and do as many new things as possible. There is so much to Madrid, and I know that even if I spent a lifetime here, I would never be able to truly uncover all of its secrets. Yet, I’m doing my best with what little time I do have, and here’s how…

Passing on Retiro and discovering new parks instead:

• El Capricho: In 1787, the Duchess of Osuna set out to create the most beautiful gardens and most charming park in all of Europe, in order to compete with other leading ladies of her time (like the Queen of Spain). Although her palace now is unoccupied, the Peasant’s Cottage is no longer used for imitating country-folk-life, and the Beehive House is not busy with small black and yellow insects, El Capricho still holds a glimmer of its past glory and delight. The park does have the oldest iron bridge in Spain (1830), but no gondolas carrying frolicking aristocrats pass underneath it anymore. To be sure, this is one of the most whimsical parks of Madrid… and it is perfectly named thus.
• Parque de la Fuente del Berro: This park is actually just a stone's throw from my apartment. I have been aware of its existence for some time now, but it wasn’t until this past weekend stroll through this little park for the first time. It’s a nice getaway from Retiro, which is getting incredibly busier by the day now that the weather is really nice all day long.
• Parque Juan Carlos I: Sarah, Elaine, and I discovered the strange glory of the largest park in Spain which opened in 1992. Located on the outskirts of the city, not too far from the Barajas Airport, the Juan Carlos Park is a confounding conglomeration of olive groves, waterways, wide concrete roads, grassy knolls, and modern statues scattered throughout. If you’re special enough, you can kayak… and if you bring your ID, you can borrow a bike for an hour for free! We weren’t special enough to board any watercraft, but we did wait in line long enough to procure a trio of bicycles. Once our bottoms were good and sore, we ditched the bikes to climb the largest net tower on a playground I’ve ever seen. Needless to say, it was a glorious afternoon.

• Retiro Park: Although I am trying to go to new places, I can’t completely abandon Retiro. After all, it only takes me 7 minutes to run through the busy shopper-filled streets to get there from my apartment, and it really is a great park. From a gorgeous rose garden in full bloom to a workout park overrun with men in not enough clothing to a river of people perusing the stalls for the Book Fair, Retiro really does have a lot going on all the time, and I will still call it one of my favorite places in Madrid. Plus, I’ve had the chance to hop in a row boat or two this spring, and I’ll never pass up on that opportunity!

Having visitors!

• Julika and Isabel: After hosting us in Austria, Julika let Sarah and I show her and her friend, Isabel, around our city over the first weekend in May. We walked around the city center, but I think what most interested these girls was the shopping. We all made several purchases that weekend! The girls stayed at Sarah’s place for 5 nights, and we made sure to hit up all our favorite places, like La Soberbia and Sol y Sombra, while they were here.

• The Tilley Family: The Tilley family—Mike & Molly and their three daughters Amy, Sarah, and Mary Kate—are from Orlando and are good friends of Justin’s family. The fam was traveling through Spain and visiting Sarah who lives in Bilbao (and visited me in February). I got to meet Mike, Molly, and Amy for the first time when we rendezvoused in Sol for dinner one Tuesday night in May. (MK dates Justin’s younger brother, so we had already met… and she crashed on my bed a week before when she was in between flying to Spain and bussing to Bilbao.) We feasted at La Soberbia, dug into some gelato, and then toured the Westin Palace Hotel, where Mike and Molly were staying for a couple of nights (an anniversary gift from some friends). The WPH was dripping with bling and covered with fancy carpets and tiling. I was like a kid in a candy store, because I’ve always wanted to visit but I had been worried I’d get kicked out upon entering for not being dressed well enough Unfortunately, my visit was a few hours too late, because the family saw none other than Andy Roddick eating an omelet or two earlier that morning before going off to play in the Madrid Open. Despite missing the Athletic Celeb, I doubt his company would have been better than being with the Tilleys! I am so thankful to know that I will have this stellar family around when I move to Orlando in a few months.

Hanging out with good friends, old and new

• CCM—I’ve joined the Coffee Crew, who all go out after church in order to spend a few extra minutes chatting over a cup of cafe con leche and a pincho de tortilla. I’ve gotten to know several member of my church much better over these past few months, and it has been so interesting to learn about the lives of people who have been living abroad from 10-30 years. Incredible.
• Marisa—Marisa is not just the mother of my little twins, Marcos and Aitor. She has become one of my best friends here in Madrid, even if she’s almost twice my age (almost!). We’ve been going out to lunch regularly, chatting away in Spanish and English, and I have learned more about this family who has become so dear to my heart. Even though they can’t make it to the wedding, they gave Justin and me a wedding present: a modern-Las Meninas teacup set.
• Marisa asked me to run in La Carerra de la Mujer with her. On May 2, we jogged alongside thousands of others—mothers with strollers, grandmothers, athletic youth, and several boys wearing skirts and wigs—and did the 6 km circuit around Retiro Park in less than 45 minutes. The event raised 1000s of Euros for cancer research; I enjoyed being a part of something bigger than myself, even if it was only for just one cool Sunday morning.
• Spanish guys and gals—On a couple of occasions, I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with Álvaro and Susana, a young couple who have conversation classes with Sarah. I’ve also joined Sarah in meeting up with her former roommates, Lucia and Beatriz, who are super sweet and really warm to us. Unfortunately, none of these cool people hold the same Dependable Standards as we Americans do, and therefore, I have to wait until spontaneous get-togethers magically happen.
• Non-Spanish guys and gals—Patrick, Donna, and Elaine may be Brits, but I wouldn’t trade my time in Madrid with them for ten Spaniards! Sadly, Donna departed several weeks back and Elaine is moving out of my apartment this weekend. We’ve all definitely had some good romping about the city. From hilarious nights out dancing like morons to numerous walks in the park, I’ve loved spending time with my British friends!

Reuniting with my volleyball team

My volleyball team got back together for a game or two this spring. In the one game in which I was able to participate, I totally dominated at the net and we won our match like a good team should, with team work, smart decisions, and good communication. After our victory, we went to La Vaguada, Madrid’s first shopping mall, and we had a 4-hour lunch at Ginos, an Italian chain restaurant. My team surprised me with a goodbye gift: a red t-shirt with our team name and season on the back and with everyone’s names on the front. I was surprised and honored by this sweet gesture. We’re all going to have a Goodbye-Hailey Team Dinner next week, and then a few of us are going to play in the same tournament as last June.

Going to school…quite reluctantly

For the sake of remaining true to my Madrid experience, I have to be honest: the Ugly Truth is that going to school these past two months has been absolutely dreadful for me, meaning I dread going to school. While it’s true that I like my 5^th graders and our classes (most days), I sometimes find it difficult working with Victor. However, my disagreeable or boring moments in Victor’s class are desirable after spending just ten minutes in the classroom with my 3^rd graders. I’m not exaggerating. My 3^rd graders are absolutely atrocious. They are completely disrespectful—to each other and to their teachers—; they still don’t know how to wait for their turn to speak; they constantly get up and wander around the classroom; and they’re English level is not where it could or should be. While this is a bad batch of kids, I think their horrendous behavior has worsened on account of their teacher, Cristina.

For the record, I think Cristina is a wonderfully sweet woman and she loves working with the children. However, the problem is she’s quite scatterbrained and unorganized, and she’s always late to class. I can honestly say that her average arrival to class is 15-20 minutes after the class has begun. After a year of this, the kids have grown accustomed to be able to do whatever they want, whenever they want. They don’t know what it’s like to be in a structured classroom (as was their case last year, too, unfortunately). Back in the fall, I used to have the ability to control them for a little bit, and I used to be able to teach at least part of their science or English lesson. Not so anymore. Now, I have no more power over the little hellions than a flower does over the rainclouds.

As bad as third grade is, I have had some moment of good teaching in my 5^th grade classes. When Victor fell ill earlier this spring, I got to teach English and Science to both 5^th grade classes for almost an entire week. What’s more is that I got to create my own lesson plans for the kiddos… and they loved my games and activities! Getting to have the classroom all to myself for that week was a shining moment of glory, and I really enjoyed the freedom and creativity that came with it. And, of course, my school isn’t always the prison I make it out to be. I genuinely enjoy the company of some of the folks with whom I work. My work and contributions to this school have been acknowledged in the forms of compliments and smiles, and I really appreciate them. I am in love with so many of the kids and there are so many who have an English level good enough to converse freely and joke around with me, and I am often blown away by what these kids can do. I will definitely miss some of them.

Going to the theatre

• Alice in Wonderland—This is only the second movie I’ve seen in Spain. The first was in French with Spanish subtitles on a weary Wednesday night and almost doesn’t count as a cinematic experience due to difficulties in focusing, comprehension, and enjoyment. AiW was in a nice cinema, in English with Spanish subtitles, and in 3D!
• Babel—On a whim, Pilar and I went to see one of the many performances that are a part of the Festival de Otoño, a month long marathon of concerts and shows spread across the theaters of Madrid. 15 dancers from all around the world moved their bodies in the most spectacular display of modern contemporary dance I’ve ever seen with my own eyes. I think Mia Michaels would have cried with joy at watching these performers, because they were phenomenal.

Trying to predict the weather….

It may be hot now, but that’s something fairly new to us here in Madrid this year. This spring has been simply wack-o…it’s been a roller coaster ride with chilly winds and sporadic clouds popping up at any time. I remember wearing blue jeans and a jacket the first week of May because it was just too cool…I have never done that before in my life. It also rained quite a lot this spring, which did put a damper on many plans to explore the city’s offerings. Currently, we have jumped over spring and landed into smack in the middle of summer. I am quite enjoying the warm-hot temperatures and the ability to not leave the house carrying a jacket or cardigan. What can I say? I’m a Southern gal who’d prefer to wear a sundress and glisten a little bit from the heat of the day instead of remain bundled up on account of cold blustery weather.

Continuing with some traditions

Every Wednesday since January, a few of us have met up for dinner at 100

Montaditos, a chain restaurant that whips up small delectable sandwiches for only 1 Euro each on Wednesday nights. Elaine, SK, Elly, and I make up the usual crew, and on occasion we’re joined by Patrick or Scott from Scotland. Now that the weather is warm and dry, we’re grabbing our mini-sandwiches and having picnics in the park instead! It’s been a great way to meet up with friends in the middle of the week and a great excuse to stuff our faces with good food.

Living it up for one last month!

I’ve got less than one month left in Madrid, which is so strange to think about. Already June is turning out to be the month of despedidas, or goodbyes, and I’m preparing myself to say goodbye to all the people and places that I have grown to love over these past two years. It’s a bittersweet month: I am sad to leave this life that I have made here, but I am also very excited for all the new things to come in my life (like a wedding and a marriage). And so, I will try my hardest to take advantage of everything I can while I’m still here!

Soaking Up the Sun in Asturias

After flying to and from the USA for Gillian’s wedding, I was glad to have a fairly tranquil week back in Madrid to make the trans-Atlantic fiasco easier. Fortunately, SK & I had already booked train tickets to Gijon in order to visit Ida again. We traversed half of Spain, speeding through Castile-La Mancha and winding throughout the Cantabria Mountain Range of Asturias. Already knowing Gijon, I was hoping that this weekend would simply be one to relax and spend time with friends; my hopes were realized.

Throughout this school year, it has been such a pleasure to spend time with Ida on those special weekends when we have gotten together in one place or another. Since we don’t have her in Madrid, SK and I enjoyed being around her calming presence and sharing in her love of Gijon this past weekend. We also enjoyed meeting and re-meeting a couple of her friends, Jennifer from Brasil and Alex from Canada. We got together with those girls for some beach, some food, and some dancing fun!

We had superb weather during our entire stay! The north of Spain is characterized and infamous for its rainy, dreary weather, whose gusty Atlantic winds wrack the coastline for most of the year. Apparently, SK & I came for the best weekend of 2010 to date with temperatures reaching the lows 70s, clear blue skies, and a cool breeze (well, I thought it was a pretty cold at times). The locals were taking full advantage of the marvelous spring weather and everyone was out on the beaches, sitting in outside terrazas, and wearing shorts and dresses… and we did, too!

We joined the sun-deprived masses and spent a few hours on the beach on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The water was way too cold for my liking, but I was perfectly content to soak up the soft rays of the Sun (while wearing lots of sunscreen!) and have a seat in the sand to do some serious people watching. Don’t worry… no topless ventures this beach trip. They’re not as loose in the North as they are in the South.

Of course, we ate quite well while over the weekend. In Asturias, the portions are much more generous than in other parts of the country, and we reveled in their gloriousness. We dined on Asturian meats & cheeses and on their fruits of the sea, such as shrimp and pastel de cabracho. We also enjoyed that very singular Asturian beverage called sidra (cider); we either marveled at the servers pouring the fermented fruit juice from above their heads into the culín below their waist or we gave it a shot ourselves. Many good hours were spent either around a ciderhouse table or reclined in a metal chair, feeling the warm sunshine on our faces and taking deeps breaths in the fresh sea air.

We did venture out of the center of Gijon to get a glance at Ida’s school and to reach the top of the University tower, as seen below. The lush green mountains and quaint groups of houses are characteristic of Asturias, which was what Sarah and I saw for much of our train ride back to Madrid on Monday afternoon.
I promise… I DO actually live in Madrid. I made it back on Monday afternoon in time to have a couple of private classes. Work—school and private lessons—continues as normal. My free time in the city has been enjoyable, and I am working on the Mother of All Blogs to relay to you the highlights from my spring months in Madrid. Just you wait…

One Down, Two to Go!

There may be a cloud of volcanic ash looming over Europe these days, and although it did give me reason to worry, I didn’t let it stop me from flying back to the USA this past weekend in order to be a part of a very important event.

On Saturday, May 15, 2010, one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world, Gillian, got married... and I was there to witness it! Actually, other than the pastor who officiated the ceremony and the groom, I was the closest one to Gillian as she spoke her vows and exchanged rings with Charles (the groom). Since G asked both Erin and me to be her Co-Maids of Honor, there was no way I was going to miss the day she said “I do!”

Thus, I traveled across the Atlantic last Thursday in order to make the big wedding weekend. For the 10^th time and for the last time (or for a while, at least), I flew to Frankfurt, Germany and made my goodbyes to that well-known airport. I even thought it necessary to buy a postcard since I’ve spent so much time there. Then, I flew to ATL where I had arranged to be picked up by my parents and to fly in at the same time as Justin. My joy in greeting the three most important people in my life was delayed by US Customs, whose line I waited in for nearly 2 hours! Ugh, it was quite painful and I was quite antsy to get on with the “Welcome to the USA” process. Finally through customs and security, I was rounding the corner of the security checkpoint when I was caught by surprise. Justin had patiently waited to surprise me there instead of at Baggage Claim. How wonderful it was to see him in person! Not long after, we met my parents with hugs and hellos, grabbed my luggage, and headed off to the Dear Farm.

We spent last Thursday night at my grandparents’ farm, a very special place in my heart, with Dear and Pop-Pop. Also, my Aunt Cary and cousin Elizabeth decided to stay the night too, which was a pleasant surprise. Being at the farm was a great way to rest and relax after my somewhat arduous journey, and I was very happy to be back in the same place where Justin proposed only on a few months ago.

On Friday, we drove to Montgomery, Alabama. Although Gillian is a Dothan girl, she and Charles both went to Huntingdon College in the Alabama capital, and they wanted to get married in the same church they attended and served during those years. I first saw the bride at the hotel, and at first it all seemed just a little surreal. That evening, we went to the church for the rehearsal and dinner. Erin and I gave a little speech after the meal, and I don’t know if anything that came out of my mouth made any sense whatsoever... but I meant ever word I said. Since Gillian isn’t what you’d call “the party type,” her last night as a single woman was pretty tranquil. The bridesmaids just hung out together at the hotel by the pool until the Sand Man showed up and suggested we get some good rest. I didn’t object… I still was a bit jet lagged.

Saturday came bright and early when Erin woke up at 7 and proceeded to bother both G and me (we all slept in an enormous bed together… something we always do when given the chance to have a sleepover). Gillian didn’t give any sign of nerves or over-excitement, but I could tell she was ready to get on with the show. At 9:30, some select ladies met at the Montgomery Country Club to attend the Bridesmaid Luncheon that my mother and Erin’s mother put on for Gillian. We brunched on delicious quiche, fruit with poppy seed dressing, and bread pudding. Of course, I managed to suck down several glasses of the best drink in the world, Southern Sweet Tea (aka Liquid Sugar). Gillian and her mom dashed off to get their hair done for the wedding, and so some of us B’maids wandered around Huntingdon for a time until it was our turn to go get ready at the church and do our own hair. With more than enough time on our hands, we twisted, turned, and curled our hair until it wouldn’t curl any more and then we waited for the bride, who showed up with quite a do! Gillian was gorgeous and even though we had to sew a button back on her dress to keep it together, she looked like an angel.

Following the photographer’s instructions, we gathered around the gorgeous blooming hydrangeas in front of the church sanctuary to take some pictures. G’s Mom put me in charge of making sure all the family was in the right place and in the right picture later. Before we knew it, it was time to get undercover because the guests were beginning to arrive. Calmly, we waited in the salon for our cue to come line up at the back of the church. In the back of the line, Erin and I got a bit silly, but we still enjoyed hearing Leanne Boykin’s beautiful voice fill the sanctuary during the Prelude. Then, the boys went in… and one by one, so did the girls. Gillian and her father made a grand entrance to a trumpeting organ. The service went by in a flash… and we were out of there in less than 25 minutes. And then Gillian and Charles were married! (But I suppose that's how it always goes...)

The reception was in the church’s fellowship hall, and it was beautifully decorated with hydrangeas, white and green roses, and other greenery whose names escape me. The food was tasty, but I’ll admit that I didn’t eat too much because I so badly wanted to talk to some friends of mine that I hadn’t seen in ages. Unfortunately, the church wouldn’t let G&C have any music (I don’t fully understand why), and thus the Happy Couple hardly stayed an hour. And before I could say “lickety split,” it was all over and people were clearing out.

Saturday night and Sunday morning were spent relaxing at the hotel with my parents (which include G’s and Erin’s parents, too), my brother, Erin & Myles, and Justin. Sunday afternoon, my parents drove Justin and I back to the Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport to catch our respective flights back to our current homes. Pretty soon, though, Justin and I won’t be living in separate homes… because in just 93 days, we’re getting married and thus will be living in a new home together. Yeah, that’s exciting.

Gillian was the first of the Three Musketeers to get married. I’ll be the second and Erin the third (talk about one fun New Year’s Eve). G certainly set the standard by remaining cool, calm, and collected throughout the entire weekend, and I hope I will follow suit when it’s my turn in August.