keeping up with boys

I have to admit it. I've always had a little complex about feeling the need to keep up with boys in certain competitive arenas. I think it has to do with being an only girl surrounded by three brothers my entire life. No matter how much of a girlie girl I was and still am, I also tried to be like a boy when I was little too. If my brothers signed up at the YMCA for baseball, so did I. If they took violin lessons, I wanted to try too. Nothing comes even close to my competitive spirit as skiing does. I began skiing at the same age all my brothers did (I believe I joined the Buffalo Ski Club at Winter Park, Colorado when I was three). They may have longer legs or more endurance, but God knows I want to keep up with them! And the cool part about it is I think I do a damn fine job of skiing at the same difficulty level.

Two years ago, my oldest brother Ari convinced me to ski down a "yellow," which basically means it's uncharted terrain that is blocked off from the general public. There are all kinds of warning signs that tell you to enter at your own risk, be ware of avalanches, you hold sole responsibility for injuries, yada yada. It's basically an 85-degree angle slope full of rocks and trees and maybe a few patches of snow here and there. So, yeah, I have no clue why I thought it would be great. I basically slid down because you can't really ski with all that madness in the way. I remember thinking the whole time that I might die. Most people get a rush after completing something like that. I was just thankful to be alive and promised myself I would never do something that dangerous again. This is a perfect example of my complex. If any girl or non-peer asked me to do this I would have said "hell no!"

Well, last night was my office Christmas party. The company rented out a lovely ballroom in the Westin Galleria hotel. There was tons of food and the best part of every company party: an open bar. I work with two men (ages 37 and 41) who are huge beer oficionados. They have basically become like brothers to me and so...here goes my complex taking over my logic again.

These dudes are about twice my weight and probably have quadruple the alcohol tolerance I have. I am not a disillusioned idiot so I know there is no way to keep up with them. But I figured if I can drink about half the amount they do...it would be somewhat equal if you factor in the body weight and tolerance levels. I definitely had a good pace going. I believe in the four hours we were there I had four beers (maybe a bit more, I can't quite remember). I know most people would laugh at this number but I can seriously get drunk off of just one...especially on an empty stomach. Four is a lot for me! I'm usually feeling good at two and stop there.

The boys had anywhere between 8-10 and guess what? They hardly had buzzes going. It's crazy the differences. So of course I decided to be safe about it and called Oren to come get me so I didn't have to drive. I wasn't too drunk but I also know I didn't belong behind the wheel. Although I don't think I crossed my boundary in intoxication levels, I still feel a bit woozy today. My stomach isn't so happy with me and I have a mild case of nausea. I would have loved to just stay in bed this morning.

All in all, I don't think I let the guys down...not that it should matter anyway. I would be just fine, if not better, if I listened to my instincts more and my weird competitiveness less. I guess we all have our flaws. The real question here is, why do smart people decide to schedule parties with open bars in the middle of the week??? That's just bad for business.

Friends

Is it me? Or does everyone secretly wish they could have a group of friends as great as the one NBC was able to create on its hit show "Friends" that lasted for ten seasons? I think it might just be a girl thing. However, it is a very appealing yet surprisingly unattainable concept.

I mean, think about it. The notion that seven human beings around the same age with very similar life circumstances that aren't tied down just happen to have tons of time on their hands outside of their "full-time jobs," where they can all meet up around the same time everyday to talk about nothing in particular, is pretty unrealistic to me. Yes, yes I know. That's why it's a show and not real life. But I bet you can talk to any girl who used to watch that show religiously and they will probably tell you that they would give anything to have a group exactly like that. Actually, they have probably already tried to create one because of that show.

The truth is, after college, we all have to grow up. We get real full-time jobs that exhaust us so much after the eight hours are over with that it takes all our might just to run a couple errands, work-out or make dinner each evening. The thought of repeatedly going to some friend's crib to hang out like nothing happened that day? I just don't know anyone that does that. And if you do have a significant other..they are the No. 1 priority to give your extra time to.

So really, the best anyone can do is have a close circle of friends that they see more realistically on an average of once per week, if that. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with friends and I feel that I have made quite a few new, good ones since I started dating Oren. He has two good buds with girls attached and we seem to have a great dynamic when we're all together.

Just last night my friend Kristi decided to throw an "end of semester" dinner party for our friend Janelle, who is taking some extra classes to further her career. Oren and I went and had a fabulous time. We ate some yummy grilled meats and veggies and pigged out on some cookies that are made from those awesome tubs of cookie dough that are usually sold as fundraisers. Good stuff. Then we played this hilarious game where you have to ask the person beside you a personal, and often embarrassing question. They have to answer yes or no and if you don't believe them, there is a "lie detector" where you can challenge their answer. If they are telling the truth according to the detector, you can move up on this board. If not, you have to stay behind.

We decided that the lie detector is seriously a crock and after a while we just all started answering the same question. It's interesting how much more you can learn about someone through this game because you would never normally blurt out questions like this on your own. The game actually makes it appropriate, which is awesome! I do warn couples though...you might not like what you hear when your partner has to answer something. Although its all in good fun and no one dwelled on any of their partner's answers for too long...it can be a little upsetting at times. Definitely don't play this game if you are the possessive or jealous type.

Last night got me thinking though. This is as close as I have come to having a group that resembles the Friends sitcom in a very long time. And definitely the first in my adult life outside of college. It's a good feeling to have a "group" where you can pick up where you left off no matter how much time has spanned between visits. It might not be everyday, but I almost think that's what makes the relationships even more fun and special.

Why can't Houston weather make up its mind?

It's 2pm on a Tuesday and the temperature is currently 42 degrees outside. When I drove into work yesterday, it was 60 degrees dropping by 15 at noon. Sunday, it must have been in the upper 70's and it was so humid I felt like I was in a bath. I know this because I went to the Texans game (yay! we beat the Titans! No offense Vince Young.) Last week, it actually snowed. But the day before the snow fell, I remember leaving work in the 80-degree range. I don't want to even pretend I understand the trends of the sub-tropic weather patterns. All I know is this is the kind of weather that gets the general population sick, moi included.

So, as Oren likes to calculate the percentage of his health (he is also under the weather), I would rate myself at about 85%. I can feel my body trying to spiral down to a meager 20% but I am battling it out with lots of fluids and Emergen-C. That stuff works wonders. Or at least I think it does, although it could all be in my head. (Remember people, I also majored in psychology).

I hope Texans everywhere are staying warm and avoiding getting sick. For me, I think this is good preparation for Oren's and my trip to New York next week. Christmas in New York...how great does that sound???

OK, it's been way too long

Wow, I have really been out of commission with this blog...I apologize deeply to my loyal readers (if you are still loyal). I feel like my life has been a whirlwind lately and I haven't had much time to sit and write, which is so important for me to do. So where do I begin?

Other than the damaging effects of Hurricane Ike to the Houston area and all the resulting power and traffic issues, Houston has been treating me pretty well. Thank God no one I know had devastating damage to their homes, but some people (Oren's parents to be exact) had no power for two entire weeks. What a pain in the butt. I am enjoying being closer to my parents and exploring all the things Houston has to offer. Thanks to Oren who really loves to experience things, it looks like I will be signing up for dance classes, attending my first opera and going to the Houston Rockets opener. How's that for variety?

Speaking of Oren, things are going really well there too. We are definitely in love and really enjoying being with each other. Time has flown so fast with our relationship I can't believe it's already been six months. He is pretty much the perfect guy for me. Sometimes I almost think he is me, but a boy. We think the same way, we're on the same intellectual level (well, he's much more of a nerd especially on the engineering end) and we like to do so many of the same things. One of the things I love most about him is that he has such a love for life. He never wastes a moment, always wanting to better himself and try new things. He really inspires me. Best of all, he's become my best friend. We talk to each other about everything and there is no hiding thoughts or holding back or any of those silly rules or games I practiced in my younger days. We also have the same core values, which I have learned the hard way is so, so important for a lasting relationship. So I am happy, and I feel very lucky to have him in my life. We recently got back from a romantic mini-trip to Ft. Lauderdale, where Oren planned everything as a birthday present. I felt very spoiled and had an amazing time. Here are some photos from the trip.


(on ft. lauderdale beach)


(oren's profile at sunset)


(beautiful water)



My job is going really well too. I have been there about 5 1/2 months and I think I have gotten really good at it. I hardly have questions anymore and I have received several compliments on my quick progress by people from pretty high up in the company. My goal is to become an editor within two years and right now it's looking very possible. I'm finally at a place where not only has it stayed interesting and kept me challenged, but I really enjoy the people I work with and for. My managing editor is awesome. He feels more like a brother than a boss most of the time. And when he has to be a boss, he is so patient and respectful. It's a wonderful change from my last jobs.

That's about all with me. I hope this blog finds you all well and happy. It's Fall, my favorite season!!

Real Life Update

It's not every day that almost immediately after beginning a new job you get to take a vacation, but that is exactly what I did! I had a trip planned about a month before my niece was born to go out to San Francisco and help Ari and Rachel for a week after all their other help died down. I told my supervisors about this trip during my second interview and told them I could always change something around if it affected my potential to get the job. But they are both really cool people and told me that would be fine. One awesome thing about my company is that the option to take vacation time begins right away rather than having to accrue it through a certain amount of hours worked. I also get 14 days within my first year, which is unheard of for journalists! Unfortunately, I came in with about 6 months to go before the beginning of a new fiscal year so I received a prorated 7.5 days of vacation until December rolls around. That's OK though because my trip to San Fran was totally worth it!

I got in on Monday, May 19 and finally got to meet my beautiful niece, Sasha, in person. She was exactly 1 month old but still pretty tiny. Rachel and Sasha met me at the airport and although Sasha was asleep, it was the perfect greeting. I just stared at her in amazement and disbelief of her very mini features while Rachel recorded my reaction for Ari to see later. Sasha was wearing a onesie I bought for her at a cute store that says "My Auntie Rocks." It was so cute to see her in it.

Hopefully by now most of you have seen my hundred or so pictures from my trip but here is one of my favorites that we took on my first day...



Isn't she precious??? I have to say that bonding with Sasha was a really amazing experience. Even if some it involved me changing her poopy diapers or her vomiting on almost every outfit I wore, it all seemed OK because she was so cute and I love her so much! Many times while she was awake, she would just stare at me with such innocent curiosity and looking back at her would physically make my heart ache. There aren't many times in life you get to experience the good kind of heart aches.

Throughout my visit, I spent lots of time with Rachel since Ari was back at work. We would run different errands and Sasha would come along. We walked around Sausalito quite a bit, which I never mind doing because it's seriously one of the most beautiful cities in the world in my opinion. We ate at some really yummy restaurants too. The one that stands out the most was called Burma Superstar which is in the city and Oren highly recommended it to me so I was determined to eat there even though for dinner there tends to be a line out the door and sometimes parties don't get seated for hours. Thankfully, Ari called an hour and a half ahead of time to get our name on the list and we only waited about 10 minutes after we arrived. The food was amazing and very different. I'm not sure I've ever tried Burmese food before this.

We also got a chance to meet up with my cousin, Devin, who lives in Berkley. I have always wanted to see that town so we drove there and ate at a world-famous pizzeria called Zachary's. Man, was that pizza delicious! I will never forget it. It was also really good to catch up with Devin since we don't chat on a regular basis.

On my last day (Sunday), Ari and I woke up and ran the length back and forth of the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge. The total distance is around 4 miles but it was so easy to run because I was so distracted by the amazing scenery around me. Not only do you get a great view of the city of San Francisco, but you got a great view of Sausalito and the water. We had a really good time running and taking pictures every so often on the bridge. Thanks Ari for slowing down your pace for me...I promise I once ran a half marathon!

Overall, I had a great trip. It went by way too fast and I didn't get much sleep since I tried to help out as much as I could at night. But it was so nice to spend some time only one year later in San Francisco with my wonderful brother and sister-in-law and my adorable new niece.

Now that I am back at my job, things are slowly but surely progressing. This week I've gotten to do a lot more hands-on things rather than just sitting and observing. The massive amount of information and instructions are also beginning to absorb into my brain so that's good. Today I attempted to write an entire story on my own, which my editor did not expect me to do. He was happy if I just began a story! It was pretty hard, but I think I did alright. We'll see once it's edited. As they say in Spain: Poco a poco (little by little).

And last but not least...the love life news! Things with Oren are going really well. It's been exactly a month now since we became a couple and we are still having a lot of fun. We try to see each other a few times during the week and do a lot of stuff together on the weekends. We seem to mesh really well personality-wise and like to do a lot of the same things. Needless to say, I really like the bloke! Here is a picture of us from one of his music shows where he played the guitar and sang for three hours!:



That's about all with me. I hope this post finds you all happy and well! Drop me a line when you can. Besos!

Lots of News!

Hello All! It's been a while since I've made a post but that's because so many things have been up in the air since I got back from Spain. It took me some time to re-adjust to the "states" and to figure out what was next. I hope all is well in your lives. Here is a little bit of what is going on with me...

First and foremost, baby Sasha Rose is here! I am so pumped to be an auntie and she is one of the most gorgeous newborns I've ever seen (no bias here!). This photo is from her birth day, April 20, 2008. I learned from a movie that the literal translation of "to give birth" in Italian is dare alla luce, which means to give to the light. This photo reminds me of that translation. Welcome to the light, my beautiful niece.




I am going to San Francisco to help the new parents out May 19-25th so the anticipation is pretty high for me. I can't wait to meet Sasha in person.

In other news, I got a job offer I couldn't refuse (little Godfather reference for ya there)! It is a publication writer position for a company called IHS. It's a major information company that focuses on the petroleum industry. I will be writing in daily wires, weekly reports and monthly publications catering mostly to all the geologist-types out there. It will be a new challenge as I will be learning about an entirely new subject matter and I will be learning some technical writing, which is a very valuable asset to have as a writer. Here is a link to the web site if you want to take a look: http://www.ihs.com. I start May 12 and I am going to be paid pretty well for only being in the real world a couple of years. Me alegra!! (This makes me happy.)

Also, there is a new boy in the picture. ;) His name is Oren and he lives here in Houston. He's a technical engineer for Schlumberger and a musician on the side. And for all my family members you might want to sit down for this...he is actually Jewish! He's Israeli-American and has dual citizenship. Fluent in both Hebrew and English and just really one of the sweetest guys I've ever met. We made things official yesterday and it's been a lot of fun so far! I promise to keep you all posted.

Whew! I think that's about all. Looks like Houston is my new home for a good while, which my mom is pleased about. I want to hear from all of you and I wish you all love.

Hasta Luego, España

Well, I can't believe it but my journey is coming to an end here in lovely Spain. It feels like last month that I was writing to tell everyone I booked my flight to come here, and in exactly 6 days I will be flying back home to Houston. I am going through a huge range of emotions as I close up my life here. I am torn between not wanting to leave and being so excited to see my family, friends and pets that I left behind. My mom said it the best. I have created my own little family here in a country that I have come to love and have called home for the past half year. That it is never easy to build such strong bonds and connections and then just leave it...but just because I am physically leaving it I have these new and fabulous people in my life that I hope will remain life-long friends. We can visit each other in our respective countries as well as have reunions in new places none of us have ever been. And as for Spain, well, I have so many memories that will stay close in my heart for the rest of my life. I also plan to come back here at least a few more times in my life.

I'd like to send a few shot-outs to some people who have really made my experience here that much more enriching and made me feel a little less crazy! First of all...mom and dad-you supported me financially to come here and I would not be here if it weren't for your help with that. Your investment was so much more than money...it was your faith in me and your wanting me to experience the best that life has to offer. You didn't question me once when I randomly told you I want to live in Spain. I can't begin to tell you how much your love and support has helped me to bloom and grow in this process of soul-searching. You are my best friends and I love you so much.

All three of my brothers-I know we didn't talk too much while I was away but each time we did, you're pride in me definitely kept me going. In return, I was so proud to tell people about you and how I am so lucky to have such wonderful siblings. And Ari and Rachel-thanks for making me an auntie!! Getting the news through a transatlantic call will always stay in my memory. I can't wait to meet my new niece.

Grandpa-thanks for all your articles you found in the papers that had anything to do with Bilbao or Spain and sending them to me. It kind of amazed me how often this great country and city came up in the U.S. news. Your interest in my trip really made me appreciate that much more what a great place in which I was living. Of course all your emails made several of my days too!

Diana-thanks for all the awesome greeting cards you sent my way...you must have sent one like every 2 weeks...that takes a lot of thought and persistence and I loved getting so much snail mail. The people at the institute said I was the most popular student they had ever had when it came to getting mail...thanks to you!

Eva-we had our bumpy times especially when I first got out here but man how much we have grown...I don't know too many people that would take the time or effort to work on their relationship over an ocean mostly through email and a few phone calls just to try to make things right. Your sacrifice to come visit me...I can't even put in words how much that means. You completed what was already an awesome experience in Spain and now we have technically finally traveled together. I hope we have many more oppotunities to come.

And all my other family and friends....thank you for checking in on me, for supporting me and for making me so excited to come back and see your beautiful faces. I know it's hard to leave Spain but you all make it easier because I know I have some amazing people in my life to come back to.

Para todas mis amigas en España- madre mia, voy a echaros de menos. Estais en mi corazon para siempre. Gracias por todo y yo lo se que nos vemos pronto. Os amo!

With all that said...I thought I would list out some of the things I am going to miss and not so much miss about Spain:

I won't miss the noisey bar beneath my bedroom that kept me up or woke me up several nights. I also won't miss the never-ending construction above our flat that several times I believed the roof would come crashing down on me. Really...Spain is pretty noisey and I won't miss it at all! I won't miss having to always look down when I am walking outside in order to dodge the endless piles of dog poop or puddles of pee. The Arabs on Calle San Francisco whistling and saying nasty things as I walked by. Always smelling like smoke because everyone and their dog smokes here. I definitely won't miss my teaching job (although it was good experience). Always being cold in the flat. Fighting to use the washing machine and never having room on the drying rack. Not being able to watch TV when I wanted to. The 25 minute train ride to and from my job. Never having enough money! People (directors of schools in particular) being a bit on the flaky side. Beds breaking in the flat almost once a month. The sometimes very constant rain and my pants always getting soaked. Getting sick almost every other month. Having to pay for the internet and having to go to internet cafes to use it every time. The endless trips to the supermarket...I never seemed to have enough food! Being homesick at least a little bit the whole time I was here.

I will miss my friends first and foremost. I'll miss the amazing food, especially the tortilla! I'll miss Nikki's awesome selection of DVD's and Bristish chic lit novels. I'll miss my yoga classes where I continued to work on my Spanish and my emotional state...my instructor was awesome and I will truly miss his wisdom. I'll miss going out to all the bars and discos and dancing like there is no tomorrow. I'll miss kissing and dancing with random, beautiful Spanish men in the discos. I'll miss Casco Viejo, the Nervion River (and running along it), Zubiarte, menus del dia, chocolate con churros, pintxos y vino, short weekend trips to other cities. My friends...I'll miss speaking Spanish and learning Spanish. I'll miss the beautiful beaches where it's normal to go topless and fall asleep for hours. Dinners and lunches with my friends. The awesome fashion and shopping. The cheap chinese stores where you could find anything and everything. My friends.... My flat and all the flatmates I have had over the course of 6 months. Hilde's massages. The sunny, clear-blue days. The view of the beautiful moutains in every direction I walk. The Umbrella song (amigas- vosotras sabeis!) Kalimotxos, Sangria, Txakoli and all the lovely and cheap La Rioja wine. The alioli at Asia di Roma. Cafe con leche. Have I mentioned my friends? Catching up each evening with Nikki. Nikki and me swtiching off making dinner for each other. Nikki helping to undress me when I was too tired or drunk. My side trips to Paris and England. The fresh organic fruit store five feet away from my flat. The fresh bakery with awesome bread four steps away from my flat. The nice pharmacy lady across the street who always gave me the good drugs to make whatever illness I had go away. Most of all...I'll miss my friends.


I could go on forever but I will stop there. I truly did have the time of my life here and I am actually really proud of myself for making it more successful than I could ever hope for. I feel I have done enough soul-searching to really know myself again and that is priceless.

What's next you all ask? Well....as always, I don't have a definite answer. I have lots of ideas and promise to keep you posted. In the meantime I plan to see where life takes me next. It is after all, an adventure.

Eva's visit to Spain

(Me and Eva in Plenzia)

On February 13, Eva took the very long flight from New York to visit me for 5 1/2 days in Spain and we used every single minute possible to soak it all up! Before this trip it had been almost a year since we had last seen each other and even then it wasn't under the best circumstances as we were attending the funeral of a very close family member. It was about time we spent some quality time together and remember what it is like to be the two crazy best friends we have been beginning from the age of ten. We have also been dying to travel together and although it's hard being a poor, post-graduate with hardly any vacation time this was a great glimpse of what it would be like. I am so thankful she made the financial and time investment to come see me...I have so many cherished memories from her trip that I will never forget.

So on Wednesday, I went to pick Eva up from the airport after a pretty significant delay. We got started with our day by going to the Guggenheim since that is basically the most crucial thing to see in Bilbao. This was only my second visit and I was once again taken away with the beauty of the structure. It is just so magestic. The main exhibit was called Art in America, which was pretty funny since we both have a good idea of the American classic artists. Also, a lot of the things in the exhibit were things that came from New York museums and Eva had already seen a good amount! Oh well, she still loved seeing it all. After that, we took the funicular up Mt. Artxanda so she could get a good view of the entire city. We went at a beautiful hour where the sun was just beginning to set.


(view from Artxanda)

After taking lots of photos we went a beautiful cafe/restaurant called Txakoli...named after the yummy Basque white wine. I made her try her first Kalimotxo (coke with red wine) and she really liked it. We also ate a few snacks. Finally we headed back to the flat to freshen up and then made our way to Casco Viejo for a lovely dinner of the best pintxos in town at Cafe Bar Bilbao. I treated Eva as a birthday gift (her birthday was in November). As I suspected, she absolutely loved the pintxos. We shared a bottle of Txakoli and I got thoroughly drunk. Then I took her to a different restaurant where I don't like the food but the desserts are amazing. Finally we made it to bed to get some rest for the next day.

On Valentine's Day, Eva and I took a nice day trip to Plenzia-a small beach front town about 35 minutes from Bilbao. It is the last stop on the Bilbao metro and I had always wanted to see it. Since we went in the middle of the day we were just about the only people walking around. Everyone else was either at work or taking siesta so it was kind of neat...it felt like the town was ours. As you walk off the metro there is a near bridge that takes you over a river that is full of little tug boats. It seems almost every person who lives in that town must have a boat and they all just park them in the river.


(sunset in Plenzia)

Other than walking around, eating a lovely menu del dia and walking on the beach, there wasn't much else to do. After a few hours we headed back to Bilbao. We socialized with all my roommates for an hour or so. It was really funny because our kitchen is the smallest room in the flat and we could have all sat in the living room but instead as more people began to join us, they took chairs from the living room and put them in the kitchen. It was really cute, you had to see it. Finally, Eva and I went out to a Valentine's dinner at a beautiful modern restaurant called Viva Bilbao where we had some of the most interesting dishes with the most interesting types of food. Eva had a tasting menu where her first coarse was in the shape of a lolipop that was frozen foie gras with this interesting sweet sauce. She also had a dish that was kangaroo...it was actually pretty good. I ate a yummy duck dish that was more of a mediterranean style with figs and fried onion. We both shared everything and it was really enjoyable. We also shared a bottle of the Spanish Cava Champagne and got a really good cheesecake dessert in the shape of a heart.

On Friday, we stayed in Bilbao and made it a shopping day. I took Eva to all the best spots like the Gran Via and Casco Viejo. We both ended up buying a purse from a famous store here called Mi Sa Ko...where all the purses are very original and are made in the Catalonia province of Spain. We took a short break at a nice place called Cafe y Te where we both had some good tea and where I had her try some tortilla...a type of pintxo (one of my favorites)made with potatos and egg. We shopped until all the stores closed and finally went back to the flat to chill for a while. Then my friends came with us to the karaoke bar because Eva really wanted to see what a Spanish one would be like. We found some English songs to sing and Eva was a hit among the crowd. They all applauded each time she sang...she really has a great singing voice.

On Saturday all my girlfriends came with us to San Sebastian. I had been here once before but I was still so jetlagged that I found a beach and fell asleep for practically the whole time! This time I really wanted to see the town because it is said to be the most beautiful city in northern Spain. After a nice hour long bus ride, we walked for a long time around the sea.


(the girls in San Sebastian)

We took a short break at a cafe and shopped a little for souvenirs. We saw the beautiful port area and then walked into the old town where there were some amazing stores. We all bought a treat from the pasteleria (bakery). They were all divine. Then we went to one of the main beaches...The Concha, where we found a beautiful cafe on the beach. Unfortunately, we had to wait about an hour to be seated and the menu del dia was not very good but we still enjoyed being in a beautiful environment and talking and resting. After a long lunch, we headed back to the buses. After eating some pasta for dinner, we all got ready to go out to some discos. All of our friends came to pre-drink at our flat and then we went to two different discos...we couldn't go all night because we were so tired but we managed to stay out until about 3am. Eva loved seeing the different environments and differents music that can change so dramatically from one disco to the next.

On Sunday, we all woke up again and all the girls went on a daytrip to Santander...another beach front city I had always wanted to see. The bus ride was a little longer this time but it was good to fit some naps in. We walked along the sea for a while and then found a little cafe that offered boat rides to different parts of the city. We sat in the cafe and had some good cafe con leche and some really awesome tortilla with chorizo. Then we walked to the port area and then walked back in time to catch the next boat. It was such a beautiful day to be on the water and under the sun. We went to the complete other side of the city where we found a beach and played for about an hour. It was so cute to see all the girls running around and jumping in the water with all the their clothes on. Eva and I started doing cartwheels on the beach and cheerleading jumps. It has been so long since we have done any of those that we were really sore the next day!


(cartwheels on the beach in Santander)

After getting burned out from all those cartwheels, we found a restaurant with a good menu del dia. Although there were some items on the menu that they ran out of, we still all had some of the most tasty meals we had ever had. Eva got her paella she had been craving too! After lunch, we headed back to the boat to get to the other side of town where we went back to the buses. After getting back, Eva and I went back out into Bilbao to do some more shopping for gifts for her to bring back home. We also decided to have a very late dinner at a lovely place near the Guggenheim called Tapelia. We ate some more lovely pintxos and a really good salad. Then, unfortunately Eva had to begin packing up. We finally went to bed after she was all packed.

The next day, we woke up and talked for a long time during breakfast. We went into town so I could buy a cheap bag that I could pack some of my things in for her to bring back with her to NY so I could avoid dealing with having too much luggage when I come home. We'll see if I still have a problem...probably. Then I took her to get chocolate con churros because you can't come to Spain and not have those. She loved it of course! Sadly, our time together came to an end. I took her back to the airport where we sat and chatted until I had to get on the bus in order to make it to work.

We were both so glad she came to visit, regardless of how short the trip was. She came when we had some of the most beautiful weather ever since I had lived in Bilbao. It was mostly clear blue skies each day and it usually warmed up enough to not need a jacket. I know this was an experience neither of us are ever going to forget and I was so grateful to have a visitor that could see my life here and meet some of the amazing friends I have made along the way.

Vive Barcelona

(At Catalunia National Museum looking out on the city)

So, I'm basically in love with Barcelona. I don't know if it was the phenomenal weather, the amazing company that came along or the enchantment of the city that made it so spectacular but it was probably a little bit of everything. By far, Barcelona has been my favorite experience in Spain and my favorite city. I could definitely see myself living there one day or at least taking a nice, long vacation. My girls Nikki and Hege came along this time and we decided to save time and take a flight out from Bilbao Friday morning around 8am and return Sunday night around 10:30pm in order to get the maximum time in. We were warned how big the city was and how there were tons of things to do. The one set-back was that we wanted to celebrate our friend Hilde's birthday before we left since it fell on Friday so we had a party for her at our flat Thursday night. A little dumb I know...we ended up only getting about 2.5 hours of sleep before we had to wake up and get to the airport! You can only imagine how tired we were...we actually had bouts of dilerium that made it super funny. Hege couldn't stop giggling at every single thing she saw and I became grandiose saying things like I was so thirsty I wanted to drink all of Barcelona. Yea, I know. Nikki stayed pretty level headed, which is a good thing because she was the one who planned the trip and was trying to always figure out where we were going next. I did manage to make her laugh quite a bit though.

Each day there, the sky was clear blue (that is rare in Bilbao) and the sun was shining so much that by the end of each morning, we no longer needed to wear a jacket. Now, how is that possible in the end of January? The best part about this trip was although we didn't see every single thing we wanted to see, we really enjoyed everything because we made sure to relax and sit in places, taking in the scenery, having a cold drink and just talking. Usually I feel frantic trying to get it all in to where I now realize I tend to not enjoy it as much. This time, we just let go a little bit, chilled a little bit more and I have to say this is the way to go. I think it also helped that we were all girls and all wanted to do the same things. Dynamics are very important I have learned.

So when we first arrived to Barcelona, we took a bus to Plaza Catalunya, which is the center of town. Then we walked to our lovely hostal in Old Town called Hostal Avinyo. Although still a little shabby, it was better than the one in Madrid with lots more space. Finally we set out to do some sight-seeing. We walked down the famous Rambla...a large street full of performance artists, cafes outdoors, shops, just about everything you can think of. There is always something to look at on this road and you will never be bored. Everything is just so alive. We walked all the way down to the port (Port Vell) and then realized we needed to turn back around in order to make it to our lunch reservation. We walked up the Rambla to the famous food market called the Boqueria. This place was so cool. Overwhelming amounts of fresh food and cute little bars in different parts of the markets where you got to eat some of the hand-selected fresh food from the market that was cooked right before your eyes. Somehow I was able to make a reservation at Bar Pinotxo before we got to Barcelona thinking that this place was closed-in and there were actual tables. I was wrong. It was in the center of the wildness of the market with maybe 10 little bar stools that were completely filled. We mentioned we had a reservation but it didn't help much. We eventually all got to sit down but it was quite a hassle. We enjoyed the famous Spanish champagne called Cava and ate some of the Catalunian delicacies. I ate a really good sausage thing. Then we wandered around the market for a while before moving on.


(Bar Pinotxo)

Then we headed back down the Rambla toward the port once again where we took a seat on one of the coolest bridges I have ever seen and watched the boats and rested for a while. Then we headed to the Ciutadella park which is known for some of its beautiful architecture, a zoo and a nice area with fountains and paddle boats. We walked around as the sun was setting and decided to get in one of the boats to take in the beautiful ambiance. It was nice peaceful until Hege took us under a low-suspended bridge that almost decapated my head! That was fun trying to get through. Finally we headed back to the hostal, took a short nap because we were past the point of functioning and woke back up to eat dinner. We ended up finding a place in the Old Town called Fondo that was this beautiful, split level wooded restaurant filled with red lanterns. The food was delicious and cheap. I had a yummy salad and roast lamb. Then we called it a night so we could catch up on our sleep to enjoy the next day.

On Saturday we had a nice breakfast near our hostal and then headed to Monjuic, which is a big mountain that looks over the city. We took a cable car all the way up to see the Castle Monjuic. It was beautiful. You could see sea and the ports and just about everything. We hung out there for quite a while and even had a few drinks enjoying the view. Then we walked around to find the site of the 1992 Olympic stadium and other facilities. It was pretty cool to walk into the stadium and look around. I believe we had another drink around there and then made our way to the Catalunia National Museum. This was an amazing piece of architecture. Outside, there was live music playing so we sat down again and gave an interview to a sociologist. Then we met this cool Italian dude who was selling some pretty glass jewelry and bought some things and chatted with him. Then we walked down to Plaza Espanya,where they have a famous fountain and light show on the weekend and which we sadly missed.

Finally we went to eat some yummy Mediterranean food (my favorite) at Babilonia Braseria where I had some Shwarma and hummus. It wasn't the best but it satisfied my craving. Then we finally saw the much anticipated Church of Sagrada Familia, created by the famous Guadi. It is said to be the "Bible in stone." It is still not finsihed although the construction began in 1882. There are contantly additions being added and supposedly it is not supposed to be complete for another 50 years. This is the most intricate building I have ever seen in my life. Now I understand why it is so famous.


(Sagrada Familia)

We then continued on the "Gaudi tour" heading back to Passeig de Gracia (famous for shopping and the best stores around), where several of his masterpieces stand. We saw the Casa Batlló and the Casa Mila on this street. Then we rested at a Starbucks...yes I gave in for the second time since I've been away. Then we went back to Plaza Espanya where we thought we would see the fountain and light show but sadly discovered we missed it. So then we walked all the way along Gran Via, which was nothing like the ones in Bilbao and Madrid. It took such a long time that we took Nikki's phone out and began singing along to her MP3s. We're dorks. Finally we reached a famous cocktaileria called Boada's Cocktails, where I had my first Cosmopolitian since I have been away. It was a nice bar but very small and very crowded and smokey so we didn't stay long. Then I dragged the girls to a famous tapas bar that I really wanted to try only to find it was closed. But we were in the Gothic area and there were several other places to choose from. We ended up at an old tavern called La Taverna del Born on Born Street, a famous street in Barcelona, and ate some really delicious tapas. Then we called it a night after doing a load of walking that day.

The next morning, we woke up and decided to eat breakfast on the Rambla at one of the cute little cafes. Then we headed up to Park Guell, which was a good 30 minute bus ride. This is also known as Guadi's park as he actually lived in a pink "Alice in Wonderland" house he created in the middle of this botanical haven. We walked around and sat at his famous winding benches. That was my favorite part. There was a man playing the sax with all the classic songs and everyone was just sunbathing and relaxing.


(Guadi's benches)

Then we headed back to eat lunch in the Old Town at one of the oldest restaurants in Barcelona called Can Culleretes founded in 1786. They are known for their very interesting combinations of Mediterranean food. I had goose with apples. It was delicious. Then we headed to our last destination: the beach in Barceloneta. This was so beautiful. The pictures don't really do it justice. We found this cool bar on the beach called IceBarcelona, where for 15 Euros you can walk into a bar constructed totally of ice with a temperature of -7 degrees celcius and have a cocktail made with Absolute Vodka. We gave in because we were so curious and I had seen a news report on it once and wanted to try it. We put on these really furry, warm clothes and stayed for about 30 minutes. It was about all we could handle. But I have to say it was literally one of the "coolest" experiences of my life. Then we stayed a little while on the beach before heading back to Bilbao.



This was definitely a trip of a lifetime that I will never forget. Next on the agenda is a visit from my little New Yorker, Eva. She will arrive Feb. 13. I am very excited. :)

Cheers to England

(Westminister Abbey)

After leaving Paris I made my way to England on a Thursday evening . Nikki and her family were kind enough to pick me up from London-Heathrow Airport and transport me back to their home in Reading, about 45 minutes south of London. They live in a nice community similar to those you would see in the suburbs of the U.S. I had a chance to unwind and speak with her parents. Let me tell you, it was really nice communicating in English to everyone again! Nikki’s parents are both Scottish so at times I still felt like I was listening to a foreign language and of course there are all those fantastic British expressions that you sort of know what they mean but you never hear nor say them so you are caught off guard. But her family was lovely and I was so appreciative to have a place to stay and to feel at home.

After getting a good night’s sleep, Nikki and I woke up and made our way to London on a train. We had pretty bad luck (actually, we had quite a bit of bad luck the whole trip) by getting on the train that stopped a million times so it took that much longer to reach our destination. Once we got to the London Paddington station at about noon, we went into the Underground, also called the “Tube,” which is supposedly a vital London experience. We went all the way to Westminister and as we walked up to ground level, we saw the glorious Westminister Abbey, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben right in front of us. Also in front of us and everywhere around us was a hoard of tourists just like us moving every which way and making it very difficult to walk on Westiminister Bridge. After taking tons of pictures in not the best light (it was threatening to rain), we walked across the bridge at a snail’s pace, checked on our tickets for later to take the London Eye tour and then walked along Whitehall Street. We found a great little British pub to eat lunch where I ate the obligatory fish and chips. For those of you who don’t know, chips are French fries and actual chips are “crisps.” I think I finally got that down! I had the strange option of choosing garden peas or “mushy” peas with my meal and had no clue what to say to that so I went with the garden variety to be safe. Later I saw on another’s plate that the “mushy” peas looked like a blob of boogers so I was reassured by my initial choice. After lunch, we continued down Whitehall Street where we saw endless beautiful buildings (mainly ministries and central offices). We took a short venture into St. James’ Park-one of the many royal parks in London. Even on a dreary day, the park was beautiful and I had to take at least 5 photos of these amazing white pelicans on the water. Then, we continued and found Downing Street, where the British Prime Minister lives. Of course the street is blocked off by iron gates and closely patrolled by lots of security guards. Nikki and I were trying to peer down and see the actual building he lives in because it supposedly has a number “10” on the door. We think we found it but our eyes weren’t completely accurate from the distance where we were standing. We continued on and saw the famous soldiers on their horses in front of the military museum. Lots of tourists were taking pictures next to them, and of course the soldiers aren’t allowed to pay attention or even change their facial expressions. I decided to be one less torturous tourist and pass on being in the picture with one. By this point it was time to go do our London Eye package deal tour.

The first part of the tour was on a boat that took us along the Thames River and explained all the famous buildings, architecture, and the beautiful and very unique bridges. We also were served a free glass of mulled wine, which was nice to have the warmth since we decided to go to the top of the boat in the open air on a cold day. We saw all the necessary things such as Shakespeare’s Globe, London Bridge, Tower Bridge and the funny-shaped city hall. We really enjoyed hearing the stories and background to all these famous sites. Then we took the actual London Eye, which is basically a gigantic ferris wheel except you walk into enclosed little pods rather than an open-air seat. The “flight” lasted about 30 minutes and it got dark immediately after stepping into our pod. This meant pictures were impossible as the flash reflected against the glass of the pod and if you didn’t have a tripod (because who brings those on a flight?) it was pretty much too dark to capture the magnificent sight of the city of London lit up at night. I tried putting my camera down on a surface and taking long exposures and some came out OK but I was still glad we saw it in the dark because it was gorgeous. As soon as we walked off, it began to rain. And rain. And rain. We had to buy some umbrellas because we were getting drenched and we tried to move on with our sight-seeing. We walked to Trafalgar Square, where a beautiful Christmas tree was lit up. We didn’t stay long because the rain made it impossible to take pictures. Then we kept trekking because we wanted to at least see Buckingham Palace before giving up. We finally got there after I received a nice huge splash of rainwater from a car all over my body. The place was bigger than I had imagined and it looked so royal. I tried once again to take some photos with raindrops on the lens. Oh well, at least I saw it in person. Finally, we ventured back to Reading where we passed out not too long after. As they would say in England, we were “shattered.”

The next day, Nikki and I got on a train once again and went to Bath, England- a World Heritage Site City, Nikki’s college town and home of the famous Roman Baths. While Nikki went to the eye doctor I strolled along the charming town and found this beautiful store selling the famous Bath glass. Just as Venice is known for its glass in Italy, Bath is the equivalent for England. The range of free-blown glassware and jewelry reflects the color and elements of the historic spa waters of the Roman Baths. Let’s not talk about how much money I spent there. After meeting back up with Nikki, we decided to take a bus tour of the town. It took as all around, explaining the ancient Georgian heritage and some famous people who lived there including Jane Austen. It was a great tour. After having a nice lunch next to a fire, we set off for the Bath Market where you could find just about anything and everything. They say you can’t leave the market without buying at least one thing. Of course I ended up buying a used book for one pound. Can’t pass up a deal like that! Later I gave into my American indulgence and made a quick stop at Starbuck’s (the first time in four months people!) and it was delicious. Then we got on a second tour bus that was supposed to take us up into the hills of the town to see the skyline and other important places, including the campus of Bath University. Of course it hit 4pm and quickly got dark and it was raining so we didn’t get to really see that much. When we got off we finally made our way to the Roman Baths but to our disappointment, the last entrance had closed about 15 minutes earlier. Well, I was super upset because I really wanted to see it. I mean, who goes to visit Bath and doesn’t see the baths? So Nikki and I walked around the building and walked into the gift shop, which was still open and I began flipping through books hoping to get some idea of how it looks inside. Then Nikki saw an entrance to the museum portion of the building and a woman at the information desk. We walked over to see if there was any way we could get in. The woman apologetically nodded her head and said, “Not today.” We saw two other girls just as disappointed and Nikki saw them walk down some stairs so she followed them and then yelled my name. Well…there were some bathrooms down the stairs but if you keep going there is an entrance into the baths and no one was guarding the entry area! After the girls disappeared in the crowd Nikki told me to go with her down the stairs. Now, if you know Nikki she is a very proper girl who abides by all rules and would never think to do anything dishonest so this caught me by surprise because although it is something I might have done I didn’t even think about it until she told me to go in with her! So yes, we were those two criminal girls who snuck into the Roman Baths! It was actually pretty exhilarating and there were still tons of people around so we totally blended in. We were still a little wary we might get caught so we tried to play the dumb foreigner card and began speaking in Spanish. The funny thing about that though is that we heard lots of real Spaniards around us speaking much better than we were and we sounded like phonies. Isn’t this a great story? Well, we wandered around for about 20 minutes and we saw the majority of the baths. It was really neat to see and tempting to get into some of them because the steam coming off the water made you want to get in. We took some photos and finally escaped right back out. I even bought some official bath water from the gift shop to remember this very funny occasion of seeing the Roman Baths. Later we went into some shops Nikki wanted to see and then she took me to a place that is known for their amazing fudge. She thought it might be closed but we would try. We got there and the door was locked but the owner was sweeping the floor and saw our looks of disappointment and opened the doors just for us. Nikki said at this point, “Emily, I think our luck is changing!” So we bought some delicious fudge and then headed back to Reading. That night we decided to go to a movie (it was lovely seeing a movie in English) called St. Trinians-a British comedy. We really enjoyed the film.


(those sneaky girls in the Roman Baths)

The next day was a bit more relaxed. We were pretty pooped from taking trains into far-away cities and traveling all day long so we decided to take it easy, sleep in a little and then take a little drive to Windsor (which was less than 30 minutes away) and see the famous Windsor Castle. This is where the queen usually spends most of her weekends and other important occasions. The majority of the castle is open to the public (with a hefty fee of course) so we decided to take a tour of the place. It was everything you would expect a castle to be like, huge with all its fortresses and separate buildings and cathedral. We walked around the outside and inside the walls and finally went in to see the residence rooms. We weren’t allowed to take pictures of the inside so I will just have to keep it in my memory but it was absolutely beautiful, full of ornate and royal décor and some of the most amazing art pieces hung on the walls. It was neat to get a feel for how today’s royalty lives and see a place that is still a real, working castle. On our way back, we stopped for a Cornish pasti, which is this awesome pastry thing with meat and potatoes and other yummy things inside. Supposedly they are really popular in England so of course I had to try it. That evening back in Reading, we decided to go see some of Nikki’s friends at a local pub but right before we left Nikki got sick. She still insisted on going for some reason and was sick about two more times at the pub so I made her call her dad to come pick us up…poor girl.

I’m pretty sure it was a 12-hour bug because the next day she basically felt normal again. We continued on with our plans to take a train to Portsmouth, where Nikki’s friend Caroline lives and where we were going to spend New Year’s Eve. I got the chance to meet all of her closest friends, play some drinking games, eat some pizza and then get ready for the theme party of James Bond “007 into 008” at a club in the center of town. We got all dressed up and the boys were all wearing tuxes or suits. We found a great little spot inside the club where we could sit and talk. Some of us danced while others stayed in our little area and all of us had lots to drink! We had a great time and it was nice to get to know all of Nikki’s friends. We stayed the night at Caroline’s and actually went to bed at the decent hour of 3am.

On New Year’s Day we headed back on the train to Reading. After some much-needed relaxation we ate a lovely dinner at Nikki’s house with her family. The table was beautifully decorated and I got to experience a family tradition of pulling a string out of a basket in the middle of the table, which at the end of the string was a gift. Supposedly the tradition started in Nikki’s dad’s side of the family in Scotland a long time ago. I got a beautiful necklace. I thought that was a really neat thing to do on New Year’s. After eating a lovely meal, we tried to play with these whistles that came in those New Year’s crackers that you pull and something pops out. Supposedly if everyone had a whistle, you could actually make music by following directions to particular songs. We weren’t very successful. Rather, Nikki’s brother made fun of me and then her dad decided to put the whistles in his eyes…well I had to take a picture so here it is!



We followed with more family games until we were all “shattered.” It really was a great day to bring in the New Year.

The next day we slept in a little and then went into the town of Reading. It’s funny how I had stayed there the past 5 days but hadn’t actually seen the town until my final day there. I guess we went backwards in a sense. We took a bus into town and went to the main shopping center. It was really nice and big and we spent some time wandering around some stores. Then I saw a Chili’s and got really excited! I haven’t eaten in an actual American restaurant for a long time, unless you count Burger King which I’ve only had once. The meal cost twice as much as in America, but that’s England for you. It was all worth it. I took my flight back to Bilbao with a full tummy and a sense of accomplishment after a very busy two weeks of traveling around two separate countries.

I will never forget my experiences during this trip and I have lots of photos to go with it! Next on the travel itinerary is Barcelona. Our flight is already booked for January 25. Happy New Year!

c'est la vie en Paris

Well, I decided to split my blog entry between the two countries I visited this Christmas break because they were two separate experiences and there is so much to say about both of them that I didn’t want one entry to become a novel. But I warn you, it’s still really long! Paris was my first stop so naturally I will talk about that first. How do I begin with such an amazing city? I visited Paris once before
when I was 12 years old with my family. I can’t remember exactly how long we stayed but we had an intense itinerary to complete and it involved a large part of the country of France so I don’t think we were in Paris longer than four days. I also saw it through a child’s eyes and obviously because of that, I didn’t remember too much.

Everyone asked me, “Are you going alone to Paris?” Well, technically I guess I was but I didn’t think of it that way. You see, I have relatives that live there and ever since I knew I was coming to live in Spain I had the idea to go visit them (for only the second time in my life) while I was in Europe. It happened coincidentally to work out for them and me to come during Christmas. Right here I have to say that if you have any family (no matter how extended) that you don’t really know, you should definitely make an effort to get to know them better. I say this because it was so completely gratifying to really get to know Lily and Serge Sokolowsky and to feel so at home and like family with people I have hardly spent any time with in my life. I’m not saying all extended family will be as great as these two were, but they went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable and to make sure I got a nice, well-rounded taste of the fabulous city of Paris.

I ended up spending most of my 6 days there with Lily, who was like that really cool aunt that everyone wishes they had in their life. She knew the most English so it was her job to do most of the communicating and explaining of the city. Although she didn’t think her English was very good, I told her when you put it into perspective with my learning Spanish and speaking it every day for the past four months, compared to her only learning English in school and not speaking it for about 15 years it was phenomenal how well she did. She was not only very well spoken, but you got to see her hilarious sense of humor, which is also a difficult side to display in a different language. But I swear, I was laughing all the time while I was around her. She has this infectious spirit that makes you want to be around her and be her best friend. So thank you Lily for being so amazing.

OK, onto the touristy stuff: My first evening was nice and calm. Lily came to pick me up from the airport and we checked into my cute little hotel in an area right outside of Paris called Levallois. The hotel was perfect and comfortable and it was nice to have the privacy (no offense roomies). Then I went back to Lily and Serge’s flat where she somehow managed to cook an amazing French dinner in between picking me up and driving me everywhere. Serge automatically began speaking to me in French because when I said hello I had one French phrase memorized (oops). So that was fun. I pretended I understood and just kept sipping on the champagne he had opened hoping something would sound like Spanish every once and a while and waiting for Lily to come translate. Serge actually knows and understands English perfectly but he just doesn’t like to speak it if he can help it. After a lovely dinner complete with Serge’s best French wine and some awesome French cheese I turned in.

The next day, I went with Lily and her niece, Alix, to Musee du quai Branly where we saw a huge exhibition on primitive art. Surprisingly, there was hardly any translation into English. Supposedly, many museums and other public institutions are fading out the use of English always being a second translation. I was actually really surprised in general to see how few people knew much English at all in one of the most touristy cities in the world (thank God I had Lily!). Anyway, the exhibition was great and then we headed to a very French bistro in the middle of the city and had a fabulous lunch. I had some kind of duck dish, which was very characteristic of the French cuisine. It was divine of course. Then we of course had to go to the Eiffel Tower. It was one of the most perfect days to go. The lines weren’t too bad and the day was not too cold and the sky was very blue. So we went up to the second level (Lily was afraid of heights so she really gets a gold star for coming) where you can see the entire city and all the landmarks from an aerial view. I took loads of pictures (which you have probably already seen by now) and really enjoyed doing probably THE MOST touristy thing you can do in Paris. That evening, I went to see the official American Broadway show of West Side Story with Lily and Serge at Theatre du Chatelet. I don’t know how Lily did it, but we ended up being in the second row of the orchestra seats! We were so close I could see every bead of sweat on every actor! The show was amazing, as I knew it would be and the theater was absolutely gorgeous. That was an experience I will never forget.


(Chocolate at the Angelina)

The next day I think I had the most sinful breakfast I will ever have in my entire life. Lily took me to one of the most famous chocolate bakeries called Angelina where they serve basically liquid gourmet chocolate. As Ari would say, I’m pretty sure it has some crack in it. No, it was so good. I also (I’m such a sinner) ate a croissant thing with chocolate in the middle. We took pictures because it was such an elegant, old-fashioned place and it all looked so beautiful. After gaining about 5pounds from one sitting we walked to Jardins du Palais Royal, a beautiful area where there are lots of civil ministries bordering some beautiful fountains and an art exhibition of black and white pillars of different heights springing up from the ground. Later, we walked through the outside of The Louvre (I do remember this one as a child and we really didn’t have time to visit the museum because it was so huge and would take days). We walked through the Jardin du Tuileries, which was huge and had tons of fountains where you could see birds standing on the frozen ice and people just sitting around watching the birds. We finally made our way to Musee de l’Orangerie where they were exhibiting Monet’s water lily project of paintings with every time of day and every shade of light. The paintings were set up in a panoramic perspective. It was beautiful. Then on the bottom floor, there were all kinds of famous paintings by my favorite impressionists. Lily and I began playing a game that she and her cousin originally made up where we got to choose two paintings that we were going to buy from each museum…even if we had to fight over the same one! I of course wanted more than two in this museum but I was happy with my selection. After that we walked around Place Vendôme, where some of the world’s most famous jewelers are set and we gawked in all the windows…also picking out which pieces of jewelry we wanted. Of course I’ll have to go back when I’m rich and really pick a piece out. That’s a goal anyway. After that, we wandered to Place Concorde where the famous ferris wheel sits and where you can see a great perspective of the Champs Elysees. Then we went to eat lunch in a busy and yummy bistro called Café Madeleine. That evening, Lily and Serge’s son Jeremie surprisingly flew in and we all had another fabulous dinner at their home. Jeremie spent a week or so in Houston when I was ten years old and that was the last time we saw each other. When he walked into the flat, the first thing he said was “Wow, you look different.” I would hope so! Anyway, he’s currently living in London working in finance. It was really great to catch up with him.

On Christmas day, Lily took me to the Jewish/gay district of Paris (because of course there would be things open there!). We ate breakfast in a wonderful Jewish deli where I had my first bagel since I had left Texas. It was awesome of course! And mom, I ate a fabulous Napolean there too, even though they don’t call them that in France-they are called Millefeuilles. I thought you would be proud of me eating the infamous pastry once again in France, where my obsession with it all originated. Then we walked around the area, making sure to see some of the synagogues and the Place des Vosges, which is a very luxurious area to live and is known for its beautiful architecture. It was really neat to be surrounded by a Jewish environment all of the sudden in a place that is very much considered a catholic country. Of course, there is nothing like this in Bilbao so I really enjoyed getting a chance to feel Jewish again…even if it was just for a few hours. Then, we went to see the Hotel de Ville, which is Paris’ city hall. It was grand and huge as you can expect. And there was even an ice-skating rink outside of it where you could get a picture perfect image of ice-skaters on Christmas in Paris. Later, we went to an artsy district called Abesses making sure to stop by Moulin Rouge in the Pigalle district (or hot spot area of Paris) to take a few photos. Then we went (or should I say climbed up)Montmartre where the famous cathedral or Basilique du Sacré Cœur sits on top of a mountain where you can see all of Paris. For Christmas, there were quite a lot of people/tourists walking around! From far way, like from the Eiffel Tower, this huge white cathedral looks like some mythological and magical place as its white grandness stands out from the rest of the city. Once you are there, you see how huge it actually is and why it’s such a perfect location to sit. Montmartre is also known for its “starving artists” where everywhere you turn, people are asking to draw or paint your portrait. There was a large square, Place du Tertre, full of paintings (mostly of the city) that were being sold. I actually thought some were quite good. I loved photographing the atmosphere there. Lily and I slowly walked down the hill to a famous area of Abesses where you could find Le Bateau Lavior- known for where the great artists such as Picasso used to have their art studious. Then, we drove to Lily’s parent’s house (Therese and Henri Broun) where Lily’s mother who said she wanted us to come for a small snack ended up making this enormous and delectable Christmas feast complete with a turkey and lots of yummy Jewish food. It was like the Thanksgiving I didn’t get to have! Of course it was delicious and although the plan was to come for about an hour, I believe we were there for at least 5 hours! It was really nice to see them though, and Henri spoke English very well because he worked for the US Army for a while. He still talks about how he worked for the US but never got there and that he missed out on his big chance to become an American. Of course I don’t think it’s so lousy to remain a Parisian! Although I don’t celebrate it per se, it was great being around actual family on Christmas. If I couldn’t be home in Texas, I have to say it was good planning on my part to make sure I was with some sort of family.


(my French family)

The day after Christmas, Lily and I went to one of the most famous museums in Paris (although there are hundreds it seems) called the Musee d’ Orsay. I’m pretty sure I was here as a child too because it’s pretty difficult to forget the amazing architecture of that place. Lily and I saw the Holder exhibit, an interesting Swiss artist who is well known for his landscape paintings. We both really liked it. We also saw a photojournalism exhibit, which I really enjoyed. Then we went to visit some popular districts of Paris such as St. Germain and Jardin du Luxembourg. We walked by the famous Odeon Theatre and window shopped in St. Michel. Later that evening Lily took me to this gypsy horse show called Battuta Zingaro, where real, live gypsies had trained horses to perform with them along with a Turkish band who played along to the show. It was really quite strange but also so entertaining! These men and women would do all sorts of acrobats and dances on top of moving horses. It’s one of those things you have to see for yourself and is really hard to explain, but it was definitely quite a sight to see.

My last day in Paris, Lily and I ate a wonderful brunch in Levallois and then went to Musee du Jeu Paume, where a famous photographer, Steichen, had one of the largest exhibits I have ever seen in my life! It began with his very first photo of his sister when he was a little boy and ended on the second floor with his success as a gallery manager for the MOMA in New York City. I have to say, this man is truly a legend. I know I have seen his work before but never knew him by name. He’s done so many different forms of photography including portraits of the old Hollywood greats as well as fashion photography for Vogue. You name it, he’s probably done it. Anyway, it was intriguing and inspirational and very, very long. Lily had to pull me away because it was time to leave for my flight.

So that’s where Paris ends and England begins. Come back soon to read about the rest of my adventure.