Random Blips
BiblioMetro
Today, I was on my way to get stuff done, waiting for the metro somewhere, AS USUAL, and I noticed the Bibliometro kiosk in the middle of the metro platform. I had seen these in other stations, so I decided to inquire as to exactly what it was. Well, it's like a little library, and you can check out a book and return it to any of the like 20 Bibliometro kiosk in metro stations or around town. Within a couple of minutes, I had a library card and a book. How cool is that? I was just thinking that I really need to start reading easy Spanish lit to improve my Spanish from a different angle. Now it is happening, yippee!
American Breakfast
If countries were represented by their best meals, I think that the United States would have to be a big fat sizzling breakfast. Spain would definitely be a long and langorous lunch, followed by a nap. Who would be dinner? Dinner, dinner, where art thou??
I love the food in Madrid, but they're not really big on breakfast. The usual breakfast fare here is a grilled croissant with jelly or a muffin along with an espresso. You can get bigger plates with eggs and meat, but they're just... not the same as the AMERICAN BREAKFAST. OMG, this has always been my favorite meal in the U.S. If done just right, you really only need to eat like one snack for the rest of the day. This came up in an email trail when my friend Alex mentioned he was going out for a good 'ol American Breakfast, which set me off to fantasizing about the Big Boy Combo at Orphan Andy's in San Francisco. Two eggs (anyway you like), two (huge) pancakes, two bacon, AND two sausage. Comes with coffee and juice, too, for only $7. Yum, yum, YUMMY!
It was a joke for a while amongst my friends in SF that if I could, I would eat pancakes for every meal. I've sort of become a connisseur of the genre. When I return, I'm definitely going to have to do a "best hotcakes" issue or something. I finally found pancakes here, they're actually a dessert and they're called "tortitas". Not quite the same, as they're usually served with chocolate syrup and whipped cream, but it definitely satisfies the craving in times of need. But when I get back to the states, I'm heading to Andy's first thing (after customs, of course).
Ironically, the only pic I could find of an American Breakfast (above) was at the blog for an English restaurant called Belle and Herbs in Newcastle. Looks like they've got breakfast covered around the world.
De Vacaciones
I had heard that in the summer Madrid slows down and in August, it virtually grinds to a halt due to summer vacation season. Because there are still many single family proprietor shops in Madrid (go Spain!!!), it's not uncommon to encounter a CLOSED sign in August during the family vacation.
I didn't realize how dead the streets had been until this week, people started to return. Suddenly, the city is hopping again, and everyone is extremely tan, happy and relaxed. I had conversations with my students about vacations here in comparison to those in the U.S. They always FREAKED when I told them that you usually start out with two weeks at U.S. companies. They usually get at least four weeks, and an employee in Madrid must have almost another month of vacation due to city, state, and federal holidays (I'm not kidding). It's really a part of the culture here to take a big vacation in the summer. I get the feeling it's almost like a "keeping up with the Joneses" thing. Like, "where did you go for vacation?"
I caved to the pressure when my last remaining student of the summer decided to take a couple of weeks off in August. I'm like, OK, I have to have something to tell my students when I return from summer break. And now I do :)
Amazing Historical Monument Fatigue
I really started to notice this on my trip to Portugal. Just before I left, I went to Toledo, which is a 20-minute train ride from Madrid, but really really crazy old and beautiful. I think I've been in Europe too long. When I first came to Spain, I freaked at how amazing and beautiful all of the old buildings were. Suddenly, they just kind of seem like places where people live and business occurs. In Lisbon, which is teeming with layers of ancient history, I had to really pick and choose what I wanted to see. I actually only took pictures of the churches recommended in the guidebook, even though all of them would have blown me away six months ago. It's sad in a way, to lose that sense of amazement.
Now, I really understand now why I got the reaction I did from the German exchange student that we hosted in college when I took him to see the Nebraska State Capitol building in Lincoln on his first day in the U.S. It's hard to impress someone with a 70-year-old building when they have something like Notre Dame in their back yard. I still think that the Nebraska State Capitol is a pretty cool building, though.
Today, I was on my way to get stuff done, waiting for the metro somewhere, AS USUAL, and I noticed the Bibliometro kiosk in the middle of the metro platform. I had seen these in other stations, so I decided to inquire as to exactly what it was. Well, it's like a little library, and you can check out a book and return it to any of the like 20 Bibliometro kiosk in metro stations or around town. Within a couple of minutes, I had a library card and a book. How cool is that? I was just thinking that I really need to start reading easy Spanish lit to improve my Spanish from a different angle. Now it is happening, yippee!
If countries were represented by their best meals, I think that the United States would have to be a big fat sizzling breakfast. Spain would definitely be a long and langorous lunch, followed by a nap. Who would be dinner? Dinner, dinner, where art thou??
I love the food in Madrid, but they're not really big on breakfast. The usual breakfast fare here is a grilled croissant with jelly or a muffin along with an espresso. You can get bigger plates with eggs and meat, but they're just... not the same as the AMERICAN BREAKFAST. OMG, this has always been my favorite meal in the U.S. If done just right, you really only need to eat like one snack for the rest of the day. This came up in an email trail when my friend Alex mentioned he was going out for a good 'ol American Breakfast, which set me off to fantasizing about the Big Boy Combo at Orphan Andy's in San Francisco. Two eggs (anyway you like), two (huge) pancakes, two bacon, AND two sausage. Comes with coffee and juice, too, for only $7. Yum, yum, YUMMY!
It was a joke for a while amongst my friends in SF that if I could, I would eat pancakes for every meal. I've sort of become a connisseur of the genre. When I return, I'm definitely going to have to do a "best hotcakes" issue or something. I finally found pancakes here, they're actually a dessert and they're called "tortitas". Not quite the same, as they're usually served with chocolate syrup and whipped cream, but it definitely satisfies the craving in times of need. But when I get back to the states, I'm heading to Andy's first thing (after customs, of course).
Ironically, the only pic I could find of an American Breakfast (above) was at the blog for an English restaurant called Belle and Herbs in Newcastle. Looks like they've got breakfast covered around the world.
I had heard that in the summer Madrid slows down and in August, it virtually grinds to a halt due to summer vacation season. Because there are still many single family proprietor shops in Madrid (go Spain!!!), it's not uncommon to encounter a CLOSED sign in August during the family vacation.
I didn't realize how dead the streets had been until this week, people started to return. Suddenly, the city is hopping again, and everyone is extremely tan, happy and relaxed. I had conversations with my students about vacations here in comparison to those in the U.S. They always FREAKED when I told them that you usually start out with two weeks at U.S. companies. They usually get at least four weeks, and an employee in Madrid must have almost another month of vacation due to city, state, and federal holidays (I'm not kidding). It's really a part of the culture here to take a big vacation in the summer. I get the feeling it's almost like a "keeping up with the Joneses" thing. Like, "where did you go for vacation?"
I caved to the pressure when my last remaining student of the summer decided to take a couple of weeks off in August. I'm like, OK, I have to have something to tell my students when I return from summer break. And now I do :)
I really started to notice this on my trip to Portugal. Just before I left, I went to Toledo, which is a 20-minute train ride from Madrid, but really really crazy old and beautiful. I think I've been in Europe too long. When I first came to Spain, I freaked at how amazing and beautiful all of the old buildings were. Suddenly, they just kind of seem like places where people live and business occurs. In Lisbon, which is teeming with layers of ancient history, I had to really pick and choose what I wanted to see. I actually only took pictures of the churches recommended in the guidebook, even though all of them would have blown me away six months ago. It's sad in a way, to lose that sense of amazement.
Now, I really understand now why I got the reaction I did from the German exchange student that we hosted in college when I took him to see the Nebraska State Capitol building in Lincoln on his first day in the U.S. It's hard to impress someone with a 70-year-old building when they have something like Notre Dame in their back yard. I still think that the Nebraska State Capitol is a pretty cool building, though.
posted by Chromest*r at 5:50 PM
2 Comments:
I have to agree with you on the breakfast thing, I had breakfast for dinner when I when out with my grandma last week! A cheese & mushroom omelette with hash browns & pancakes, mmmmmm! :)
When I was in Nebraska, eating breakfast at the place with the 6-egg omelets, I ordered the "trucker's special" (yes, it was a truck stop, and no, the trucker's special wasn't what I have always thought the "trucker's special" was...) because I thought 6 eggs was more eggs than I needed in a single meal.
So, the "trucker's special" was 3 eggs, 3 sausages, 3 bacons, hash browns, and 2 biscuits w/ sausage gravy for $5. It was good.
Post a Comment
<< Home