Traveling South on the Iberian Penisula

The Iberian Peninsula consists of Spain AND Portugal. People, including myself, tend to forget about Portugal, but it is an absolute gem. I had ventured into the country only once when I was in high school on a day trip from Madrid to a tiny beach town, but I hardly would qualify that as a visit to the country. This time around, I actually got to experience Portugal and I was very impressed.

The destination: Porto, along the northern Portuguese coast. I had heard nothing but good things about the home of port wine and I was eager to see it for myself. I had been in Spain for at least 2 months and hadn't gone on a major trip yet. It was about time I traveled to another country. Santiago is only 2.5 hours north of Porto so we (Max, Leo, Andy, Scott and I) decided to rent a car and drive down for the puente (Monday was a holiday). My mind is still not made up about whether renting a car was a good decision, but it all worked out in the end. Yes, it gives you a little more flexibility, but the costs of  the car itself, gas, parking, and TOLL ROADS, really add up, regardless of being split 5 ways. The drive down was really beautiful. Galicia is absolutely stunning and the greenery makes the all the rain a little more bearable.

Crossing the border into Portugal was seamless but it also meant that our phones, and therefore google maps, no longer worked. We had loaded directions before we got to that point, but getting lost was pretty much inevitable. Thankfully I have no shame is asking for directions and the Portuguese people are incredibly nice. One man even hand drew us a map! With said map, directions from locals, and a street map of Porto (compliments of Lonely Plant), we finally found our Air BnB. It's going to be pretty difficult to beat the apartment that we stayed in. It was right in the center of town and was perfect for our group. There were 5 beds, the world's smallest kitchen, and a huge common area. The real selling point though were the three balconies that overlooked the Palácio da Bolsa. 

The view from our balcony

Our apartment was the one with the blue shutters,
second floor of the building right in the middle.

Our apartment

Tom, Leo, Scott, and Max being classy
and sipping wine on one of the balconies

I had heard that Porto was a small town, but it was a bustling city compared to Santiago. It wasn't at all what I was expecting, but that turned out to be a really good thing. It's adorable waterfront along the Douro River, the lit-up Christmas lights, and the unique buildings only added to my developing love for the city. Also, there was SUN! It was pretty cold, but there was clear blue skies during the day and all I wanted to do was soak up all the sun's rays. I don't think I realized how much I missed the sun until I had it shining down on me and my mood was dramatically increased.

Porto is where the River Douro meets the Atlantic Ocean

View of Porto from across the river

Our nights were filled with drinking, playing cards, and exploring the local bar scene, while our days were spent wandering around town and stumbling upon incredible sights and eating delicious food. Porto really knows that they are doing when it comes to alcohol. Port wine has to be one of the world's tastiest creations. There are three main types, but my favorite was Tawny, a whisky-like liquor with a plethora of flavor explosions packed into each sip. Not only is Port wine delicious, but vinho verde ("green", meaning young, wine) is also incredibly delicious. At the end of the weekend we had an impressive collection of bottles.

Drinking in the streets; doing as the
Portuguese do.

The Cathedral

View of Porto from the Torre do Clergios

The bookstore where they filmed the
Olivander's Harry Potter Scenes

Alcohol aside, the red roofs, incredible woodwork, tasty treats, and sunshine all left me wanting to spend a whole lot of more time in Portugal. I had a really great weekend and I can't wait to go back! Next time around I will be with my Mom and Dillon, Lisbon and Braga will also be on the agenda, and more of Portugal will be explored! All in all, it was an incredibly successful trip and one more country has been checked off my European map.

Santiago de Compostela

My one month anniversary in Santiago de Compostela just so happens to coincide with the most important day of the year... My birthday, duh! With this quite momentous event right about the corner, I find two things extremely hard to believe: 1. That I have actually been here a month and not written about my life here, and 2. That I am living in a Santiago again, this time on the other side of the world. The former I will address with this post and let all y'all know what my life has been like over here. The latter I can't really explain, perhaps I will settle for the world's default explanation for unexplainable phenomenon: fate.

All of that just made my life sound really grandiose and important, but the reality is that my life is pretty normal over here. I go to work, have roommates, hang out with friends, eat too much, and then struggle to "find" time to work-outs; all of this just happens to go down in Spain and is sprinkled with a little extra travel. There are definitely some cultural differences that take some getting used to, but thus far, I feel really good about where I am. I'm comfortable with my life here and I am really enjoying it.

Santiago is an absolutely gorgeous city! Like most European cities, it has an old zone and a new zone. I prefer the old to the new, but both seem to work together to give Santiago its special encanto (charm). The old zone, dominated by the Cathedral of Saint James, is a maze of cobbled streets, plazas, restaurants and pilgrims. Yes, I just said pilgrims, but not the kind we associate with Thanksgiving. I'm referring to religious pilgrims. The second you type "Santiago de Compostela" into Google and hit enter, you will see hundreds of results for the Cathedral and the "Camino de Santiago." Apparently, I am living in one of Catholicism's holiest cities! As a former Catholic turned Athiest, I am able to appreciate the city, and truly love it for what it is, but I don't foresee a return to Catholicism for this here chica. The new zone, while technically newer, is a lot less aesthetically pleasing, but offers a nice break from all things traditional.

The oh so famous cathedral is under
construction... Does the picture of what it
should look like, draped over the scaffolding,
really help? I haven't made up my mind.

Sunset from Praza do Obradoiro (The main
plaza where the cathedral sits).

Santiago, while beautiful, is also one of the rainiest cities in Spain. If it's not number 1, it is guaranteed to be 2 or 3.  I was talking to the owner of the local craft beer shop (a fantastic find!) and he asked me to think of the rainiest city in the Unite States. I said Seattle and he smiled and said, "Oh yeah! I know Seattle!" and continued, "It rains about three times more in Santiago than in Seattle..." I have had my first full week of non-stop rain and I can tell you that it's no joke. When it rains, it pours. Within two days, my everyday black boots and purse-sized umbrella were replaced by full on rain boots and a heavy duty umbrella, the ones everyone in the states thinks are a little excessive. When armed with the right apparel, the rain is tolerable. But winter is coming, and last year Santiago had 40+ consecutive days of rain. I don't allow myself to think about it. I will find a way to deal when it's here. For now though, I am enjoying the heat wave that has descended upon Galicia. The goal this week is to be outside as much as possible in hopes of storing some extra vitamin D for the winter months.

I have found myself a nice little apartment  in one of the older parts of the city. It's not exactly the old zone, but my street is still cobbled! That's what's really important, right? The neighborhood is really awesome. It's right outside the heart of la zona vieja and close to a ton of bars, restaurants, and taperias, but it quiets down at night so I can always go to sleep. My location is pretty far from the school where I teach, but I don't mind the 25 minute walk, it's good exercise. I have two housemates and I have my own room (Sharing a room is pretty much unheard of here). I live with a Spanish girl, Lara, and a Spanish guy, Emilio. I honestly don't know exactly how old they are but they are in their late 20s. Both are done with school and are now working. It's kind of a miracle that I live with two young Spainards who are both employed. Youth unemployment in Spain is circa 30%... Both Emilio and Lara are extremely nice and really mellow. We don't go out and socialize together, but in the house, all things are gravy. All in all, I am really happy with my living situation!

The view from my kitchen window, looking
away from Santiago and to the east.

This is what laundry day looks like when it's
not raining. There are no dryers. Anywhere.

I almost forgot about my 3rd roommate, Katia!
She is a sassy dalmatian that takes her sweet
time warming up to you. We're buddies now
though. I think it's because I threw her
some chorizo once.

Ok, so how the heck am I able to even live over here? I teach. Technically I work for the Spanish government as an auxiliar de conversación (English language assistant) in a colegio publico de primaria (public elementary school) called CEIP Cardenal Quiroga Palacios. The classes that I am in are all natural science classes. Some auxiliars work in art class, or English class, or even PE; but since I taught natural science in the states, I get to work exclusively with science. In one week, I teach/assist every. single. class/grade. That means I work with 1A/B/C, 2A/B, 3A/B, 4A/B, 5A/B, and 6. That's A LOT of kids to teach. I kind of feel like a celebrity when I walk the halls, the students get so excited to see me and love greeting me, "MAYA!" "HELLLLOOOO, MAYA!!" "HELLO!" "HELLO!" "HOLA, MAYA! oops, ummmm HELLO!!" I told some of the kids that they could also say "Hi" or "Hey" and they were completely flabbergasted. Now, those kids never fail to show off their new-found knowledge, "Hi, hi, hiiiiiiiiii!" was one of my favorite greetings thus far. So much enthusiasm. I don't have any pictures of the kids, but they are sure to come! As a whole, the kids are really great. It helps compensate for the fact that my school is a complete clusterfuck and totally unorganized. As the year goes on, I will also post more about my school, our daily activities, and what exactly I teach them, but this is a pretty good starting off point.

I wasn't ready for this photo, but
this is the only pic I have that
is anything school-related.
I clearly need to step up my
photo-documentation game.

Pinxos, pinxos, pinxos

Pinxos is Basque for tapas which is Spanish for amazing bite sized foods that should be consumed more frequently in the United States. San Sebastian, the next leg of the trip with my Dad, is known for their incredible pinxos and bar culture in general. Apparently, there are more bars per capita in San Sebastian than anywhere else in the world! I'm not 100% sure if that's true, so don't quote me on it.

BEHOLD! You get a plate and then are allowed to load up
as much as you want. Seconds are encouraged.

San Sebastian has captured the hearts of nearly every person I know who has been lucky enough to travel there. Reviews from "the prettiest city in Spain" to "my favorite place in Europe" to "the absolute shit!" pretty much led me to believe that I was also going to love this city before I ever set foot on those cobbled streets. There is something intangible about San Sebastian that makes everyone love it. Maybe it's the bar and pinxos culture, or the playa concha (shell shaped beach around which the city is built), or the incredibly picturesque old zone, or laid back surfer-ish vibe of the city. Whatever it is, I want more of it. San Sebastian, you will see me again!

Round 1

View of Playa Concha and the city from Monte Igueldo

Deciding to celebrate my dad's birthday in San Sebastian
was a fantastic decision.

Just some layers of the Earth's surface!!!

Beachcombing! I found an incredible
amount of beach glass.