San Sebastian Spain - April 2015

 La Concha! 

 The adventures with Amy continued into the week.  After spending time in Madrid and Valladolid I thought it was time for her to see the coast!  Barcelona is usually everybodys top choice when visiting Spain and rightfully so as it is gorgeous, however I love the northern coast of Spain so I wanted to adventure up that way.  Ross and I had never been to San Sebastian so it seemed like the perfect place for all of us to explore!

Taking the train from Valladolid to San Sebastian is a little on the pricier side.  You are looking at 35 euros each for one way.  Ross found a train on Wednesday morning however for only 12.50 euros!  So Amy and I decided to trek it up there without him (he had to work) and then he could meet us that evening.  Now I have never traveled anywhere in Spain without Ross so I was quite nervous.  I am not super comfortable with the language so whenever there is a problem I always look to Ross to fix it.  This trip without him meant I would be the one responsible for figuring everything out.  It ended up being a good test of my lack of Spanish skills.

When we boarded the train it was very dimly lit and most people were asleep.  This is a very early morning hotel train so people were travelling pretty far, some all the way from Lisbon Portugal.  When I found our seats I was not happy to find someone sitting in one of them.  I showed her our tickets and she proceeded to speak very fast and loudly at me and refused to move.  Obviously I was immediately angry, frustrated and embarrassed.  I calmly tried to explain to her (In Spanish) that my Spanish was not very good and could she please speak more slowly.  This of course caused her to speak even louder and faster.  So now everyone is staring at us, the guy who works on the train is angry because we wont all sit down and Amy is just looking at me telling me I have to make this girl move.  I was very overwhelmed.  If this issue had of come up somewhere I could speak English I would have just told her to get the fuck out of my seat and been done with it but unfortunately I am shy in Spanish.  Anyway she just sits back down and will not move.  I didn't know what to do so I just went and got the guy who works the train and attempted to explain what was happening.  Thankfully he understood me and made her move.  She was pissed off at us and just sat in her seat with her arms crossed and bitch face for a long time.

Ughh it was not the way I wanted to begin our trip.

The rest of the train ride was very pleasant and the countryside we traveled through was breathtaking.  I have said it before and I will say it again the north of Spain is beautiful!  I love the ride through the mountains.  It is so green and alive!  There are small villages on the sides of the mountains that make me want to jump off the train and stay there forever!  We sat in the dining car for a while and had coffee (Amy had breakfast -  Tea and Pastries) and it was like I always imagined travelling through Europe with a girlfriend would be!

Melissa and Amys adventure in San Sebastian

San Sebastian itself is absolutely stunning.  It is, as I said, on the northern coast of Spain in Basque country, right near the France/Spain boarder.  The city is surrounded by gorgeous mountains, lush green hillsides, and of course the Bay of Biscay (Atlantic Ocean).  San Sebastian was founded in 1180 and holds onto its old world charm while staying modern and well kept.  It is clean and the old buildings are in superb condition which adds to their appeal.  As it is so close to France and so completely gorgeous there are many tourists so we heard many different languages during our time there.

Wandering through Parte Vieja

We spent much of our day wandering in the Parte Vieja (Old town) which up until 1863 was surrounded by walls!  This area of town is very popular with tourists and with the younger generations however I learned that many of the local residents do not like it as much.  Apparently many of the current buildings here are from the 19^th century as much of it was destroyed in 1813 by Anglo-Portuguese troops.  There are many bars/restaurants and shops to wander through.  You could spend a great deal of time and money wandering through here!  This is a much more expensive city then I am used to visiting here in Spain.  I was quite surprised to see the menu prices and the coast of tapas since I am so used to living in a town where a beer is usually less then 2 euros. 

The sun came out in the afternoon and so Amy and I took off our shoes and walked down La Concha (the shell) which is the main beach for swimming and sunbathing.  We went in up to our knees and walked the entire beach up and down.  It was so great to see the ocean again and just smell that saltiness in the air. 

 La Concha

When Ross met up with us later in the day we went to the hotel to get cleaned up and go back out.  Amy wasn't feeling very well so she opted to stay in while Ross and I ventured out into the sunset together so he could see the beach before dark.  When we got down to the beach the tide had come in significantly and I was shocked to see that almost the entire beautiful beach we had spent the afternoon at was underwater!  I am glad I got to see it during both times. 

Ross was starved and I remembered seeing a sign for burritos earlier in the day so we went on a mission to find them!  Oh what a glorious restaurant we discovered.  It was a vegetarian/vegan place called Green Break.  I practically skipped inside to see the menu.  They had the most amazing selection and I laughed with the woman who worked there about how this was the closest vegetarian restaurant to Valladolid I could find!  They had burritos, burgers, pastas, salads just everything a vegetarian could want and it was amazingly delicious!  We each got a burrito and some sides, raw vegan zucchini spaghetti, vegan potato salad and fries.  Seriously best ever dinner!

The next morning the three of us wandered downtown to eat breakfast and see all the churches and statues we had left out the first day so Ross could see them with us.  We went into a few churches and then climbed a huge hill that had a Jesus statue on top.  It also gave a gorgeous view of the city, the beaches and the wide open ocean.  We met lots of tourists on our hike and the nicest man who talked to us, very slowly so we could understand, all about the hill and the town.  He was very friendly and had the cutest puppies that I made friends with. 

 

 I bet you think he is working on some important church thing...Nope playing sodoku

Mis amigos

 Beautiful views

After that we ate a bunch of tapas and wandered the beach again towards the Funicular.  This is a tram that pulls you up another huge hill (they call these mountains! Ha I'm from BC these are not mountains) and gives you a spectacular view of the entire city, way cooler then the first hill!  The tram was only around 3 euros each which I found to be very reasonable.  At the top there is also this really fun looking theme park but it wasn't the season so we couldn't go in the Casa de Horrors (house of horror).  We were able to get fresh popped popcorn though so that was pretty sweet.

Not my finest moment

To finish off the day we went down to the main pier off the beach and rode the carousel while taking in the last of our time in this magical city. 

San Sebastian is one of my favourite places that we have had the chance to visit while living here in Spain.  It is top three for sure.  I love its ocean views, charming old town and amazing vegetarian selection.  It is a perfect place to get away from every day life for a few days.  Yes it is a little more expensive but I think it is worth the extra cost.  I hope to make my way back before this next year here is up.

I love Madrid Spain - April 2015

Madrid I love you!

Last Saturday marked the arrival of my friend Amy from Cumberland Beach Ontario all the way to Madrid Spain.  Not only was I excited to have a friend here to visit but I was stoked to be headed to Madrid for a weekend!  We were meeting Amy at 630 am on Saturday morning so Ross and I decided it would be best to stay on Friday night to make sure we could actually be at the airport that early (we were still late).

Friday night was great.  We adventured downtown to find Indian food (obviously) and were not only greeted with the restaurant I had searched out online but an entire street filled with the sweet sweet scent of heaven!  We had found ALL the Indian foods!  I don’t know if I have made myself clear in past writing about my love affair with all things Indian so I will clear up any confusion by saying my life is only complete when I am able to eat ALL THE CURRY.  No matter where we go I am always on the hunt for an Indian restaurant.  Valladolid is seriously lacking in international food options and so travel is necessary not only for the adventure but the food.  We enjoyed a feast of curries, rice, samosas and Gulab jamun.

*Drooling* Gulab jamun....

After stuffing ourselves embarrassingly full (sorry not sorry) we ventured into the night to see what the fine people of Madrid were up to.  We wanted to grab beers but were way to full from dinner to drink anything so instead we just wandered the streets enjoying the nightlife.  And can I just say I love Madrid at night!  During the day it is a fantastic city as well but something about the energy in the night air just puts a permanent smile on my face.  There are people everywhere drinking, singing, staring in awe at the buildings surrounding Plaza Mayor, people dressed up in costumes posing for photos, street performers playing violin and accordions etc.  It is so busy you don’t really have to be doing anything but sitting watching all the people walking by and you are fully entertained.  Im sure we stayed out later then we should have since we needed to be up at 530 but it was difficult tearing ourselves away.

 The streets near Plaza Espana

 Tree lady

For a second I thought I was in Mexico ;)

We tried to grab a hotel that was on the subway line between downtown and the airport.  Turns out we just do not know the city that well and even though on a map it appears the hotel we chose was in a good location, the subway line we were next to did not go directly to the airport.  We had to transfer 3 times and it took close to an hour to get there.  Not a big deal but not what we were expecting at 6 am.  Once we arrived at the airport I heard a familiar whistle and there stood Amy Keith whom I have not seen in 4 years!  It was a very exciting moment.

First things first we took her to the hotel to get cleaned up and have a nap since she had just taken an 18 hour journey to get here.  The flight itself from Toronto Canada is around 8 hours but with transfers, layovers and a 6 hour time change, that number significantly increases sometimes.  So after catching up briefly we all took a couple hours to rest before heading to the center to give Amy a taste of Spain!

We got off the subway at Plaza Espana which is always full of people milling about, taking photos and a ton of buskers.  There are people in costume, magicians, break dancers and musicians.  It is always great entertainment and I think a perfect start to a Spanish adventure!  We wandered the streets looking in fun shops, ate pizza (so Spanish I know) and made out way to Plaza Mayor for a pitcher of Sangria in the sunshine.  Its funny because I feel like Sangria, delicious as it is, is definitely more of a touristy Spanish drink.  People that actually live here seem to drink more beer, wine and in the summer Tinto de Verano, which is similar in flavour to Sangria without the fruit floating in it. However when you are a tourist in Spain Sangria is a must! 

Perfect place for Tapas y cervezas 

We spent the day wandering the winding streets of Madrid exploring cathedrals, markets, the palace and of course all the interesting stores.  We ate a bunch of Tapas (Madrid actually has quiet a bit of Vegetarian tapas for Ross and I!) and drank many, many glasses of beer and wine.  We wanted Amy to have a typical Spanish experience and to us that involves many tiny foods and drinks!  It was relaxing and fun to be able to show someone around and teach her all the things we have learned since we arrived here a year ago.

 We have seen this guy every time we have been to Madrid

 The palace

This building just blows my mind.  It is gorgeous!

The next day we went to grab breakfast downtown before heading to Renfe to grab our train back to Valladolid.  It was nice to be able to have an actual breakfast with eggs, toast, tomato and mushrooms (I obviously skipped the bacon) and a Starbucks!  Typical breakfast at most cafes in Spain is just juice, tea/coffee and a croissant/pastry/toast.  Of course you can find paces that serve fried eggs sometimes but they usually come with French fries which just seems weird to me. 

We ended up taking the long train to get back to Valladolid because this way Amy could see a bit more of the Spanish countryside.  It is a relaxing trip and I love just being on the train staring out the windows and enjoying the views.  Our train was fairly empty so we grabbed a four person section and just talked and took too many photos that of course end up looking like nothing.  Moving vehicle photos never look like what you are actually looking at.

I love Madrid.  If I had the option I would absolutely move there.  It is a big city with tons of things to do, great food options, lots of cool stores and most stuff stays open in the afternoon and on Sunday!  There are Starbucks and it just has a more North American feel while still having all the charm of Spain.  Many people speak English, which of course makes my life easier, but my Spanish has improved enough that I can do most things in Spanish now anyway (as long as its not too complicated).  Madrid is a gorgeous and exciting city that I think everyone should visit if they get a chance to come to Spain!  

Happiness in Madrid

Vancouver has it really been a year since we parted? - April 2015

Vancouver skyline..Yes I stole this from the internet.  No I don't feel bad about it.

Today marks a bittersweet day on my lifes journey.  It was one year ago today that Ross and I woke up for the last time in our apartment in Vancouver.  We ate egg McMuffins from the McDonalds across the street and listened to the crows (I loved and Ross grew to despise) that hung around our neighbourhood, we called a cab and headed to the airport with nothing but our giant bags of clothes.   One year ago today we left our home, our friends and began this new life here in Valladolid.  We of course spent a few weeks in Ontario before actually catching a flight to Spain but leaving Vancouver was the hardest part, the first step on the journey.

View from Burrard Bridge 

Waiting for the cab to take us away.

I find myself thinking of Vancouver most days.  It is the first place I have ever lived and felt like I was home.  I remember the very first time I went to Vancouver when I was 19.  I hitchhiked (Not something I would do again) from Canmore Alberta where I had been living at the time, and when I arrived I knew it was the place for me.  I spent the next few years back in Ontario until the time was right and I moved to Vancouver for what I imagined would be forever. 

Moving to Vancouver changed my life in more ways than I could have imagined.  Being away from Ontario gave me a chance to breathe.  To be on my own, away from everything and most everyone I knew.  I found myself there.  I felt like I finally had the freedom to be who I really was and live the life I wanted to live. I could shed the preconceived notions of who I was thought to be and truly be me. 

 "I am the tree and the tree is me" - Tabitha Silveira

My anxiety began to fall away and I was having less panic attacks.  Not to say it is cured but changing my life situation certainly made a world of difference.  I met some of the most amazing people I have ever known in my entire life.  These people became my friends, my support system, my family.  I made more friends in the few years I was in Vancouver than I had my entire life in Ontario. 

Greatest group of people I know! Our final brunch in Kits the day before we left.

James, myself and Adam at Biminis

 What you don't shotgun beers when you wake up in the woods?

My most lovely Britney-Anna

Vancouver Pride Parade! Myself, Claire and Tenay.

I got my job at Starbucks and can honestly say it really did change my life in so many positive ways.  I miss it so much more than I thought possible. My co workers, my managers, my customers all had an impact on my life and have helped me to become who I am today.  So many hours spent sitting in the backroom crying, laughing, counselling (being counselled) and making lasting memories.  Taking the time to really know each face that came through the door and learning so much about the people in the neighbourhoods (three in total) that I spent 4 years working in. I made some of my best friends there.  

Mandy, Maggie, myself and Ross watching baseball.

 Drinks with my favourite people. Starbucks Balsam crew.

Most beautiful ladies in Vancouver Lindsay, Cassie and Samantha 

Starbucks UBC crew back in the day.

 Shannon, Sally and Tina... I couldnt ask for better managers, mentors and friends.

 As I have been told numerous times this is Classic Melanie Ann face.

Most importantly I met Ross.  I will never forget the first moment I saw him sitting across a table from me at a pub I was forced to go to by a very special customer turned friend.  He had an infectious smile and although that night I left thinking he was a bit of a jerk (turns out he thought he was flirting with me) it didn’t take long for a friendship to form and after our first actual date I knew he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. 

 Hiking the North Shore with the man of my dreams

 Garibaldi lake hike

Our first Halloween 

We spent the next three years together truly living, spending as much time in the mountains as possible hiking and camping.  I found a peace there that I have never felt anywhere else.  To be so deep into the woods that you are certain you might never see another person again, to stop and just listen to the sound of the wind in the trees and the birds chirping, to feel free and wild and light.  I had no worries in the mountains, until of course I heard a branch break and I was convinced a bear was hunting us.  We hiked as much of the Rockies as possible and still saw only a fraction of them. I loved that we could hop on a city bus and be dropped off in the mountains of the North Shore to explore for the day.

Seriously though be bear aware!  This is where they live.

 The forests of the North Shore 

View of the city while hiking across from Deep Cove to Grouse Mountain

We walked the city too.  We both love to walk.  You have the ability to see things you miss when driving or taking a bus.  I am fairly certain we saw almost every street in the city and found some really cool places as a result.  When we tell people about our walks they are always shocked we walked 20 km just for fun and of course Indian buffet.  Vancouver was great for just walking, with so many neighbourhoods and parks to explore we had a hard time feeling bored.  Kitsilano, Point Grey, UBC, Gastown, Yaletown, Commercial, Shaughnessy, Kerrisdale, The North Shore, Robson, Stanely Park, Granville Island, I mean the list just goes on and on.  On weekends if we were not in the mountains our conversations went like this…

“what do you want to do today?”

“Just grab a starbucks and wander.”

“Perfect. Me too.”

 Downtown Vancouver

 Second Beach sunsets

Granville Island from Granville bridge

Vancouver is a big city full of diversity in its people, cuisine and activities.  I spent so many great years in, in my opinion, the most gorgeous city in the world. Surrounded by mountains, forest and ocean, seeing Eagles, seals, coyotes, whales and bears, hiking, camping, biking and swimming, eating too many burritos (like that’s even a thing) and spending long nights drinking at Biminis, drinking at our house with Dave and playing video games, jamming and laughing. It was the healthiest and happiest time of my life.

 Just an eagle chilling in the park. NBD.

My little sisters visit!

There are definitely aspects of Van city that I was not found of while living there, the downtown eastside, the insanely high rent, the holier then thou attitude of certain Vancouverites and the Cancucks (Go Leafs Go!! Vancouver is home but I will be a Leafs fan for life). However despite that I know Vancouver is home.  I think you would be hard pressed to find a perfect place to live but I think Van is the closest to perfection I can imagine. 

The city view from Lonsdale Quay

I, we, do not regret our decision to move.  We are explorers and adventurers and leaving Vancouver has offered us a chance to experience the world abroad.  Leaving has also given us a chance to see Vancouver from afar and has solidified our desire to return and spend our lives there living, working and expanding our family. 

Vancouver is my home, our home and I look forward to grabbing Burrito Bros and sitting on our log watching the sunset again soon. 

Sunset from our log.  Nothing compares to this.