grandest of the canaries

So it's been a long long time since there's been an update, but just gonna pick up where we left off. Here's a little recap of our spring break in Lanzarote. 

Lanzarote is the 4th largest of the Canary Islands, and the closest to Africa...when the sun is out it is very, very HOT. Most of the landscape is volcanic ash as the island is volcanic in origin, yet there are vegetated mountains and beautiful vallys in the north of the island. We were a little worried about how our trip was going to turn out as we booked everything pretty late in the game, and had a lot of trouble finding direct and detailed information about the island on the internet. Needless to say, Lanzarote is the most beautiful and relaxing place I have ever been. 

The island's airport is in the capital "city" (more like a big town) Arrecife, where there are regular flights to and from Madrid, as well as a few other European locations such as London Gatwick. Although we had read that Lanzarote averages about 8 inches a year in rainfall, it started to drizzle as soon as we walked out of the airport...really. BUT it was very early in the morning and cleared up within an hour, and the rest of the week we had beautiful weather. 

Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise are the three main areas that tourists stay. We had a lot of trouble finding a hotel and ended up booking an apartment in Playa del Carmen, which turned out to be the best decision we could have made. There aren't many hotels on the island, more villas and apartments that people rent. We ended up paying about 80 euro each (there were 3 of us) for 7 nights, which was a very, very good deal. We ate all of our meals at the apartment (huge delicious dinners, a great break from Córdoban dorm food) which also saved us a lot of money. Although Puerto del Carmen was perfectly nice (especially since we had no interest in going out, we were actual grandmother's who went to bed at 10 every single night...), there were mainly British families staying in the area, so I'd say that Playa Blanca or Teguise are probably better places for younger people to stay. 

We really wanted to see all the crazy things that we had read about the island, so we signed up for the "Grand Tour" with Last Minute Travel--we were definitely the only people under the age of 50 on the tour, but it really was worth it as we saw basically everything in one day. 

Timanfaya National Park: a volcanic landscape the covers a huge part of the island's surface, with volcanoes that are still ACTIVE, and may erupt anyyyy day. 

Jameos del agua: An underground volcanic tunnel, with cueva de los verdes (literally,green cave) as a part of the tunnel--amazing contrast of colors and light.

Guinate Tropical Park: 11 acres of land at the foot of the island's tallest volcano, with botanical gardens and all sorts of exotic birds and animals. Amazing views. 

El Golfo: The green lagoon, where sea water in the form of a lake has turned bright green from the algae--not very pretty, but definitely a cool thing to see. 

La Geria: The wine producing region of the island. Farmers use volcanic rock as mulch, a dry cultivation method unique to Lanzarote. Amazing wine.

We rented a car for the rest of the week for about 60 euro, and explored the rest of the island with Margaret as our amazing driver (once we realized the parking break was on). Playa Famara, a white sand beach very popular with surfers (oh yea), and Playa Papagayo, a secluded beach in a small cove, were our two favorite beaches by far. 

We drove the entire island in under an hour, so everything is very easy to get to. Also check out Haria, a little town in the north surrounded by huge valleys of palm trees...it's pretty amazing. 

Some helpful websites, second link is for the Last Minute Travel tour we went on: 

http://www.spain-lanzarote.com/uk/index.html

http://www.lanzaroteguidebook.com/excursion/exploring-lanzarote-guided-tours

lanzarote

Flying to Lanzarote, the Canary Island closest to Africa at 6:50 Thursday morning. 

It's 1:50 am and we're sitting in the Madrid airport...our home away from home. The last bus from Córdoba to Madrid leaves at 6 pm...so for early flights from Madrid we end up spending the night in "The Food Gallery", a lovely little snack bar in the airport full of loud Americans and homeless people. 

Lanzarote is "volcanic" in origin and apparently has very little vegetation--people say it's like going to another planet. Should be interesting. We'll keep you updated!

In the meantime, we're wearing as much clothing as we possibly can to avoid checking luggage with Easyjet. Margaret is wearing 2 sweaters and a sweatshirt, Kristin has jeans over leggings and is wearing her running sneakers. 

More to come!

grubbin'

Restaurants...a few Córdoba faves. 

Meson de la Luna- Typical Andalusian cuisine. Borders the old section of Córdoba (la judería). Really great outdoor location. Not too expensive, entrees range from about 8 to 16 euros. Try the gazpacho. Located on Calle Luna--before entering la judería through puerto Almódovar, go right for no more than 5 minuets, can't miss it. 

El Churrasco- Córdoba's most famous traditional restaurant. Huge wine selection, great typical Spanish food. Well known for their Iberian ham. A bit more on the expensive side. Calle Romero 16, for more info visit www.elchurrasco.com. 

Restaurante Hammam- There's a strong Arab influence in Córdoba. This restaurant blends the two types of cuisine. Fun atmosphere--the good food outweighs the awkwardness of the belly dancer. Good hummus, fresh seafood. Prices are midrange, entrees are about 12 to 15 euros. Calle Corregidor Luís de la Cerda 51. 

www.restaurantehammam.es 

what not to wear

Style in Spain is...different. 

We're mainly speaking for Córdoba, but truthfully, from what we've seen, not much changes as you go more north. You'd think that a country bordering France (the fashion center of the world) would be somewhat fashion forward...not the case. 

Colors are bright, patterns clash, makeup is thick and hair ties always match shoelaces. So if you're coming to Spain looking for great shopping, prepare to be a little disappointed (really, go to France, people make style look effortless...it's unbelievable...more to come). 

Yea, the style's bad in Spain, but there are a few European style norms that can be followed.

No one wears sweats...unless maybe you're going to the gym. If you wear sweats to class, you're asking for an unbelievable amount of stares. 

It's currently 80 degrees in Córdoba, but because it's March people cannot fathom the idea of wearing sandals. We can't even begin to explain how many Spaniards ask us if our feet are cold on a daily basis. Europeans dress for the season, not the temperature. 

Flip flops are for the beach. Tennis shoes are for the gym (dead tourist giveaway).

In general, Europeans are more proper. No one leaves the gym without showering and doing their hair and makeup. People look at us like we're insane if we stop at the supermarket on the way home in our work out clothes...tisk tisk. 

A little Almódovar

We're taking a class on Pedro Almódovar, a famous Spanish director--if you don't know him you should. If you've seen his newer stuff, "Volver" or "Bad Education", do yourself a favor and see his older films. 

"Carne Tremula" ("Live Flesh"), the most recent Almódovar movie we've seen, follows 3 complicated love triangles, but ultimately shows how Spain comes back to life after the dictatorship. Constant references to old and new Spain circulate throughout the film. The movie begins in an empty and dark Madrid neighborhood during Franco's reign, and seeing the streets of Madrid crowded with people and traffic during the holiday season at the end of the film is almost moving. 

And if you don't know anything about Franco and the dictatorship...here's a wikipedia link!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Franco

trailer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYLgjp9yON0

underground

Our friend from Barcelona "El Catalan" told us last week that we have yet to go to a discoteca in Córdoba. The whole six months we've been here, we thought that the places we've been at until 7 in the morning were discos. Apparently, they're not. These are just the "pubs", the discos (like "Chinales") are 10 minutes outside the city and are open until 8 in the morning or later. We thought that being up until 7 in the morning in a city as small as Córdoba was intense--but no.

The Underground. We've basically ended every Thursday and Saturday (sometimes even Friday) night at this "pub" which to American standards would definitely be considered a club. Our generation of Spaniards is divided into "pijos" (the posh people) and "los hi-ppies" (the grungy people). The Underground appeals to a mainly alternative or "hippie" (more dredlocks and gypsy pants than birkenstocks and flowers) crowd, but sometimes you can find a bizarre mix of the two groups--we live for these weird nights. 

A few things you should understand about The Underground...

70% of the time, the music is straight bad. We've found ourselves jammin' to "Ghostbusters", "Lose Yourself" by Eminem, and "Insane in the Membrance" (Margaret has almost lost her mind to this one a few times). Last semester, the music was always this bad. This semester however, a new dj has come to Córdoba--he is the man. He actually plays songs from the 12 mix CD's we've given him throughout the semester, and despite the fact that 90% of the people in Underground have no idea what they're listening to, we party good. Now, somewhere between "Wonderwall" and "Love Shack" you might hear "Ready for the Floor"--feels great. 

Another thing--the place is empty until about 3:30. Really, walking in there at 2:45 you would never expect it to be totally packed within an hour. But don't fret if you get there at 3. Get a drink and embrace it. 

Bring your own toilet paper....the bathrooms are disgusting. 

The Underground is in the center, between Boulevard Gran Capitan and Calle Cruz Conde. 

tapas bars, spanish meals, etc etc

Hands down one of the most confusing parts of Spain. 

In a tapas bar, you almost always seat yourself--don't wait for a host/hostess....there rarely is one. If the place is busy and you feel like the waiters don't know you're there, wave them down or just go and order at the bar. It's not rude to wave your hand or call a waiter over. 

Prices usually vary depending on where you sit. The bar is always the cheapest, a table outside is the most expensive--an indoor table is somewhere in between. 

Spaniards don't really do breakfast--coffee, orange juice and a croissant is usually the best you can do. Lunch in Spain is the biggest and most important meal of the day, usually served between 2 and 3. In smaller Spanish cities, like Córdoba, everything shuts down (shops, schools, most restaurants)  for about 3 hours after lunch for siesta, the time to rest. Tapas are generally eaten as a snack sometime after siesta and before dinner (usually light), which comes from anywhere between 9 and 1 am. 

The bill, "la cuenta" is the most confusing part of the whole tapas experience. You won't get your check unless you ask for it--can be frustrating at first, but Spaniards have a serious "no-rush" attitude. Prepare yourself, a lot of tapas bars don't take credit cards. And remember...not to tip!! If the service has been...dank...or you've made some kind of special connection with the waiter, you can leave a small tip, but don't feel any obligation to. 

Andalucian tapas...

Salmorejo--kind of like gazpacho, thicker and made with more onion

Manchego--cheese, served with olive oil on top (good shit)

Jamón Ibérico--thin slices of ham on plate, not our fave but the world seems to love

Gambas al ajillo--garlic shrimp, lots of olive oil, really good

Revueltos--scrambled eggs, usually with pine nuts, spinach, fish, lots of types

Aceitunas--olives, probably Rebecca's favorite part of Spain

Tortilla--very Spanish, eggs and potatoes, almost like a quiche without crust

Berenjenas a la miel--typical Andalucia, fried eggplant with honey, Margaret <3