SalseraLibanesa In Europe

I'm Leaving...On a Jet Plane....

2008-07-21T01:36:00.002+02:00

Well my trip has finally come to an end.
We took one last tour, this time to the north of Spain.

We saw Santander, the capital of Cantabria, and then Bilbao and San Sebastian, which are in the Basque Country. Wow what a different world. All 3 cities were absolutely beautiful. Santander and San Sebastian are located along the coast, so of course we got to see some beautiful beaches. Santander has 7 beaches and San Sebastian has 3. Bilbao is much prettier than the guide books make it sound, and the Guggenheim is an architect's dream.

Check out the new pics I have uploaded.

I will be back home in Dallas on Tuesday (July 22nd) and will be there for a little bit until I figure out my next move. Thanks for reading all my posts and I hope u have enjoyed my journey as much as I have!

The Travelling Continues...

2008-07-10T20:52:00.003+02:00

I haven't written in a long time, mostly because we have been travelling all over Spain. We left Marbella behind (thank goodness), packed our bags, and began exploring as much of the country as we could.

In the south, we saw Sevilla, Granada, Jerez de la Frontera, Cordoba, Cadiz, Tarifa, Punta Paloma, Puerto Banus, San Pedro de Alcantara, and Almeria.

Then we went to Barcelona for the salsa congress in Calella, and Ilanit met us there. It was so great to see her. From there we toured Barcelona, watching Spain win the Eurocopa while we were there, and then headed to Benidorm and Alicante.

Now we are back in Madrid, resting, uploading photos, and washing clothes before we head to the north.

Check out my pics. We uploaded a ton of pics. Check under Tour of Andalusia (Sevilla, Granada, Jerez, Cordoba, and Ronda), as well as sets on Puerto Banus, San Pedro, Alicante, Benidorm, Barcelona Salsa Congress, The Feria de Marbella, and Spain winning the Eurocopa.
Enjoy!

Lessons in Life

2008-06-12T20:19:00.002+02:00

What an interesting trip this has been. It has had a lot of ups and downs. The ups have been really wonderful, and the downs have taught me some very interesting lessons in life.

Since I began my job as a cocktail waitress, I was reintroduced to the world of "serving others" but in a very different way than I have done in the last 3 years as a physical therapist. Let me tell you, physical therapy is a very "physical" job. It takes manual strength, mental and emotional strength, and intellectual strength. And I am sad to say, that I have not appreciated this skill that I have and this love for the body and healing people as much as I should have.

After about 3-4 weeks of working at Villa Tiberio in Marbella, running around like a chicken with my head cut off, taking orders, cleaning up after people, limping home, having to ice my knees, rub my back, not being able to physically get out of bed until 2pm, and to top it off having dirty napkins thrown at me by my manager, I decided enough was enough. My prince came to my rescue (I love u baby!) and we walked away from the restaurant, never to return. No amount of money or tips was worth what I was doing to my body, my self-esteem, and my pride. So many times I wanted to scream..."I'm a doctor dammit! What the hell am I doing here cleaning up after these people?" How could I expect anyone to appreciate me if I didn't appreciate myself?
That was a hard lesson learned, but never will I do that to myself again.

So with that said, I am so excited to return to the states and return to working as a physical therapist. It's where I belong. It's my calling in life.

Other than that whole drama, it's been one thing after another with our apartment. We should've known when we decided to rent the apartment from an old lady who had lived there for over 20 years. The place is falling apart. First we found out that we couldn't sleep on the bed because the mattress was so old it had no support. So since then, we have slept on the sofa bed, which to our dismay but recently not to our surprise, has bed bugs. We fall asleep at night itching and scratching. Very frustrating trying to sleep.

Next thing we know the neighbor from below leaves a note on our door that our toilet a/o bathtub are leaking into his apartment, and have stained all his towels. Great! So the plumber begins to investigate the origin of the leak in our apartment and in his, and can't seem to find anything. Then while Cesar is shaving one day our water heater starts making a weird noise. He opens the cabinet and there are sparks flying out of it! So he immediately disconnects it and we have been without hot water for about 5 days now. The same plumber that tried to determine where the leak was coming from came to fix the cable to our water heater. He couldn't fix it and now says we need a new water heater!

All this is really funny if you think about it, but what makes it not so funny is that the old lady refuses to pay for anything! The agency that found us the apartment has fronted the money for a new mattress, and the plumber, but no news on the water heater yet. What lesson have we learned from this? Haven't figured that one out yet! :)

So we have basically decided to cut our losses, ask for our deposit back and leave the apartment and Marbella. It just hasn't been what we thought. So with the money from the apartment and our savings from our job, we are going to travel through as much of Spain as possible.
I have already changed my ticket to return on August 9th instead of September 5th. Cesar is still working on changing his.

In the next month and a half, we will be posting a lot of pictures of cities in Spain. We are finishing Andalucia in June before we head to the east for the Barcelona salsa congress, Valencia, Mallorca, Ibiza, Benidorm, Alicante, and many more. Then we will head back to Madrid, and then check out the north of Spain (Bilbao, Santander, San Sebastian, and Santiago de Compostela). That's the plan. We'll see how long the money lasts. So stay tuned for some pics to come!

Life in Marbella

2008-05-19T17:06:00.002+02:00

I haven't written in a while because I have been waiting to get settled, with an apartment and a job. Now we have both!

The apartment is great. It's a fully furnished (unfortunately with little old lady decor and aroma) studio apartment located 1 block from the ocean. After a lot of cleaning, throwing out old stuff that we didn't want, and some rearranging, we did our best to create a home. We have a beautiful terrace where we dine every night and morning, that has views of the ocean. Also, there is a rooftop terrace that has a pool (not filled with water yet until the summer), a grassy area to lay out, exercise, or whatever, and panoramic views of the city. We can see the mountains, the ocean, the marina, and the paseo marítimo.

The job hunt has been a little more difficult for me than it was for Cesar. He got lucky on the first try, and got a job at a little chiringuito (a little beachside restaurant) working as a host/waiter. He has been working for a week now. I didn't get that lucky right away. I probably handed out about 30 CVs, and still no luck.

Then one day, Cesar and I were walking around and passed by this incredibly luxurious italian restaurant (look up www.villatiberio.com) with beautiful gardens, etc. When we entered, we saw the parking lot filled with porsches, bentleys, aston martins, and many others. The restaurant is SO nice. I didn't leave my resume that day, but went back the next day by myself during the day and talked to a girl named Melanie. She told me that the owner Sandro wasn't there, and that it was better to come back and talk to him in person. She said, "Who knows, he might give u a chance. He's a really nice guy."

So I went back the next day when she told me he would be there, and he welcomed me with kisses and hugs, sat down with me on the terrace, and started asking about me and my life. He didn't want to know anything about my CV and didn't even ask for it until the very end. He started making phone calls, and asking his managers if there was room for me. Then he said, "Let's try u out in the bar area. Come on Saturday at 5pm." Then he handed me 50 € which is about $80 and told me to go buy a black shirt and pants.

So I went on saturday to my first day of work. I was so excited. It has been forever since I have worked in a restaurant, and this one is the nicest one I could imagine. So my job description is cocktail waitress and assisting in the bar. Nothing reputable like DPT, but it's something. The work was exhausting. From 5-6 we set up, which isn't too hard, then we all eat together (everyone there is SO warm and welcoming). At 7:30 the madness begins. The restaurant is open from 7:30-12:30 mon-sat and literally on the dot, the people start coming. It's WWIII no joke! At the end of the night, my whole body hurt. It even hurt me to type yesterday on the computer because my arms were so tired. At the end of the night we split tips and then they paid me my pay for the evening as well because I am an extra. So I made 105€ last night...not too bad! Evidently for now I am only working Friday and Saturday nights until things get busier and the summer season begins, which fortunateyl is plenty to pay for rent, food, and have about 300€ extra a month. Not bad for working 2 days a week :)

One of the guys I work with in the terrace (the area they call the bar) told me that Sandro must've really liked me because there is a huge pile of CVs in the office that go untouched and he hasn't hired anyone in 3 years. A majority of the people that work there have been there for 18-20 years! Maybe it was the manner in which I approached asking for the job, maybe it was luck. Whatever it was, I am very grateful!

So that's the update. No salsa scene yet. Still on the hunt for that. There is an organization out here called Marbella Baila, but it seems like a majority of their students are beginners. Plus, they go out dancing in cities that are outside of Marbella. That poses a problem because we can get there by bus, but wouldn't be able to get home! So for now, I am still on the hunt for salsa.

Check out my pics of our apartment. Go to the collections page and click on Marbella

Exploring the Costa del Sol, April 25-May 1

2008-05-02T16:01:00.002+02:00

Cesar arrived to Madrid on Monday April 21st. After 2 months of a long-distance relationship, talking on Skype, Messenger, etc, we were SO excited to see each other. He arrived really early Monday morning. And guess what???? They lost his bags! I mean, I guess it's a recurring theme. If u plan on traveling to Spain, bring a carry-on only! Lucky for him, they delivered his bags the next day at noon. We spent a few days in Madrid so he could get a feel of the city I love so much. We took the double-decker bus tour around downtown, walked around, bought some cheese and a bottle of wine and sat in Retiro park for the afternoon, walked through the Prado museum, and many other things. After a few days, we started on our quest of where to live for the summer.

On Friday April 25th we took the bus down to Màlaga. I showed him around, since I had already been there. We walked around the modern center, the historic center, and then to the cute little beach town of Pedregalejos.

After a day or two in Màlaga, we took the bus to Torremolinos, which is a small city in the province of Màlaga on the coast. There we had the best Lebanese food I have had since home (Mommy, the hummus might have actually beat yours!), and got to know the city. We quickly decided that this town was more inclined to homosexuals than heterosexuals, so we moved on to the Benalmàdena coast, to a little marina called Puerto Marina. There we found somewhat of a nightlife, with even a few salsa clubs. Definitely more ambiance and nightlife than Torremolinos, but we both weren't satisfied yet.

From there we took the bus to Fuengirola, also along the coast. There we ran into nothing but angry, strange, and unapproachable people. We got out of there relatively quickly.

Our last stop was Marbella. The minute the bus pulled in, we were already liking it. Marbella has a little bit of everything we wanted. It has a beautiful beach, a small historic center called "casco antiguo", and a modern city (for those of us that still need some Zara, Mango, Bershka, Pimkie, and Stradivarius...just in case!) We spent a few days really getting to know the city, walking around until our backs, legs, and feet ached. We finally decided that this was the place for us to settle. It has a lot of opportunity for work in tourism. Also, there is a beautiful gym where that I dropped off my CV for potential work.

Nearby there is a marina called Puerto Banus. This little city has all the glamour and glitz that Miami and Beverly Hills have combined. Nothing but fancy cars, fancy stores, fancy clubs and bars. We also saw a lot of potential here for work. Way too expensive to live, but a short bus ride away.

After many days of searching, we found a little studio apartment in the heart of downton Marbella. We will be moving in this next Monday or Tuesday. We haven't taken pics of it yet because we want to move in our stuff first. The apartment is quaint, with a cute little breakfast nook on an enclosed terrace. But what sold us on the place was the rooftop pool and sunbathing deck. Panoramic views of the entire city, beach, and mountains. It honestly feels like we are on top of the world!

Hope u all enjoy the pics. I will add the apartment ones later once we move in.

Burgos Salsa Congress, April 18-20

2008-04-23T14:25:00.002+02:00

After 1 day of recovery, Ilanit and I jumped in the car with Rober, Patry, and Sandro, my friends from Madrid. We drove out to Burgos, which is 200km north of Madrid to check out the salsa congress there. We had rented an apartment which had 8 beds. Marcos and Silvi were meeting us later that day.
We got unpacked, and then went to the market to buy food and drink necessary for the weekend, ate lunch/dinner, and then went out to the congress.
The location could be compared to a circus tent, with a mud all the way to the entrance, and gooey chunky stuff all over the dance floor. Let me tell you, it did wonders for my new (and last) pair of dance shoes.

We watched the shows, and then danced the night away. Around 5am or maybe even a little later, we headed back home. The only thing that was clear at that point was that the first person to fall asleep was in trouble. Poor Ilanit, she lost the battle. She passed out and sure enough, her face got painted and she was covered in a roll of toilet paper, shoes put in her bed, and all sorts of other pranks. Then came Silvi and Marcos, who had managed to lock the door to their room. But that didn't stop us! We called and called their cell phones until they couldn't sleep anymore.

Needless to say, we were all exhausted the next day! We went into the old part of Burgos, took pictures of the square, the cathedral, the river, and then ate a one of the restaurants that came recommended to us. I took a stab at eating the morcilla, but never really swallowed a piece. Morcilla is dried up ox blood, evidently a delicacy in Spain, and especially in Burgos. I had ordered the sopa castellana, which has pieces of morcilla in it, but I just couldn't bring myself to eat a piece.

After our afternoon of sightseeing, we went home and had a battle with ice cubes and the hail that had fallen on the window sills. Then we got ready for the second night of the congress, ate a little dinner, and then went out to the shows. Ilanit and I got a 2-for-1 price (hehehehehe), and we danced with some great dancers from Latin Black, el Rumberito, and many others.
At about 530am we went home, and since everyone was so exhausted, there were no pranks this night. We all just fell asleep.

We got back to Madrid on Sunday afternoon, and I just crashed in my bed. I woke up the next morning early because Cesar was coming!!!!

Check out my pics from the Burgos Salsa Congress

Marrakech, Morocco, April 13-16

2008-04-23T13:48:00.002+02:00

Wow!
What a culture shock!
I arrived in Marrakech in late Sunday afternoon, and was automatically faced with the opportunity to practice my Arabic. After dusting off some cobwebs, I passed through the arduous security line and met up with Ilanit and her friend Pat from USC.
We bargained with the cab driver for a cheaper price to take us to our Riad. After walking through a maze of dark alleyways, almost hitting our heads on the low overpasses, we got to a dead end and they rang the doorbell to our hostal. From the outside, all you see is an iron door. Inside, the beauty of the hostal, and the warmth of the people is incredible. We were greeted by Kamaal, one of the workers that spoke Spanish pretty well. We put my bags in the room and then gathered up the rest of Ilanit's friends (Matt, Ryan, and Olen) and headed to the Jemaa El Fnaa (the open-air market in the middle of the medina) for dinner. Evidently the boys were having a craving for sheep head....naturally!

Walking into the market was incredible. The smell of food, the smoke, the shouts of the vendors, the snake charmers, the belly dancers (yeah so what if the belly dancers are males, right?), the mint tea, the couscous, the skewers of meat, it was all so overwhelming. I was hearing Moroccan Arabic, French, Spanish, and English all at once. Even the little kids trying to sell u kleenex could speak all four! So we walked around and the boys picked the spot where they had seen the sheep head the night before. We sat down at the table, and they waiter asked if they wanted a whole head or just half. Heck, why not eat the whole head!!!!

So he proceeded to chop up the head into various little bowls, teeth, tongue, cheek included! The only thing they remove is the brain. Evidently that is a delicacy, which I was not even close to trying. But I was so hungry, and the smell of the food was killing me. They boys dug in, ooooing and aaaaahhhing about how delicious it was. All I could see were things jiggling in the bowl, not looking very appetizing. But the hunger took over. I asked the boys to find me a piece that looked more like meat, preferably a facial muscle, cheek, etc, and i grabbed a huge piece of bread to distract myself from what I was about to do, and then I took a bite! Honestly, it tasted like any other kind of meat you would eat. That bite was plenty for me. After we saw the teeth and tongue in the bowl, everyone lost their appetite!
After that adventure we headed to a different stall so Ilanit and I could eat couscous and vegetables. Delicious food! We ended with some mint tea and a stroll through the market, avoiding all eye contact with the snake charmers and belly dancers for fear that they would make us pay for just looking at them.

That night we took the rum that I bought in Spain and "smuggled" into the medina and some cokes upstairs to the terrace to sit under the stars. We asked Kamaal if he could prepare us a hookah. He brought us apple flavor and we passed the hookah around, told funny stories, and then fell asleep on the terrace looking up at the stars......until......."ALLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH u AAAAAAAAKKKKKKBBBBAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!" Oh my goodness it's 3am! What on earth are they doing praying this early? It was so loud it sounded like a megaphone was blasting in our ears! This went on for about 5 minutes straight, to the point that we all woke up. Ilanit had the great idea of buying a megaphone the next day, and shouting back, "GO TO SLEEEEEPPPPPPP!!!!!"
After it ended, we were able to fall back alseep, but not for long because around sunrise it happened again. "ALLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH u AAAAAAAAAKKKKKBBBBBBAAAARRRRRRR!" oh well, we might as well just wake up now. It's pointless trying to sleep at this point.

We awoke and headed to meet our tour guide at 730am for our 4x4 tour of the Atlas Mountains. A 5-hour drive into the heart of the mountains was absolutely breathtaking, meaning both beautiful, and so scary that you couldn't breath because you were anticipating falling down the cliff because the rocky road was barely big enough to fit the car, and of course, there was no guard rail. During the 5-hour trip, we saw the most beautiful scenery....brown mountains, with bright green valleys, little villages where the kids ran out to greet us (to our surprise, if u try to take a picture of these cute kids, they start screaming "NONONONONONONONOOOOOOO!" because evidently taking their picture is like taking their soul), sheep, donkeys, gorgeous lookout points, and points where I was sure we were going to die. How could a car our size fit on these little roads? One miscalculation and were would tumble to our deaths. But our driver Yousef was a natural. He took the curves like we were on paved roads. After arriving to our lunch destination, we were all relieved and starving. A meal of kafta and eggs hit the spot!
And what better to help digest your food than a camel ride?! What a treat!

We got back into the car and headed to the spot where the movies "Gladiator" and "Passion of the Christ" were filmed. Beautiful city!

After a 4-hour ride back home, we had a good dinner and then went to sleep.

The next day we slept in a little bit, enjoyed the complementary breakfast in the Riad, and then headed out to do some sight-seeing. We went to the museum, an old dormitory/school, an old mosque, and then some colorful gardens. Tons of beautiful things to see!

Later we headed out to the souks to do a little bit of shopping and bartering. Talk about overwhelming! But honestly, if you stick to your price and as long as it's not completely unreasonable, you can get what you want.

We arrived back to the Riad for our henna tattoo appointment that we had made. One of the girls that worked at the Riad did them for free, and we just gave her a tip.

That night we had some wine and beer celebrating one of the girl's birthdays that was staying in the Riad, and then the belly dancing and salsa lessons began! We got everyone up to dance and it was like one huge happy family. The owner of the Riad (Hassan) was passing around the hookah and kept the wine and beer flowing. There were so many travellers there, all from different countries and backgrounds, all enjoying a fun evening together family-style in the Riad.

The 6 of us headed out to the market again for dinner and had the best night ever! We made friends with the waiters, sang with them, took pictures together, and laughed so hard! The pictures don't even do this night justice.
After dinner, we slept up on the terrace again, only to be awoken by the chanting once more. This time we were more used to it, but it still made us laugh.

On Wednesday it was time to pack up, do some last minute shopping, catch some sun on the terrace, and then head to the airport back to Madrid. Ilanit and I arrived home in Madrid at about 1:30am, exhausted, but satisfied.

Check out my pics!

Göteborg, Sweden, March 28-31

2008-04-01T22:40:00.003+02:00

Sweden (Sverige) is Scandinavia's largest country, and home to many large companies likeH&M (Hennes & Mauritz), Ikea, Volvo, Saab, and many others. Gothenburg (Göteborg, pronounced YO-teh-bor-ee) is Sweden's second largest city, with a population of 600,000.

Central Göteborg is located in the southern bank of the Göta River, and the city is intersected by the Kungsportsavenyn (aka Avenyn, which means "the avenue").

I embarked on my journey on Friday March 28, flying for the first time with Ryanair. Having had relatively pleasant experiences on Easyjet so far, I made the mistake to assume that Ryanair, a competitor of Easyjet, would be just as smooth. It started off well because I had checked in online, which gives you priority boarding status (who DOESN'T check in online anymore?). That was nice because I got to cut in front of a lot of people. I did not bother to check in my backpack, because I have never had to and it fits in every overhead compartment that I have taken it on. That's where the headache started. They pulled out the tall metal hand-baggage official measurement device, and it didn't fit. So the lady told me I would have to go back out through security, go to the counter, pay a fee, check in my bags, and then come back. No way! I would never make the flight if I did that. So I put my bag on the floor and laid out my coat, and began stuffing clothes into my coat, made a knapsack, and then closed up my bag and made sure it fit into the baggage rack. The lady gave me an ugly look, and I just walked onto the plane.

On the plane I re-organized my clothes into my backpack, which fit just fine into the overhead compartment! I began talking to a Swedish girl (whose name I never got by the way) on the plane that ended up letting me follow her to the bus station, then took me to the tram, which led me, after a brief walk, to the hotel.
Frank had left me a key at the front desk. I was so excited when I ran into Jose in the lobby and looked upstairs and saw everyone milling arond getting ready for the first night of the Scandinavian Salsa Congress.

I went up to the room to change and saw that the room was evidently a single, but we managed with some extra blankets to make me a bed on the floor.
I hurried downstairs and watch the shows and find Frank at the DJ booth. I was lucky enough to have a great seat all 3 nights of the congress right at the DJ booth so I didn't have to stand up during the shows. After the shows were completed, the social dancing began. That's where things got interesting. One after another, sweaty old men approached me for dances. Why did I attract them I kept asking myself. So song after song, I got yanked around, sweated on, stepped on, got my hair caught in the button of my partner's sleeve, all the while trying to maintain my fake smile, which by the end of the night wasn't so great. I was actually glad the night was over! This is the first time I have ever experienced that feeling at a salsa congress. Every night after that was the same. My favorite part of the evening was when the dancing finished (I know, I can't believe I am even saying this!), and we all headed to Café Tintin, the 24-hour joint that had good breakfast food and hot chocolate.

The next day I woke up and went to explore the city, and since the guide books call it the second largest city in Sweden, it had to be promising. Wrong again! I walked down the "glitzy Avenyn" and found boring shop after shop after shop after shop with the worst fashion I have ever seen. I mean, you all know how much I love to shop, and let me tell you, I found NOTHING TO BUY!! Actually, maybe I should move to Sweden rather than join Shopaholics Anonymous!
Even the H&M had nothing but "frumpy" clothes. I was so disheartened. I hadn't planned on going all the way downtown to the Nordstan (the largest indoor shopping mall in Scandinavia) until Monday, but before I knew it, I found myself right smack in front of it. What the heck, I'll go in and see if I have more luck in the mall. Wrong again! Hahahahaha! I think the best image I can give you of Swedish fashion is this one...take a large brown potato sack, turn it upside down, cut out holes for your head and for your arms, and put it on. To dress it up, you can add a belt and some accessories, and flat shoes, because those are evidently sexy here. Hey what the heck, you could even buy one in every color!

Maybe Swedish food will be better than the fashion, but unfortunately I can't seem to find any! The local fare here is McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, 7-Eleven, and mom and pop restaurants that sell either kebabs, tacos, or pizza. There is no Swedish food in sight. I actually don't even know what Swedish food is exactly. The girl on the plane told me they eat a lot of fish (herring) and cheeses, but come to think of it maybe she meant the fish in the fish tacos or the Filet of Fish Sandwiches from McDonald's, and the mozzarella cheese on the pizzas!

I think after being in Spain and even the little time I spent in Italy has spoiled me and given me false expectations for Europe in general. I am very lucky to be living in Spain because it is so rich in culture and tradition. They have preserved everything and are very proud of it. They seem to be so proud of who they are. I am not saying Swedes aren't, but I don't even know what it means to be Swedish (aside from being born in the country where Ikea is from).

I can honestly say that I probably won't visit Sweden again, but am very grateful for having had the opportunity to experience it. If not, I may not have appreciated the country I am living in now and the countries I will be visiting in the future as much. I mean, my next stop is Marrakech, Morocco, where culture and tradition is oozing out of every crevice of the city! I am so excited for that trip.

Until then, enjoy the few pics I took of Göteborg, Sweden. Some funny ones too. Hey, we had to make the most of it! :)

Madrid Salsa Simposium, March 20-23

2008-03-24T15:16:00.002+01:00

Back at home in Madrid, the festivities continued. Pat and I barely had time to unpack our clothes, wash them and hang them out to dry (because evidently no one believes in dryers here, so your clothes are nice and hard, almost standing up on their own), before we went to the airport to greet Ilanit. She was coming in from Italy to spend the weekend with us. Luckily for Pat, Iberia had managed to find her bags, so we were able to pick them up at the same time.
We headed back to the apartment, got ready, and then went out to the Salsa Simposium. The first night of shows was pretty good, and we even got to see my friend Sandro perform with his partner. Thursday night's show ended with a magnificent performance by Pablo and Diana from Madrid. Wow!!!

Social dancing was fun that night, but difficult because all the dancers decided to choose the slanted section of the building to dance in. So most of the night was spent bumping into people because it was so difficult to stay in one place due to the angle of the dance floor. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun. Sandro brought us back home around 6am. Our feet were exhausted.

The next day, we woke up around 2pm and headed on foot towards the downtown area of Madrid. We walked along Alcalá down towards Puerta de Alcalá, through Plaza Cibelles and Banco de España, and then down to Puerta de Sol, the heart of Madrid. We ate at my favorite café called Faborit, had their delicious "chocolate a la taza", and then headed to the shops.

Around 7pm we started to make our way back home when we ran into a Good Friday procession in the streets of Madrid! I had been wanting to see something ceremonial for the Semana Santa week/weekend, and lo an behold, we bumped right into it. We perched ourselves up on the window ledges above the crowd for the next hour as we watched the people walking by. There were bands, men and women wearing tall, pointy purple hoods with only their eyes showing (not sure what this garb represents exactly), people walking barefoot, people walking barefoot with their ankles chained together, a man holding a wooden cross, and then the final part was a glorious gold ornamental carriage that was carried through the procession. It was beautiful, and we had a bird's eye view!

We rushed home to get ready because we were having all my friends Patry, Rober, and Sandro over for dinner. We made gnocchi, potatoes, and salad, while my friends brought little sandwiches and pasta dishes as appetizers. It was an interesting assortment of food, but all delicious. After dinner we headed to the simposium again to watch the most incredible shows, beginning with a tango group that recreated Moulin Rouge. It was so beautiful we all had goosebumps. We saw Tropical Gem, Latin Black, Maykel Fonts and many other incredible performers from all over Europe. After the shows we danced our hearts out. So many talented dancers, so little time! Before we knew it, the lights were on and it was 6am. Time to jump in the cab to head home.

The next day we woke up around noon, showered, and headed to the other main part of Madrid called Gran Vía, where the popular shopping street Fuencarral is. We all did a little shopping, and then went back home, got ready, and then went out to Villaverde Alto, where we had tapas at Patry and Rober's new condo. Rober had made tortilla de patata, esparragos, empanadas, salad, slices of bread with camember cheese, walnuts, and caramel on top, slices of tomato with mozzarella, and more. It was so impressive! After the meal, he made crepes and we got to choose our topping of chocolate, toffee, or whipped cream. Of course, we all chose all of them, although the toffee was the best. After that we made our way to the congress again where we saw many of the same performers with their 2nd (and better) act, and then did our best to social dance, but we were all so tired. After the dancing we went to the famous Chocolatería San Gines to have the typical afterhours snack of chocolate con churros. Delicious! Of course the chocolate doesn't beat the chocolate at Faborit, but it's still pretty good.

We got home at 7am, the girls packed their bags, and then left for the airport by 9am. I slept until about 3:30pm, and woke up only because I knew I had to because Sunday night's performance at the congress was extra special. It was a 2-hour performance by Frankie Martinez and his dance company. He is a salsa legend! But before I got there, I decided to do a little laundry. I was talking on the phone when all of a sudden I heard water splashing in the kitchen. I went in there and there was a swimming pool of water all over the floor from the washing machine! I don't know what happened because I had just done laundry a few days earlier without any trouble. Let me tell u how funny this was. If someone could have filmed this, it would've ended up on America's Funniest Home Videos. Water splashing out, me rushing to find towels in th house, slipping on the floor, dropping the mop, picking it back up, dropping i again, wringing out the towels in the sink only to throw them on the floor again drying to absorb the water! I finally got it to stop, and then when I opened the washing machine door to try to get the clothes out, out came another flood of water! Hahahahaha! I repeated the same process again, and then used a bowl to scoop up the rest of the water from the washer and dump it into the sink. After that I took my clothes to the shower and hosed them down to get all the soap out, wrung them out, and then hung them to dry. What a mess!!!

So by the time I got to the congress, I was exhuasted and my fingers were prunes! :)
Frankie's performance was incredible. He is so talented. Amazing footwork, body movement, and body isolation. 2-hours of dancing with a few intermissions so they could change their outfits. I stayed to dance a little bit. The dancing was much better Sunday night that Saturday because there were fewer people and more room to dance.

Now it's Monday, and I am trying to fight off a cold and body exhaustion before heading to Sweden this weekend for the Salsa Congress there.

To see my pics, click on Collections and look for Madrid. Enjoy!

Murcia and Valencia, March 15-20

2008-03-20T14:07:00.002+01:00

So much has happened since I last wrote, so much that u probably won't believe, but I will try to explain. Patricia, my best friend from LA, arrived on Saturday the 15th of March to spend 10 days with me and to see if she liked Spain enough to move back here for the entire summer.
She flew Iberia, and guess what? yup, they lost her bags! Actually she received one bag, which she luckily had put her dance shoes and few essentials in, but the other one was AND STILL IS nowhere to be found! It's been 5 days and no word from Iberia.

So, a friendly reminder to all of you planning on coming out to visit....DON'T FLY IBERIA!!!! :)

With a great attitude and only the clothes and shoes she was wearing, she was ready for our journey. Actually, I don't think we could've ever prepared for this journey!
We took the metro to the train station hoping to buy our ticket from Madrid to Alicante, then Alicante to Murcia (because we had already missed the direct train from Madrid to Murcia). WRONG! It was sold out. Now what? Well, the ticket agent mentioned the possibility of taking the bus to Murcia, so we hopped back on the subway and took it to the bus station, only to find out that the next bus was at midnight, getting us to Murcia at 6am, by which time the sals congress would be over and only Sunday evening would remain to dance. Frustrated, but not letting the wind out of our sails, we had the idea to take the metro back to the airport and rent a car and drive to Murcia! When we got there, we saw 3 car rental agencies. The first one.....out of cars, sorry! The second one...out of cars, sorry! Our last hope was Hertz, and like a beacon in the night, we had our car, a cute blue Peugeot and a full tank of gas.

Off we went, on unfamiliar terrain, embarking at 9pm, hoping to arrive to Murcia in one piece and in time to dance before the congress ended saturday night. Through clenched fists, white knuckles, do we go here or do we go there, getting lost in downtown Murcia, we made it to the coastal town of Los Narejos, Los Alcàzares, where the congress hotel was. We changed in the car, excited, impressed, and ready to dance our hearts out. We went running into the hotel and realized we didn't hear any music! hahahaha! At this point we began to get frustrated. The hotel reception wasn't very friendly and told us we were mistaken but there was no congress here at this hotel, but never telling us where to go. In walks Eddie Torres, "El Rey de la Salsa", innovator of on2 style (mambo) in NY. We asked him where to go, and he said that his chauffeur was going to be heading back that way. So we hopped on the private shuttle for the stars, and 25 minutes later we found ourselves in a deserted town that we would've NEVER found on our own! By that time it was 2:30am, and luckily for us the conress went until 5am that day. We danced a little, mingled a little, and then hoppen back on the bus to the congress hotel.
I forgot to mention a small detail....we actually didn't have a hotel of our own until Sunday, and check-in is usually in the afternoon....so, we went to the afterparty in the hotel lobby, mingled, ate, and partied until 8:30am.

From there we headed to the car (our hotel for Saturday night), and slept until 11am, at which point we were able to check into our REAL hotel for Sunday, which was a cute 2-star hotel called Hotel Los Narejos. We showered, got dressed, and went to the beach. There we found a little chiringuito to have coffee, eat lunch, and take in the beautiful weather. Back in our hotel, took a quick 4-hour nap, got dressed and did it all again a second night. We ran into Albert Torres (LA's salsa promotor) in the lobby of the hotel, and he gave us free passes for the congress for Sunday night, a front seat to watch the shows, then introduced us to the salsa promotor from Valencia named Augustin Williams. He offered to let us follow him in our car as we drove to Valencia the next day.

Good thing he did because Las Fallas had already begun on Saturday the 15th, and it was Monday the 17th and a majority of the streets were blocked off, therefore we couldn't return our car to Hertz! He maneuvered us to another dropoff location, and then called around for us and found us a great deal on a hotel room (because we obviously weren't prepared enough to book one ahead of time!) witha corporate discount. It was a 4-star hotel "de lujo" (luxury). We changed there and went out with him to his dance academy and then to tour the city.

Las Fallas is a tradition that begins March 15th of every year. The city builds huge paper-mache sculptures that are displayed on almost every corner and in every neighborhood in the city. On the 19th in the evening, they are all burnt to welcome in the spring. This tradition began because people back in the day used to put out all their old furniture, clothes, and household goods they didn't want and would burn them. Slowly it developed into what Las Fallas are today....a 4-day celebration and an excuse to party! What an incredible experience. At 2pm during the day every day they set off 5 minutes of continuous explosions, so intense it makes your hair stand up on end. There are people wandering the streets at all hours, dancing, singing, eating, setting off firecrackers, all dressed up in the traditional garb for the celebration.

On March 19th, Las Fallas are burnt down, beginning with Las Fallas Infantiles (the children's) first at 10pm, then the rest of them at midnight. The largest one is saved until the very end. This one is in the heart of downtown, in front of city hall, where crowds gather and wait for hours just to get a good spot. We arrived at 11:15pm and stood until 1am waiting for this experience we had heard so much about. Exactly at 1am sharp, a barrage of fireworks is set off, lasting about 10 minutes and filling the dark night with smoke. Then the largest paper-mache doll is set ablaze, and burns to the ground in about 10 minutes. Firefighters are standing by, people are cheering, black smoke billows up in the air, and ashes rain down on us. It's an unbelievable sight. It takes them about 1 year and millions of euros to build these things, and then within 10 minutes they are ashes. As soon as this last falla is burnt, the cleanup crew has already taken to the streets because by morning on the 20th, there is no evidence that this whole thing even happened.

By the time we finished watching this, it was about 2am, and our train back to Madrid was leaving at 6:50am. We were forced to buy a 1st class ticket because everything else ws booked, and every other time of departure was booked. So, what to do between 2 and 6am? Well, sleep in the freezing cold train station of course, play cards, listen to music, watch salsa videos, and hide from the cold in the automated foto booths! Those 4 hours were the longest part of this whole trip, but well worth the first class treatment on the train back to Madrid.

So here we are, unwinding, doing laundry, napping, Pat still without bags, and awaiting our dear friend Ilanit's arrival from Milan tonight to begin the party again. Tonight begins the Madrid Salsa Congress!!! Watch out Madrid!!!!

Enjoy my pics from Murcia and Valencia. Go to my pics and click on collections: Murcia and Valencia

Italy, March 8-10

2008-03-11T13:31:00.002+01:00

Ok so where do I even begin? Maybe this is a good start....this weekend was the MOST fun I have had since I have been here in Europe. After a slight change in itinerary because of a job interview, I took flight to Milan and met Ilanit at the Cardorna station. From there we took a train to Bologna, which took about 2 hours. We arrived fairly late at night to where there were no more buses to our last stop, which was Pieve di Cento, where the Bologna Salsa Festival was to be held. So we decided to stop and have a slice of pizza, something I have been anticipating since reading the Italy section of my book "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Well, the pizza didn't let me down!
So while deciding how we were going to get to our final destination, which was about 50km away still, a man approached us and told us he was a "private" taxi driver, and that was his car over there, the one with the hazards flashing that had no taxi sign or meter! hahaha! No way were we about to get in that cab! So we continued looking. All the legitimate cab drivers were gonna charge us 40-50 euros. The trai wouldn't get us there until 11:30pm, so against every advice our parents gave us about riding in cars with strangers, we got in the undercover cab. Even better, he made Ilanit sit up front so none of the cops thought he was operating illegally as as a taxi driver! hahahaha! let me tell u, every time this guy turned opposite of where he GPS system told him to turn, I started thinking of ways we could jump out of a moving vehicle, how badly it would hurt, and if we would still be able to dance later that night! :)
To our surprise, he took us directly to the hotel and charged us 20 euros! what a nice guy! and to think I was making assumptions about him.... :)
So once at the hotel, we go to put our bags in Jen and Stephanie's room (girls from LA dancing with Johnny Vasquez), since of course we didn't have a room of our own and figured we would just stay up all night so we could save money :)
We got ready, and then headed downstairs to watch the shows, which didn't finish until 1:30am! After that we got some social dancing in, and before we knew it, it was 5am! Well, that meant it was time for the afterparty, which would tide us over until the free breakfast (mind u, for guests of the hotel, which we weren't, but who's counting, right?). So we went to Juan Matos' suite, and continued the party there with his dancers, Johnny Vasquez, Jen, Stephanie, Peter, and a bunch of other peeps from U-tribe from France, and dancers from Italy. That was fun to get to know people we had only seen in videos or heard about.
Around 7am we headed downstairs for continental breakfast of coffee, pastries, nutella to your heart's content, and a few pieces of fruit. Johnny serenaded us to El Cantante (will post this on youtube later), and then we moved to the lobby and hung out there until about 9am when people started to come downstairs. That's when we realized how embarrassing it was that we were still in our clothes from the night before. Well we went and grabbed our bags from Jen and Stephanie's room because Juan Matos had offered us the couches in his suite. We headed there, and TRIED to sleep. We thought it was a perfect situation, but Juan evidently snores really loudly, and therefore, there was NO sleep for the weary. So Ilanit and I decided to try to have a conversation with each other, except we couldn't even hear each other, so we awaited the pauses in the snoring to conversate! :) ahahahahaa! omg what a funny night/day!
when everyone else awoke in the suite we all got ready and we headed with Juan and his dance team back to Milan. From there he took us to a Peruvian restaurant for lunch that had live music. Lo and behold, right as we walked in, the signer was singing..."El Cantante!" Hahaha! It was perfect!
After lunch, Juan, Ilanit and I headed to Brescia where he had been invited to teach a cha cha cha class, and since we didn't have plans, we went along. We checked into the hotel, and then our ride came to pick us up. The club was an old villa that was transformed to a club. There were free appetizers (well free to us, don't know about the other guests) and drinks. The club was so beautiful!!! We danced and laughed all night long! What a fun night!
The next day Ilanit and I headed out for lunch of gnocchi and gelato, my final "must-haves" in italian cuisine. Delicious!
Back to the train, to the bus, to the airport, to the metro, and finally home in Madrid late last night. Exhausting journey, but well worth it :)
Check out my pics!

Barcelona, March 1-3

2008-03-04T15:26:00.002+01:00

Barcelona is full of beautiful architecture, culture, and energy, but let me tell you, their train system is AWFUL!!!!
OMG so the reason we went to Barcelona this weekend was because Shanda decided to run the Barcelona Marathon. She decided 4 weeks ago, and they booked our hotel (Ciutat del Prat) in the city called El Prat de Llobregat. Never heard of it? No worries, you aren't missing anything. This hotel came recommended on the list of hotels for the marathon, so they had absolutely no idea that it was SO far from the heart of Barcelona. It is conveniently close to the airport with a free shuttle, but try to get downtown, and you will have a headache on your hands :)
When we arrived and checked in, we got oriented to our surroundings and how to use the train, metro, and bus system. We headed to the Marathon Expo in the Placa Espanya, where Shanda got her bib, chip, bag, and map of the marathon. We walked around the city for a bit, and then discovered that it would be impossible to circulate via bus after midnight the night before the marathon because all the routes would be closed. That meant if I went out salsa dancing, I would never be able to get home! So we had a chill night at the hotel, and Shanda went to sleep early for the marathon.
Sunday morning after she left for the marathon, I did some sightseeing. I went to the Cathedral, Picasso's museum, La Iglesa de Santa Maria, and then headed over to the marathon site to see her cross the finish line. She finished in 4 hours and 30 minutes! Great job!
In the afternoon I headed to La Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila and Casa Batlo to see Gaudi's work. I am a huge fan of his architecture, and as you will see by my photos, I spent a lot of my sightseeing hours visiting his sites. La Sagrada Familia is a huge church that is still under construction. Gaudi began it, and now the inside is being restored. Casa Mila is an 8-story apartment complex that Gaudi designed. We were allowed to see the apartment, the attic, and walk on the roof. Casa Batlo is another Gaudi museum, but I never went inside.
The next day we woke up early and went to Parc Guell, which is a park that Gaudi was commissioned to design. Inside the park is Gaudi's museum, which was originally his house.
The park has such a unique design, reminding me of Hansel and Gretel. I absolutely loved it!
So now I am back in Madrid for a few days, then off to Italy (Lake Como & Milan) to visit my friend Ilanit. Enjoy my pics :)

London, Feb 24-27

2008-02-28T03:51:00.003+01:00

Wow!!!! What a beautiful city! If you have never been, you HAVE to go!
I had such a wonderful time watching the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, walking through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, seeing the Tower Bridge (more than the London Bridge...and you'll see why by the pics), walking through the National Gallery, Tate Modern Museum, the Shakespeare Globe Theater, the Picadilly and Oxford Circuses (and up Regent Street), seeing the Tower of London, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the Thames, the London Eye, etc. There is so much beauty in this city, and surprisingly, the weather was really nice. I got a chance to see 2 musicals, Avenue Q and Dirty Dancing!!! Great seats for both, great shows! I stayed in a nice hotel, and then a really grungy bed and breakfast, that led me to shower in the sink rather than their community showers. I went out salsa dancing one night. I told the cab driver to take me to a salsa club, and he took me to a club called Salsa :). When I walked in I was really excited. I danced one song with a not-so-great dancer, and then the DJ called me over. He said, "you look like a dancer, I was watching you. Stay over here with me and I will introduce you to all the good dancers." Well that was 11pm and I literally didn't stop dancing until 2am! And of all the luck, the DJ that I met happens to be one of the best known salsa instructors from London...Super Mario (for all you salseros that are reading this)!!! What a great night that was!
Click on my PICS link and check out the London Collection :)

My Bags Have Arrived :)

2008-02-23T12:38:00.002+01:00

Even though they were 4 days late, they got here, thanks to the godfather :)
I got that wonderful phone call yesterday afternoon frin Iberia saying my bags were at the airport and that they would have someone deliver them later that evening. When they arrived, it was a sight for sore eyes. My big blue bag had been run over by either a truck or a car because it was completely capsized and smashed from every side, with tar all over it. Luckily EVERYTHING was still in the bag. The zipper stayed intact except in 1 corner, but my mother packed so well (thank u), that nothing fell out. My other new backpack was fine.
God it was so nice to see my clothes. I was getting so tired of the same shoes, jeans, sweater, and having to buy new underwear and socks.
So I completed the claims process to have Iberia reimburse me the money, and then they sent me to a store to get a new suitcase. It's even bigger and better than my other one.
So today is a great day! Finally I feel like my trip to Spain can begin. Talk about a test of patience and strength. Thank you all for your support.
I am leaving tomorrow morning for London for a few days
I haven't taken pics yet because i didn't have my computer cable or the battery charger, but now will go camera-crazy :)

I'm in Madrid!!!!

2008-02-19T20:39:00.002+01:00

Well what a crazy 48 houra this has been.
I got home from PV a day late because of bad weather, so I arrived Sunday instead of Saturday. In my mind, I was leaving for Spain on Tuesday. As I was sifting thru my mail I came upon a letter from American Airlines telling me of a schedule change on one of the flights. As I looked over the paper, I realized that I was leaving Monday instead of Tuesday! So I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off unpacking, doing laundry, repacking (thanks to my mom's help), paying bills, running errands, etc. I left the next morning at noon.
After a long journery of Dallas to Boston to Washington, DC to Madrid, I arrived with no luggage. Apparently Iberia was able to lose both my suitcases, so I have nothing but what I am wearing and the toothbrush and toothpaste they gave me on the plane. The only good part of this story is that I hadn't wanted to take a taxi from the airport to the apartment because I knew it was going to be expensive. So having no bags freed me up to travel by metro. I exited the metro and began looking for a Movistar store so I could add minutes to the SIM card I had from the last time I was in Spain. After going to 2 different stores, I come to find out that a SIM isn't valid anymore if more than 6 months pass without u using it. So I went back to another Movistar store and they couldn't even sell me a SIM. I had to buy a phone to get the SIM. This was actually not a bad deal. SIMs sell for 15 euros, and for just 4 euros more I got a cheap phone and a SIM. Anyways I needed a new phone because the charger for my phone is in my suitcase, which is somewhere in never never land. After getting my phone, I walked to the apartment, only to realize that I knew the apartment address, but not the floor or unit #. Sooooo, that was another nightmare.
Finally I got into the apartment, plugged in my new phone to charge it, called Iberia to tell them my phone # and the apartment # so they can deliver my bags. They said they hadn't found them yet and it could take up to 48 hours to locate them! hahahahaha! What a nice welcome to Spain :)
So Shanda, Brent, their 2 girls and I went out to dinner, walked in the rain because my umbrella is in my suitcase, and now am at home.
The apartment is nice, and both Brent and Shanda have a computer with internet capabilities, so for 3 weeks I will have the convenience of internet accessibility.
I will post pics soon of the apartment and Madrid.
If u want to get ahold of me, my skype is "maria.shrime" and my cell out here is 011.34.660.603.965 or u can just email me.

Leaving Tomorrow Morning for Spain

2008-02-18T03:42:00.001+01:00

OMG I am SO glad I checked my mail today when I got home from PV. I was sifting through my mail and saw something from American Airlines about a change in my flight schedule. Upon looking it over, I realized that I was in fact leaving tomorrow, not Tuesday! hahahaha! wow!
So I am frantically unpacking, doing laundry, repacking, uploading pics, etc.
I arrive in Madrid on the 19th, losing a day due to travels, and will be living in an apartment with Shanda (high school friend), her husband (when he is not traveling for work), and their 2 kids.
Fun fun fun!

Sunset Sail

2008-02-17T02:44:00.002+01:00

On our last night together, we decided to take the Sunset Sail tour with the company Cesar works for (Vallarta Adventures). They took us out on a beautiful sailboat, which was the same boat we took for the whale watching tour that I never got a photo of (so now you can all see it). We sailed out into Banderas Bay, crazy choppy waters that tipped the boat so much to the side that I felt like we were on the Titanic! OMG I was so nervous. Soon the waters calmed down, and we enjoyed the music, the view, and the cuba libres. After the sun set, we were served a plate of appetizers and then continued sailing through the bay. After we returned to the marina, Cesar and I walked to the lighthouse and had a drink and took in the view of the marina, and then continued onto the fondue restaurant. Check out the pics in both the SUNSET SAIL album and the PUERTO VALLARTA album

Playa Gemelas and Mismaloya

2008-02-17T02:38:00.002+01:00

So we took the rental car and toured the southern part of Banderas Bay. We drove through Conchas Chinas and saw the incredibly beautiful houses on the cliffside, then on to Playa Gemelas where we stopped to sit at the beach for about an hour. It was a beautiful white sand cove, and very hidden from the masses. After that we got back in the car and drove further south to Mismaloya and took some photos of the incredible view. We had a late lunch at Le Kliff Restaurant, with probably the most breathtaking view I had seen yet, but awful service. After that we continued on south to Boca de Tomatlan, which is a small fishing village and also where the river dumps out into the ocean. We stayed there for less than 30 minutes, which was OK for me because I felt really uneasy there. On our way back home we stopped on the side of the road at Mismaloya again to watch the sunset. Gosh PV has the most incredible sunsets I have seen. Such beautiful colors! Enjoy the pics

Valentine's Day

2008-02-17T02:34:00.002+01:00

What a fun day!
Cesar surprised me with a massage on the beach at the Marriott Hotel. They have a beautiful setup right on the beach, where u can hear the waves crashing. It was so relaxing.
After that we headed to Punta de Mita, a town on the northern part of Banderas Bay to have a nice romantic dinner on the beach. We went to the sister restaurant of Cafe des Artistes, called Cafe des Artistes del Mar. We have such a nice dinner of, I'm sure you can guess, mussels and other seafood, and then a delicious bottle of white wine. The had a great piano player to entertain us during dinner. Check out the pics :)

Our Weekend....

2008-02-12T20:17:00.000+01:00

was wonderful!

Friday night Cesar had to work, so I went out salsa dancing at J&B, the ONLY salsa club I have been to yet with a wooden dance floor and real salsa dancers :)
It was fun. I met a few guys and girls, and had a wonderful night dancing salsa. Gosh I missed it.

Saturday I went shopping during the day, and then at night met up with Cesar on the boat to head to Rhythms of the Night, the cruise he works on 5 nights a week. Since I have already seen the show and had the dinner there 4 times, he had his crew members buy the ingredients to prepare ceviche on board while the guests docked and went to see the show. It was SO much fun. I got to hang out with his crew members, eating delicious ceviche (shrimp and octopus), dancing salsa and learning banda (hahaha...that was funny), drinking rum and coke, and I even taught one of his crew members a choreography so he could dance salsa for the people on the boat! It was so cute.
After we got off the boat, we went to Mambo Cafe and danced with a big group of his friends until 4am! So fun!

Sunday we spent the morning in deep conversation about life, love, future, etc. It was so nice. Gosh I feel like we have been dating for 6 months already. We played a brief chess game and then headed into downtown PV because he wanted to buy a few clothes. After shopping we ended up at River Cafe (my second time in 3 days) having scallops, mussels, and delicious Errazuris Chardonnay, and listening to a wonderful jazz band. After that we went to La Bodeguita del Medio and did a little more salsa dancing to the music of a live Cuban band.

Monday we headed out to La Palapa, a wonderful restaurant on the beach. We rented chairs and enjoyed the afternoon. Cesar smoked a cigar and I fell asleep. He had 2 guitar players come serenade me. We saw the most beautiful sunset. You have to check out these pics. After that we went home, changed, and got ready to go to Cafe des Artistes. Wow! Probably the best place I have eaten. He actually brought me here on our first date (with Lisa and Monica) for dessert. At that time, I was still on my cleanse, so I couldn't eat the food or drink the wine. This time it was different. We had mussels, scallops (do u see a theme here?), salmon and snapper, then a chocolate dessert and a strawberry and vanilla dessert. Mmmmmmm!

I hope u enjoy all the pics :)

Sayulita

2008-02-07T20:31:00.001+01:00

Cesar and I rented a bright red Jeep Wragler and drove out to a small surfing village called Sayulita. It is overflowing with Americans and Canadians, and some Europeans. I am beginning to find out that Puerto Vallarta in general is a huge attracting for Canadians, especially during their winter months. As well, there are tons of Americans here that own property or participate in timeshares. They are EVERYWHERE!!!
Ok back to my story. I unfortunately didn't take many pictures of the town (I am really bad at remembering to capture moments on film). But I took a few pics of us at the beach and then the beautiful sunset on our drive back home. Hope u like them :)

America's Cup Sailing

2008-02-07T20:27:00.000+01:00

So during the day, Cesar works on the America's cup sailboat tour. They take out anywhere from 10-20 people on each of the 2 boats. These boats are the originals that were used in the America's cup. The just recently got new sails, and the sails are 34 meters tall. They are simply magnificent. The two sailboats participate in 3 races against each other. The great part is that the passengers on the boat do a lot of the work. You are right in the middle of everything, grinding, tacking, etc. Take a look at the pics!

Whale Watching in PV

2008-02-06T02:02:00.000+01:00

OMG!!!! What an incredible experiece!
I have always dreamt of seeing a whale, and for some reason, never taken the time to go whale watching. The company Cesar works for operates a whale watching tour on a Benetton sailboat. He explained to me that the boat costs $650,000! It was gorgeous!
So we took off at about 10:30am. The crew served us a huge bowl of fruit, cut out of a watermelon shell. We began our morning with a delicious rum and coke.
We sailed out to the middle of the ocean and passed numerous boats on the way. All of them kept telling us that today was an incredible day to see the whales. I was so excited :)
When we approached the site, there were 4 other boats already there. I was worried we weren't going to get to see anything because of the traffic. But the whales have a mind of their own. They wanted to play with all of us!
All of a sudden, the most beautiful sound exploded out of the water, the puffing sound the whale makes as it comes up to greet us. There were 3 whales, and they were here to play!
They went from boat to boat, teasing, puffing, going under, around, and displaying there incredible beauty.
The whales spent a particularly long amount of time at our sailboat. They came so close to us, we could practically touch them. See for yourself! Go to my pics link.
The crew of the ship later told us that they hadn't seen the whales like this in about 3 years! So evidently I had great luck :)
After whale watching we were served appetizers, lunch, and then we anchored off the coast and people went swimming in the ocean....not me! too cold :)

First stop....Puerto Vallarta

2008-01-29T19:17:00.000+01:00

Hehehehe! I know, it's not Europe, but I had a little side trip planned to spend time with my boyfriend Cesar before I left for Spain.
I got here yesterday around 1pm. I was full of nervous excitement. When the plane was about to land, I felt my heart beating so fast that I decided to take my pulse (I know, I'm a dork). Anyways, resting heart rate was 84! hahaha! That's pretty high for me.
So I walked out of the customs area, looking at the crowd of people, and couldn't see Cesar. Then he came around the corner, looking handsome as ever, with a single pink rose. Oh my he just makes my heart melt. It felt so wonderful to be with him again.
We kept looking at each other, with huge smiles on our faces, trying to take in the reality that we actually made it happen.
We dropped my bags off at home, and then went to downtown PV to walk around, then grab some food. We played backgammon, chess, and watched the sunset.
Today I plan on cooking him dinner. Oh no! I really should've paid attention to the cooking lessons at home Mommy! :)
I am going to get a phone number here in case anyone needs to get ahold of me. I will post it soon. Otherwise, email me. I will check it regularly
:)

Preparations for my trip

2008-01-22T18:25:00.000+01:00

Well the time has almost come for me to leave for Spain. I have a few weeks to go, and I am getting so excited. There is so much to look forward to! The only thing that is certain is that I have a free place to stay for 3.5 weeks. After that, who knows! :)

That's what makes it so exciting. No job, no set plans, not sure where to go after that. All I know is that I am going to salsa in as many cities as possible in Europe.

So enjoy my pics and I hope you come visit :)