April 2010
1 post
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Come follow me on my new blog...
Hi - so I’m being Tumblr challenged and can’t figure out how to default to my oliviarz.tumblr.com (actually, I think I may not be able to change that since I first set-up as “tresmeses”…though taking advice if anyone has it). Anyways, Tres Meses was just a fun experiment and log of my time in Spain, but I’ve continued my day-to-day blogging over on Oliviarz. ...
January 2010
1 post
September 2009
2 posts
4 tags
3 tags
Dreams do come true...
Back in early May I made a HUGE decision - I was going to take 3 months off work and move to Spain. I wasn’t myself and I needed a major change. I had dreamed of this since I first stepped foot in Spain, in May of 2003. And with a little nudge from my friends, approval from my parents and an acceptable amount of money in savings…it came true. It took 6 years, but it came true. It...
August 2009
3 posts
3 tags
Tres Meses iMix
Here are a few songs that pretty much sum up my last three months. A little bit of Euro pop, lots of dance, and the always necessary rock-pop love ballady types. Enjoy!
2 tags
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I love you, but...
Those infamous first words of a break-up. I guess it’s a little dramatic, because I’m not exactly breaking up with Spain, but I definitely needed a break last week. Luckily, London was on the agenda, so I got 4 days away to speak English, eat some food I had been craving, and to catch up with some great friends.
Here’s the thing about Spain -
- No one knows how to queue. ...
July 2009
4 posts
7 tags
Bar.cel.ona
This past Tuesday I went to my first Meetup.com meeting. (If you’ve never hear of meetup.com def check it out…you can find someone with mutual interests on just about any topic.) The meeting was an intercambio for people in Barcelona who want to learn Spanish or English. Basically, you go, join a group of 4-6 people and every 15 mins or so you switch back and forth between English...
1 tag
6 tags
Roommates
The 411 on my roommates -
Berta - she’s 25, from Spain (northern part, Rioja), but has been living in Barcelona the last 2 years for architecture school. She “owns” the apartment, but left this past Sunday to head home to Rioja because her final project for school is a building there. She’s super energetic and I’ll totally miss having her here…especially...
3 tags
Visitors
It has been a ridiculously long time since I have posted something…I must improve my blogging regularity (is there a vitamin for that?).
Since getting to Barcelona, Hich has been here visiting and we had a blast! Did a lot of the touristy things, including taking one of the sight buses around town. They really are the best though to get it all in, especially all the Gaudi masterpieces and...
June 2009
15 posts
2 tags
Uncomfortable
It’s been a really long time since I’ve been in an “uncomfortable” situation. Sure there have been some scary moments on my trip, or there have been times when I’ve had trouble communicating, or others when I’ve had to make big presentations, or still others when I felt weirded out by someone on the subway…and so on. But, those are pretty normal things. ...
4 tags
A note on hostels
I’ve been trying to take the cheap route on my travels and have opted for multi-bed hostels over expensive hotels. When I did my big trip with Jules after college, I remember this not being an issue at all. For the most part the rooms where clean, had enough space and you could usually sleep through the noise of your roommates. Somehow on this trip through, I’ve barely gotten one...
2 tags
Thank You
I’ve been fortunate enough to have some great friends around for the first part of my trip. Many thanks to -
Evelyn and Aziz, for a place to crash my first week and for letting me leave my exorbitant amount of stuff in Barcelona while I travel.
Devin and Jess, for planning an amazing Milan + Venice trip.
Johnny and Jennifer, for being incredible hosts in Amsterdam and for letting me tag...
3 tags
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Venice: 10 fun tidbits
Some things I picked up in Venice (6/11-6/15) with the lovely Devin Carey and Jessica Ivry:
1) Maps are useless. Just walk and see what you discover.
2) A spritz = soda, white wine and your choice of Campari or Aperol. Drink one here and you’ll look like a local.
3) Gondola rides will cost you 80 euros. If you can’t afford that, you can do a water bus ride along the grand canal...
4 tags
Internet
I’ve missed you internet. I’m still adjusting to the fact that I have no blackberry…no google maps at my finger tips, no twitter stream to puruse to kill time, no easy access to alerting the world of my every move via FB status updates. Google Maps sure would have come in handy when I roamed around the outskirts of Amsterdam for an hour in heels looking for the Ogilvy office. ...
4 tags
Journey
No, no, I’m not going to get sentimental. But, I did just get home from the Journey concert tonight at Heineken theater in Amsterdam. Here are some things I learned -
- Dutch people are really tall. It was amazing not being one of the tallest people in a room tonight, but I have new respect for “short” people behind me at concerts.
- Heineken tastes way better in Amsterdam.
...
6 tags
PUK #
Note to self (and all others getting a European cell phone in the future) -
When you get an international cell phone, your SIM card will have a PIN on it. Make sure you know what it is. When you turn your phone off and then back on, you’ll be prompted for this code. If you enter it incorrectly 3 times, it then asks you for a PUK #. This number is also something you’re supposed to...
5 tags
Fideua
Almost everyone knows about Paella, but another dish they have here in Barcelona is Fideua (fee-de-wah). Its origins are in Valencia, but you see it everywhere here in the cafes and restaurants. Basically, it is just like Paella (mix of veggies, seafood, etc.), but instead of using rice, it’s made of little vermicelli noodles and also usually served with alioli sauce. I’ve been...
4 tags
Bicing
Barcelona has a great “public transport” system called Bicing. It’s a series of bike stations across the city (basically every big metro stop has a Bicing station outside of it) and once you get your membership card, you can basically walk up and check out a bike. The membership is 30euro and I think the deal is that you can use it for up to 2 hours no charge, and then...
3 tags
Apartment Hunting
I’ve been on the hunt the past couple of days for an apartment to stay in in July and August here in Barcelona. I’ve seen three places now (it doesn’t move quite as quickly as the NYC apartment market), and I think I’ve found one! It is located in Les Corts, a very quaint part of town, conveniently located on the green subway line which takes you easily to the city...
5 tags
Carbo loading
I just ate the best “lunch” (it was 5:45pm) ever -
Tortilla espanola (con cebolla) - pre-made, bought from the grocery
Pan - fresh, from the panaceria down the street
Lays de sabor Receta Camponesa - my new fave since they don’t make Ketchup flavored anymore :(
Coca Light con Limon - very refreshing
and for dessert…a Maxibon con nata. YUM.
And although it may appear...
I'm here!
JFK -> Heathrow
Heathrow -> BCN
….two trains, a lot of stairs and a few elevator rides…and I’m here!
Staying at my friend Evelyn’s apartment for the next couple of days as I try to figure out where I’ll be living in July and August. Once I’ve got that squared away, hope to take a trip down south to at least Granada/the Alhambra before I head off on my...
4 tags
Itinerary
Three months…here’s the plan for now:
June -
6/4 - arrive in BCN
6/5-6/10 - travel to south of spain (exact places are TBD, but the alhambra is a must)
6/11 - 6/12 - Milan (w/ Jess and Devin)
6/12 - 6/15 - Venice (w/ Jess and Devin)
6/16 - Train to Amsterdam (via Switzerland and Germany)
6/17-6/19 - Amsterdam (staying w/ JohnnyAbs and Jennifer)
6/20 - 6/21 - Copenhagen (w/...
May 2009
2 posts
4 tags
5 tags
Last day at work
So Friday, 5/29, was my last day at work until at least 9/8. I was so looking forward to this moment, but it was a funny thing how much more I loved everyone I work with that day. Do you know how sometimes you start to really hate your haircut, so you make an appointment, and magically just before the appt date your hair starts to look really good again? It was kind of like that :)
But despite...