Just wanted to record a few useful links from out recent trip up there. The occasion was to celebrate me finishing the bar, and Jen's Birthday which was the first day of the bar exam, and thus, was not properly celebrated.
We stayed in town at Revelstoke Lodge, which was nice as far as motels go and cheap - $80 for a queen size bed.
We spotted this place and wish we could have stayed there. Its a little pricier, but would be nice ... especially with another couple.
The Mountain is amazing ... can't wait to go back.
Showing posts with label go. Show all posts
Showing posts with label go. Show all posts
3.10.2008
7.08.2007
Time for a Vacation
For the next month, I will be in Peru on the VACATION TO HELL, attempting to kayak the Rio Huallaga. For details and updates on our trip, go HERE: www.huallaga.irvacationtohell.com
7.07.2007
Spain Wrap-Up
Ok, I have been trying to sum up my recent study-abroad trip to Madrid, Spain for friends, family and memory's sake. I am getting tired of typing and explaining, so I'm gonna let the photos do most of the talking at this point. Feel free to comment with questions if you are curious. Also, there are several other posts about Spain below this post, so keep scrolling down until you get bored ... (or I think you can click "Spain" in the labels to get all the posts. Cheers.
7.05.2007
El Escorial
This turned out to be my favorite day trip (and I guess my only single-day trip) from Madrid. But it sounded better than the other day trips my friends took. So its the best as far as I am concerned. And for any would-be Madrid tourists, I am not the biggest fan of sight-seeing for the sake of sight-seeing, but these sites turned out to be very cool and well worth the time and money to see them ... in my opinion!
The Monastery were most of the Spanish Royalty are buried ... and an amazing cathedral inside.
The Tomb Franco had built for the civil war fatalities and he is also buried here.
Its BIG and located in the mountains surrounding Madrid.
My traveling partners for the day ... Martin and Erin!
The Monastery were most of the Spanish Royalty are buried ... and an amazing cathedral inside.
The Tomb Franco had built for the civil war fatalities and he is also buried here.
Its BIG and located in the mountains surrounding Madrid.
My traveling partners for the day ... Martin and Erin!
Bullfighting - Fan or Hater?
I was very intrigued to learn more about Spanish bullfighting. This interest, which may seem peculiar to some of my friends, stems from my family's participation in Mexican bullfighting. My Aunt Carole was one of the first women to ever bullfight in Mexico, and my Dad and his brothers and sisters used to all go to Mexico for the weekend to watch the fights when they lived in SoCal. Add to that the paintings of both my Dad and my Aunt that hung in our house, watching a bullfight on my first trip to Mexico - Mazatlan - and a unique understanding of human's relationship with animals and killing them, whether it be for food, sport, or art (in this case), since I grew up in a ranching family. But this post will only be a tease, as I want to incorporate more family history for posterity into a more complete story. So stay tuned if you are interested ... otherwise, fear not ... no bloodshed to come for a month or so.
One picture and a short video for a teaser:
A poor performance by the videographer (taken on my still camera, so I forgot that I could not turn the camera to frame the shot ... doh!) But an impressive performance by the Matador and even more so by the horse makes this still worth turning your head to watch:
One picture and a short video for a teaser:
A poor performance by the videographer (taken on my still camera, so I forgot that I could not turn the camera to frame the shot ... doh!) But an impressive performance by the Matador and even more so by the horse makes this still worth turning your head to watch:
The Food Culture of Madrid
Anyone that knows me, knows I love food; and when you travel I find that food is one of the things that leaves the biggest impression ... at least on me. After all, eating is one of those things you do more than most activities, and in Spain it may even dominate sleep in number of hours per day.
Before I traveled to Spain, friend's opinions of the food of Spain ranged from amazing to horrible. One of my absolute favorite restaurants in Seattle is a Spanish Tapas place just down the street from my house, so I was pretty excited for anything that even was of resemblance.
More than the quality or style of food in Madrid, what left the biggest impression upon me was the schedule of how the Spanish people eat and how much meal times dictate the the flow of the day. In the states, we are very accustomed to being able to get a wide variety of food whenever you want it. Not the case in Spain. To illustrate, I'll walk through a typical day of eating in Madrid:
9am :: Madrilenos do not go to bed early, so the day begins late. And breakfast is a rather simple affair. The typical meal in the morning would be a cafe con leche (coffee with milk) - often a mix of hot and cold milk - a croissant, and a glass of orange juice. For more of a gut bomb, one might get churros (fried bread - see below). Eggs are not common for breakfast in Madrid.
Cafe and pastries
Noon :: Hope you aren't hungry, because if the place is a lunch cafe they won't even be open for another hour, and probably not serving for an hour and half. If the place was open for breakfast, you might get lucky with a limited menu and a strange look.
2pm :: Madrilenos like to eat a late lunch, and this is the most important meal of the day. The classic lunch is ordered from the menu del dia (meal of the day). First, a drink (wine, beer or soda - drinking at lunch even as a business person is very common ... no taboo here!) and of course some pan (bread). Then start with a first course - gazapacho being my favorite (cold tomato soup). For the second course, maybe some fish and patatas fritas (french fries), but likely it will be some form of pork. Finally, you get a postre (dessert) or cafe to finish. Or with a smile and a wink to the waitress, both :) My choice: Flan and a cafe cortado (espresso with a little milk on top).
One of my favorite lunch spots:
4pm :: Don't bother the service business ... while the siesta is proclaimed to be dead by many, especially the lawyers in Spain, this time of the day is a time to slow down and prepare for the night.
7pm :: Cana and Tapas time. Cana (Supposed be Canya but I don't know how to put the squiggly on top of the n) is a small beer and the tapa was invented as a small plate of food placed on top of the beer so that people wouldn't drink on an empty stomach. Brilliant! Many places carry this tradition on with a free tapas. The freebies might be olives, potato chips, or even Chorizo or Bocarones (fried spanish anchovies). But the list goes on with just about anything open for Tapas. There couldn't be a better institution than the tapas for seeing a city. Just walk around getting drink and a little food for hours as you take in the sights.
10pm :: Again, a late meal. You are probably not that hungry at this point after many tapas and drinks, so sharing some Paella with a group is common or getting what are called Racions (big tapas). The small peppers where one of my favorites and squid cooked in its own ink was also very good. btw, Spain eats more seafood than any other country per capita. And only 2nd to Japan in total amount.
Paella with my Valencia friends
A little video clip I took from my room around 10pm one night. We would often open the windows (cuz it was hot) to enjoy the street music. I even threw money out the window a few times :) Notice that there isn't an empty seat, even this late on this non-significant street.
1am :: The night isn't even close to being over so maybe a treat to keep you going. Churros con Chocolate:
Well, mix in some school, studying, and some sight-seeing and you get my typical day. I also took full advantage of the siesta to survive this schedule!
Before I traveled to Spain, friend's opinions of the food of Spain ranged from amazing to horrible. One of my absolute favorite restaurants in Seattle is a Spanish Tapas place just down the street from my house, so I was pretty excited for anything that even was of resemblance.
More than the quality or style of food in Madrid, what left the biggest impression upon me was the schedule of how the Spanish people eat and how much meal times dictate the the flow of the day. In the states, we are very accustomed to being able to get a wide variety of food whenever you want it. Not the case in Spain. To illustrate, I'll walk through a typical day of eating in Madrid:
9am :: Madrilenos do not go to bed early, so the day begins late. And breakfast is a rather simple affair. The typical meal in the morning would be a cafe con leche (coffee with milk) - often a mix of hot and cold milk - a croissant, and a glass of orange juice. For more of a gut bomb, one might get churros (fried bread - see below). Eggs are not common for breakfast in Madrid.
Cafe and pastries
Noon :: Hope you aren't hungry, because if the place is a lunch cafe they won't even be open for another hour, and probably not serving for an hour and half. If the place was open for breakfast, you might get lucky with a limited menu and a strange look.
2pm :: Madrilenos like to eat a late lunch, and this is the most important meal of the day. The classic lunch is ordered from the menu del dia (meal of the day). First, a drink (wine, beer or soda - drinking at lunch even as a business person is very common ... no taboo here!) and of course some pan (bread). Then start with a first course - gazapacho being my favorite (cold tomato soup). For the second course, maybe some fish and patatas fritas (french fries), but likely it will be some form of pork. Finally, you get a postre (dessert) or cafe to finish. Or with a smile and a wink to the waitress, both :) My choice: Flan and a cafe cortado (espresso with a little milk on top).
One of my favorite lunch spots:
4pm :: Don't bother the service business ... while the siesta is proclaimed to be dead by many, especially the lawyers in Spain, this time of the day is a time to slow down and prepare for the night.
7pm :: Cana and Tapas time. Cana (Supposed be Canya but I don't know how to put the squiggly on top of the n) is a small beer and the tapa was invented as a small plate of food placed on top of the beer so that people wouldn't drink on an empty stomach. Brilliant! Many places carry this tradition on with a free tapas. The freebies might be olives, potato chips, or even Chorizo or Bocarones (fried spanish anchovies). But the list goes on with just about anything open for Tapas. There couldn't be a better institution than the tapas for seeing a city. Just walk around getting drink and a little food for hours as you take in the sights.
10pm :: Again, a late meal. You are probably not that hungry at this point after many tapas and drinks, so sharing some Paella with a group is common or getting what are called Racions (big tapas). The small peppers where one of my favorites and squid cooked in its own ink was also very good. btw, Spain eats more seafood than any other country per capita. And only 2nd to Japan in total amount.
Paella with my Valencia friends
A little video clip I took from my room around 10pm one night. We would often open the windows (cuz it was hot) to enjoy the street music. I even threw money out the window a few times :) Notice that there isn't an empty seat, even this late on this non-significant street.
1am :: The night isn't even close to being over so maybe a treat to keep you going. Churros con Chocolate:
Well, mix in some school, studying, and some sight-seeing and you get my typical day. I also took full advantage of the siesta to survive this schedule!
6.08.2007
Kayaking in Spain
A quick update ...
The goal last weekend was to try and go kayaking. I left Madrid with only a little direction from a contact I had made via the Internets. That led me to Murillo de Gallego, where I found a very small town with a couple raft company, and therefore, raft guides, extra gear and of course good people.
My Internet friend and now real friend, Leide and Raul, picked me up the next morning and took me to the Pyrenees to the town of Torlo on the Rio Ara and to the Ordesa National Park.
Ordesa
From there, I was handed off to more kayakers from Madrid who took me to Plan (that is the name of the village pictured) and the Rio Cinqueta - The Classic Section - and ultimately, all the way back to my place in Madrid.
It goes without saying that it was hugely successful weekend that I enjoyed thoroughly, especially because I had low expectations for actually pulling all the logistics together with minimal gear and no transport. The Spainish boaters were overly accommodating and thus, I am joining them again for another weekend of fun in the rivers and mountains. I'll post a big trip report soon at www.theRangeLife.com and more general reports from Spain coming soon here as well.
ciao,
Shane
The goal last weekend was to try and go kayaking. I left Madrid with only a little direction from a contact I had made via the Internets. That led me to Murillo de Gallego, where I found a very small town with a couple raft company, and therefore, raft guides, extra gear and of course good people.
My Internet friend and now real friend, Leide and Raul, picked me up the next morning and took me to the Pyrenees to the town of Torlo on the Rio Ara and to the Ordesa National Park.
Ordesa
From there, I was handed off to more kayakers from Madrid who took me to Plan (that is the name of the village pictured) and the Rio Cinqueta - The Classic Section - and ultimately, all the way back to my place in Madrid.
It goes without saying that it was hugely successful weekend that I enjoyed thoroughly, especially because I had low expectations for actually pulling all the logistics together with minimal gear and no transport. The Spainish boaters were overly accommodating and thus, I am joining them again for another weekend of fun in the rivers and mountains. I'll post a big trip report soon at www.theRangeLife.com and more general reports from Spain coming soon here as well.
ciao,
Shane
5.29.2007
Images from Spain
I've been trying to motivate and draft a good update, but some photos with brief descriptions will have to suffice for now:
This is the Plaza Mayor in the heart of the city. Madrid is famous for its expansive plazas throughout the city where cafes usually sprawl onto the sidewalk and fill every table during lunch. As you walk through the streets you almost stumble onto this plaza as you enter through arches like this.
A Madrid Garden:
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56q-eKuv7BpYZpDNaPlT6eaGEUx0WK83woxCReWUxg72NQnwa1-Xn_0RA3uw_KjHU0whHGnaAPmikJImQoVznfWGxgJIrge7eRGNMLQHdF85s_w3BWjJsMXz7u-EkcCEqngV-/s1600-h/IMG_1776.JPG">
A day at the bullfights. Stay tuned for a more PG-13 post on the subject if you care to know more at all.
Another shot of the Plaza Mayor; this one from within. Once you have stumbled in, you are surrounded by buildings like this in all directions and must escape through one of the arches ... somewhat disorienting.
Some high-brow site seeing ... The Royal Palace.
The art museum - Renia Sofia, full of modern art including many works of Picasso and Dali
The famous Museo del Prado
And the also famous ... Milou
This is the Plaza Mayor in the heart of the city. Madrid is famous for its expansive plazas throughout the city where cafes usually sprawl onto the sidewalk and fill every table during lunch. As you walk through the streets you almost stumble onto this plaza as you enter through arches like this.
A Madrid Garden:
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56q-eKuv7BpYZpDNaPlT6eaGEUx0WK83woxCReWUxg72NQnwa1-Xn_0RA3uw_KjHU0whHGnaAPmikJImQoVznfWGxgJIrge7eRGNMLQHdF85s_w3BWjJsMXz7u-EkcCEqngV-/s1600-h/IMG_1776.JPG">
A day at the bullfights. Stay tuned for a more PG-13 post on the subject if you care to know more at all.
Another shot of the Plaza Mayor; this one from within. Once you have stumbled in, you are surrounded by buildings like this in all directions and must escape through one of the arches ... somewhat disorienting.
Some high-brow site seeing ... The Royal Palace.
The art museum - Renia Sofia, full of modern art including many works of Picasso and Dali
The famous Museo del Prado
And the also famous ... Milou
5.23.2007
Finding a groove
Today is the fifth day in Spain, and I feel like I am finding my rhythm here. Not sure if there is any significance to the fifth day of a trip, and I think if there were it would only hold relevance to a fairly sustained trip -- I remember on the Grand Canyon (an 18-day trip) the fifth day felt like I settled in. But after the challenges of travel (restlessness and poor sleep on the plane, jet lag, gaining bearings in a new place); the shock of a new culture (smokers in the booth next to you during lunch, businesses that you need closing at 2pm - siesta, miscommunication results in large bill); and the adjustments to new cuisine (first meal is a leg of pork = skin/fat/muscle/bone/veins/more fat and skin, veggie sandwich = wonder bread, some veggies and lots of mayo) I found my self today feeling the groove of daily life in Espana. Waking at about 8am, simple desayunos (breakfast), off to classes (Euro Human Rights, Civil Law, Urban Planning Law), followed by a stroll down one of the many great boulevards of Mardid until I found a cafeteria for almuerzo (lunch) at 2:30pm, Spanish lessons to follow, skipping the siesta today and studying for three horas until a meeting with some classmates at a tapas bar for pre-dinner snacks and some futbol - the Champions Cup (or something similar), Milan won - back home for dinner at 11pm (Spanish dinner time), and then some studying, emails and blogging before falling asleep to more studying. The highlight of the day was a marked improvement in my Spanish skills and confidence, which I am sure helped the rest of the day along. Ok, time for bed. Pictures hopefully in the next post.
5.19.2007
Transitions: School - Kayaking - Madrid
Busy times … the transition from the end of spring semester (exams) to catching up on life and leisure (KAYAYING) to preparations for travel and a study abroad (SPAIN).
I thought about making this post a big catch-up post with everything I have been up to lately, but alas, the to-do list requires a triage sort of approach at this point.
Two links worth noting to those who might be interested are:
THIS ONE, which is an interview of John Stewart by Bill Moyers. I am a fan of both, and this is a great interview. Btw, Moyers is back on PBS with a weekly show … look into the show times in your neck of the woods.
And THIS ONE, which is a pretty good (and uplifting) article by Paul Hawken, who I owe a great deal of my current way of thinking to. His book, The Ecology of Commerce, which I read while traveling through Ecuador, was a transformational book for me and I can definitely say that I would not be in Law school and who know what other ventures had it not been for David Gregory introducing me to that read.
By the way, I’m always curious to know if anyone is clicking on these links and finding this information interesting so feel free to comment as you are so inclined.
I thought about making this post a big catch-up post with everything I have been up to lately, but alas, the to-do list requires a triage sort of approach at this point.
Two links worth noting to those who might be interested are:
THIS ONE, which is an interview of John Stewart by Bill Moyers. I am a fan of both, and this is a great interview. Btw, Moyers is back on PBS with a weekly show … look into the show times in your neck of the woods.
And THIS ONE, which is a pretty good (and uplifting) article by Paul Hawken, who I owe a great deal of my current way of thinking to. His book, The Ecology of Commerce, which I read while traveling through Ecuador, was a transformational book for me and I can definitely say that I would not be in Law school and who know what other ventures had it not been for David Gregory introducing me to that read.
By the way, I’m always curious to know if anyone is clicking on these links and finding this information interesting so feel free to comment as you are so inclined.
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