Odd questions #2

Pupil: What's the waste system like in the UK?
Me: ummm ... 

The Reina Sofia Museum

On the Saturday evening of my weekend in Madrid (which was weeks ago now), the gang and I took advantage of free entry to the Reina Sofia museum: a contemporary and modern art museum named after the Queen. Apart from Tuesdays when the museum is closed for the day, the Reina Sofia offers free access to all as long as it is between the hours of 7 and 9pm - 2 hours before closing. 

I must say that I wasn't expecting to gain too much out of it. After all, whilst I had heard of then name, I had never heard too much about it. But I couldn't have been more wrong - I loved it. 

Of course, it is not to everyone's taste - just like the Prado was not to mine. I do not think that everyone will have the same experience as me. I had a great one. 

I admit that I did not "get" all of the artwork, but, in general, I think that it has a fantastic collection of modern art: some of which are both weird and wonderful. In particular, it has a great deal of political art: a subject that I am especially interested in. I find it amazing that through simple means like using a pen or a paintbrush you can highlight issues in society, or even try to take out dictators! 

I felt that the guides and explanations were very informative although I enjoyed trying to interpret the art piece before finding out the context.

That said, I would imagine that if you do not have an previous knowledge of Spanish history or politics, you might actually find a lack of basic information. 

On that note, I heard some people complaining about the layout of the museum and the exhibitions for they found themselves wandering in circles. Personally, I had no problems with this using the maps readily available, as well as the floor plans found in and around the lifts. 

My only qualm is that when we got there, we discovered that the 4th floor was closed. I can't complain too much having entered for free but it was slightly disappointing. I would recommend looking at the website in advance to see if anything will be closed for a change over or refurbishment. 

Anyway, the artwork completely made up for this slight problem. With mainly Spanish artists you can enjoy the unique works of Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso amongst others - needless to say, the Guernica is a must see! There are few international artists so, imagine my delight when I found myself, a film buff, watching  a short movie that I recognised to be an early film of the Lumiere Brothers (who fascinate me to no end). It was great and the film was located quite near the end of our tour, so it was a lovely way to finish off the trip. 

Whilst we rounded off our evening with Thai food, if you visit the museum during the day you might want to follow it up with a trip to Retiro park - a favourite of mine. 

Not only is it a really lovely place, it is perhaps only a 20 minutes walk away. There are metro stations too but I think with the walk that you would have to make from Atocha or Lavapiesao, it would barely be worth it. Of course, you can wander around and enjoy the different buskers and performers, but there is also the Crystal Palace and the Velasquez Palace as well. You might want to check the closing times of these however, as I am pretty sure that they shut at different hours. They are also linked to the Reina Sofia, so you can buy tickets at the Sabitini venue (the main venue).

Overall, I would suggest that if you are a big fan of modern art you must must must visit the Reina Sofia. Otherwise, I'm not sure it is worth it. The architecture, as always, is grand but having been built upon an old hospital, it hardly leaves you in awe - I think the interior is much more impressive! 

In fact, I wish I could have spent some more time there, but oh well - I have another excuse to return to Madrid I guess. 

Hasta luego

ESL confusions #4

Today, one of my students who is aged 10 said: 

"My brother is a barking man". 

He meant "barking mad". 

ESL Confusions #3

One of my pupils said “Actually, it’s a blessing in the skies”.  

The rain in Spain

The rain in Spain falls mainly on Santander.

TOC Hostels - Madrid

Finding the right hotel or hostel is a challenge for anyone: it means hours of searching the internet, reading reviews and using google maps to judge if the location is good with regards to travelling around. But when you are a lonely traveller, the challenge becomes even more difficult. You have to scope out a potential places paying close attention, especially to security as you will be by yourself and chances are, you are a backpacker with your entire belongings in one bag.

My advice is to be sensible, of course, but don’t be put off by hostels with dorms. If anything I think these are the best places for lonely travellers. Generally, you get to meet others who are in the same boat. And, if the place understands its market, the security should be great.

At least this was the case for me. I have stayed in several hostels (and fortunately, I have no horror stories) but I have to particularly recommend TOC Hostels: where I stayed in Madrid.  

Firstly, their security is great. There is no curfew, meaning you can come and go whenever you like, but there is always someone on the front desk so you already feel safe. Moreover, keys and key cards are a thing of the past. This hostel takes your finger print when you check in, and that is all you need to enter your room. There is a scanner on the door and only those whose fingerprints correspond to those staying in the room are allowed in. Needless to say, this made me feel very safe. Not just because only certain people could enter but also because I did not have to worry about losing a key when I was out and about.

Moreover, concerning your luggage, each room/dorm has a locker for each bed. And the lockers are very spacious being big enough for a backpacker’s bag and then some.

There is also some space in your bunk to keep the things you want to be closest to you. Here, there is also a light and a plug socket just for you – although if you are from abroad, do remember an adaptor!

The bunk itself is very comfy with a basic pillow and duvet. But most importantly, it is very clean. In fact, the whole place is very clean and hygienic – even in the bathroom!

The showers were good, although I would say that the water is either very hot or very cold (at least during my stay).

 One thing to note is that on arrival you have to put down a 10euro cash deposit for the sheets to make up your bed – which are obligatory to have. This wasn’t really a problem for me, as you do receive the money back when you return the sheets but I hadn’t realised, and luckily I had cash on me, otherwise I might have had to trawl the streets for an ATM.

That said the staff are very friendly and accommodating. The guy on the front desk was very pleasant and I know he spoke perfect English as I heard him speaking to other guests. But that didn’t stop him from speaking to me in Spanish – which I loved. Quite often, when people realise you are English-speaking, they immediately switch to English, which I appreciate but do not want. I am trying to learn Spanish and it can be quite difficult when people insist on talking to you in English because they can. I think this guy understood, and every time we passed, he would always chat in Casetllano with me.

The front-desk also offer a number of things that you might want to rent e.g. towels, hairdryers etc. You have to put down a deposit of some amount, but you do not have to pay for them.

Similarly, you can pay for breakfast if you want but it is not necessary. I paid the 4euros for the breakfast buffet a couple of times, and that was great too. Basic but with lots of variety: cold meats, fruits and pastries. And there is a kitchen, with microwave, oven, and large fridges for you to store and cook your own food if you want.

The kitchen/common area is very clean and spacious. There is a pool table and a bar which is open in the evening.  Furthermore, the décor is very stylish and modern making you feel completely at ease. The bar area is a nice place to sit quietly, or to chat with people, especially if you want to kill a bit of time.

The location is excellent as well. The hostel is located just off Puerta del Sol and is in easy walking distance of many attractions such as the Royal Palace, the Cathedral and the Avenue of Art. If you are planning to go somewhere further out, the metro station is just a few minutes walk away.

Finally, the price was not bad. Especially for the quality of the hostel: I paid 50 euros for 4 nights, in a mixed 6-bed dorm. There are private rooms that you can pay more for, but I would say that these are more like hotel prices. The cost also varies depending on the time of year, and I don’t like to think what the prices would be like in peak season.

Overall, this hostel was a great stay and would I would certainly stay there again. In fact I am – I liked it so much that I booked the hostel in Barcelona for a few weeks time. I hope it is just as nice there as it is in Madrid.

Here is a link to the TOC Hostel website if you fancy looking at it: http://tochostels.com/

New chapter, new blog

As many of my friends and family know, I have recently started a new chapter in my life. This chapter being: Erasmus in Spain. And therefore I have decided to document this, as – I have been told many times – it will be the best year of my life. The first point being, I moved to Spain. 

I moved to Santander about 3 weeks ago now, and I have been working at a school here for just about 2 weeks. But before I tell you about my time here, let’s back up a little and chat about before I left jolly ol’ England.

My summer was fantastic. I had many a’outing with many a’friend and I thoroughly enjoyed each one. I had a lovely time doing next to nothing with my family, and I was thrilled when my friend Christie (from uni) came to stay. Not just once, but twice – the second time made doubly special as she was able to meet some of my ‘home friends’ at my going away party. Oh yeah, I had a going away get together, nicely split with one of my best friends, Lily (she is now in Vienna).

Anyway, it was great and it made it even more difficult to bugger off to a foreign country for a year, albeit a relatively close one. It was made even worse when we finally got to the airport and I said goodbye to my mum. Up until then, in all honesty, I had felt indifferent about the whole thing (I think excitement and nervousness cancelled each other out a bit). It was only in those few minutes that I actually realised that I would be entirely alone in a place that I didn’t know.

Not for the first week though – my Dad decided to come with. If not to be able to say he’d been to Spain but to help me to find somewhere to live. Fortunately that was sorted out pretty quickly. Maria Jesus, my mentor lady, happened to see an advertisement at the school where I now work. She even called on my behalf and arranged a viewing the very next day after my arrival and it was perfect for my situation. Good place in the centre of the city, good size room, very close to the school and not a bad price either. So, in a few minutes that was all signed and done with.

Which left the other paperwork to deal with: to be a resident in Spain, you need your NIE. That is, you ‘Numero de Identificacion de Extranjero’. With this you are able to open a bank account (or at least, you should be able to) and that it something that I really needed to do.

Unfortunately, even if you do wait in line for over an hour, on your first visit to the Oficina de Extrenjero, you’ll receive a form to fill in and return. When you return you will wait for another hour to be given another form and told to return on a certain date. When you return on that date with the form, they will stamp some paper and tell you to go to the bank and pay a tax of 10.50 euros and then return. Then, finally, when you return with the other newly bank-stamped form, you will receive your NIE: a very underwhelming, flimsy card with your details on.

It is of great importance though. As I said, you can open a bank account when you have your NIE and, not for want of trying, I have only just opened mine with Santander. You have to really commit if you want to get an account. Also, you must stand your ground, even if your Spanish if fractured like mine. You see, I went to a few different branches of the Santander bank, and they all told me that it was impossible to open an account with just my NIE – I would need a ‘tarjeta de residencia’ with a photo of myself. This is not what I had been previously told at the lang assistants meeting, and at the oficina (in fact, the man here specifically told me that the passport size photos that I had given him were ‘not necessary’ as, being British, I am part of the EU). Not only this, my french flatmate (Lea) had opened an account earlier in the week with no problems, and another friend (Arina) also opened an account with Santander without her NIE, just her passport – and she is from Canada! That’s not even part of the EU!

When I went back to the very first branch I visited (the lady remembered me), they told me again that it was impossible. When I told her of all the info that I had received that seemed to contradict what she said, she had a word with – I assume – her boss. She came back, and did not say a word. Not ‘oh my mistake’, not ‘oh you were right, sorry’. But, for all intents and purposes, she did, finally, open an account in my name. Yay!

So, that’s the story of the paperwork. I mean, there are still many more (uni stuff, Erasmus stuff) but I don’t want to bore you too much and I am sure they’ll come up at some other point.

Once Dad and I had completed everything that we could, we were left to do all sorts of tourist-y things! And by many modes of transport.

Walking – we did a lot of that! We walked through the city, popping into different shops and gazing at some stunning architecture (cathedral and the bank). I love wandering without a destination and I have found out that Santander is one of the best places to do it. The bay, in particular, is great for a casual stroll. The water is calming and the landscape is incredibly pretty. Not only that, a lot goes on at the bay. There are a number of art pieces and sculptures for one. For example, one of the most moving pieces, in my opinion, are some statues of not rich, well known historical figures. But, of some young children who scraped a living from the docks in Puertochico. They were paid to fetch things that had fallen in the water, as well as trying to grab any coins that were tossed into the sea by sailors. These are called ´Los Raqueros´.

There is also the Centro Botin which is currently being developed. But in this area of the bay, there is also a small concert space where there is occasionally live music that costs nothing to enjoy. There is also a fantastic amount of cafes and bars, as well as a carousel! You gotta love a good carousel!

From the bay you can also walk down to the beaches. Although in this case, Dad and I hopped on a tourist bus to see the beaches. I have never been on one of those tourist buses before, but y’know I have to admit, they are quite useful. Especially in a place that are really lost in. I got to know a lot about the history of the city in a short amount of time, as well as getting to know the area in general. And let me tell you that Santander is beautiful. The beaches are sandy and rocky so you get some amazing views. It’s quite a mountainous area too, so you can get different perspectives of one place depending on how high you fancy hiking. 

Another mode of transport was by boat! We took a rather rocky journey along the bay on the water which was lots of fun. We were able to see the Palacio de la Magdalena (which I am still yet to visit but want to) from far away, as well as being able to watch the experienced surfers braving the rougher waters. I like to watch the surfers during the day – it is something that I would love to do, but have never had the opportunity. I would also like to scuberdiver, and on the boat trip, we were able to go out to a lighthouse positioned on some rocks where there were many divers. I am not sure if it was a school or something (if so, I would like to know how I can join) but there were maybe 20 of them diving below the rocks and coves. At this point, we were also told to go to the deck of the boat and could look underwater. I am not sure if there was anything in particular that we were supposed to be seeing but I sure as hell couldn’t see anything.

Another thing that we enjoyed – food! The food is good here, especially the seafood (being by the sea, you can imagine…). And the pinchos here is delicious. Pinchos is a bit like the Northern equivalent of tapas – small dishes that you can have with a glass of wine or something. I like pinchos a lot: a small sandwich here or there, is perfect for me as someone who doesn’t really like great big meals.

The week went very quickly however, and soon Dad had to leave to. I really didn’t him want to, and I am actually quite glad that not one of my flatmates was in on my first night, as I cried in my bedroom whilst watching Fawlty Towers (already missing home and wanting some good british comedy). I am not that big on crying but I if do, I like to be alone. And Basil Fawlty really did cheer me up a bit, and I am pleased to say that I was a lot happier within only a couple of days! But more on that later. For now … goodnight.

¡Hasta luego!