Biodiesel in Spain!!

Last week, I went into Leioa with my friend and labmate, Diana. (Diana is one of my favorite people here. Along with Eva we have a lot of fun. There's a possibility I'll be bringing Eva back to Canada with me so she can spend some time at the U of S and experience fast food other than Bocatta World haha.) We went to the large shopping center on the edge of the town to do a bit of shopping, and then went into the town to wander around and enjoy some wine. On our way, we had to stop to fill up Diana's car with gas, so naturally we went to a gas station. I was blown away by the fact that every pump (there were 8 in total) had biodiesel as an option. I knew Europe was ahead of North America in terms of green energy, but I never expected a little gas station all alone on top of a hill to have biodiesel as a permanent option! No wonder there are so many VW's here. Plain 'ol diesel isn't even an option! It's biodiesel, gas without lead (sin plumo), or gasoleo (I think this is red diesel for large machinery). Go Spain!

The last week has been pretty uneventful, but generally good. It rained for a good portion of the weekend, though the sun did make an appearance a few times. On Friday, some people from my lab convocated with their Ph.D so there was a bit of a celebration. Convocation is different here, it's all about getting the traditional graduation cap placed on your head. Personally, I prefer our sash method. On Saturday, I went out with Eli for some beer and pintxos (mmm...pintxos). We're planning to go to Madrid for the long weekend in May! She has some friends there that we will go and visit. I'm already very excited! Madrid will be so different from the Basque Country.

School is going well. I had my first exam in spanish class today, and I think I did well - we'll find out tomorrow! As far as the masters work is concerned; I find myself in constant awe of the lab. They seem to have an easier method to do everything. Also, the equipment is so new, and so very efficient. It seems to take all the thinking out of it, being able to interpret data that my lab at the U of S wasn't capable of interpreting. And... this is the best part... you don't have to threaten lives to use the equipment! There's enough of everything to go around! They even have an excellent method to sign up for the busier equipment. And people don't steal your glassware, because there's a large stock of it for everyone to use! I didn't think grad students could work so efficiently and harmoniously.

In case I haven't told everyone enough times, I'm going to Franz Ferdinand with my roommate Ibai on Thursday!!! Only three more days!!! Expect to hear all about Franz soon! 

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

Petra's Birthday

On the Sunday of the long weekend, some of the international students I know from spanish class got together the celebrate Petra's birthday. Petra is a girl from the Czech Republic who is in my spanish class. In the afternoon (keep in mind that in Spain afternoon is considered 12 to 8-9pm, so I'm referring to 5:30pm), Petra and I did a bit of exploring in Casco Viejo and climbed the giant staircase to Parque Etxebarria. It was a big climb since Etxebarria overlooks the entire city. But, it was a beautiful place to be at dusk! The views were remarkable and there were all sorts of dogs and people walking around.  Also, I discovered a second random outdoor elevator! For 40 centimos (0,40 €) you can ride the elevator to get up to the park, or go down to the city. I'm still amazed by these random outdoor elevators. Although, the guy that sits in the elevator to collect money the tariff looked like the most miserable man I'd ever seen.  I suppose riding up and down a random elevator all day just to take change from people could suck all will to live from a person. Needless to say, he didn't share my enthusiasm about the existence of the elevator.  

Afterwards, we went back down the stairs to Casco Viejo for dinner. We didn't go until 8:30 as this was the earliest time we could sit down for dinner. There are a few strange things about restaurants here. The first, is that they don't open until 8 or 9 for supper and never serve dinner before 8:30 at the earliest. The second is that they will not allow you to sit at a table unless you are there for dinner. If you are only interested in drinks and pintxos, you stand even if there are open tables that no one is interested in sitting at for dinner. I don't get it. You have to go to cafe or bar to sit down for drinks with your friends. Anyway, we went to a cute restaurant bar called Xukela in Casco Viejo. It was small with a nice atmosphere, good food and delicious wine. We had people from all over the place, and 5 blond girls at a table which drew all sorts of comments. It seemed that we had gathered all the blondes in Spain at one table. From my class there was Petra, Berines from Austria, and Marek from Poland. Also, Ida from Finland, Eliska from the Czech Republic, Lorenzo from Italy, Melody from France, and Mateusz from Polland from the higher level spanish class. Eveline, Petra's roommate from Holland also came for dinner. We went through quite a bit of wine and had a great night.

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

Cumpleaños

First Day of Spring in San Sebastian

On Saturday, March 21 Eli and I took the bus to San Sebastian (also known as Donostia in Basque) for the day. It was about an hour ride and only 15 € for the round trip. As soon as we got there, it was evident why the Kings and Queens of Spain used to spend their summers in San Sebastian. It's beautiful! There are endless amounts of shopping in the new and old portions of the city, delicious food (as always),  at least three separate beaches, lots of history and character, and the amazing La Concha Bay. La Concha Bay is a sheltered portion of the Bay of Biscay, and has created a great, calm area for swimming and relaxing with no waves.

First, we did a bit of sight seeing; checking out the city hall and the old part of the city. (When first entering the old city, I saw the first Spanish flag since arriving here. The flag that's always flying is the Basque flag.  I was shocked to see a Spanish Flag!) Once in the old city we, of course, we went for pintxos. The pintxos in San Sebastian are a bit different than those in Bilbao. The flavor and contents are a bit different. Another interesting thing about going for pintxos was that there was always large legs of ham hanging in the windows of the bars. Every bar would have windows full of hanging ham. I'm not really sure why. In Bilbao, ham is also popular, but there is none hanging in the windows... Anyway, after pintxos, we walked along the long seaside promenade from one beach on one side of the city, to the main beach in the center. Here, we put our feet in the water and relaxed on the sand.

After chilling on the beach and the stores and attractions opened again (everything in San Sebastian also closes in the afternoon), we went to the aquarium. It was a really interesting set up. The main portion of the aquarium was a tube (a Plexiglas-type material) that allows you to walk through the bottom of the sea/lake they created. It was really neat to see sharks, manta-rays, turtles, and all types of fish swim right up to you and over your head.

Next, we went back to the old quarter to do some shopping. In doing so, we discovered Plaza de la Constitucion.  This used to double as a bull-fighting arena. If you look in the pictures below, you can see that every door on the balconies has a number above it.  This is because during the bull-fighting you could rent a 'box' to watch the event. It was quite unique. So much detail went into constructing all of the archways and everything else. Today, one end of the Plaza has cafes and bar with a large patio and a live band playing.

I can't wait to go back. I will be sure to take anyone who comes to visit to San Sebastian!

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

Donostia - San Sebastian

Spending a day off in Getxo

Thursday and Friday were holidays in Bilbao! Thursday was a day to celebrate San Jose (St. Joseph), and because St. Joseph was the father of christ, it was also equivalent to our Father's Day. Friday was what the Spanish call a puente (a bridge). A puente is a day off simply to bridge the holiday to the weekend. So, I got a four day weekend! On Friday, I went with Eli and Diana to Getxo, the beach resort in the metropolis of Bilbao. It is on the far north edge of the metropolis, and right on the sea! Eli and I, who both live in Bilbao, took the metro to Getxo (which took about a half hour) to meet Diana who lives close to Getxo. 

The first thing we did was go and visit the famous bridge connecting Getxo and Portugalete (another part of the metropolis), Puente Colgante which means transport bridge. There are two ways to cross the bridge; you can get on the ferry which hangs from the bridge on cables (cars, bikes, or pedestrians can use this) or you can take an elevator to the top and walk across. We did the latter. The views from the top were spectacular (there are pictures in the slideshow below). We did a little bit of exploring in Portugalete, but I would like to go back and spend a day there in the future. After Portugalete, we took a tiny boat back to Getxo for 0,30 €. It's shocking how well transport is set up here. There are always multiple options for getting anywhere.

Once back in Getxo, we walked along the 10km of coastline pedestrial paths they have to discover the beaches. The first and smaller beach was Playa Las Arenas. There was a guy building an amazing dragon out of sand.  The second and larger beach was Playa Ereaga. It was neat to see so many people out sun-tanning and little kids playing in the sea in March! The water was cold, but no colder than the big lakes in Saskatchewan in August! (see slideshow). After the beaches, we continued along the walkway to the old port to enjoy some delicious pintxos (pintoxos are always delicious) and beer. We sat outside the bar on some steps that were filled with people doing to same. Getxo is one of the ritzier places in the metropolis, and it is said that if you come from Getxo, you have money.  Sitting on the steps, it was easy to tell who lived in Getxo and who did not. The people from Getxo were always middle aged couples without children who would be dressed in designer clothes typically with sweaters around their necks haha.

After the old port, we went to explore the neighborhood at the top of the cliff. There is an elevator (glass) that takes you from the bottom to the top of the cliff using your metro pass. I thought this was a great idea! People would hop in the elevator with their bikes, or just to get back home after going to the beach.  It would take a long time to drive down to the beach, or walk along the winding paths, but the elevator only took a minute. Someone was thinking. The view from the top was terrific (see slideshow) and the neighborhood at the top was quite cute. However, all shops, cafes, and bars in the neighborhood were closed since we were there around 2pm. So... we went back down the cliff to the harbor for some lunch. In the harbor there is a big cafeteria/food court type of set up where you can choose from a wide variety of foods and so sit on the big patio on the water.

Afterwards, we enjoyed the beaches a bit more and then left Getxo on a big hike to see a castle just outside of the city.  The royal family still lives there when they travel to the Basque Country, so unfortunately you can't go inside.  They have yet to make it into a museum. However, there was a documentary on tv about Spanish castles...in Spanish... and this castle was one of the ones explored.  The inside was beautiful.  Also, if you were born in Leioa (where I go to school) you can get married in the castle.

It was an amazing day of exploring, and I was exhausted after walking for seven hours.  The weather was great, it was +26 without a cloud in the sky again!  I will be sure to frequent Getxo often. However, next time I think I will go get a bike. Apparently, tourist offices have bikes to lend for the day for free if you are a foreigner.  The Spanish really seem to think of everything!

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

Getxo

Universidad del Pais Vasco

What you see in the slideshow below is my univeristy, the Universidad del Pais Vasco (UPV/EHU - EHU is the abbreviation for the name in Basque). It's different from the University of Saskatchewan as it is divided in to three separate campuses. I'm at the campus in Leioa which is dedicated to sciences and professional colleges; dentistry, medicine, nursing, law, geography, biology, physics, all forms of chemistry, and of course chemical engineering. However, Chemical Engineering is the only type of engineering at the Leioa campus, as it is considered more an industrial chemistry in Spain. All other engineering departments are located at the campus in San Mames. This makes Chemical Engineering in Spain much less infested with guys. There are approximately twenty grad students in Chemical Engineering/Industrial Chemistry and only 3 of them are male.  It's SUCH a nice change. 

In Leioa, Chemical Engineering is located in the Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnologia (Faculty of Science and Technology) which you can see in the slideshow. It's a very new campus, built in the 1960's and the chemical engineering wing is even newer. The lab is very nice, and everything is well organized. I enjoy both the lab and the people I share it with! My profesor, Jose Maria Arandes is very kind and helpful. He always has a smile on his face and an open door. Also, another professor in the department, Roberto Aguado, has offered me rides to and from the UPV/EHU. He has the most adorable little girl (the youngest of three) who rides with us in the morning to go to daycare and she has taught me my first Basque words. She's not even two. Roberto and his family have been wonderful at making me feel very welcome.  

Behind the Faculty there are beautiful paths to walk along to go down to the river. (Leioa is on the edge of the metropolis, and when approaching the campus everything seems to spread out and look more like countryside than city). At the bottom of one of the paths, there is the 'Forest of Life' which consists of an iron tree. In this iron tree, are the cremated remains of all the people who donated their bodies to the Faculty of Medicine. Those who gave their body to create life. Hence, the name forest of life. I thought it was a really interesting concept. (See the pictures below in the slideshow).

The division of the University isn't the only difference. The UPV is much less commercial. There is only one large hall that serves food, and only at lunch time (1-3 pm). The hall is always packed because it serves the entire campus, however, the meals are always delicious! Also, there are no shops on campus to buy stationary, text books, or that stick of deodorant you need because you forgot to put on deodorant that morning.  You have to go to Duesto or Bilbao for text books, lab coats, etc.  You can also choose what language to take your classes in; Basque or Spanish.  English isn't an option, but you are expected to be able to present in English as a grad student. There are many differences at the UPV/EHU, but there are many aspects that remind me of home (the paths along the river, for one).  I really enjoy being there, and couldn't ask for a nicer group of people to work with.

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

La Universidad

My home away from home

     The slideshow below is of my home here in Bilbao. I live in a flat (un piso) on the sixth floor in the new neighborhood of Mirabilla. I really like the neighborhood; it's quiet but the streets are still always filled with people. It has a few parks, a grocery store, and all sorts of locally owned smaller stores that sell everything from fruit, bread, fish, and meat to clothes, shoes, and home accessories. 

     My roommates, Jon and Ibai, are both great to live with. Jon is the quieter of the two, and takes a little bit to warm up. But, once you get him taking, he has some good stories. Ibai is definitely the more outgoing one who is always willing to go out, take you to Ikea in his sweet beemer, or help you find something. As far as living together is concerned, we've all agreed to alternate between English speaking days and Spanish speaking days so we can all work on our language skills. Also, every Monday we get together to watch 'Conquistador del Fin del Mundo', a show which a hosted by Ibai's cousin. It's easiest to explain as a spanish version of Survivor. It takes place in Argentina and there are contestants who compete to be the 'Conquerers at the end of the world'. Right now, the contestants are split up into a green team and a red team. The green team sucks... they always end up in the 'poor hut' with no food or heat. Go, red team, go!

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

PS.  Married with Children is on tv... in Spanish of course (Casado con Hijos). Was it really a show worth translating?

My home away from home

Friday afternoon in Berango

On Friday (March 13), I went with a bunch of the other grad students in Chemical Engineering to Berango for lunch. There were fourteen of us in total who loaded into little european cars and went forth into the country. Berango is a small town just outside the metropolis (Bilbao is a small city of about 300,000 people but there are many towns connecting to it. This conglomeration is considered the metropolis and consists of just over 1,000,000 people). The Universidad del Pais Vasco is in Leioa which is near the edge of the metropolis and is only 15 minutes by car from Berango.  

Once in Berango, we went to a Cervecera for lunch. A cervecera is typical in Berango, and consists of a casual outdoor patio and great bbq-type food. It seems that no matter how casual the dining is, a table cloth is a must here. The restaurant had stacks of disposable table cloths, plates, etc., and we set our own big table for fourteen. Then we had a feast of BBQ chicken, french fries, croquettes, morchillas (a sausage type thing), tortillas española (more or less an omelette with potatoes and cheese inside - this was one of my favorites), and salad. Like every other meal here, is was eaten like a Thanksgiving dinner. Plus there was plenty of beer and clara. Clara is a half and half mixture of beer and lemonade or a lemon soda (such as Fanta). Clara is surprisingly tasty. They do strange things with their alcohol here. If the beer isn't of great quality, they add lemonade and call it clara. If the red wine is cheap, they add coke and call it calimocho. Calimocho is a popular drink at festivals and creates a terrible hangover, but doesn't taste as bad as it sounds.

The afternoon we spent in Berango was beautiful. It was +24 and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. A few of us got sunburns! In March! Not even just me, the pasty Canadian! 

Below, there is a picture of all of us. Eva, Monica (taking the picture), Diana, Maria, Katalina, Gorka (George), Itxaso, Itxaber, and Aingeru are the only names out of the people in the picture I have learned well enough to spell correctly. I find Basque names to be very difficult. But I'm learning!

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

Cervacera in Berango

Out and about with new friends

     On wednesday night I went with two girls from school; Eli from Rome, Italy and Maria Angeles from Alicante, Spain. We went to Casco Viejo for some shopping, drinks, and delicious pintxos! (See pictures in slideshow below). Casco Viejo is the old quarter of Bilbao and is gorgeous. The shopping is amazing! We discovered great shoes stores, a Mango outlet, the Vero Moda store, and my personal favorite - DESIGUAL! Desigual is from Barcelona, exclusive to Spain, and simply amazing! I fell in love as soon as I walked into their store. (Now, when I wear my Desigual, my friends joke that I am no longer Canadian, but am Spanish). Their website is: www.desigual.com. After some shopping, we went to a little pub and had some beer and pintxos. Pintxos are the Basque version of tapas and are always delicious! They are usually made with bread, cheese, egg, ham/shrimp/crab, and all sorts of deliciousness. In the pub, we met a young man from New York who was just about to start 'El Camino de Santiago' (St. James Way) which is a 900 km walk from Santiago to France. It was nice to meet an english speaker!

The next night, the three of us went out for dinner with two professors from the UPV, Roberto and Martin, and Maria Angeles' professor from Alicante, Andrés. It was an amazing experience to go out for a real Spanish dinner! The restaurants don't open until 9pm since supper is typically a later ordeal. (Everything here is later. The work day starts later, coffee is at 11:30am, lunch is at 1:30pm and is always a three course meal, dinner is around 9pm, you don't go to clubs until after midnight and they stay open until 4am or later). We all met at about 8:45pm in Plaza Zabalburu (just down the hill from my place) and went for beer and wine in Indautxu (a very nice part of Bilbao that I believe is part of 'La noche de Bilbao') where the entire street was packed with people drinking - everyone from young twenty-somethings to business men and women of all ages were outside the bars filling the street. After we were done our drinks we went for a very nice dinner on the same street. We drank white wine that's traditional of the Basque region, and all enjoyed a large fish caught fresh that day from the sea. Before they prepare the fish, they bring the giant fish out to show you, and if you approve they cook it while you enjoy a large selection of appetizers. We went through five appetizers; a smaller version of calamari (chipirones), giant shrimp (lagostinas), mussels, large white mushrooms (setas), and a ham/cheese/mushroom/egg mixture with bread. It was all very very delicious! They don't cook with many spices (just a bit of garlic, salt, or pepper) because the food is already so fresh and delicious. After the appetizers, the giant fish came out. They spilt it onto our invidiual plates along with some vegetables and potatoes, and put the remainder of the fish in the center of the table. Afterwards, we had coffee and tarta de queso (cheese cake). We didn't leave the restaurant until after 1am, and that is entirely typical. Of course, just because it was 1:30am on a Thursday didn't mean the night was over. The professor from Alicante, Andrés, convinced us three girls to go for drinks and dancing. (Side story: I had trouble pronouncing Andrés' name. Apparently english speakers don't pronounce it correctly, and he explained that in english it should be pronounced as 'undress'. Then, I couldn't pronounce his second first name correctly either and he explained that in english it translated to 'prostitute'. True story, it was the direct translation. So... for the remainder of the night he was referred to as 'undress protistute'. A name I will be sure never to forget). We drank Whiskey because apparently that's what Canadians do, and danced. By the time the group walked me home, it was 3:30am and I had to be on my way to school in five hours. Fitting into the Spanish life is only difficult when you start to miss sleeping. My entire first week here I only got 3-5 hours of sleep a night. With three course lunches and late nights I understand the need for siesta and extremely strong coffee.

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

Wednesday and Thursday night

The First Week in Bilbao, España

After a very painful twenty hours of airports, bad food, big and small planes, and more than my fair share of turbulence, I finally arrived! After getting over the jet leg, I did some sightseeting my first weekend. I went to the Guggenheim!!  It's located in one of the nicest areas of Bilbao, and one of the newest. Bilbao has transformed over the last few decades - it was once very industrial (produced the majority of Spain's steal and was well known for the building of ships) but has now transformed into a clean city full of art and culture. Also, the city is a very nice size and you can walk anywhere within a half hour. From my flat in Miribilla (the yellow section on the map labeled Monte de Miribilla) you can walk down the hill, then along the river to the Guggenheim. It's a beautiful walk! On the terrace of the Guggenheim (check out the picture in the slide show) you can see a colorful piece of art by Jeff Koons.  Once you walk inside, the atrium (which is three stories tall) is filled by cars with pyrotechnics hanging at all levels from the ceiling. Also, this month they are displaying the works of Murakami. You can view most of what is on display at this link: Murakami at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. It is all quite interesting, and was not what I had expected to see. When exiting 'El Goog' to return to the city, you get to see 'Puppy'. He's the giant dog covered in flowers in the slideshow below. Currently, he is quite green because they just re-planted all of his flowers. Apparently in a month or so when the flowers grow more, he will be much more colorful. The bridge in the slideshow (Puente Principles de España) is along the river in front of the Guggenheim. Across this bridge is the Universidad de Duesto.

I thought it was a funky bridge :)

After the Guggenheim, I went along Gran Via (a very main street with lots of high-end shopping) to Plaza Moyua.  These pictures are also below in a slide show. I love this city! The people here are a lot of fun, especially my roommates and classmates.  

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

The Guggenheim

Plaza Moyua and Gran Via