Weekend with the girls

I spent the last weekend out and about with the girls. On Thursday, I attended my first ERASMUS party with Leire and Naiara which was 80s themed and at The LOFT. ERASMUS is the European Union's exchange program for all international students, so the party was littered with people from all over the world, however, I was still the only Canadian. Though, I did find a group of Americans from El Paso and Chicago. They were easy to find, as there were the only other people who cheered when 'The Safety Dance' or 'Tainted Love' played. It was a good night, in which I concluded that American's who study internationally are good people, and confirmed my suspicion that French men are CREEPY! There was one who insisted on following me around and kissing my hand repeatedly. No one understood why, but it was kind of funny, because he would randomly show up and interrupt all conversion to kiss my hand. So strange. On the way home from the night of 80s music, I discovered what I believe is to the Spanish version of 7/11. As the convenience store doesn't exist in Bilbao, they compensate with a 24 hour vending machine that have an address on the street and is encased in cement. Also strange.

On Saturday, I went to Eva's basktelball game with Leire in Sopelana. Then Eva and I went for dinner and met up with Marta. We were planning on having a low-key evening, but we ended up meeting up with some of the people Eva, Leire, and Marta went to school with. So, we went to Casco Viejo with them to a place where there are large tables to sit around, drink kalimocho (a mixture of cheap red wine and coke - it sounds disgusting but is actually really good and very very cheap), watch football, and play cards. Then, we went to some bars in Casco Viejo. We discovered one that served Pitxiflu, and since I had never tried it before, everyone insisted that we all have one. Pitxiflu reminds me of Mexico. You put your head on the bar while they poor liquor into your mouth. Then, the bartender puts his hand over your mouth and shakes your head until you swallow. This is when Eva and I knew we had failed in our attempt to have a low-key evening. Pitxiflu was a bad idea. After that we ended up going to a couple bars in Casco Viejo, and then continued on to Abando. It was absolutely pouring rain and we all got completely soaked! 

In the bars in Abando, Andréa (a cool girl in the group who recently became a dentist) and I ended up being Samantha and Angela from Canada later in the evening. This started because everytime we went somewhere new, some guys we didn't really want to talk to would come up to us to ask where I was from. Eventually, Andrea started to say that she was also from Canada and would only speak english while I would speak the 'better' spanish haha.  It was a fun group of people to be in, and even though we planned on having a mellow evening, it turned out to be a lot of fun.

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

PS. Next weekend is a long weekend, and I'm off to Madrid!!

Weekend with the girls

Zorionak Zuri/Feliz Cumpleaños/Happy Birthday

On the last Saturday of Easter holidays, I went to the surprise birthday party of Jon a.k.a. Eva's Boyfriend a.k.a. Jontxu (the Basque equivalent of Jonny) a.k.a Pedro Picapiedra (in España The Flintstones are Los Picapiedras and Fred Flintstone is Pedro Picapiedra). The party started at Eva's house, where we all gathered to wait for Jon and Eva to show up after the Bilbao Athletica soccer match. When the car pulled up we all waited in the dark and waited to sing Happy Birthday in Basque (zorionak zuri, zorionak zuri...). After Jon got over the initial shock, all 16 guests enjoyed a big dinner of tortilla española, bocadillos, homemade pintxos, bruschetta (which no one had tried before) and two birthday cakes. Eva made a rice cake (typical here) and I made a chocolate cake (very exotic here). Both were great successes even though we were both terrified that we had made horrid cakes. There are no cake mixes here, of course, that would be convenient.

After dinner, the party continued at Eva's for awhile, and even included 'Singing Star'... karaoke for Playstation. It got just terrible haha. Then we headed to Sopelana to party on the beach.  There are several clubs and bars that line the beach in Sopelana and all had a more laid back feel then the larger clubs or those in Bilbao. The second bar we went to was one called Cafe Americano and there was hockey on the tv! I couldn't believe that I could watch a Flames game at 5am, but what was more unbelievable was that I ended up explaining hockey to several sports fans! 

I had a great time, as I do everytime I'm with mi cuadrilla (my group of friends). I got home at the latest hour yet after going to breakfast with Jon, Eva, and Pive. But, I have to say, I'm getting used to the schedule here! I have come to except that Sunday afternoons just don't exist, and that Saturday is a double day.

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

Zorionak Jontxu

Mountain climbing in the Basque Country

Today, I went mountain climbing for the first time. It was an interesting experience. What I saw was absolutely amazing, but as I sit here writing this, I'm not 100% sure my legs won't just fall off. I am absolutely exhausted.

Eva, Diana, Aingeru, Aitziber, Alex, Roberto, Aimera, and myself started our journey to the mountain at 9 this morning, and made it to the national park by 10. Then, it was up to the top! First, we trekked through what I not-so-fondly like to call the "Terrible Forest of Mud" which was just like it sounds.  It was a steep incline that consisted only of mud and rocks since there had been a lot of rain over Easter and the trees in the forest didn't admit sunshine. It was treacherous and next to impossible to find a safe place to step. I was the first to both end up ankles+ deep in mud and fall, but fortunately (for me) not the only one to do so. 

After the Terrible Forest of Mud, we entered a clearing or pasture that had the beginning of some magnificent views. Also, the sun wasn't hidden by trees, so the earth was nice and dry. This clearing took us to a steep slope of rocks for the final ascent to the first peek. The rocks were a bit scary from time to time as they weren't always stable, but we all made it to the top of the first peek! Here, there was a stone archway to walk through, and the views were, of course, spectacular.  

Next, we headed down the backside of the mountain a little ways, until we started to head across and up the mountain to go see a cave. Most of this journey was very rocky and quite difficult. I'm not sure which is worse, slick mud or wobbly rocks...call me crazy, but I like the ground under my feet to be stable. However, the cave was cool. We camped out there for a few minutes to have a snack, drink some water, and do some spelunking. There were no bears living in the cave, but there were some drawings on the walls which were obviously the first signs of Basque civilization... but I'm not sure what reindeer type creatures had to do with the Basques.

Next, we had to do some more climbing down, and up and around the mountain. We encountered all sorts of crazy things like a hole that literally seemed infinite and a tiny stone house that was actually in a state of livability. Apparently, there are tiny houses of all sorts scattered around the mountains for people to stay in case they get lost and have to spend the night on the mountain. Good to know.

Eventually we came over a ridge that opened up into a grassy valley between two peaks. We went down into this valley and found another little house, this one with some tables outside, so we sat down for a lunch of bokatas (sandwiches made with a loaf of french bread. Eva and I bought some delicious cured meat and cheddar ("Canadian") cheese for our bokatas the night before after having a drink with Leire in Algorta). During lunch, there were all sorts of horses and sheep kicking around in the valley and all the horses had cowbells around their necks. So, all you could hear all throughout lunch was cowbells, and all I could think about was "I gotta have more cowbell!" Unfortunately, my Spanish-speaking friends have never watched the American-version of SNL. They, of course, have their own Spanish SNL.

After lunch, we started heading back to the vehicles. It was quite a hike, but it was the easiest part. Here is where we saw the most beautiful views in my opinion (see pictures in the slideshow of the can-can and what not). Also, here is where you could view the mountain that is said to look like 'Mari' the dominant women in Basque mythology and was supposedly the goddess of the Basques. See the picture below (sorry for mispelling mythology in the photo edit).

All and all, a very interesting and cool experience. I'm glad that I can now say that I have climbed a mountain in the Basque country. But... I think it would be very difficult to persuade me to do it all over again.

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

Mountain climbing in the Basque Country

I'm moving to Plentzia one day

I spent Monday afternoon in Plentzia, and I have to say, I absolutely love it there!! I took the metro there Monday afternoon, and met a couple of the other international students from my Spanish class on the beach. It was a relaxing lazy day of lounging on the beach, strolling around, drinking beer in the cute plaza, and reading on the metro. I think I could live in Plentzia FOREVER. I told Stu we are first going to buy a flat in the plaza since they're only about 400,000€ and then, when we we're more settled, we will get a big house on the beach. It seems like a practical approach :)

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

I heart Plentzia

Going to churches on Easter Sunday

I went to go see the procession of the resurrection of Christ today, that was supposed to start at Catedral de Santiago at noon today. When I arrived, there wasn't much of a procession at all, just church bells ringing all through the city for the beginning of high mass. So, I went to high mass. I was very interested to see Catedral de Santiago as it was one of the churches that inspired Jack on his journey through northern Spain in 'Pillars of the Earth'. It was just as Ken Follett described it, and it felt like I was living in the book. Very interesting! All of the stone carvings also made me think of Jack and how much time would have gone into sculpting each piece of stone to make it look like a continuous arch of leaves, or gargoyle, or saint. After high mass, there actually was a little procession where people with medallions around their necks carried a resurrected Christ through the streets.

Next, I decided to continue on to see the other churches that were on my tourist map, as most of them were in the same area, Casco Viejo. I went down along the Bilbao River to see Inglesia de San Anton, and discovered the neat Estación de Atxuri (1912), which is still a functioning train station, and a church that was not on my tourist map.  The church was amazing, dating back before Bilbao become a city in 1301. I was told it was built ~1100. It was what I imagined the original Kingsbridge Cathedral to be like in Pillars of the Earth (but not falling down). It was so dark, with only the smallest windows as builders believed windows weakened the structure during the time the church was built. There were full circle arches everywhere instead of elongated arches that come to a point. Also, there was a tiny chapel inside that was beautiful. I arrived to this church after the service had finished, and a very nice women immediately noticed I was a foreigner and kindly showed me around the relic of a church. 

After the beautiful old church, I found Inglesia de San Anton (1433), but unfortunately it is currently closed to the public. Also, I went on to the Inglesia in Plaza de La Cruz back in Casco Viejo, but it has now been turned into a museum. Next, I wanted to see the Basilica de Begoña (1620) assuming that this would be the most impressive of them all as it was a basilica. So, I walked up many stairs from Casco Viejo to get all the way up to Begoña (at least 500 stairs), and then more stairs in Begoña to get to the Basilica. It was an impressive structure from the outside, but was closed. Apparently churches here close in the afternoon like everything else, even on Easter Sunday. It closed at 2:00pm and I arrived at 2:11pm. Also, it started to pour and I got soaked. I was quite disappointed that I had climbed so many freaking stairs just to get rained on and not see the basilica. What happened to church hospitality? But, the gardens surrounding the church were really quite pretty, and I would have enjoyed them more had it not been raining and the presence of a homeless man. I ended up giving my sandwich that I had packed for lunch to the homeless man who I couldn't understand.  I became quite biased against the basilica, and decided the catedral was much more impressive.

The rain subsided for a few minutes, and I made it back to Teatro Arriaga in Casco Viejo to see Inglesia de San Nicolás (1756), the last church on my list. It started to pour again, and so I went home to make myself another sandwich. Despite the bad experience at the basilica, I thoroughly enjoyed see the ancient little church and the cathedral. It was so interesting to see what the descriptions in my book come to life! Perhaps, I'll try to see the basilica another day... maybe.

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

PS.  Happy Easter!!

Church visiting on Easter Sunday

A Big Day with Eva

I have ten days off from school for Semana Santa which began on Holy Thursday. So, for the first day of holidays, Eva and I planned a big day full of adventures. It was a gorgeous day of plus 26, with blue skies until the late afternoon. I caught the metro to meet her in Urduliz, where she lives and picked me up, and we went to Plentzia (only 10 mintues from Urduliz). Plentzia is one of the bigger towns in the metropolis, and is absolutely beautiful! There are big houses on the beach, nice restaurants and bars, a cute harbor, and an amazing beach. I think it's my favorite part of the metropolis so far! Eva and I walked along the coast and enjoyed the beach for most of the early afternoon, and then enjoyed some rabas (large calamari) and coke on the waterfront.

Next, we went back to her place in Urduliz for lunch with her mom. Her mom, Ana, used to be a singer that was quite famous in Spain. She was part of a group called Mocedades (you can see her sing here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMsuRXiCtXM). She made a delicious lunch of a vegetable soup traditional to the Basque country for the first plate, salmon and tomatoes for the second plate, and strawberries for desert. After lunch, we had to get ready to go play Basketball in Bilbao at 5:30pm. We picked up Leire (our cheerleader for the game), Jon (Eva's boyfriend) and Marcio (Jon's friend from Brazil) and then met up with a few more of Jon's friends and played a game of 4 on 4 at a nice outdoor court in Bilbao. It was a lot of fun and a good game. Surprisingly, I played somewhat well! I even made a few baskets! After the game, we all went to a near by cafe for some coffee.

Since it was already 8pm, Eva and I went back to her house to shower, and get ready for our evening. We also managed to have time to watch an episode of 'Sexo in Nueve York' because we weren't meeting the girls on the metro back to Bilbao until 10:15pm. This has become my favorite thing to watch in Spanish, because I remember what happens in most episodes and can learn from it. Plus, it's still a great show. Leire, Ane (Leire's little sister), and Zoe (Ane's best friend) met us on the metro back to Bilbao. We went to my place, Naiara met up with us there, and we all enjoyed some pizza and wine while listening to some music.

Finally, once it was early morning, we headed out to the clubs in Bilbao. There's one street near Indautxu filled with neat clubs and 'the galleria' which is an indoor hallway filled with more clubs. We started at Bluesville where we met up with Jon and some of his friends.  We ended up with an excellent group of ten people. The whole night was filled with jokes, laughter, and general ridiculousness. We ended up going to three separate clubs and ended our night at 6am. I can't remember the last time I was so tired!

I thoroughly enjoyed the day (including the night and early morning) and was impressed that I didn't have to use my English that often. My Spanish is definitely improving, and I didn't even notice until Eva and Leire pointed it out! YAY!! Five weeks in, and I can converse! (However, it's conversing with terrible grammar, but still conversing!)

I did not attend the crucifixion or processions on Friday...I slept until 4pm in the afternoon instead... but I think it may have been for the better. Seeing someone crucified in the streets for realsies would have grossed me out.  I still can't believe they actually nail a real human being to a cross. I just don't understand. I'm thinking I will go to see the happier processions of the resurrection tomorrow for Easter Sunday.  Right now I'm watching bull-fighting on TV while I write this. I can't help but think it's somewhat cruel and wonder why such hot guys are wearing such ridiculous clothing, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

A Big day with Eva

Girls night out at a the disco FEVER

On Saturday, I went out with Eva (my friend from the lab) and her friends for a girls night. I took the metro from Bilbao to Urduliz (where Eva lives) so we could meet at Eva's house for dinner before going out. When trying to get to the metro I was delayed by the KKK! Well... it wasn't actually the Ku Klux Klan. In Spain, the catholic church makes processions through the streets during Semana Santa (Easter week, which started on Sunday) to demonstrate the story of the Passion of the Christ and in doing so, wear costumes that look an awful lot like those the KKK wore. But, apparently the KKK stole the costume from the catholics, and not the other way around. Those tricky KKK. 

After the procession of pointed ghosts made me late catching the metro, I arrived in Urduliz, Eva picked me up (11:15pm) and we went to her house. She and her mother have the nicest house! It was the first house I've been in since I arrived because having a house instead of a flat is very uncommon here. Eva's place is straight out of the movies with terra-cotta floors, tons of spare rooms and spacious arched hallways. They even have a pool for what I'm told will be marvelous summer parties! I can't wait! We had some supper with Eva's friends Marta and Leiri, and I got acquainted with some Spanish music. At about 1:15am we packed up our things and headed for the metro again. We took the metro from Urduliz to Getxo, and then one of Leiri's friends, Naiara, picked us up and drove us to FEVER. It's a GIANT club kinda in the middle of nowhere. It only opens on Saturdays, and only from 2am-6am in typical Spanish fashion. Once we got there, the club was just opening and there were masses of people in the streets. We thought we were going to have to wait in line forever. But, Marta pulled some strings, and got all of us in instantly. 

Once inside, I was absolutely amazed at how gigantic it was. There were four rooms that all had a different sort of music. Two of the rooms were gigantic, and two were the size of an average bar in Saskatoon. By 2:30, every square inch of all four rooms was full of people. It was incredible! Where do all these people come from, and how do they all get to this strange location in the middle of the night? We had a great group of girls, and the night was hilarious. Randoms joined and left our group all night long, and by the end of the night I had people coming up to me asking "Are you the Canadian?" to which I would respond "yes..." and then they would ask "Can we take our picture with you?" It was the strangest thing that has ever happened to me. My only response was "why?" and I would get a reply of "eres rubia!!". Being blonde is just weird here.

We got to Las Arenas to catch the ferry to Getxo (from here I caught the metro home) around 6:30am and ran into some guys who had been to see AC/DC  in concert. I got to wear some sweet AC/DC devil horns, while these guys tried to convince me they were from Canada too. It was a big night for the metropolis; AC/DC performed and Bilbao Athletica (the soccer team) played at home. There were people everywhere as the sun was rising. I finally got home around 7:30am and realized why all windows have heavy duty shutters on the outsides - so you can pretend it's night at any time of the day. I'm not sure how people stay out all night every Saturday.

Hasta la Proximá vez,

Kathlene

FEVER! you give me fever, FEVER!

FRANZ FERDINAND CONCERT!!

Last night Ibai and I went to the Franz Ferdinand concert in Bilbao at La Casilla!! YAY FRANZ!! My first euro-concert! La Casilla is a smaller venue that is typically used for Bilbao's basketball team, and made for the perfect cabaret-style concert. La Casilla is at the end of Calle Autonomia, which is about a twenty minute walk from our place, and is surrounded with nice pubs. We enjoyed these pubs and a few drinks before the concert, then it was off to Franz!! 

It was amazing! He played a great mix of his older music and the new album. It was neat experience seeing a Scottish band in Spain. Based on how the crowd around us was 'singing along' with the songs, I think a large majority of the people didn't understand the lyrics, but they were into the music. Everyone was dancing, and it made for an excellent night. Franz put on a good show, played two full sets and was on stage for an hour and a half. Well worth my 35 €! 

During the concert, Ibai pointed out that I was always easy to find in the crowds when he would go to get us another beer. It was a sea of brunettes and I was the blonde right in the center. (When I say another beer I mean another bucket of beer - see the picture below and note the size of the beer compared to the ass beside it - it was difficult to hold!) However, Ibai is fairer than most Spaniards and was mistaken as being Finnish (they thought I was also Finnish), and apparently that wasn't the first time it had happened to him. We ended up pretending to be Finnish for a large portion of the evening after that.

After the concert, we went to Casco Viejo to continue the night. We went to an interesting bar called 'K2' that had large mountains painted all over the walls. We got home quite late which made for a long day today. I learned the Spanish proverb "Noches alegres, mañanas tristes" today at school, and understood it's meaning in more than one way. Tonight, I am staying home in my pajamas watching Wedding Crashers in Spanish. Watching tv here is getting easier!

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene

Franz Ferdinand in Bilbao!!