Leon, Oviedo & Updates

I went to Leon and Oviedo awhile ago. Like over a month ago. With Erasmus. I should update you guys about that first.

That was a lie, I should tell you guys first about probably one of the most quintessential study abroad nights I have had first. So I mentioned before that I met the Polish kids from our class for drinks and a concert. I also said that we agreed that we would have an international potluck. Well that potluck happened on the Friday before I left for Leon.

Not knowing what I could make that represented American and could also feed a good number of people (I was not prepared to make 25 cheeseburgers), I decided I would fall back on an easy favorite: Chili and Cornbread. Yea, I guess it is kind of Mexican, but I consider it TexMex cuisine over anything else, which means it is at least part American. Actually, a quick Wiki search just now informed me that it was first made by Spanish Canary Islanders in San Antonio, Texas. I feel like that means it is wholly American.

Anyways, I made chili and cornbread and it was actually a hit. The Italians especially liked it. I was surprised, especially after having eaten the other food made. The Italians made lasagna and pizza, a Hungarian made goulash, and admittedly, I forget what else was there. Regardless, it was all very delicious. I was in food heaven. Either way, I impressed some people and they made me promise to make more chili. Only as long as they make me more Italian food.

LEON

First I would like to point out that after seeing probably around 20 cities in Spain, a lot of them being only for a day or two, Spanish cities are starting to blend together. I do remember a bit about Leon, though.

Leon, like a lot of cities in Spain, has a beautiful cathedral. The one in Leon has pretty incredible stained glass throughout the building. Leon also has the MUSAC, a contemporary art museum that is full of a lot of random things. A few of the exhibition halls displayed what I would describe most accurately as what would happen if everything from a dorm building was emptied into a room and haphazardly organized. There were also one or two Guadí buildings on Leon, but nothing at all compared to those in Barcelona.

Probably the most memorable aspect of Leon is the nightlife. Leon does tapas like they are meant to be done, by which I mean you order a corto of beer (a small glass) and with it you get a small thing of food like a slice of pizza, bread with chorizo, or even octopus (gross and chewy), all for slightly more than a euro. Caitlyn, Hillary and I met some students from Germany also on the Erasmus trip and headed out to a few bars to try their tapas. It was a lot of fun. Like I have probably mentioned before, one of the best aspects of studying abroad and traveling is meeting people from such different cultures. Did you know you have to pay several hundred euros and take intense tests to get just about any license? This includes fishing licenses. That is ridiculous considering obtaining a fishing license in Wisconsin involves paying $20.00 annually.

After drinks and tapas with the Germans we also met up with a group of Italians (the same that hosted the potluck). We partied it up until the wee hours of the morning. I could tell that eventually this group of Italians was going to be the death of me. Luckily they are helping me practice my Spanish.

Oh, did I mention we went for churros con chocolate with the Italians? Delicious.

Anyways, we woke up late into the morning, ate breakfast, and boarded the bus to Oviedo.

OVIEDO

One of our Spanish friends, Pelayo, is from Oviedo, one of the two large cities in Asturias (an autonomous community read: Spanish equivalent of states). He raved about how great the city was. It was clean and much nicer than Santander. It even won a golden broom (or something along those lines) for being the cleanest city. Right, Pelayo. We therefore made it our mission to find as much garbage as possible and take pictures of it. Luckily it was the weekend before Mardi Gras and there was a fiesta the day before. The streets were slightly littered, and we made sure we told Pelayo. Besides being clean, Oviedo, and Asturias in general, is known for its cidra, or cider. You have to pour the cidra from above your head to a glass near your waist. You waste a lot of cidra, get it on the floor and other objects around you, and also aerate it, enhancing the taste. I don’t see the point, because it still is pretty disgusting.

Anways, Oviedo has a cathedral too. It has a street full of cidrarias (cider houses). It has some nice squares. It also has a statue of Woody Allen. That is about it. All in all, a fine city.

Eating with the Italians

After our night out with the Italians, we promised each other food. They promised to make panzerotti, a deep fried calzone popular in Bari and the region around Bari. We promised something American (we would think of something). Well, I still haven’t had panzerotti, but they did make us pasta, chicken, pizza, and risotto. All of this was outstanding. I made Luca promise to show me how to make this chicken. Seriously, all of it was the best Italian food I have ever made. So far we have made them pancakes and apple pie. We will be making them chili con carne and white chili after Semana Santa and hosting an American night of drinking chock full of beer pong, flip cup, quarters and kings. I think we are getting the better deal here.

Friends Visiting

I mentioned earlier that Sabrina (with friends in tow), Ben and Eve visited. I went to dinner with Sabrina and her friends one night. The other night I had everyone over to make tortillas. This was my first time being in charge of the tortillas. It might be my last time, too. The tortillas tasted great, but they weren’t exactly how they are supposed to look, and honestly, Hillary and Caitlyn make a better tortilla (not to mention Manila, the restaurant with the best tortilla in Spain, or second best if you ask Manuel). It must have been decent though, because when Sabrina got back to Oxford she told me she made tortilla.

Then day after was Saint Patrick’s day. Being a little bit Irish (one eighth, which is not mostly, Dad), I had to celebrate. I made some of the Spanish kids celebrate too. Well, I invited some of the guys over the drink and then go out with Ben, Eve and I. A few bailed, like usual, but we enjoyed our time. We met up with the Italians (as we are apt to do) and they dragged us to more and more clubs. We ended the night at The Indian, this American themed club, at 6 in the morning. Ben and Eve were tired, I was exhausted. I had class at 9:30 the next day and only got two hours of sleep. This is what Erasmus is all about, isn’t it? I cannot handle Erasmus.

Besides that, I brought Ben and Eve around the city. We did the naturally tourist things to do in Santander (there are not many). We ate kebab and Doner King. We walked along the port. We saw the palace with the penguins and we went to the beach. Eventually their (very) short stay came to an end and before I knew it I was dropping them off at the bus stop.

Sadly it was kind of poor weather for my visitors, especially Sabrina. The next week, though, was fantastic! It got well into the 80s and we went to the beach several times. And before I knew it…

I WENT TO IRELAND

(This will get its own post)

I got back from Ireland and the weather was crummy. Oh well, the beach could wait, by which I mean, stop distracting me and let me concentrate on homework and studying.

Since Ireland, we finalized our exam schedule. This in itself isn’t very exciting, but meant we knew when we could travel, and we are going to NORWAY! Yep, Kristine will have three eager Americans rocking Haugesund and the fjords in June. How lucky she is.

Also, Hillary and I met up with some Spanish kids for tortilla at Manila (the really good tortilla, remember?) and then made apple pie for a second international potluck.

Now I have three days until I see my family. It has been 238 days (or just short of 8 months) since I have seen my parents and sister. I am looking forward to it. It will be nice to finally see them. Being able to travel like a normal person instead of a poor student won’t hurt either. That is right! No hostels. Being able to eat in restaurants. Paying to see things. Taxis. I can’t fathom the difference between the way I have learned to travel and how travelling with my family will be.

Upcoming Travel Plans

Family Trip:

Berlin, Germany

Prague, Czech Republic

Munich, Germany

Budapest, Hungary

Vienna, Austria

Bratislava, Slovakia

Post Semana Santa:

Porto, Portugal

Madrid, Spain

Haugesund & Fjords, Norway