Some Spanish news

I have a French test this afternoon and in order to not think about it I thought I would write you all a little update on what has gone on.  So living in Spain is getting easier.  I have got my head round the buses and trains in and around Alcala and I am starting to understand how things work here.  The adjustment period has been a lot longer here than it was in Austria but then I guess I was dealing with culture adjustment from foreign to foreign and not from home to foreign.

I have a great group of friends here and we all go out for tapas a LOT.  When I came to Spain I knew to expect tapas with my drink but in my mind these tapas, which come free with a coke, beer or glass of wine (the choice is yours), are little nibbles like crisps or olives.  However in a lot of the tapas places here the free food is anything from a tortilla (omlette with potatoes) in a bun (yes Dave IN A BUN) to a full blown toastie!  So basically for 2euros50 you get a drink and dinner... fabulous!

Another observation... pink/red trousers seem to be very 'in' here!  Everywhere I go I see people donning pink skinny jeans and the occasional pair of red skinny jeans... I find this interesting!  In general people here are VERY well dressed and I mean VERY!  Like no one rocks up to lectures in trakkies and a hoody here..no sir!  Yesterday in fact I was highly amused by the girl in front of me struggling to walk along the cobbles (yes there are cobbles here... Alcala is the Spanish version of Durham) in her 4 inch heels... who wears four inch heels to lectures at 9am?? Well this girl apparently...

A little while ago I made a weekend trip back home and to Durham.  My college (Trevs!!) musical was on and I really wanted to go back and see it..plus I miss being up North!!  My friend from Austria (I am explaining for those that haven't read my other blog) Keri came along too.  It was an opportunity for her to see my home and for her to explore the North East.  We stayed in a room in college, so I actually felt like I had moved back in for a few days... It was a great few days in which I got to see a LOT of people I am missing.  The musical was fab and we even managed a trip to Klute which was, as expected, EPIC!!  On the last night Keri and I travelled to Edinburgh and went for a mini explore.  We had a really nice hostel which I would recommend - the Edinburgh Backpacker - although the heating was off so it was pretty cold!!  

Last week I have made a day trip to Guadalajara - no not the one in Mexico unfortunately, but the town 20 mins from Alcala.  It was nice to have a bit of a change of scenery even if we did have lunch in a cafe/bar with the worst waitor in the world.  Seriously, we had to go and get the menu ourselves (he said oh they are inside, go get one) and then after an hour of waiting for him to clear our plates we went in to pay because we had had enough.  Oh and he bought a plate of sausages to the veggie who had ordered potatoes!  We also had a windy picnic in the field by the uni and have of course been out for many a tapas :)

Things I am looking forward to:

- Avenue Q in Spanish in Madrid this weekend with Sarah.

- Carnival in Madrid this weekend :)

- More sunshine coming our way!!