TravelStream™ news feed for member mathesonduo on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/mathesonduo en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:38:44 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1237902360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1237902360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1237902360/tpod.html Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:38:44 -0400 LA VIDA en España

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Tangier, Morocco

Will add story and pics when we get time!
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Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain and Canary Islands

We can no longer say that the days are flying by.. now, we have come to realize that another week is behind us before we know it. The spring is upon us here in southern Spain and with the spring comes the intense Andalucian sun, the unmistakeable smell of orange tree blossoms, and an array of magnificent tropical flowers lining every street. There is a hustle and bustle around Còrdoba that lets us know that our time here is running short. The students are getting anxious for the school year to come to an end as the warm weather teases them on a daily basis. Ice cream shops are poping up on every corner, and believe it or not, snail tents have become the restraunt of choice this time of year. Caracoles (boiled snails) are severed from temporary tent stands until about 11:00 pm every night. They are very cheap, costing only one to three euros for a decent sized bowl full. Tyler slurped his way through a bowl of "chicos" (small snails) last night. They were seasoned with a bit of cayenne pepper, but a side from that, the snot-like texture did not leave me with the desire to come back for more. Tyler on the other hand thoroghly enjoyed eatting the squishy little fellows...

We are anxious to come home but at the same time are not looking forward to wrapping up our time here. We have not only learned heaps of information about other parts of the world, their politics, history, language, and culture, but ALSO, and more importantly, we have learned more about ourselves and each other than we could have ever imagined. (just a quick side note.. to give you an idea of how I've changed I caught myself asking Tyler the other day while talking about Morocco, "Now what is their political situation?" I couldn't believe that question came out of my mouth...) Our interests and goals have changed, along with the way we view people and the world. I promise not to go off on a tagent, but in short I will leave you with this - When I was a little girl my mom and dad used to tell me (my dad more than my mom ; ) ) "Denise, the world doesn't revolve around you!" Never have I found that fact more true than at this point in my life. We have traveled, experienced, and seen that there is more to this world than us and the little sheltered home of America that we come from. I relish the idea of living my life from here on out putting others ahead of me and my "problems." Tyler and I have decided to move back home because of all of the discussions that we have had concerning this topic. There is no one in the world more important to us than family and friends and we dont want to miss out on anymore time away from those who love and support us the most.

Tyler, as he is sitting here talking with his best British accent, has decided to go back to school to get his teaching cerficate. I have always headed down that same path as well but I don't feel like I am quite ready for that at 23 years old. I will teach high school spainsh in the near future, but I need a few more years under my belt... to be honest I am just waiting to stretch the age gap between my students and I. There is without a doubt a lack of respect when the students know that you are only a few years older than them. Additionally, I am a softy and my disciplinary tactics are not what they need to be.. Can't we all just get along?!?! Or as they would say in England, "Can't we all just get on with each other?!" Ahh... poking fun at the British language will never get old; )

In the mean time I am going to try my hand at Massage Therapy (haha, get it.??. ok, so it was cheesy, but I know you're smiling) There are several schools between Portland and Eugene where I can enroll full-time. I will also continue to tutor ESL students or those who need help with Spanish.

This was my attempt to catch you up with our latest feelings and decisions as they unfold on the other side of the world. Thank you to all who have kept up with our blog and kept in contact since we have been gone!


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Fes, Morocco

On our way to Fes, Morocco´s first imperial city, we stopped for a night in Meknes, which is another city with an incredible history! We were attracted by the description in our guide book that described it as being a typical Moroccan city, but without the typical hastles and hustlers looking to make a quick buck from the tourists. On the train to Meknes, we met a really nice guy named Iznar who had studied in the U.S. years ago and spoke good English. He seemed like a really genuine person and we enjoyed talking about our travels and asking about his....

After arriving in Meknes, we had about a 25 minute walk to the hotel that we had booked, which was very close to Meknes´ medina. Once at the hotel we were content with our choice of places to stay as it felt very safe and was close to everything (except the train station), but after going to our room we understood the $10 per night rate. The room was clean enough, but the beds (two single beds) were old with lumpy pillows and mattresses. We didn´t mind the old beds and are glad to put up with sub-Hilton standards to make our teacher´s salaries go a bit further.

As the sun set, we headed out to meander through the medina and take in the incredible amount of sights, smells and sounds that define all of Morocco´s medinas. We immediately noticed that this medina was larger than that of Rabat and went head on into the maze of narrow, winding streets and alleys in search of unique gifts, momentos and most importantly mysterious food. After more than an hour of wondering, we happened upon the food, spice and livestock part of the medina and found what we were looking for. Denise got a bag of wonderful Moroccan spices and we also got a half kilo of delicious pastries filled with all sorts of nuts and sticky, tasty, fillings. After leaving the medina we stopped at a streetside cafe and ordered some more tradidtional Moroccan fare that included a beef plate and the best salads we have tasted in Europe or Africa.

Before heading to the "grand taxi" parking lot to
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1236184680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1236184680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1236184680/tpod.html Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:21:56 -0400 LA VIDA en España

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Rabat, Morocco

Our five day journey through Morocco was nothing short of a MUST WRITE HOME ABOUT EXPERIENCE! It all started on Thurday night at 1:00 am as we prepared ourselves to take the overnight bus to Madrid in order to catch an early flight into Casablanca. Every hour we save by traveling overnight is well worth the fatigue and dark circles when the payoff is cheap travel and a new experience in another country.

When we arrived at the bus station two of our friends, Pat and Nick, were waiting there to catch the bus as well. However, only one of them was able to buy a ticket so we were faced with the fact that our two man traveling team would have to accept the addition of Nick for the weekend - a 6'6'' blond man from Laguna Beach. All of our efforts to avoid looking American in the Muslim world were crushed when Nick joined the team... Now a realize that Tyler and I can't fool anyone into thinking that we belong in Morocco, but a 6'6'' blond wearing a Cal State University shirt?!?! I am proud to be American, but there are certainly places in the world where flashing our American status is not advantageous.

Luckily, Pat was able to catch the high speed train and arrived in Madrid just as our flight was about to leave for Casablanca. Arriving in Casablanca around 4:00pm we had high hopes of visiting the world's third largest mosque, Hassan II, but we were not comfortable with surroundings and the overload of hastling that the encountered in the first five minutes. Plus, our next destination and hotel reservation was still a few hours away. Being completely foreign and overcautious, we felt it was better to continue on the train so that we would arrive in Rabat before sundown. At that point we had our first (and last) disagreement with Pat and Nick and decided to split. We caught the next train to the more relaxed city of Rabat.

We found our hotel after an hour or so of broken English, head nods, and misleading sign language. The hotel was much more than we had hoped for. It was a clean, traditionally decorated hotel with a balcony that looked over the medina. Medinas, whilch literally means "old city," are located in every Moroccan city. They are surrounded with the historial walls of the city and are filled with an overwhelming amount of shops, restauants, local residents, and curious tourists.

The first night we wondered around the Medina and Tyler tried his first liver sandwich. There was a lot of mystery food around the Medina as the Moroccans don't waste any part of the animal when it is butchered. Moreover, they do not mind displaying the butchering process next their customer's dinner tables. Regardless of the animal (most commonly cow, goat, camel, rabbit, and chicken) all of their parts, from brains to toe jam, are cleaned and served out in the open. Being the more conservative of the two I chose to pick at a fried potatoe sandwich and saved a few left overs to share with the stray kitties in the park. I think Tyler is finally accepting the fact that we have to stop and say hello (and share our food) to all of the animals along the way.. he has a soft spot in his heart for the little furry friends as well, his just isn't as exposed as mine!

The next day we continued to walk in and out of the shops in the medina and then we took a tour of the Kasbah, the old military housing complex that is now occupied by the general population. Although we were lead by a psuedo-guide the sights and information were plentiful. We stopped for a tea with fresh mint before heading back to pack up and move on to the next city. On our way back a small corner shop caught our attention. There was a man, who had an advanced level of English, making plaques with arabic writing on them. We were intrigued and ended up designing our own with the help of several other locals. He made a wooden plaque with wooden writing in a matter of 10 minutes. The saying we had him write was, "Life is a journey." Although that saying could not be directly traslated into Arabic, he was able to write, "Life is full of adventure." He was very proud of his work and we were even more excited about our unique momento!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1235586720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1235586720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1235586720/tpod.html Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:18:50 -0400 LA VIDA en España

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Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain and Canary Islands

Drunk priests, pregnant nuns, and m 'n m's


Carnival was nothing short of chaotic. Our decision to go was competely last minute because we weren't convinced that it was going to be worth or time, effort, and money to travel down south to Càdiz. However, the pictures speak for themselves! There were a lot of laughs that night, unforgetable costumes, and an unbelievably gorgeous he/she in the crowd... Someone, for the sake of their reputation and job opportunity in the future, we shall call her/him Trixie.


Carnival is a celebration that takes place every year in order to kick off lent. That being said you can only imagine how people abuse the opportunity to party the day before they have to give up all unpure pleasures for 40 days.. tobacco, alcohol, sex, and meat... As side from Carnival in Rio de Janero in Brazil, Càdiz holds the second largest Carnival party in the world!


Tyler and I got a hold of some friends on Thursday night who live outside of Càdiz and reserved a place on their floor for the night. After school on Friday we found a local China Shop (as we like to call them.. basically a dollar store) where the perfect costume was waiting for me - a complete chicken get-up from head to toe. How could I possible turn it down?? It was well worth the €15.50 we paid for it. The options were more limited for Tyler as he wasn't willing to splurge on another outfit. Therefore, a beautiful blond wig and a trip through my closet and makeup bag was all that he had to work with... once again, the pictures speak for themselves.


Trixie and I were thoroughly entertained starting from the moment we caught the train in Còrdoba, on Saturday morning, until the the moment we returned, last Sunday night. The train was packed with groups of people dressed as fairys, hippies, pirates, and whatever else you can imagine. A group a pirates boarded the train with a loaded a grocery cart full of drinks. Apparently there are no laws against drinking while riding public transportation. Furthermore, there is no shame..


We spent Saturday afternoon walking the boardwalk, a giant chicken and her "chic," and met up with some friends for lunch. At first we stopped to take pictures with every other chicken and chic that we saw but as the night moved on more and more of us emmerged. Come to find out in 2007 after the bird flu epidemic the chicken suit was the most popular costume at Carnival.. turns out I just had a left over costume.. Oh well, it felt unique to me, and Tyler and I recived more attention that day than in all of the days of our lives combined!!


As the sun went down the people came out. I have never seen so many people in my life. We didnt partake in the excessive amounts of drinking, shouting and singing, but we were able to do enough people watching to last us a lifetime. We lost track of our friends in the giant mess of people and headed home a little before 1 am. As some people would say, the party was just getting started, but I had seen enough. There were cowboys and sheep climbing up historical monuments, marichi band members doubled over puking in the fountains, and colored pencils doing circles in the street... And to make matters worse, even though we had been forewarned, there were literally rivers of urine running down the streets. No, I am not kidding. There were lines of characters waiting to use one the the dozen port-o-potties that were scattered throughout the city.. but why wait in line when there is a perfectly suitable building or fire hydrant right next to the toilet?? I didnt intend to be so graphic but it was all part of the experience. This is the point where you make a giant "O" over your head to indicate that I am OVERSHARING; )


Our friend Emily stumbled in about 8:45 on Sunday morning. She shared some very unpleasant stories with us which made us happy with our decision to return home early. As she was going to bed we got up and headed back into town to enjoy Sunday's festivities. There are typically groups of men who perform in the street, singing and dancing, and a huge parade. Although we did not see the parade we were glad we went back. It was a beautiful sunny day and there were already people laying out on the beach.. in February! Southern Spain is a magical place!


As we got on the train to return home we saw one of the most pitiful/hillarious sights we have ever seen. Two grown men, dressed like oversized m 'n m's. One green, one blue. They were sitting on a bench at the train station, half dead. They had clearly not slept all night and it was the middle of the afternoon on Sunday. They had they're giant foam heads tucked under their arms and their green and blue face paint had been sweated and smuged off in every different direction.. they were the saddest m 'n m's in the world. I wish I had taken a picture or at least given them a hug to let them know that life could only improve for them, but seriously, anytime I need a good laugh I just think of those two men. Their wives must be proud...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1237902540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1237902540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1237902540/tpod.html Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:49:53 -0400 LA VIDA en España

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Istanbul, Turkey

more to come...
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Rome, Lazio, Italy

We knew we liked Rome right away. About 10 minutes after landing in the Eternal City we were walking to the shuttle that would take us into the city center and Denise found 10 Euros on the ground. This was the beginning to an amazing weekend spent eating Paninis and walking through buildings and ruins that date back to before Christ.

After a long day of travel that consisted of a 4 hour and 45 minute bus ride to Madrid and a 1 hour and 45 minute flight from Madrid to Rome, we finally arrived at our bed and breakfast that was so highly recommended on the internet. It was not more than an old refurbished apartment with a small lobby and three rooms, located on the 4th floor of a building in central Rome. That being said, it was more than sufficient and was a great value!

We arrived after dark on Saturday night, around 7:00, so we did not have plans to do any sightseeing, but we were very hungry and I (Tyler) had been craving pizza since we left the U.S. After checking in and dropping off our bags, we set out on the streets surrounding Rome´s main transportation hub, Termini Train Station. The area around the station is very dirty and there are many interesting if not shady characters mulling the streets in this part of town, but we did manage to find a couple of really good pizzerias. After sampling a slice or two from each place, we headed back to get some rest in anticipation of the full weekend of sightseeing to come.

We woke up around 9 the next morning to our "breakfast" that consisted of a few breakfast pastries and coffee (see the picture of Denise´s mini espresso), and then hit the streets with a map in search of Rome´s most famous monument, the Colosseum. After a short 10 minute walk we were there, and it was as impressive as we had imagined it. To avoid the long lines waiting to enter, we paid a few Euros extra and joined a guided tour. The tour included the Colosseum and Palatine Hill directly behind the Colosseum. Both places were amazing and we learned more about Roman history in 2 hours than in many hours of history classes in school.

The entire rest of the day we spent walking, taking pictures and being awed by the incredible amount of historic buildings that Rome has to offer. On Monday, our second full day in Rome, we set out for the Vatican early in order to avoid the crowds, but as it turned out, we never stood in line once during our whole visit. Seeing St. Peter´s tomb and the many fascinating displays in the Vatican Museum were the highlights of the day and after saying goodbye to the Pope (we really didn´t see him) at about 2 o´clock and set out back through town. Denise wanted to find some ruins close to the Pantheon where we had been told that a cat sanctuary was located. We found the cat sanctuary/ruins without any difficulty and even managed to discover that there is actually a cat clinic built into the walls of the ruins where abandoned cats have been taken in. Needless to say, this cat clinic got Denise´s award for best sight in Rome, although she was also certainly impressed by the other monuments.

On Tuesday we headed home happy and exhausted from a very full weekend. Denise said later that Rome made her feel incredibly small, being only one woman in the extraordinary history of the world and I agree. Rome is not only fascinating, but quite humbling as well.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1232099820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1232099820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1232099820/tpod.html Wed, 21 Jan 2009 04:15:02 -0500 LA VIDA en España

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Còrdoba and beyond, Spain

We have failed to take to time to share the little things that happen on a daily basis that make our time here so enjoyable. Yes, we have traveled, learned, worked, met interesting people, and traveled some more... but the greatest things that have happened are very subtle, but worth sharing. This is my attempt to fill you on some of those everyday occurances that make us smile.

The story behind the title of this blog.

Part 1: I started working at an language center outside of Córdoba in November. Tyler was hired to work there as well but the class sizes are still very small so he has not started yet. Jose Luis is my boss and he has met and talked with Tyler several times. Jose Luis has heard Tyler and I say that Tyler's name is, well, Tyler. Apparently Spaniards cannot pronounce Tyler... Jose Luis calls Tyler, Harry. We don't have the heart after all this time to tell him that Tyler's name is not Harry. When he starts working he will have to be Professor Harry for the rest of our time here because we have let Jose think this whole time that I am married to Harry!!

Part 2: Short and simple. Clothes are very expensive in Europe. We are not poor, but we would rather spend our money on food and travel rather new attire. It has been a very cold winter and Tyler and I did not bring winter coats. Tyler was kind enough to spoil me for my birthday and buy me and nice coat, but he has gone without for the past few months. I just so happened that one day I was walking to the gym and found a coat. A man´s wool coat, lined with a magenta colored silk, large, fancy buttons... it had Tyler's name all over it. I brought it home and told Tyler I found him a coat next to the trash. It was clean, stylish.. and FREE! Not only that but I'm sure it has a fascinating history. Tyler wouldnt wear it for the first few days, but as the temperature dropped, the trash coat started to look more and more appealing. The sleves may be a tad too short and the inside.. well, a tad too pink, but overall, Harry is satisfied with his trash coat and it has kept him warm throughout his adventures here in Spain.

Spanglish also brings a smile to my face on a daily basis. I have heard a lot of good ones lately, but the best sentence I heard was from one of my students that I tutor. We were walking to my piso from the bus station and she all of the sudden stopped and said, ¨Ooooff.. I just bit my language!!" (They say ooff all the time, meaning, oww, or ouch, or oh my gosh.) Anyhoo, lengua means tongue and lenguaje means language in Spanish... two very close words that mean two totally different things. She made the common mistake of trying to directly translate Spanish to English and as always the Spanglish was very amusing.

Part 3: Mullets and bangs

Curly mullets, muttles with dreadlocks, frizzy mullets... kids, men, women, grandparents, professionals, and hippies.. everyone has one! I have tried to convince Tyler but he has not conformed to the norm yet..
And as far as the bangs are concerned, I will have to start taking pictures. The bangs just add to the confusion of the Spanish style, but they are definitely in. Once again, Tyler will have bangs before too long, he just needs some more time.

Rat tails are also very popular. During my first tutoring session with a 6 year old boy I asked him to draw a head so we could label the parts of the face. After he was almost done he asked, "con pelo?" I said, "of course." He drew a boy with a rat tail. I tried to contain my laughter. It was so typical. The drawing was basically a stick figure with a face and one long piece of hair dangling from the neck. I will never forget it - Ramon and the rat tail.

I will have to get back to this blog another day. It is off to work for me. I am teaching about American slang today.. always a fun topic!

Until next time.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1231521360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1231521360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1231521360/tpod.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:19:44 -0500 LA VIDA en España

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Biarritz, Aquitaine, France

On Tuesday,
we made the journey up to two French towns that are only a short distance from
France's border with Spain. Two train
rides and an hour and a half later, we stepped off the train in Bayonne,
France. It is rumored that the bayonet
was invented here in the 17th century, but we saw no evidence of
this. It is amazing that an in such a
short distance, the language and culture can change drastically. In Bayonne, we found that nobody spoke
Spanish, but a few spoke a little English in addition to their incomprehensible
French. After walking up and down the
narrow streets of Bayonne, eating some authentic French bread (which happens to
taste a lot like the bread found in Spain), and visiting the 13th
century Cathedral, we happened upon a tourist office that offers free bikes for
the day.



Our
original plan had been to visit Bayonne and then take a train ride to Biarritz,
which is a fun beach town not far from Bayonne, but finding the bikes changed
our plans. The lady who helped us with
the bikes told us that it would take about 45 minutes to get to Biarritz by
bike and that street signs would lead us in the right direction. With beautiful weather on our side, we
decided to go for it. The ride turned
out to be great and we spent the whole rest of the day in Biarritz, eating
lunch, walking along the beach, exploring the tide pools at low tide, and
cruising the city on our bikes. Late in
the afternoon we decided to head back.
We dropped off our bikes in Bayonne and headed back to the train
station. Although we only spent one day
in France, we loved it and could not have asked for a more enjoyable time!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1231520520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1231520520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mathesonduo/1/1231520520/tpod.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:16:27 -0500 LA VIDA en España

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Pamplona, Navarra, Spain and Canary Islands

On Monday,
we decided to visit Pamplona,home the world famous the running of the bulls that takes place each July. Although we didn't have to avoid any bulls in the streets, we did get to see bull ring that marks the end of the run, walk the route, and visit a natural park in the middle of the city that has deer,
goats, swans and ducks. Oh yea we also saw the three wise men and the camels that they ride...there was some kind of a Christmas show going on somewhere in the city. Only a two hour bus ride from Lasarte, it was an enjoyable journey and well worth our time!


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