Saturday, February 26, 2005

Lemonade

So it goes that when life gives you a lemon make lemonade! Right! So I took to making my lemonade, and well it looks nice, smells, nice, tastes like ass and my tongue is frozen making my portuguese slur a bunch. Basically a forced stay is never enjoyable, but a forced stay in a "hotel" that makes winter camping look like a belizean beachside event, makes it worse. To conserve money I took the nearest and cheapest place I could find. A place where the water in my room ran for 15 minutes before it became warm. A room where my breath didn't fade off into the distance but frozen and fell with a thud to the floor! AAAARGH! Oh well, after 3 days without shower, you see the place I stayed in Porto, while hospitalble and more than I could ever hope for, does not have the best shower arragnemnet, I finally decided to splurge. This morning I packed and headed to the nearest place where I couldn't see my breath in the front entry. A nice old lady then showed me to aroom with a TV( I hate tv, but I need to space a bit with some english cnn) a heater, and a cozy shower. I moved from 10e a night to 25e, and it's worth everypenny, just to prove that I was in a better place I took a nice long HOT shower, and then laid down in my boxers on the bed to watch Larry King on CNN. No matter how dumb or uniteresting, sometimes you just need to get a little of your own language in.
Speaking of language, I really like this semi-fluent feeling, people are so surprised when I can actually function at more than a 1st grade level when it comes to ordering food, finding a store, or making sleeping arrangements. I hope that this brief(though not brief enough) pass with semi-fluency translates to a better path on my road to learning Spanish.
Oh a quick random note, considering I am in a city that contains a walled city, castle, and the like a thought popped in my head today as I wandered said city. Do you think when a night back in the old old days was off fighting in a foriegn land, and after the battle met a nice local girl, that the conversation might have gone something like this:
Knight, "Hey there, wanna stop by my place sometime?"
Damsel," Sure where to do you live"
Knight, " Oh I'm the 3rd walled city to the south and the first tower on the left, just light a pyre as you approach and I'll make sure the gate is open."

Just a thought. Anyways, off to see the small river and then maybe a nap, before heading out to find a cheap dinner to compensate for the room. Or maybe I can find a good chinese take out place and just camp out in warmth! Yeah right, oh yeah another quick thought. Last night after dinner I decided to walk about a bit, and after a nice meal it felt good to walk it off. But I thought I would try to see if the movie theater was showing anything worth viewing, so I walked adn I walked. Missing it the first time I walked a lot to find it. And thanks to my good fortune this trip I did, CLOSED FOR REPAIRS, COME BACK SOON, oh well. I did find a soccer game in a cafe though and had an Irish Whiskey...Things began to feel better...love to all...till soon Ryan

Friday, February 25, 2005

Update to Bragança

So after my last entry I retreated to my room on the way picking up some munchies and a beer, or two, oh and a bottle of wine, wait and there was a bottle of water though I'm not quite sure what to do with it. Anyway, it's been a hard day and it's good to sit back and relax in my jail cell, and have a beer. It really does look like a cell and to prevent it from being scary I'm keeping the window shade up, though it's so cold in here I might not want to do that for too long. One thick blanket and a couple of thin ones and a sink with no hot water, oh well maybe tomorrow I can splurge a bit to at least have a TV. Tonight though it's me and a restaurant and maybe some new friends, though right now I'm not really in the mood to tell some local how beautiful it is here,. till soon, Ryan

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAargh!!!!

Hell is a place called Bragança, not that the town itself is bad or ugly or doesn't happen to be surrounded by a few snow capped mountains. No Bragança is hell because I'm stuck here against my will and must stay till Sunday when the next Bus leaves for Spain. And that's not it. So after leaving Porto in the morning after a nice breakfast and send off from my wonderful hosts, I set off on a Bus for a ride through what was to be some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen thus far on my travels. Snow capped mountains, small villages, and winding mountain roads. Wow is all I have to say. My goal was to arrive in Bragança and catch a bus to Zamora in Spain where there are main vineyards I wished to visit. Well this was all good and well if we had mad it here by 1 pm when the last bus left. Ok, Ok so I admit during the ride I started to think one last night in Portugal would be nice and I even thought I might stay till Saturday if it was beautiful. But when I got to the ticket window I found out I must stay. No buses to anywhere in Spain till Sunday night! UGH, not only did I not want till stay till Sunday but I would have to spend 2 days worth of travel money waiting here with nothing to do. Well that's not true, if I had a car, the best national park of Portugal is right next to me right now, but as luck would have it, I would need to rent a car if I wanted to go! Oh well, at least the old standby is here, walled city, big castle and I'm sure a catherdral someplace. Though cathedrals are starting to creep me out, the last one I was in had more sculpture of dead, bloody, and decaying people than a Friday the 13th movie. Oh well, so off to the Tourismo Office, where a very nice lady who comiserated with me, called to check to see if I could rent a car and leave it in Spain, no luck! So I checked to see if a nice town on the Douro nearby would have a bus to Spain tomorrow, no luck. Though only 20km's to Zamora, not one bus to be had from there, meaning I would have to return to here to get back home! UGH!!!
So a hunting I did go for a room to stay in, oh I forgot to mention that 2 phones didn't work and an ATM so that I could call someone for suggestions. By this point I was very frustrated. So I stopped at the first place I saw, and when they said it was 10 euros I said I don't care what it looks like I'll take it. Unfortuanatly, no TV, I would have liked to veg out, but at least it's cold! Not to mention the bathroom is across the hall. UGH, but I think I'll check out the local night life if any, and stay out late fumbling my portuguese to some poor soul!
Oh and after the mess with Gab I still hadn't used my card to get money, so I go to 3 different places, all but the last one said that my card was unreadable! Finally after a mild heart attack and spells of dizziness, I found one that either didn't care that I had a card or didn't know that I was not supposed to have it easy today. I promptly removed a huge chuck o cash, and hid it about my body in various locations!
Currently I was lucky enough to find a CiberCafe and am now trying to catch my breath before going to find a very large dinner as I have not had time to eat all day save a bit of toast this morning, oh and an orange.
Hey to top it off, though I still have the night to have things be wrong, when I got here they gave me a bum card for their login device and I ended up taking forever to get logged in!
And now I go, if anyone who has my cell number wants to talk tonight, I'll be doing nothing much, call my parents if you want I think they have it. Oh and my cell phone is only recieving calls, because I need to wait to get to Spain to be able to add minutes to it! ANything else? Oh I'm sure there was more but my hands are tired of typing and I think I need a BOTTLE of wine!
Love to all, and till soon, Ryan

Oh and spelling/Grammar errors are well warrented, deal with it!;)

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

So a quick update

I'm in Porto, and well it's awesome! I love this town, last night we drove in at night when the city was lit up like a x-mas tree. Then I went to my friends "castle" and had a dinner of Bacalhao de Villar d'Allen. A recipe that is directly from the direct past history of the house. Basiclly a mushy(in a good way) combination of Bacalhou and potatos and some other things, I'll get the recipe and post it on "wino". This was served with a wine from the procuder I'm meeting with tomorrow, and followed by an 1886 port. I know I know this life is rough, and I'm glad none of you have to put up with such horrors. It's hard though, they never seem to have anything newer to try when I'm here. Old wine, another another old whine of mine! So then today I am walking around Porto, and have already fallin in love again with the old buildings and friendly people. I'm headed to the Port wine institute and then maybe to some of the Port houses. I think too that I'll try to find the Octopus dish that I had 2 years ago, that I've bothered everyone about. I did fins a recipe in a book and I might go back and buy it, but I needed a good Portuguese wine book first. So what else. the ride here was long and wierd they stopped us at the boarder and checked passports, then pulled 2 guys off and told us to be on our way, not sure why. I thought this was an open boarder Europe. In the end I got a small taste of what it must have been like before the EU. I hope all are well, and look forward to hearing from some of you who I know are reading the posts but not sending any notes. Are any of my old customers out there? BTW Bill, I will look for that Rioja, though if we can meet up, I have a ton of new strange stuff for you to try! Austin, Get healthy, no more of this torn muscle here and sore body there! Love to all, till soon Ryan

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

1st day in Porto

So I'm in Villa Nova De Gaia, where I await 3 o'clock so that I can call back to Dow's and talk to someone that speaks English. I may speak good Portuguese when I'm face to face but over the phone I have some problems. I just went to a place nearby where 2 years ago Gab and I went for lunch, a place where you have a view over the Doro. Unfortunately Gab was not with me and the food sucked. A Vinho Verde that was ok at best and Polvo con Arroz, Rice with octopus. It was way to salty and I saw another patron send it back for this reason after I forced myself to eat some of it. Oh well, the steak looked good and next time I'll make sure to order that. Anyways, I hope to con my way into a private tasting of some Dows ports. Hopefully it works and I can try something good. right now it's a small café with a small coffee, and a loud TV. Oh well, I don't want to walk to far up the hill to Dow's until I know that I’m going to get a tour. It's a long ways up and there is plenty to see and do if I don't. tomorrow I go to meet with a friend of a friend who wants to export his wine. Then I think that I have a free ride up the coast to a small town in Tui where I hope to try some wines of the Riax Biaxes(sp?). After which I will find a way to get back on track to Toro and the Ribiera del Duero, which is just east of port country. My Portuguese is surprisingly good after so long, and I think it comes down to confidence knowing that I’m at least in the ballpark when I try to communicate. In Spain I just don't have the confidence to speak Spanish and thus am hesitant to try. I know I heed to get over this fear but in the end it's a matter of time and nothing more. I'll get it I just don’t know when or where. till soon, Ryan

Monday, February 21, 2005

Arriving in Porto

So I arrive din Portugal and am now sitting in a bar waiting for Ze to arrive. They dropped us off on the street and I had some trouble telling where I was until I go the guts to ask someone. Right now I am drinking a Vinha de Mazouco, Tinto , Duoro 2001. Nice though analyzing it now would make it hard to relax after being on a bus for 9 hours. One strange thing is at the boarder where you usually pass through without a -problem they took off 2 guys after checking all of our ID's? and I thought it was open boarders, made me feel like I was headed to Canada, and gave me a glimpse into Europe before the EU. I can't wait to get into the house oops, mansion and get a good meal in me. We kind of had the Nazi bus driver...NO FOOD, NO GO ANYWHERE...Ugh and then when we asked if this was the final stop...OF COURSE, all in fast Spanish making me doubt everything I heard. Oh well right now I sit in an upscale place where everyone is wondering what I'm saying about this wine, and me with my back packs and ragged clothes...Oh well...such is life. Though I do have to say Porto by night as you drive over the bridge by the river is a wonderful sight! 'ta Logo, ryan

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Back to College

So last night I stepped back into college life, for the most part. Me and our roommate Janelle, decided to cook for everyone and then hang out. Well everyone turned out for this event a total of 8 people in all. I made a modified fish taco, and she made fried plantain, Columbian style. We drank Caiprinha´s and hung out. Unfortunately Gab had to work in the morning and had to turn in early, so she missed out on the singing and joking(in Spanish) that lasted till 4:30 in the morning. Strange to be back in college and not understand all the joking. Also strange that most of the songs that were sung were in English with Spanish accents, again not always easy to understand. While this experience is good for both of us, I'm now realizing how hard it is and is going to be. I'm a long ways from understanding enough to deal with wild arguments about soccer teams and silly jokes about life. I also realize that we need to do a lot to get back to where we were in Minnesota. Before we left we were secure and comfortable, this has now been pushed back and we again need to work towards that. I wouldn't give up what we've done for the world, but I now know it's a long road before us. We take so much for granted everyday when life is comfortable, and now, as cheesy as it sounds, I'm learning to take nothing for granted anymore. Ordering food, buying a bus ticket, getting directions, for the next few months none of these things can be taken for granted. I remember in Brasil the first time I could order something without practicing it 10 times in order to get it right. What an awesome feeling! Can't wait for that feeling again. At least next week I will have a short experience with it, when I go to Portugal to visit Jose and Isa, friends of the family. I look forward to their hospitality and the Portuguese I can once again sound confident in. I only wish Gab could come share it with me.

Today is gorgeous out and I might just take a walk, after I figure out how to order some food! Till soon, Ryan

PS Send your good JUJU to Lisa Podratz, last night she had her baby! Wooo HOOOO!!! (oh yeah it's a girl!)

Friday, February 18, 2005

New post!

My goal in the beginning was to use this Blog for travel and life in general. Then on wino to post things about wine and food. So for now that's what I'll try to do. Check it out and let me know what you think! - ryan

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Hey Everyone!!!!

We heard lots of complaints when we didn't post for awhile. So we posted a lot and guess what now it's our turn to complain! NO COMMENTS? This is a very easy process, at the bottom of each post is a "comments" link. Click this, then make up some user info, so that your registered! Easy then Voila, comment away...an easy way to make fun of our writing or correct our mistakes, or maybe even say something nice. Now some of you have done this in the past, and so we're hoping you didn't forget how. The nice thing is that this is a good way to say hi to both me and Gab in one easy note! Love to all and can't wait to hear back from you all!

Monday, February 14, 2005

Short note while in Toledo

Just an out of place note, we´ll tell more of Toledo when we get a chance to sit down!


In Toledo, our feet hurt and we are tired but very happy! It has been a long day after being up late and then waking up relatively early. I think I need a siesta! So far we've seen 2-3 churches, a Synagogue or two and El Greco's home. Had a lunch that was a little strange, learned how to send back a house wine that was corked. In the end, we have been enjoying being away from the city and the noise. The best part for Gab is that this city is high up and the air is clear making breathing much easier. I 'm not sure what we will do tomorrow but there seems to be an endless supply of churches to see in this town, so we got that going for us. Otherwise, tonight we will most likely have a nice dinner and take it easy and relax. Our room while a bit steep as far as price, seems worth it with a view of the river and a canyon! Maybe a glass of wine and some sleep are in order while we sleep in late before moving on to our church wandering!

Gabriella's Thoughts:

Alright, alright, I'll write some thoughts already!! Sorry for the delay but I have been really overwhelmed as of late and haven't been able to express my thoughts very well by phone, by email or by person.

My feelings have surfaced due to feeling incompetent as a teacher, a language learner and an explorer. Usually when you dive into a learning situation, you are able to point to at least one thing you feel competent in, but right now, I sort of feel a little lost across the board. Although having Ryan with me is fantastic, we have found ourselves getting frustrated over stupid silly things that don't really matter. Why? Maybe because we are desperately trying to control something right now, even if it is how rice should be boiled...yes, we actually had a roe about this. How ridiculous :-)

The fantastic part of this story is that being in Toledo has been absolutely fantastic!!! What an absolutely beautiful city. Ryan is right, the air is beautiful, the architecture is phenomenonal and the vistas are stunning. I think we can conclude from my blogs that I want to head to a smaller city.

My students are what make me the most happy in Madrid. They are really amazing people who just make me happy to get up in the morning. One of my student's went so far as to his English writing assignment on places I should visit in Toledo for the sole purpose of being helpful. Very sweet!
Okay, let me be honest. The biggest reason why I have been frustrated is that I have a six year old student who I cannot teach to. I spent five hours a week with her and she hates me because she doesn't want to learn English. Every single one of my other students are amazing, but this one plagues me with frustration. How do I teach someone who doesn't want to learn?? Again, if anyone knows any fantastic methods, let me know!!!

4th day in Plaza de Mayor


4th day in Plaza de Mayor
Originally uploaded by obiscoito.
Cafe, sunshine, as the world goes by...does life get any better!

Gab in Plaza de Mayor


Gab in Plaza de Mayor
Originally uploaded by obiscoito.
Sitting outside in the Plaza de Mayor, on a beautiful day! It was about perfect!

Ryan with wine over in Toledo


Ryan with wine over in Toledo
Originally uploaded by obiscoito.
Crappy picture of our view, but behind me is a beautiful gorge looking over a river, and the lights in the background are from a resturant high up that probably costs more than my flight to Spain! Oh and by the way the wine I'm drinking is great Tempranillo, or how they call it here, Cencibel.

Temple de Debod Madrid


Temple de Debod Madrid
Originally uploaded by obiscoito.
This is the Egyptian temple in Madrid that I talked about!

Lots of Updates Days 2 and 3

So up to now I haven’t taken the time to find out where or how to upload from the laptop. Funny enough I’m finding wireless signals everywhere but for some reason I can’t connect too many of them, with one exception. Problem being it was on a busy street corner by a metro stop! Oh well, so on to the up dates! So far I have walked around all of the Historical Center, and I have the blisters to prove it! Basically this is what happened, the first night I was here after a short nap Gab came home to pick me up and we went downtown to have a nice dinner together. A friend had mentioned a restaurant for Paella and so off we went in search of it. This led us to a busy place and when asked if we had a reservation, Gab, without noticing that he was pointing to the reservation book, told him “Si, Si”, fortunately I wasn’t totally wasted from the flight and I figured out what he wanted and promptly let him know we didn’t. This led to a short wait before being ushered into a very empty back dining room; we’re not quite sure what they had a wait for, maybe to flip a coin to see who would have to wait on the crazy foreigners! Anyways, to the dinner, we started with some small treats, anchovies, and manchego, along with a Rose by Torres, which was crisp with a fleshy berry quality that was very refreshing. We did order the Paella, but when the bill arrived we learned one of our first lessons, Paella is not that cheap, and they charge the price on the menu per person eating it. Oh well, it was our “special” meal together after a long 6 weeks apart, by the way it was delicious even if we didn’t finish it all. Eating with Gab then always leads to the inevitable desert plate and some coffee…Cream puffs? Eh, I think I’ll pass, but Gab seemed to like them. After this and with Jet lag slowly creeping up on me we decided to go for a walk so as to orient myself a bit with where I would most likely be walking around on the following day while Gab is in class. Beautiful town, we went to the main square where the Bear and the Strawberry tree are, Madrid’s national symbol? Don’t ask I’m still trying to find something to help explain it to me. Anyways, then on to a main square, “Plaza de Mayor”, a big square with the obligatory Famous person on a Horse and lots of murals! I did have one goal on my first night in Spain and that was to have a Sherry, so after practicing the correct way to say Sherry we headed into a bar that Gab had been to on her first night. Fortunately my total lack of Spanish paid off and wouldn’t you know it my first words of Spanish were both alcohol related and correct: Un Jerez (pronounced he-rethz) por favor! It worked and well the Sherry was just what the doctor ordered, dry, vibrant, and delicious. So we headed out and back to our new home (room) to sleep off some Jet lag. I finally did meet Txopo and Janelle that night at different times, both seem to be great future roommates.

Day two, Gab was able to put off a couple of classes so that we could have a morning together. This consisted of sleeping in as long as possible with walls of paper and city that wakes up at 7 or so, followed by a breakfast of Chorizo stuffed frittatas. Small kitchen, dishes that need up grading but you need to work with what you got, so I guess I’ll make do. Anyways this was a great way to start my first day in a new home, relaxed and with my honey. Gab had class around noon or so and left me alone to find my way downtown to do some exploring, and exploring I did do. To be on the safe side and to orient my self fully I headed back to the square we were at last night, with the goal of heading out from there to discover all that I ran into. I didn’t do too badly either, I was able to get there in about the time a local native might, and without consulting a map save the metro layout. It was a chilly day with some sun and on and off sprinkles, but nice overall. In short the day was a blur as I went out from the Plaza de Mayor in various directions to get lost and the would try to find my way back without getting further lost, at times a bit of a challenge as no road is straight and quite often you would find yourself back where you started after going a what was thought to be a straight line! To summarize this is what I saw: Lots of churches, Lots of fountains, a “confería de sardine” parade (Imagine lots of men and women in black capes with tall top hats marching a whistling whilst carrying a large stuffed sardine on a pole! Not sure what it all stood for), Lots of Moroccans who seemed hell bent on selling me some “Pot, man!”, Lot’s of “fashion” both the good and the bad side of it, Lot’s and lots of bars (it is said that given an infinite amount of time and an extra liver one would never be able to visit all of them), Lot’s of speeding vehicles, A few prostitutes (actually surprisingly they were some of the better fashion out there, not sure what that says for anything). Things I didn’t see: Bathrooms!!! No public bathrooms…No wonder the parks smell like piss!
I did stop for a beer at one place, a supposed Belgium beer bar, it took some courage to figure out just what to say to get the beer I wanted, the following is the dialogue that commenced:
Me: “Uh, Una Cerveza bel-gium-i-ca, por-favor”J
Barkeep: “Una cerveza Belgico?”
Me: “Si”
Barkeep: “Sabe Erdinger(a German beer)?”
Me: “Si….”
Barkeep disappears…returns with tall Erdinger!
Me: “Gracias”L
Oh well I almost did it, and hell who cares Erdinger is not to shabby anyways, it was even followed by a couple of free Tapas…So who am I to complain!

Anyways later that night I headed back to the place that me and Gab were at the first night for sherry, just to see if familiarity bred patience, my plan to have a coffee, sherry and some tapas before meeting up with Gab. Well it went well, and with very little in the way of words I got a coffee and set about reading some of the Lonely Planets(a travel guide) guide to the food of Spain. So time goes by and I’m getting hungry so I decide to syke myself up and get ready to order tapas, well with a few questions and some finger pointing I have delivered to my table a nice palate of warm Octopus, and Cured ham, along with a glass of Manzanilla (dry sherry)! Wooo HOOO…Proud be me and so tasty be the food, I quickly gobbled away when Gab calls to see if I want to head home, nope! So I talked her into stopping by on her way home from work to have a nibble which she did and a little vino tinto. All was good, that is until I found out that ham in a tourist local and octopus too tend to cost a lot! So glad that Gab and her wallet showed up and I learned to be a bit more careful next time not to mention remembering that “Cuanto costo”(how much is that), may pay off in more than one way!

On our way home Gab and I decided we would try to cook something for the roommates for the usual late night feast. Lesson number, aw f*!#@ it, too many to count and more every minute; don’t shop for fish at the local grocery store, nor produce or well edibles in general. In a culture so rich in food history and tradition you wonder why they would have groceries that are so lacking in quality! Oh well, we ended up with some “Halibut” my derrière, and some assorted veggies, what we made ended up a nice mushy fish with crisp wilted vegetables dressed with a nice (the best part) roasted garlic vinaigrette! Oh well all the roommates thought is was amazing and I guess in the end if they liked this the bar has been set low enough that the next round should make us a shoe in for free rent! Once again to bed by 1 or so, it seems weird right now but when I think back on it, when Gab was waiting tables our lives were very similar, so I guess in time it will start to make sense to me again! Hasta Mañana!
I know I’m being a bit over done for now, writing about every single thing for the most part, but having gone through this in Brasil, I found it not only a good way to get out some frustrations but also to have a nice log to look at and laugh at down the road. So for now: DAY 3
Starts out like any other day, just kidding, but seriously got up early as Gab had an early class. Made coffee, ate something and headed out to walk some more. Me and Gab were to meet up for lunch near where she had to teach, and I thought it would be fun to get lost and then try to find this place that I had never been before. Did I mention that the roads aren’t straight? Oh and that the maps none the less make the roads look straight? Oh and that the maps don’t bother with many of the small roads that you might wander down? Well who needs ‘em, I’ve got a compass in my head, and while this seemed to work ok I think luck might have had something to do with it as I ended up where I needed to be a hour and half early! Oh well, wander on…problem…remember the walking I did the other day? Well, I feel better for it, but my feet seem to be organizing strike talks and there opening offer was a blister the size of Texas that decided to make itself known about the time I got to the bottom of a big hill that looked interesting! Ugh, so I sat for a bit, and then a bit more, while getting up the energy to go back up the hill (did I mention that it was BIG?) to meet Gab. Moving on I made it and we sat down to a mellow lunch at a good price, a glass of wine is included with every sandwich, my kind of thinking. One thing though on a deeper note, during lunch we both began to see in each other the problems inherent in packing up everything, leaving all that you know and moving to a place you’ve never been and know nothing about. Gab started to confess that it was harder than she thought it would be, and I confessed that it’s scarier that I thought also. By no means was this a talk of throwing in the towel, but rather a moment where we saw that we still were sitting at the bottom of that hill, wondering where we’ll find the strength to start up it. In my heart I know we will, but I think these little moments of doubt help us in the end to focus in on what we need to do a little better.
Anyways, off I go again, blister and all, but this time either jet-lag or walking was starting to get to me as I noticed an unusually high yawn index settling in upon me. But that won’t stop Ryan, especially when there is an Egyptian temple to explore down the road! No the Egyptians were not in Madrid, at least as far as anyone I’ve spoken to knows, but rather this was some kind of gift to the Archeological society of Madrid from Cairo as thanks for helping them in saving some other old stones, that must have been a bit more important that these. Though impressive, I will say, they did seem to not quite fit into the surroundings and I quickly moved on blister and all to the nearest Metro stop to get home just in time to take part in one of my favorite Spanish traditions-SIESTA!!! Ah a nap in the middle of the day, what joy oh joy! Not to mention the eye shade and earplugs I had for the plane where sleep evaded me, helped substantially in keeping out the rumblings of neighbor’s goings on which stop at no walls, at least in our apartment.
Now to put this in perspective, I probably got to bed later than the average Spaniard but I awoke around 6 and there was nothing to do so I went for a walk. Gab doesn’t get home till 8 or so and dinner will not even be thought of until 10 or so, with this in mind I ventured out to see what our neighborhood held. The answer: Not much, oh wait about 52 bars, 5 supermarkets, throw in a few banks, mattress store, internet access points and maybe a car dealer or two and that’s what you have in the 6 or so block radius I walked that night, if only I could find a drink!;) Gab did get home around 8 and the roommates decided later on to make some Burrito like concoctions, that turned out quite good, and then we sat about and shot the shit, while explaining some of our language frustrations, and social miscues. All in all a good 3rd day…

Stay tuned for Day four, when I meet a friend of a friend. I drink more sherry. I finally cook something edible, at least in my opinion. Oh and we prepare for our trip south to Toledo (not Ohio, much more perrrrty!). Till soon, Ryan

Friday, February 11, 2005

Hey all

Boy do I have posts for you, probably 3-4 pages worth the problem is Im having a hard time getting them from the computer to the web, long story but I think I may have it solved. So anyways just a quick note to let you all know we are alive, and rested. So far I have walked all over the city trying to see as much as possible, the only problem is I haven't gone into many things as i rather wait for a chance so that me and Gab can experience them together. She's very busy with teaching and is tired a lot, with all the traveling she does. This weekend we are going to go to Toledo which is south of here, and spend sat and sun nights. Hopefully relaxed, for thos of you who know El Greco the painter, this is the town he did most of his work from and where he eventually died. I'm looking forward to spending some time with Gab where she doesn't have to think of work. I've been meeting her for lunch everyday and well it will be nice for her to wander a bit too. She really hasn´t had a chance since she's been here. Oh well, I should run, I'll try to get my posts up, and I´ll try to do them chronologically, so look for back posts. Also I'll try to get Gab to send a note soon..love to all

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

A quick note

I alive and in Spain! I have a long post to put up about the last few days and will do that when I find a way to do it! I need to figure out the computer situation! Otherwise me and Gab had a nice dinner last night and just hung out a lot! God I missed her, and it felt good to cuddle up and just hang out again. Everything is a bit strange for now, and Iĺl up date you on my adventures soon...Love to all, ryan

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

A lot of updates and thoughts

So a quick update on what’s been going on. First off the Sat befote I departed the Parents decided to take me out to dinner my choice….So to try something different before I left we decided to try Al Vento. It’s a new Italian place that has been getting lot’s of good reviews. In my opinion well worth the praise. We got there and tried to get a tasting menu put together, and after a lot of batering we were successful, bring on the food! To start I had brought 2 wines a highly rated Vouvray and a Barbera d’asti both of which ran about 25 dollars. Quickly we were given a small round of baguette with a two olive tapenade on it, very rich and a bit overpowering but well worth it. Almost on top of this we moved to a samller plate of their appetizers, yum, phillo dough wrapped prawn in a pickled eggplant compote. Next a small crap cake with more crab than dough and nice treat and surprise with some yummy sauces drizzled around. On the same plate we had a small baguette round with a raw salmon and pineapple treat, perfect and in the end I was surprised how much the wine went with everything. Incredible how the pineapple melded with the wine. After a brief pause we were set to have a celery root salad, thin strips stacked with parmesean and drizzled with olive oil and lemon adding a touch of basil to round it out. This was probably my favorite part of the meal, crisp delicate and full of flavor, maybe if mom used celery root instead of celery I could eat her cashew hot dish! Moving on my mom’s favorite was next with parpadelle(sp?) paste very thin and with a bit of resistance in every bite, surrounded by a duck slow cooked in wine and toseed with a red sauce! Outstanding, and the Barbera did a fine job of opening up as we progressed through this part of the meal. It was getting buiser and as time went on we saw long breaks between courses, then next was a lamb chop with a sprig of asparagus and on top a pile of mashed potatoes infused with porcini mushrooms, surrounded by a pool of fresh marinara sauce. Wow! Again a hit and at this point we were ready for desseert, but much to our surprise that would not be the next course. Instead, al dente steaks of squid on garlicky spinach and white beans! My dad thought with his eyes closed he might mistake it for real steak though I thought it had just a tinge of a fish quality not over done but right on. Very rich and more than the 2 small pieces we had I think would have pushed us over the edge. Finally desert, having finished our wine we had a small pour of a Vin Santo de Sangiovese that was the most beautiful pinkish hue! Our desert was of tiramisu and pistachio custard where the pistachios’s out weighed the custard. You couldn’t picka better ending to a meal. So with a quick coffee to round it out we had just finished one memeorable dinner on what was to be my last night out in Minneapolis for a long time. Thank you ma and pa!

Superbowl Sunday

Tired and anxious I decided to meet Elly out for one last breakfast. After much debate we ended up at Café 28 a local restaurant a friend owns near by where Gab and I lived the past few years. Perfect is all I have to say, a fitting way to say goodbye though we did the goodbyes in the parking lot of the Target store in St.Louis Park. I needed to pick up some last minute things and Elly needed to get a few things too, so that is where the last hug tookplace, I’ll miss her, she’s supported me through some hard times, and shared a lot of good ones. I can’t wait to see her again and know that she will always be in my heart. The superbowl was a blur barring the sweet gesture of Gab by sending a friend with a bottle of wine for a good bye gift! Moet Chandon White Star, always good and always a nice way to wrap things up. So today I made the last of my phone calls, including Grandma Anderson who wondered what I might do in Greece, at the least she realized that I was going and it was good to talk to her one last time. Rushing forth the next few hours were a blur, not much to report other than that I didn’t get a good chance to say goodbye to the parents as we were at the drop off spot and they don’t like you to linger….For them I say thank you for putting up with me one last time, for any extended length. You both made my last month easy, and I only havfe one hope, that the next time I visit your freezer will be full of Un-salted butter and Fresh stock!!! Thank you both and know that I love you very much!

All that is left is my flight, uneventful other than a louds pair of twin babies, I didn’t get any sleep and needed it dearly, as I type waiting for my connecting flight to Madrid the room is spinning and I feel like I might fall off my seat. Stress and excitement fill me and I look forward to the first deep kiss from my sweetie/lover/ and best friend. This is it a start to a whole new life. Walking through the airport in Amsterdam I realized that It’s a different world, no more English as a given, I see this as a plus in most respects but my experience in Brasil is washing up on me as I remember the struggles, though worth while they were never easy. Thanks to everyone for the support you’ve shown and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. The roller coaster ride has officially begun, hold your hands high, scream a little, but remember go with the flow, the safety bar(my friends and family) won’t let me fail! Gab here I come!!!! Love you

Monday, February 07, 2005

About to jump on the Plane

Next post from Amsterdam or Madrid!!! See you all soon...Ryan

Horoscope

Today's Horoscope 2/7/05
Holiday Mathis, Star and Tribune
For Ryan: Aries
The light bulb of inovation clicks on for you, birghtening your outlook and helping you see your path more clearly. Don't be surprised if it leads you to another country! Your wanderlust is paging. Will you answer?

Ironic, no?
Stayed tuned for updates on my wanderlust!

-Ryan

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Last night with Friends

SO it all started around 5:30, me and roger drove downtown to meet people at Ruyons for The best buffalo wings in town. No one was there so we ordered about 10lbs worth and a couple of beers and shot the shit for a good hour! If you haven't had them yet Runyons does have the best wings in MLPS, Order them extra crispy and get an extra blue cheese and you'll think you died and went to heaven. Crisp, meaty, tangy and just hot enough to make you sweat without making you bleed! Washed down with a cold beer and life is good.

So after a few phone calls for directions or location details, the first to show was Mr. Bradley Magerkurth, known as the beer man to many and to others as, well I shouldn't go into that! Anyways a couple of more beers and we headed to Café Havana with 4 more people in tow, Elly, David, Pedro, Greg, Dr.Jeff, and Martha on the way. Well much to my chagrin they were packed with people and unknowingly to us a harbinger of things to come. With some basic debate and a little hemming and hawing, oh and wondering what had happened to Brad, we ended up heading to Nami, Gab's last place of employment. At this point, with Runyons a 10 step walk from Café Havana and Nami a block further, we realized that we didn't have Brad, and after a short phone call realized Brad had headed to his car a drove to the following locations! Oh well into Nami we went as Brad struggled to find another "money" parking spot.

Well Nami was packed and the staff a bit harried, as they all were excited to talk but moving at the same time. Asking if a group of 8 could squeeze in the receptionist gave a me smile and a we could put you on the list response, with out much enthusiasm for success in the next hour or so Not wanting to leave we all ponies up to a crowed bar and got some beer sand sake! Life is better now, and after running into John the new front end manager after our friend Lisa's departure, he made it known that we would find our selves sitting soon, one way or another. Well he was right, when a no show party of 10 failed to call, John said screw it and we were in for some great sushi. Fortunately Vanessa, a good friend of Gab's was waiting on us, and we ended up leaving our menu in her hands. It was great we all started off with an Oyster, not Kumumoto, and then went on to 5 different rolls, and 4 different Nigiri, not to mention some Edamame. Awesome and for some reason it didn't seem to all make it onto the final bill? Oh one last treat the uni was supposed to be great and with some cajoling and explaining about the taste (like going down on a mermaid) and texture (likewise) Jeff and me split an order to round out the meal. Wow I've never had uni like this; creamy like a fish ice-cream it melted in the mouth with a rich sweetness. Great night so far, not to mention my sake glass kept refilling before my eyes, thanks Vanessa! At this point we were joined by Jeffboo and Renate, who quick had a drink before we headed out the door to Jitters.

Jitters is across the river and probably a mile hike and while I wasn't sure about walking that far, it was warm out and we had Brad serenading us, or so he thought, all the way there.

So far the night had been perfect, though we did lose Jeff after the Sushi, ski patrol in the morning, I'm glad he made for the time he was there. When arriving at jitters our curse of the crowd was to be realized again, though Jeff Radnich was there at the bar and promptly handed me a drink to easy my, well no I really was pretty eased at this point. But off we went to stand and chat while listening to the singer. Erin Schawb for those who don’t know, is unbeknownst to her the reason I understand the piano bar, and have come to love it. Many moons ago while in funky moods and not knowing what to do me and Gab on a whim had stopped at Jitters to get a drink and not knowing wandered into a sing along led by Erin, well tonight she was back, and better than ever. Shortly we did land a table and we quickly found ourselves singing at the top of our lungs to show tunes and the like.

The high point of the evening came when Elly sent up a note explaining my impending departure and requesting a song to say goodbye with; Erin shouting out to find where our group was, took and dedicated "Leaving on a Jet Plane", which I always thought was a silly song everyone always sings when someone leaves, but I failed to remember how it still can make the emotions flow. Surrounded by 7 of my best friends all who sang along, and Elly hugging me, I fought hard to keep the floodgates closed. It turned out to be the perfect moment to make this move a bit more real and also to help make me realize all I have as far as friends and support.

The rest of the night was a blur and not so much marked by over consumption but rather Song, dancing, and great friends. As we left Jitters after I gave a personal thank you to Erin and a bit more singing, we headed back towards parked cars, with one last stop. I needed one last look at the Worlds Deadliest Polka Band! WOoooHOOOoooo! Nye's always is good for a laugh and we stopped in for one dance of modified polka and out the door we went. Across the Grainbelt bridge we all sang weather we should have been or not.

It's always hard to say goodbye, and I've had some that weren't very good, either too much or too little partying, usually followed by a morning on a plane hung over! For the first time I have to say this was about perfect. The Company though shabby was the best it could be without the sunshine of Gab to help out. The food was wonderful and I thank the whole Nami staff for helping to make this night great. I guess in the end, it's only in the end when you realize how blessed you are with friends, or rather family. I do hope that in the future I do everything in my power to make sure nights like last night don't just come only a the end, but all the time.

Thanks again to everyone that participated; we'll see you all in Spain, right! Please write and stay in touch, love you all, Ryan....