Thanksgiving Weekend

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Luckily I had Stephanie visiting me to help with the homesickness, but both of us were very aware that we were missing out on an American holiday. Our closest attempt at Thanksgiving dinner was to find a restaurant with hamburgers on the menu. We were not expecting hamburgers served on bagels, though... or with salsa. Needless to say, the meal was a little disappointing, but better than it sounds.

We spent the rest of the weekend in Amsterdam. Our hotel was really nice (thanks Stephanie's dad!), and we got snow flurries on Saturday morning, which made the cold weather a little more exciting.

Flurries outside our hotel window

The snow in Amsterdam didn't last long, but back at home everything was still frosty. Looks like the beginnings of a couple of very cold months ahead. This was the frost outside my bedroom window:

Me and Stephanie's weekend project was to make a stop motion video of our pictures from the trip. My camera battery died about one hour in, and we kind of ran out of time. So here is our amateur video... I was hoping for better results, especially with music transitions, but it still matches up well for some parts and was fun to make. 

Antwerpen, België

Statue of Brabo and the giant's hand

The highlight of this weekend was definitely Saturday's day trip to Antwerp, Belgium. The city is named after the myth that a hero cut off a giant's hand because the giant had been forcing people to pay a toll to enter the city, and he would cut off a hand of those who refused. Thus, hantwerpen (hand throwing) evolved into Antwerpen.

Me and a couple of other exchange students decided to head into Belgium on Saturday, and it was an easy two hour train ride to Antwerp. If I'd known what a great city it was I probably would have stayed longer, but I guess I still have time to go back! There was lots to see, and we fit in as much as we could, even knocking one UNESCO world heritage site off my to-do list (Plantin-Moretus Museum, home of printers Plantijn and Moretus). I know all my pictures are just of old buildings that I'm sure don't do the city justice, which is why you should check it out for yourself!

Antwerp Station Centraal - apparently the 4th most beautiful train station in the world

Europe's oldest skyscraper

City Hall and Statue of Brabo and the giant's hand

Guildhouses, 16th c.

Really old buildings

Grote Markt (main square)

The Steen, only remaining portion of Antwerp's fortification.
In front is a Disney poster

Also, I hope everyone at home has a Happy Thanksgiving!
I miss you all, especially with the holidays approaching (much faster than I'd like). Thinking of everyone from home this Thanksgiving. Although, I can safely say that the one thing I will not miss this year is pretzel salad- no offense Cherry family, don't kick me out. Luckily my friend Stephanie Bauman will be coming to visit, so I will be spending my Thanksgiving weekend in Amsterdam with her! It will help console my holiday homesick, but I'll be thinking and missing all of you! Hope it's delicious.

Sinterklaas comes to town

Well folks, Christmas has officially hit the Netherlands. This weekend Sinterklaas came to town- although, he is technically not related to Christmas, according to the Dutch woman on the bus today. If you are unfamiliar with Sinterklaas, this David Sedaris clip should fill you in on the basic ideas of the holiday. The clip is funny, yet accurate to the Dutch tradition. They don't seem to see the humor:

Apparently Sinterklaas arrives, and travels around the Netherlands until his birthday on December 5th. Kids dress up as the helpful black friends of Sinterklaas, which basically just means they smear black stuff all over their faces and look very dirty. McDonald's even gives out bishop's hats with the Happy Meals. Below is a video of Sinterklaas' arrival to the Netherlands this weekend. It's worth watching just to see the dirty-looking children dressed as helpers, as well as hear the strange Dutch holiday songs.

Things have been pretty busy in town since then, since I guess now is when they do all their present shopping. Because they exchange gifts on the 5th rather than the 25th, holiday season is in full swing. The little Dutch alleys are strung with garlands and lights, and it seems unbelievable that it's not even Thanksgiving yet! My goal for the holiday season is to get over to Germany and visit a Christmas market, I hear they're pretty great... A few pictures from around town posted below.

Spain, Part II - El Puerto de Santa María, Puerto Sherry, and Cadiz

After Madrid, Alex and I headed down to the South of Spain, to a little town called El Puerto de Santa María. It's right on the coast as you can see above, although that's another town nearby called Puerto Sherry. We left Madrid and headed south on Halloween, arriving just in time to eat dinner, pick out a (not very exciting) costume, and head into town to celebrate. As the only group of foreigners in the town, the eight or so people in our group were the only ones participating in Halloween. With people's costumes ranging from ghosts to belly dancers, our group of mostly North Americans (US and Canada) definitely got some stares.

The rest of the time in the south was spent visiting a few other small beach towns around the area. We went to Puerto Sherry where we saw some ancient ruins and beautiful beaches, and Cadiz where we saw even more churches and castles, one where Die Another Day was partially shot.

Alex and me enjoying the sun that never shows its face in the Netherlands

Sunset and cruise ship in Puerto Sherry

El Puerto de Santa María bull fighting arena 

Plaza de Toros again

Inside Osborne Sherry

Castle in El Puerto de Santa María, owned by Caballero Sherry

When Alex and I toured the castle in El Puerto de Santa María, we did not expect it to end with a sherry tasting. Because the castle is now owned by Caballero, they include that in the free tour of the castle. We tasted around seven different types of sherry. It was very good, and fun to be drinking the sherry that is native to that region. Although I also have pictures of the Osborne Sherry property above, we missed the tour in English and didn't get to compare the two.

Cadiz Cathedral

In the bell tower

Looking out onto Cadiz

The next three pictures are of the Castillo de Sebastian, where scenes from Die Another Day were filmed. Apparently Cuba was modeled after Cadiz, and because the film was set but could not be filmed in Cuba, Cadiz was the second choice. The tide was way out, but normally there are waves splashing against the bridge and it seems more remote.

The south of Spain, though very different from Madrid, was an interesting glimpse into authentic Spanish culture. It was perfect to have friends there who spoke the language and could guide us around to the best spots in town. We enjoyed the sherry, along with great seafood, seriously needed sunshine, and beautiful beaches. The trip definitely made me reconsider my study abroad location! It was good to come home though, and am now trying to get readjusted to the wind and the rain of fall in the Netherlands.

Spain, Part I - Madrid

The first half of my recent Spanish vacation was spent exploring the wonderful city of Madrid. So wonderful, that I thought it deserved its very own post. If you haven't been, go immediately. The city is full of life and there is so much to see and do, it was impossible to fit it all into our trip. Alex and I spent three nights in Madrid, and stayed in a hostel by Puerta del Sol, which is right in the center of the city.

Our two days in Madrid flew by, but I did most of the things I'd hoped to, and it was a really great trip. While there, we took a guided tour through the city, ate lots of tapas, drank plenty of sangria, visited the Prado and Reina Sofia museums, and ate LOTS of ham!

Plaza Mayor

Oldest restaurant in the world, called Botin... (see next photo)

Royal Palace

Royal Palace

Jamón, or ham

Sangria and tapas

Path in the huge park in Madrid

Leaving Madrid - at the train station

The first half of the trip was a great success, and our feet were very sore. The four hour train ride to the south of Spain was a much needed break from all the walking and sight-seeing we did. The only downside to the Madrid portion of the trip was that we did not really get to experience the Spanish night life. Because we were limited on time and not nearly as dedicated to clubbing as the Spanish, we missed out on a lot of the authentic cultural experiences. We ate dinner at the very UN-Spanish hour of 7:00 most nights, and were already tired when they would be finishing dinner (around midnight). Aside from that, it was a very fun trip that did not end after Madrid.

Another post on our stay in El Puerto de Santa María to come...