Well it is a cold, wet weekend and I spent much of my time outdoors at sporting events. On Friday I went out to support the Leeds Rhinos (the local rugby league team) Hot tea in one hand meant I couldn't clap with the other fans around me, but I made up for it with my pathetic attempt at singing. (Mostly I hum along to the familiar tunes.....for example "Oh when the saints go marching in.....") If I could only understand what the chants and songs were saying..... I still struggle to hear past the Yorkshire drawl.
While the Rugby on Friday was fun, my main activity this weekend was the Football game on Saturday. I have been told on several occasions that England has some of the worlds best football teams, and Deborah (my Principal at school) her husband Alistair and their Daughter Eleanor deemed to take me to see my first "Premier" league football match. The premier league being the highest league in the UK, including teams like Manchester United and Liverpool. Unfortunately getting tickets to see any of the top 6 teams would be like winning the lottery....highly unlikely. Well, Alistair mangaged to get tickets to see Wigan (15th) and Tottenham(11th) Loaded with a map, treats and winter wear (it was really cold and windy) we set out to Wigan (west of Manchester) The map wasn't all that great, but it didn't matter as all we had to do was follow the reams of traffic heading into the city center....where else would people be going on a cold Saturday afternoon, if not to the football game!!!
The game started quickly with both teams scoring a goal within the first 10 minutes. Wigan played an amazing 2nd half and deserved to win, but they manged to hit the crossbar on an open net that cost them the win and gave them the tie. Maybe next time....
Every game I've been to, wether it was rugby or football, has one end of the stands designated as the oppostions seats. The opposition fills one congregated section so that they can raise their voices with power against the cheering of the home town fans. (also to protect them from being hurt if they were mixed in with the hometown fans) It is wild!!! Normally the opposition section jeers back and forth with the section of local fans that sits closest to them. (with a horde of police and security officers between them) It seems as if they aren't even watching the game, they are so busy singing and chanting back and forth at each other.
Thank you Deborah, Alistair and Eleanor for taking me with you. I had a great time!!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Slip n' Slide Ultimate
Well I have joined a local Ultimate team....local being two cites away in Sheffield. (30 miles from Leeds) I met them for my first 3 hour practice on Saturday April 12th. If you have ever played an outdoor sport in Calgary you would know that it doesn't take much for them to close the fields due to rain....not so in England. It had been raining since Thursday and was still raining as I arrived in Sheffield....but practice did not get canceled. I laced up my "cleats" and walked out to meet my new teammates, surprised to find that my feet were sinking into the grassy field up to my ankles. Surely we wouldn't play!!!! About 30 minutes into practice it was impossible to see who was on which team as every one was covered in mud from diving for the disc or just slipping in the wet grass. I have never had so much fun! The rain wasn't cold as long as you were running, and the mud added a new aspect to the game.....nobody could run far or fast! I can't wait to go to our tournment in Cardiff this weekend...I am sure the weather will be much better....but I am bringing several changes of clothing just in case!!
I spend Sunday in Haworth, the village where the Bronte Sisters grew up and lived. All three sisters were published authors but you may remember that Emily Bronte wrote "Wuthering Heights" while Charlotte Bronte wrote "Jane Eyre". The small town and museum were cute and worth the visit. I have purchased a copy of "Wuthering Heights" from the house (which is now the museum) where Emily wrote it. Never having read it before, I will let you know my thoughts when I am finished.
I spend Sunday in Haworth, the village where the Bronte Sisters grew up and lived. All three sisters were published authors but you may remember that Emily Bronte wrote "Wuthering Heights" while Charlotte Bronte wrote "Jane Eyre". The small town and museum were cute and worth the visit. I have purchased a copy of "Wuthering Heights" from the house (which is now the museum) where Emily wrote it. Never having read it before, I will let you know my thoughts when I am finished.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Spending Easter in SPAIN
Dave ( a friend from Calgary) and I went to Spain for my Easter break!!
And any time you travel with someone new there is a period of "Learning". ....... Learning how the other prefers to travel, tour and relax.
Anyone who has traveled with me learns quickly that I like to walk everywhere. There is only one reason that I insist on doing so much walking....to burn off the calories of the LAST meal so that I feel less guilty about the NEXT meal. In fact the only reason I excercise at all is so that I can eat freely. My one rule in traveling has always been to avoid eating at an establishment I could find in CANADA (Subway...McDonald's...etc) I assume ALL others feel the same way as me (I can be very small minded about somethings) Dave, on the other hand doesn't travel to eat, he travels to see the sites. So he prefers to eat at McDonalds, knowing that he can fill a void in his stomach as quickly as possible leaving him more time to see the next tourist attraction. All I have to say is that we had to learn to compromise over the food issue, I would drag him into some Spanish restaurant where the staff didn't speak any English and then the next meal we would go to McDonalds (or something similar) where we didn't need our Spanish phrase book to figure out the menu.
Writing about food has reminded me of two times where my LACK of Spanish, left me with something I didn't mean to order. In Taragona I ordered a "glass" of wine and got the whole bottle! Dave doesn't drink and this meant that I had to finish the whole bottle myself......I do love a challenge. Dave didn't think I could do it, but I showed him!!
The other time was in Sevilla, where after our meal the waiter came to our table and rattled of something in Spanish. I assumed he was offering a choice of after dinner drinks...tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Well I recognized the word for chocolate and thought "hey why not have a hot chocolate". Well the drink never came, but I wasn't disappointed as the waiter brought out the hugest piece of chocolate cake, drenched in a warm chocolate sauce....hmmmm.
My lack of Spanish also caused a problem on the train to Sevilla. The toilet had a funny button on the outside, which I pressed and it let me into the facilities. Once inside I was faced with 4 funny buttons, all of which had instructions written in Spanish....I couldn't tell which one was "lock" or "Close" or "help I am Stuck". I had to call Dave over to stand by the door so that nobody got in from the outside....who knew I would need the Spanish phrase book just to pee!!
Our travels took us from Barcelona to Madrid, then on to Valencia and ending in Sevilla. My favorite parts of Barcelona involved the art work by Gaudi. The Guadi park and the Casa Batillo had amazing examples of his sculptures and decoration. Well worth the cost of admission. (The Sangrada Famila was a beautiful church right outside our hotel that is a must see!!) We also did a day trip from Barcelona to Taragona. A small town south of the city which was founded by the Romans. You can still see the original ampitheatre and walled town built by the Romans hundreds of years ago. Well worth it!!
Madrid was great because we were there over the Easter weekend, and Dave and I (being practicing Catholics) were blown away by the reverence given to this weekend. From the packed churches to the crowds watching the multiple street processions, the city was alive with a Christian spirit. The museums were also very good. I especially enjoyed the Thyssen Museum, although the Prado Museum is the one everyone talks about. Don't forget to tour the Football stadium, it has a very good museum as well.
Valencia was all about slowing down. Dave and I rented bikes and cycled down the main park to the beaches on the Mediterranean. We putzed around enjoying the change of pace from Madrid and Barcelona. We didn't realize it until we were actually there, but the Cathedral in Valencia holds the Chalice from Christ's "Last Supper" WOW!!
I convinced Dave to take a tourist boat that went around the "Port of America" I didn't tell Dave that the small cruise included all the wine and mussells you could eat for 13€.....Dave doesn't eat seafood or drink.....all the more for ME!!
After a long train ride, we arrived in Sevilla. All of the cities had many beautiful churches, my favorites being in Sevilla. The Cathedral Y Giralda housed the tomb of Christopher Columbus, and the Basilica Macerena was just peaceful and all encompassing (I could have spent hours there in quiet reflection). Sevilla is famous for is muslim/moorish influences, which can best be seen in the palace Real Alcazar....a definite must see (Take a picnic lunch with you to enjoy in the extensive park behind the palace). We took the time to see a show with Flemenco dancing and Spanish guitar which was beautiful We also went to a bullfight.....which was barbaric...I have never seen something so cruel.
Each city we went to was very different. I couldn't tell you which was my favorite....they were all beautiful and fun and interesting. All of them very Spanish, but none of them the same. I am convinced that I need to learn to speak Spanish so that I can come back to Spain and experience it less from the touristy side. Carmen, sign us up for Spanish lessons in the Fall!!
Anyone who has traveled with me learns quickly that I like to walk everywhere. There is only one reason that I insist on doing so much walking....to burn off the calories of the LAST meal so that I feel less guilty about the NEXT meal. In fact the only reason I excercise at all is so that I can eat freely. My one rule in traveling has always been to avoid eating at an establishment I could find in CANADA (Subway...McDonald's...etc) I assume ALL others feel the same way as me (I can be very small minded about somethings) Dave, on the other hand doesn't travel to eat, he travels to see the sites. So he prefers to eat at McDonalds, knowing that he can fill a void in his stomach as quickly as possible leaving him more time to see the next tourist attraction. All I have to say is that we had to learn to compromise over the food issue, I would drag him into some Spanish restaurant where the staff didn't speak any English and then the next meal we would go to McDonalds (or something similar) where we didn't need our Spanish phrase book to figure out the menu.
Writing about food has reminded me of two times where my LACK of Spanish, left me with something I didn't mean to order. In Taragona I ordered a "glass" of wine and got the whole bottle! Dave doesn't drink and this meant that I had to finish the whole bottle myself......I do love a challenge. Dave didn't think I could do it, but I showed him!!
The other time was in Sevilla, where after our meal the waiter came to our table and rattled of something in Spanish. I assumed he was offering a choice of after dinner drinks...tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Well I recognized the word for chocolate and thought "hey why not have a hot chocolate". Well the drink never came, but I wasn't disappointed as the waiter brought out the hugest piece of chocolate cake, drenched in a warm chocolate sauce....hmmmm.
My lack of Spanish also caused a problem on the train to Sevilla. The toilet had a funny button on the outside, which I pressed and it let me into the facilities. Once inside I was faced with 4 funny buttons, all of which had instructions written in Spanish....I couldn't tell which one was "lock" or "Close" or "help I am Stuck". I had to call Dave over to stand by the door so that nobody got in from the outside....who knew I would need the Spanish phrase book just to pee!!
Our travels took us from Barcelona to Madrid, then on to Valencia and ending in Sevilla. My favorite parts of Barcelona involved the art work by Gaudi. The Guadi park and the Casa Batillo had amazing examples of his sculptures and decoration. Well worth the cost of admission. (The Sangrada Famila was a beautiful church right outside our hotel that is a must see!!) We also did a day trip from Barcelona to Taragona. A small town south of the city which was founded by the Romans. You can still see the original ampitheatre and walled town built by the Romans hundreds of years ago. Well worth it!!
Madrid was great because we were there over the Easter weekend, and Dave and I (being practicing Catholics) were blown away by the reverence given to this weekend. From the packed churches to the crowds watching the multiple street processions, the city was alive with a Christian spirit. The museums were also very good. I especially enjoyed the Thyssen Museum, although the Prado Museum is the one everyone talks about. Don't forget to tour the Football stadium, it has a very good museum as well.
Valencia was all about slowing down. Dave and I rented bikes and cycled down the main park to the beaches on the Mediterranean. We putzed around enjoying the change of pace from Madrid and Barcelona. We didn't realize it until we were actually there, but the Cathedral in Valencia holds the Chalice from Christ's "Last Supper" WOW!!
I convinced Dave to take a tourist boat that went around the "Port of America" I didn't tell Dave that the small cruise included all the wine and mussells you could eat for 13€.....Dave doesn't eat seafood or drink.....all the more for ME!!
After a long train ride, we arrived in Sevilla. All of the cities had many beautiful churches, my favorites being in Sevilla. The Cathedral Y Giralda housed the tomb of Christopher Columbus, and the Basilica Macerena was just peaceful and all encompassing (I could have spent hours there in quiet reflection). Sevilla is famous for is muslim/moorish influences, which can best be seen in the palace Real Alcazar....a definite must see (Take a picnic lunch with you to enjoy in the extensive park behind the palace).
Each city we went to was very different. I couldn't tell you which was my favorite....they were all beautiful and fun and interesting. All of them very Spanish, but none of them the same. I am convinced that I need to learn to speak Spanish so that I can come back to Spain and experience it less from the touristy side. Carmen, sign us up for Spanish lessons in the Fall!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
My new car
Hopefully it wil last the year!!
