“You’re Welcome Week”: Life with the DMG aka “The Doug”

 The past week has just flown by, I tell you! I am finding it harder and harder to believe that it has been nearly 10 months since landing in Valencia. Perhaps, I should take a few moments to reflect on all of the incredible opportunities and experiences I’ve had thus far. It may take a while. Wow. (Lately, I find myself sporadically uttering that single word during the day).

That's right, my loves. Doug brought the goods!

1st Stop in Valencia: Doner Kebab Joint.

Speaking of the “Wow” sensation, I have recently been graced by the presence of my family’s favorite biologically-unrelated person (ever evolving into fictive kin), Douglas “The Doug” Glandon. Though he came for 9 days, which I consider to be an adequate period for vacation, it was arguably not enough. The minute Doug exited the Home Youth Hostel (right next to La Lonja, if any one is interested!), fun times just kept on rolling. Fun really does follow this man, or is it the other way around? It had been far too long.  An evening stroll through Valencia was in order; and apparently, so was a Doner Kebab.

Doug and I in La Plaza de Ayuntamiento

My certainty of the greatness that is Mr. G was reinforced after that first conversation with Ruben and Katie. This right here, ladies and gentlemen, is an upstanding man, honest, responsible, respectful, thoughtful, culturally sensitive, self aware, deliberate in his actions and passionate about life and people. Dare I continue?

The next few days just flew by. It was interesting visiting the Mercat Central, the City of Arts and Sciences, Malvarosa Beach, El Rio (Parque Turia), The City Center:

A few memorable times:

- Sampling Jamon Iberico (75 Euros) after sampling Jamon Serrano (18 Euros). Why such a huge discrepancy in price? I guess you’ll have to see.

- Doug samples Valencian Horchata (Orxata) TWICE; the Mercat Central and City of Arts and Sciences* (much better the second time around).

Introducing Doug to Paella Valenciana at Malvarosa Beach

“Why do people automatically assume that I want a Heineken when I ask for a beer?”
Man on the beach selling beer, whispers in Doug’s ear: “Beer, Cerveza”. Memorable moment, indeed.

Sweet scene, watching the kids run around on the beach in their Sunday’s best (most of which were celebrating their First Communion).

“Lo que lleva por dentro” – Cool piece of art at one of my favorite cafés in Benimaclet.
Sage Tea is a definitely a winner!

- Doug savors the night life: Doug's First “Wine Tasting” (or was it “Wine Drinking”?) in Spain

- We decided to go for a run through Parque Turia on Sunday morning. We arrived to (incidentally) at the same time the pistol went off for Valencia’s annual MARATON POPULAR, A 7K race. 

We were literally running in step with those running in the race. We agreed to give it a whirl. I mean, why not? 7 Kilometers later, after running around the perimeter of Old Valencia, Doug had put me to shame – bolting towards the finish line for the last bit of the race. Yay for Free Shirts and Spanish “Gatorade”.

- While I was at work, Doug wasted no time; day trip to Xativa, el Oceanografic (One of the finest aquarium’s in Europe and arguably in the world). 

The Superchivito! Doug, you did NOT know what you were getting in to!

May 2011 Passive Protest, Plaza de Ayuntamiento

May 2011, Plaza de Ayuntamiento. Arguably the Most significant peaceful protest in Spain in almost a decade.

A few personal observations a la DGM: lots of younger generations becoming more politically active now, colored with protesting kids. Different groups identifying as anti-government. They desire a more representative democracy. As of right now, there appears to be No prominent message and no solutions. Hey, maybe they’re just getting warmed up.

By 8 PM, the crowd had tripled and mostly every one was seated on the ground. Clapping, cheering, hands in the air were happening.

I received an update after elections from a close friend who was running for office:

Juanvi, our ever developing lobbyist

Quiz time: Find the Meaning behind this message!

“The elections were exhausting, but it was a very interesting experience. Regarding the results, we were voted by nearly 10% of Valencians, so only 3 people entered in the "Ple de l'Ajuntament"; but we are still the third political force in the Valencian Community. The Partido Popular have won almost of Spain's Townhall and autonomous community.”

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CHECK OUT this mean crepe. Yes, this is an egg situated at the very center.

Post-Protest. Time for food with Juanvi! We decided to take a stab at a popular restaurant in La Plaza de la Reina, which is particularly famous for their crepes.

A few days later, Doug and I were preparing for a single day trip we had literally planned less than a week before on a whim.

Yes, people, we were headed to Ibiza!

Brilliant move on Doug’s part to reserve a hostel. It would have been pure insanity to pull an all-nighter in Ibiza, particularly with school the following day. Kudos to Doug for finding a HOSTEL right next to the water. We had a spacious room featuring a flat screen TV and a private bathroom. We even had a terrace!

- Interesting Experience at the Pharmacy “There is no point in living if you don’t smoke, don’t drink and you don’t…”

- Sampled bottle of famous Ibizan wine at the Catedral; beautiful view!

5 Fun Facts about Ibiza

A part of the glorious Mediterranean region, Ibiza is a part of the Balearic Islands, which also includes Mallorca (Majorca), Menorca and an ever so tiny neighbor – Formentera 

The island lies at almost the exact same distance between Barcelona on the Spanish mainland, and Algiers on the North African coast. It’s certainly not for any insignificant reason that Ibiza has become one of the worlds most sought after tourist destinations. It is a land primarily made up of exquisite beaches, green expanses and of course an abundance of sunshine. In recent times there has been some concern about the environmental effects of the tourist-friendliness of the island. But Ibiza is still a great vacation spot to get away from it all. Here are some factual tidbits to wet your interest.

1. An intriguing name. If you have ever wondered about the name of this place and found it intriguing, here’s something to make it more so. When Ibiza city was founded, in 654 BC, it was called IBSM (Ibosim). How’s that for exotic?
2. Santa Eulalia and San Carlos. Ibiza has many municipalities and each of these is a charming world unto itself. To experience the true magic and energy of Ibiza, you will need to break away from the well trodden tourist paths and embark on discoveries for yourself. One enchanting discovery will be Santa Eulalia, which has a lovely miniature town, and at its highest point stands the Puig de Missa, a beautiful church. This is a must-see both for the building’s own charm and the amazing views from it. Another secret that Santa Eulalia holds is the village of San Carlos, the last hippy bastion in Ibiza . 

3. Local Specialties. Since Ibiza caters so much to tourists from far flung parts of the world, its cuisine too reflects this quality. Western style food is available everywhere, but if you suddenly want a taste of even Argentina or Mexico, you just need to head over to eat outs such as La Vaca Argentina or Tijuana and fill up to your heart’s desire. However, having said all that, it would be a great loss to leave Ibiza without trying out one of the island’s own specialty dishes such as the bullit de peix, an inspired fish dish, or the borrida de rajada. And for dessert, you simply must try the flaó (cream tart with fresh cheese, eggs, and mint). You’ll be glad you did!
4. Festa del Vi Payés. A wonderful event that features both on the culinary and social calendars of Ibiza is the Festa del Vi Payés in honor of Bacchus, the god of wine. What’s even better is that, in addition to the excellent wines that flow generously, sobrasadas (a heavily spiced sausage) and butifarras from the pig slaughter that just precedes this festival are grilled outdoors over wood fires. A perfect accompaniment for the wines. The Festa del Vi Payés (Country Wine Festival) was the brainchild of the enterprising small scale wine producers of the region who realized that bottled wine was beginning to take over the market, leaving little or no room for authentic indigenous wines. Over time, their efforts have paid off not only with increased sales of local wines, but also with the creation of a social event which attracts over five thousand people, to a village with a population numbering less than 400. You tell me if you would like to miss that.

5. Ibiza Nightlife. The greatest attraction of Ibiza is the nightlife and the fact that on the island the party never stops! The nightlife hotspots are concentrated in the Puerto de Ibiza (Port of Ibiza), also called La Marina and the West End of San Antonio. La Marina is chock full of bars and each of them is well worth a visit. A good place to refine your bar hopping skills. They are also a lot more inexpensive than the clubs. The hippie flea market which is just a little way off adds to the very local charm of this place. If you’d like to shake a leg at a disco, the island’s three premier haunts, Privilege, Amnesia and Space will not disappoint. So when you hear Ibiza calling, pack your bags and go! The island will bewitch your senses and weave its spell around you. It promises to be the holiday of a lifetime.

Our next stop: Lisbon, Portugal.

I was definitely not expecting flying in plane with only 18 other passengers.
Open cockpit, sleepy co-pilot, and propeller blade approximately 8 inches from my crony’s face.

 We arrived at Lisbon’s Poets Hostel, a lovely place strategically located 5-10 minutes from all major historical sites, the train/bus station, restaurants, etc. in the city center.

I found a hammock. A HAMMOCK in the lounge area.

We were greeted by Andrea, a jovial young lady who spent quite a bit of time ensuring that we were fully aware of “the best” Lisbon has to offer (completely subjective, but we went for it. We were not disappointed.) that all of her highly recommended drinks, restaurants, activities, clubs, bars, food, day trips, etc.

Bacalhau (dried, salted codfish) in its original form. 

We just "had to" head to the Super Market (to sample the highly recommended, freshmade Bacala) and picked up a few things for dinner! Great bonding session, eh Doug?

Trolley. Extremely hilly city. Painstakingly similar bridges. San Fran or Lisbon?

Subpar, borderline unacceptable Transportation system withstanding, we very much enjoyed stellar historical buildings and monuments, Portuguese landscape and weather.

Props, Mr. Douglas Glandon

Tickets, Tickets everywhere. We received a ticket for everything: toilet ticket, bus ticket, etc.

We passed a few hours in beautiful Belen*.

    Torre de Belem

Monumento de los Descrubimientos

Monstrario de Geronimo (Vasco de Gama buried. Famous portguese navigator who paved the route from Portugal to India).

Stop through Pastelleria (Paisteil de Belem) [GO!]. According to security at the Bakery “This pastry is the 8^th wonder of the world”. We concur. Ah, that cinnamon.

 

We were also offered an assortment of stimulants, hallucinogens, what have you,  pretty consistently during our stay. We Politely Declined.

 Witnessed yet another protest. Aren’t we on a roll!
Sleeping in, I see!

Highly Recommended Drinks (according to Ms. Andrea):

• Ginginha
• Aguardente (usually mixed with something fruity)
• Vinho Verde* (Despite the fact that I never drink, I decided to sample. I am pleased to say that I Highly Recommend Gazela
  We wouldn't dare visit Lisbon with out appraising a bit of the infamous Fado Music. It was indeed time well spent! Fado music reminds me a bit of Flamenco, with out the exceptional dance performance.

Fado (Portuguese: destiny, fate) is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. In popular belief, fado is a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor. However, in reality fado is simply a form of song which can be about anything, but must follow a certain structure. The music is usually linked to the Portuguese word saudade which symbolizes the feeling of loss (a permanent, irreparable loss and its consequent life lasting damage).

Lux Night club. Second Floor Couch and Bar on the Roof! Elegante, no?

Still at Lux. Yes, it is indeed 6 AM. Who's up for a morning jog?

Docas Club Scene (Havana was fantastic)

Castelo dos Mouros in Sintra

 Sintra. This TRULY is a Day Trip. Sintra is a town in Sintra Municipality in Portugal, located in the Grande Lisboa subregion and the Lisbon Region. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of its 19th century Romantic architecture. It has a population of c. 33,000 inhabitants. In 1809 Lord Byron wrote to his friend Francis Hodgson, "I must just observe that the village of Cintra in Estremadura is the most beautiful in the world." (Wikipedia)

It is very easy to get lost in Lisbon with a poorly constructed city map and ambiguous street names. Predictably, Doug and I slightly struggled at the beginning. Fortunately for us, Mr. Glandon has an impeccable sense of direction and actually chose to invest more energy in memorizing locations as opposed to relying on maps. This saved us a considerable amount of time!

Otherwise, our trip would have continued looking a bit like this:

Simultaneously: Doug microanalyzing map, attempting to find any plausible route. Addie asking random people for directions.

 Towards the end of the trip, we were pleasantly surprised upon asking a local for directions. After handing him the map, taking in his response to the questionable map we’d been using for about 2 days (despite the fact that it’s been created for Tourists), the young man admitted that he even he, a life long Lisbon resident, could not navigate the city using this map. “This map sucks”. (Hands it to me nervously). “Just…take it”.

Random/Interesting Observation: higher proportion of Natives who speak English and/or prefer to Speak English to Spanish here in Portugal.

Last (UNPLANNED) stop: The Capital, Madrid

Part IV. A Fulbright “Spring Break: London

Totally not planned: Getting acquainted with London the weekend of the Royal Wedding ! 

Prince William and Kate Middleton on their big day.
Thousands  of people camped out just to witness this "historical event"!

Goal: Avoid crowds at all costs. 

Meet Rory! A fine orator and aspirant Cardiologist!

My first day was nothing short of a blessing. Aside from the 1 hour delay in Amsterdam, everything and every one exceeded my expectations. My new friends were so pleasant, so helpful and generous (Thank you million fold, Molly and Luis, for introducing me to such angels!)

Meet Nadine! You've got a bright future ahead of you
in Forensics, chica bonita. Check Out The "Cucumber" in the Background.

I met up with Nadine and Rory the minute I arrived into London. Luis, you were not kidding. They are AMAZING. I finally met Amy, the beautiful and generous woman Molly has spoken of, at her presumably high caliber salon in central London http://www.rush.co.uk/. With out a second thought, Amy benevolently offered me a safe place to stay during my visit. I’m STILL taken aback by this extreme act of kindness.

Borough Market. GET FAMILIAR! BEST Mustard I've had yet.

I would spend the next 3 hours enjoying the (again, atypical of my host city) sunny, warm day with Nadine (The Smiley undergraduate of Forensic Science) and Rory (Future Cardiologist). We covered quite a bit of ground! 

Here it is, LONDON BRIDGE
Fergie, you've had it ALL wrong I think.

Later on, I met the INFAMOUS Funlola (Fun). Luis has described this powerhouse, actor, Mother Teresa reincarnate individual to a T. I swear, every one kept on getting better and better. 

Tower Bridge. The REAL Deal.

Can I stay here for just another few weeks? Fun and I went to a great café to set up for the weekly “Word” Bible study whilst listening to a lovely playlist. Made a few additional friends, ate delicious food and, I must say, participated in some of the most engaging discussion I’ve had in a bit.

My first experience riding in a British car! Took a little to getting used to, I must admit.

 I love Fun’s intermittent positive reinforcement for insightful comments (“Deep”, she says.) I couldn’t get enough of it. I can’t forget to mention several enlightening conversations with new crony, Wayne (lawyer and PhD student of Theology). What a guy! 

At last, I finally met Buckingham Palace!

St. Paul's Cathedral

By 2 PM the next day, I realized how badly I wanted to prolong my stay in London. I couldn’t ask for a more pleasant experience in a place where I literally hadn’t formally met any one before arriving. The weather was still stupendous. I’d explored a great deal more that I anticipated, thanks to Amy’s roommate (really sweet girl from Edinburg, Scotland). I landed at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where I started “The Rules of Life” (a surprisingly quick and memorable read) by international best seller, Richard Templar. I might have to pick up a copy for myself.

The London Eye

BBQ at Amy’s! Inconceivably executed meal by Amy and her equally amazing flatmates: Salmon, Steak, Salad, HUMMUS dip, Avocado, Veggie Skewers, Fruit Salad, chicken, sausages, the list goes on. As you must know by now, pretty much the only way to my heart is through my stomach. What was even more heartwarming for me was enjoying this time with genuinely sweet people, most of which currently working as professional hair stylists through out the city center.

Upstanding people right here! Beautiful and Wonderful!

Final Day in London: “Don’t worry.” Angels, Angels everywhere.

In a nutshell: “No need to thank me…please.”

My last day in London, the lovely city of English Breakfast tea (which I have actually grown quite fond of these past few days), I was invited to a church service. Great Service on 79 Endell Street, near Covent Garden Station.  WOW. Just wow. So uplifting and humbling. Thanks so much for making me feel welcome, every one!  This is a community I would seriously consider being a part of if I lived in London.

I'm telling you, 79 Endell Street on Sunday. This is where it's at, people. 

How do I get so lucky? I meet some of the kindest, most generous people. I can’t help but express my gratitude all of the time. I know it was overwhelming, Amy & girls! But I can think of a very small percentage of the human population who’d – without a second thought – welcome a complete stranger (Well, a friend of a family friend) into her/his safe, warm, cozy home for three days! Talk about pouring out copious amounts of hospitality. You may understand why it is hard to absorb it all.

While on the topic of generosity and perhaps even altruism, I mustn’t forget to introduce another work of heavenly art I’ve stumbled upon during a time of need. How about randomly meeting one of the sweetest men in the subway station? 

“This is how the people are in my country. Don’t be surprised.” Meet Alex. Tall, lanky, amicable 18 year old, who volunteered the entirety of his evening to ensure that I arrive at the airport on time for my flight. Within minutes of meeting, I had a feeling that Alex really genuinely “[likes] helping people”.

Alex is a genuinely helpful ESL student from the Ukraine, who has (rather than jump right into the University scene) opted for traveling to and living in English-speaking countries through out the world for 9 months before studying international tourism. He will have no problem in this field, I assure you.

So, I was rather lost. (Ah, the “tube” and its unanticipated cancellations of MY district lines.)  I met Alex at 7:30 PM and we were inseparable until my 1 AM schedule bus ride from Central London to the airport. Ah, memories: Studying subway maps, waiting for our metro 20 minutes at a time, Searching for nearly an hour for a bus stop, running into a local market for ingredients to make a quick dinner for my new friend and a few friends he happened to be holding up. After a quick meal, Alex even insisted walking me to the bus stop, despite the fact that he had a friend visiting.


Surreal! Who is this young man? (I should really ask, WHERE DID I FIND ALL OF THESE PEOPLE?) How does I get so lucky?