I only have 3 weeks left in Sevilla. That's enough of that....
So, last week I was in the UK visiting my friends Mama Jo Davis and Miss Bella Glauberman-Coe. I flew out of Malaga on Wednesday, arrived in Manchester and took a train up to Newcastle where my little Josie pookums was waiting to pick me up. I spent four days with her, we took 3 day trips; one to Durham to see the Cathedral and do some cutesie shop perusing (shoes and books mainly) and to eat some local grub at Greggs and the Fighting Cocks (it was a pub). The next day we took a trip to Edinburgh where we drank some Scotch Whiskey, got tea at the Elephant House (where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter), toured an old close (http://www.realmarykingsclose.com/), ate haggis (I'll let you figure that out on your own) and a deep fried Mars bars. The third day trip was to Alnwick (pronounced Annick) and we went to Barter Books (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrHkKXFRbCI&feature=youtu.be) which is one of the oldest second-hand book stores in the UK and home to the slogan "Keep Calm and Carry On."
Also, while I was in Newcastle, I drank my brown ale, of course! And, Newcastle is one of shopping hubs of England..... GUESS WHAT STORE THEY HAVE THERE......... Urban Outfitters! Acckkk. I spent like an hour in there, it was beautiful.
Sunday I traveled back down to Manchester to see Bella and her husband, Mark. I loved traveling by train in the UK, its a great way to see the countryside. Its green and lush and there are so many sheep! Also, one of my favorite things where the fields of bright yellow flowers that are sprinkled into the midst of the green and gray in the countryside. It's a welcomed, happy, contrast.
Bella and Mark just got married over the summer and live outside of Manchester in a town called Keele where Mark goes to school and where Bella studied abroad (hence where the met and fell in love and all that jazz). Keele is technically a "village" but is close to the town of Newcastle (Newcastle-under-Lyme, not to be confused with Newcastle-upon-Tyne). Now I can say I've been to both Newcastles in England.
We took a day trip into Manchester and did some exploring. It was my first Primark experience! I was quite impressed... Big selection and excellent prices. I had to resist the urge to buy anything there, I'm running out of room in my duffel and shipping boxes. Ha! There was also an Urban Outfitters there, of course we went in, again. What can I say? I love that store!
The next morning Bella and I went and had a traditional English breakfast before I headed to the airport to go back to Spain. What is in a traditional English breakfast you might ask? Well, here's the list; bacon, sausage, mushrooms, grilled tomato, a fried egg, beans, a ton of toast and, of course, black pudding. What is black pudding you may ask? Its pig's blood. Yes it is cooked and yes it does look funny (like blood? no, just... mysterious). What does it taste like? Honestly, it tastes like stuffing to me and it was.... dare I say it..... my favorite part of the English breakfast. Ahhh, gasp! Whatever, it was, I'm not afraid to admit it. I like pig's blood, I'd eat it again, for sure.
After breakfast, I headed to the train station and went into Manchester. Boarded the plane back to Spain and found my way to the hostel in Malaga. I stayed at the Oasis Backpacker's Hostel in downtown Malaga. I had stayed at their hostel in Granada and had a lovely experience, so gave it a another go in Malaga. When I got in that night, I sent my friend Michael a message. I met Michael two years ago at a conference that I went to in Chapel Hill, we only met twice, the second time was last year at the same conference, but we had talked back in the fall about how we were both studying in Spain and he told me he was in Malaga. So I messaged him and turns out, he was giving the free tour I was planning on taking at the hostel the next morning, small world eh? He was an excellent tour guide and afterwards we went for tapas and cerveza (Granada style, you buy a drink and they bring you food). After catching up, it was back to Sevilla for Erin.
FERRRIIAAAAAA!! This was quite possibly the coolest cultural experience I have had since I've been in Spain and in Europe. Incredible! Ahh! Imagine a state fair back home, but instead of all the animals there are people playing flamenco and dancing sevillanas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDVxTLqDh9A). My friend Sam taught me how to dance and so I spent Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night at the Feria, dancing and drinking rebujito (a lethal combination). What a blast!
The title of this blog is because I didn't know which was more comforting, to go to an English speaking country, where I was seeing friends from home and watching some of my favorite TV shows in English. Or for me to come back to Spain, where I've been living for a year, where things are also familiar now, where my friends are, where I understand the culture and the language. It was weird. It was nice to be in a country where my native language was expected but I've been living in Spain for almost 9 months now and its become a part of me that makes it comforting to come back to after being gone. I don't know, it was a strange feeling. But it was Home Sweet Casa for Erin!
The next morning Bella and I went and had a traditional English breakfast before I headed to the airport to go back to Spain. What is in a traditional English breakfast you might ask? Well, here's the list; bacon, sausage, mushrooms, grilled tomato, a fried egg, beans, a ton of toast and, of course, black pudding. What is black pudding you may ask? Its pig's blood. Yes it is cooked and yes it does look funny (like blood? no, just... mysterious). What does it taste like? Honestly, it tastes like stuffing to me and it was.... dare I say it..... my favorite part of the English breakfast. Ahhh, gasp! Whatever, it was, I'm not afraid to admit it. I like pig's blood, I'd eat it again, for sure.
After breakfast, I headed to the train station and went into Manchester. Boarded the plane back to Spain and found my way to the hostel in Malaga. I stayed at the Oasis Backpacker's Hostel in downtown Malaga. I had stayed at their hostel in Granada and had a lovely experience, so gave it a another go in Malaga. When I got in that night, I sent my friend Michael a message. I met Michael two years ago at a conference that I went to in Chapel Hill, we only met twice, the second time was last year at the same conference, but we had talked back in the fall about how we were both studying in Spain and he told me he was in Malaga. So I messaged him and turns out, he was giving the free tour I was planning on taking at the hostel the next morning, small world eh? He was an excellent tour guide and afterwards we went for tapas and cerveza (Granada style, you buy a drink and they bring you food). After catching up, it was back to Sevilla for Erin.
FERRRIIAAAAAA!! This was quite possibly the coolest cultural experience I have had since I've been in Spain and in Europe. Incredible! Ahh! Imagine a state fair back home, but instead of all the animals there are people playing flamenco and dancing sevillanas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDVxTLqDh9A). My friend Sam taught me how to dance and so I spent Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night at the Feria, dancing and drinking rebujito (a lethal combination). What a blast!
The title of this blog is because I didn't know which was more comforting, to go to an English speaking country, where I was seeing friends from home and watching some of my favorite TV shows in English. Or for me to come back to Spain, where I've been living for a year, where things are also familiar now, where my friends are, where I understand the culture and the language. It was weird. It was nice to be in a country where my native language was expected but I've been living in Spain for almost 9 months now and its become a part of me that makes it comforting to come back to after being gone. I don't know, it was a strange feeling. But it was Home Sweet Casa for Erin!
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