Closed for the holidays // Cerrado por vacaciones

August is a very quiet time in Madrid. This small stores just close for most of the month, and people leave to escape the heat, going to visit friends or the beach. Most of my friends are gone, and will return someone before September, when the temps will no longer reach 40° C/ 104° F. Since nothing is going on here, I'm going to write a few blog posts about everyday life answering some questions that US friends have asked me. 

How do you get around? 

A visitor can drive here using their US license, but a resident like me can't. Getting a Spanish driver's license is super complicated and expensive, so  I am frateful for the excellent public transportation system. For example, in my neighborhood there are two Metro lines and maybe six bus routes, and a ticket costs less than a euro. In the United States I would have waited 10 or 20 minutes for a metro usually, but here I usually wait less than five. In fact, if you have to wait more than seven minutes, it's pretty much considered a delay. The public transportation system in Madrid is really one of the best I´ve ever encountered.

Where do you shop? 

The Spanish usually shop at small local stores. I do that sometimes, but since I'm an American, I prefer large stores and shopping online. I often buy groceries at Aldi and Lidl, the discount grocery stores that are the same as in the US. Thrift stores (charity shops in the UK) were my main source of household goods and clothing in the US, but unfortunately, they don't exist here, so I have to buy almost everything new. 

---------
Agosto es un mes tranquilo en Madrid. Las tiendas pequeñas cierran, y la gente sale de la ciudad para escapar del calor. Las personas van a la playa o visitan familiares. La mayoría de mis amigos se han ido, y regresarán cuando las temperaturas no suban hasta los 40ºC. Como no pasa gran cosa, voy a escribir unas cuantas entradas en el blog sobre la vida cotidiana, las cuales están basadas en preguntas que me han hecho amigos estadounidenses.

¿Cómo te mueves?
Una turista estadounidense podría usar su carnet de conducir de EE . UU., pero un residente aquí no puede. Conseguir un carnet de conducir en España es muy caro y complicado, y por eso, me hace feliz que el sistema de transporte público sea increíble. De hecho, cerca de mi barrio, hay dos líneas de metro y quizás seis rutas de autobuses, y un billete cuesta menos de un euro. En los EE. UU., estuve esperando 10 o 20 minutos por un metro, pero aquí espero como mucho cinco. Si necesitas esperar más de siete minutos, se considera prácticamente un retraso. Es totalmente cierto que el funcionamiento del metro en Madrid es evidentemente ventajoso para sus ciudadanos.

¿Dónde compras?
Normalmente, los españoles compran en tiendas pequeñas y locales. Yo lo hago a veces, pero soy estadounidense, y por eso, prefiero las tiendas grandes y las compras en línea. Frecuentemente, compro en Aldi y Lidl, que son supermercados baratos aquí como en EE. UU. Lamentablemente, no se pueden comprar artículos de segunda mano como ollas, sartenes y sábanas con frecuencia porque esos tipos de tiendas son muy difíciles de encontrar aquí. Por esta razón, compro casi siempre cosas nuevas.

Waiting // Esperando

Here I am in Madrid, waiting. I don't have any plans to travel during July and August, because I have Spanish classes, but also because I'm waiting for my visa to renew. My first visa lasted a year, and then I have to renew it for two more years. My paralegal helped me submit everything in the middle of May, but I know that some people wait two weeks for the renewal and some people five months. Without the visa, I'm allowed to leave Spain but I'm not allowed to return. Hence, the waiting.

Here are a few quick summaries of recent adventures. (Look below the Spanish for the photos)

----------

Estoy aquí en Madrid, esperando. No tengo planeado viajar durante julio y agosto porque tengo clases de español y estoy esperando la renovación de mi visado. Mi primer visado dura un año, y luego puedo renovarlo dos años más. Con la ayuda de mi gestor, presenté la solicitud a mediados de mayo. Sin embargo, he oído que algunas personas han necesitado esperar dos semanas, mientras otras lo han logrado en cinco meses. Sin visado, puedo salir de España, pero no puedo volver. Por eso me quedo aquí.

Así que aquí van algunos resúmenes rápidos de las aventuras recientes.

• Last Thursday was a holiday, St James's Day, and I didn't have any classes. My friend A, who is Argentinian, had heard of this mysterious food called “mac and cheese” but had never tried it. I taught him how to make it. He was surprised that the recipe includes a lot more things than just cheese and pasta, and also at how much cheese I used. It was absolutely delicious and very American.
• El jueves era festivo, el día de Santiago Apóstol, y no tenía clase de español. Mi amigo A, que es argentino, había oído hablar de los «macarrones con queso» pero nunca los había probado. Le enseñé a cocinarlos y se sorprendió de que fueran mucho más que macarrones con queso, y también de que llevaran tanto queso. Estaban especialmente deliciosos y eran muy americanos.  

• My friend's S and S bought an apartment that needs a lot of renovations. They've hired professionals for most of it, but I was able to help paint the patio´s railing. It was delightful to be doing DIY again, and I got to enjoy the beautiful view.
• Mis amigos S y S se han comprado un piso que necesita muchas reparaciones. Contratan a profesionales para numerosas tareas, pero yo pude ayudarles a pintar la barandilla de la terraza. Fue increíble participar en la reforma de la casa. Además, su terraza tiene unas vistas preciosas.

• Spain won the recent Euro Cup, which is a soccer competition among national European teams. I watched a few of the games on TV, because I'm trying to learn more about the culture. In my opinion. soccer is better than American football or baseball, because the matches are shorter and it feels like there's a lot more action. The day after their win, there was a parade downtown. I was sad that I didn't remember to bring my Spanish flag to wave. (And my sympathies to all my English friends...)
• España ganó la Eurocopa. He visto algunos partidos, porque quiero aprender más sobre la cultura de aquí. En mi opinión, el fútbol es mejor que el fútbol americano o el béisbol, porque los partidos son más cortos y hay más acción. El día posterior al campeonato hubo un desfile. Me puso triste haber olvidado mi bandera española.

One year in// Un año

La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.

It's my one year anniversary in Spain, a good time to reflect. I left the US on July 4th, which was both symbolic and very convenient for tax purposes. So far, was it a good choice?

I am absolutely happy that I live here. Even if I decide later to return to the US, this was a great decision. I have always wanted to live in Europe, and I'm grateful that Spain gives me that opportunity. I'm also thrilled to be retired, which was easiest option to procure a visa. It's possible that I may work in the future, but retiring early made it possible to move to a new country when I was still young enough to cope with the challenges.

I feel healthier here. I have access to healthcare that is, quite frankly, rated higher than the healthcare in my own country. (Note: statistics like this are usually based on countrywide averages, not what a single individual might or might not receive.) The food seems less processed, and I am surrounded by people who think that taking strolls in the park is what you do everyday.

I also feel safer. This is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to move here. Assaults and murders happen at 1/10 of the rate in the US, which is really incredible to me when I think that the US is a country that some people flee to for safety. I can, and do, take walks in parks at night by myself, because little old ladies do that too. That's not something I ever felt comfortable doing at home.

What is still lacking? Basically, language and friends. It's taking me longer than I thought to become fluent. Even with my various serious efforts, I think I still need at least an additional year before I feel relaxed enough to have a conversation and focus on the content, rather than grammar and vocabulary. And while I have started making friends, I don't have anything close to what I left in DC. I knew that it would take more than a year to develop deep roots, but if there is anything that would eventually push me to leave, it would be not having enough friends.

So, I'm in a good spot. I need to keep doing what I've been doing, which is learning about the country and the language, and continuing to get to know people. I think it will pay off, but I also know it takes time.

My English friend L visited me last week. // Mi amiga L de Inglaterra, que me visitó la semana pasada.

Visits from family and old friends help me feel like my old life is connecting to my new life. L, plus friends from my language classes. // Siento que mi vida antigua y mi vida nueva están conectadas cuando me visitan familiares y viejos amigos. Aquí está mi amiga L con amigos de mis clases de español.

------

Cómo cumplo un año en España me parece que es un buen momento para reflexionar. Salí de los Estados Unidos el cuatro de julio, lo cual fue simbólico y bueno por razones fiscales. Hasta ahora, ¿he elegido lo correcto?

Para empezar, me hace absolutamente feliz vivir aquí. Siempre quise vivir en Europa y España me dio la oportunidad. Además, me encanta la prejubilación, lo cual fue clave para obtener un visado. Es posible que trabaje en el futuro, pero la prejubilación me ha permitido mudarme y afrontar los retos siendo aún más joven.

En primer lugar, y detallando algunos aspectos de mi experiencia, me siento más sana aquí. Tengo acceso a un sistema sanitario mejor que el de mi propio país. (En otras palabras, los españoles reciben de media una mejor atención que los estadounidenses). Asimismo, la comida me parece menos procesada y estoy rodeada de gente que piensa que los paseos por los parques son actividades cotidianas.

Del mismo modo, me siento más segura en España. Esa fue una de las razones más importantes para decidir mi traslado. Las agresiones y asesinatos ocurren 10 veces menos aquí que en EE. UU. Es increíble, porque sé que algunas personas se mudan a EE. UU porque están más seguras que en su propio país. Como ejemplo, paseo por los parques por la noche, porque las mayores también lo hacen. Antes me sentía cómoda haciéndolo.

¿Qué está faltando? A esto responden el idioma y los amigos. Me está llevando más tiempo de lo que pensaba aprender. Incluso con mucho trabajo diario, creo que necesito otro año para poder conversar sin pensar en la gramática y en mi vocabulario. Estoy haciendo amigos, sin embargo, no tengo ninguno como los que salí en Washington, DC. Sabía que necesitaría más de un año para afianzarme, pero si decido irme en el futuro, será por no tener suficientes amigos.

A fin de cuentas, me va bien. Tengo que seguir haciendo lo que he estado haciendo hasta ahora, aprender sobre el país, la gente y el idioma, y conocer a más gente. Creo que merecerá la pena, pero llevará tiempo.

Reflections // Reflexiones

La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.

My uncle always does a wrapup on his blog after his trips. The trip to Czechia and Germany turned out to be one of my favorites in many years, and so it seemed reasonable to follow his example.

First off, I loved the balance between gentle exercise and inactivity. On a bicycle, there's time to watch life roll by- the mountains, castles, and churches or life in small villages. At the end of our one-way journey, we took a train back to Prague. A trip of six days on the bicycle was reversed in two and a half hours on the train. It was pretty obvious that I wouldn't have had such a relaxed but detailed experience on a faster trip.

It was also delightful to speak German. I hadn't known that my German was so much better than my Spanish, but this trip proved it. A few weeks ago, I took an online test which showed that my level in German is 5 (out of 6) in comparison to my level in spanish, which is 3.5. (For those who know the Common European Frame of Reference for languages, I'm a C1 in German and a B2.1 in Spanish.) The difference in how I feel when speaking the two languages is astounding. In German I can talk without looking at a dictionary, and I almost always understand when someone talks to me. On the other hand, if I would, for example, listen to two native Spanish speakers talk for an hour, I would understand about half of it.

The other thing that made this trip great was having a friend with me. For years I have been doing solo holidays. Sometimes I visit friends or family, but of course they still have obligations and are not on vacation with me. When you are vacationing with another person, you have someone who can appreciate exactly how great the cake is or exactly how strange that guys socks are. R and I like to spend money and time on the same things, which is probably critical in a travel companion. For example, both of us are willing to stop for tcoffee or beer at any time. 

So, for me, the perfect vacation clearly involves nature, food that I can actually eat trains, and a good friend. I will keep this in mind for the future.

---------------

Mi tío escribe resúmenes de sus vacaciones en su blog. El viaje a Chequia y Alemania fue uno de mis favoritos y me parece que una reseña como esta será útil si quiero repetir algo parecido en el f uturo.

Por un lado, me gustó el equilibrio entre el ejercicio y el tiempo libre. En bici, era posible contemplar el paisaje con montañas, castillos e iglesias históricas o la vida en pueblos pequeños. Al final del viaje, volvimos en tren a Praga. Un viaje de seis días en bici equivalía a dos horas y media en tren, era evidente la cantidad de detalles que me perdería en un viaje rápido si fuera en bici.

Por otro lado, era un regalo hablar alemán. No me había dado cuenta de que mi alemán era mejor que español, pero era y es la verdad. Hace unas semanas, hice una prueba en línea que mostró que mi nivel de alemán era de un 5 sobre 6, en contraste con mi nivel del español, 3,5. (Para los que conozcan el Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las Lenguas, tengo un nivel C1 el alemán y B2.1 en español). La diferencia en mi nivel de comodidad entre los dos idiomas es abismal. En alemán, puedo hablar sin recurrir al diccionario, y casi siempre entiendo cuando una persona me habla. Por el contrario, cuando escucho una larga discusión entre hablantes nativos, entiendo la mitad.

Al mismo tiempo, la razón más importante por la que disfrutaba de mis vacaciones era que me acompañaba un amigo. Hace años, viajaba casi siempre sola. A veces, visitaba a amigos o familiares, pero ellos no tenían la misma disponibilidad que yo. Era increíble tener a alguien que compartiera las experiencias conmigo. Además, él y yo quieríamos pasar el tiempo y gastar el dinero de forma similar, algo muy importante en un compañero de viaje. Para ilustrar, siempre teníamos tiempo para tomar un café o una cerveza, siempre estuvimos en sincronía.

En resumen, mi viaje ideal es el que abarca el contacto con la naturaleza, mucha comida vegetariana, trenes a nuestro alcance y un buen acompañante.

Saxony, land of cake and mountains

The second part of our trip was through the German state of Saxony, to Dresden. We planned some extra days on this part, because I didn't want to bicycle non-stop and I was looking for an excuse to use my German.

The food has been very good on the trip. I'm with someone whose culinary tastes roughly coincide with mine, which means he's willing to walk a bit further for a good restaurant or stop for beer at opportune times. Even more importantly for me, more than half of the restaurants we saw had at least one vegetarian option, which was a delightful change of pace from the situations I encounter in Madrid. 

I had realized it would be asparagus season in Germany, which is a really big deal here. Most restaurants had a special asparagus menus. The most innovative dish we had was a chicken burger overlaid with large white asparagus stalks and hollandaise sauce.

We had time for several hikes with excellent views. There is a huge national park that spans the much of the area. It's unique both for its sandstone formations, but also because of the huge swaps of dying spruce trees. They have a bark beetle invasion and the foresters have decided to let nature take its course, so that the native birch will replace the planted spruce.

One additional transportation system- a train that travels from suspended rails up a mountain. R has a special place in his heart for trams, but my favorites were the ferries.

As A noted on the last entry, we had great weather. Its probably best to do something like this in the shoulder season when it's not too hot or cold, but we had been prepared for a lot more rain. My opinion is that cycling in rain isn't too bad if you know you have dry clothes and a hot shower when you arrive.

I think the Germans make really good cake and torte, so it had been my request that we eat cake every day that we were in Germany. I am happy to say that we achieved our goal.

Czechia

 Sorry, no Spanish posts on this trip...

The trip from Prague to Dresden is 225 km, over about six days. We have added a few days on each end and one in the middle to stretch it out to almost two weeks.

Our requirements for choosing that location were that the route did not have mountains but did have good beer. Czechia (a name that is now an acceptable alternative to Czech Republic) and Germany have certainly delivered. There was one terribly steep hill the first day where I required multiple rest stops, but the beer has been uniformly excellent.

The path follows two rivers, the Vltava, and later the Elbe. We are mostly along the water, but sometimes go through small villages. I feel like we are doing a tour of alternative transportation options, as besides the bicycles, we have hiked, used trams, ferries, buses, and a cable car. Yet to come is the train.

Towns are safer from marauders at the top of a hill, but that makes them more effort to reach at nightfall.

The tour company booked our hotela, provides the bicycles, and transports the luggage. I would definitely choose this option again. Not only do I appreciate not carrying my luggage, they choose nicer hotels than I would on my own. Here is my bedroom with a 16th century vaulted ceiling. 

Vacation// Vacaciones

La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.

My summer vacation will be early this year. I need to renew my visa and I´m not allowed to leave Spain during the renewal process, which is probably includes July and August. (Honestly, it might also include September and October - government bureaucracy is real and byzantine here.)

So that´s the reason my summer vacation is happening now. My friend R arrived from the US yesterday, and today we are going to Prague. From there, we will travel to Dresden on bike. Two years ago, R and I did a similar trip in Pennsylvania. This time we´ll be traveling in luxury, because a travel company has booked our hotels and will transport the luggage each day. I am excited about bicycling and seeing castles, but equally excited to drink excellent beer and eat a lot of German torte.

----

Mis vacaciones empiezan temprano este verano. Necesito renovar mi visado este año y no puedo salir de España mientras esté esperando la renovación, que en principio será en julio o agosto. (Sinceramente, es posible que este periodo también se prolongue durante los meses de septiembre y de octubre — la burocracia gubernamental es bizantina y deja mucho que desear).

Por esta razón, mis vacaciones están comenzando ahora. Mi amigo R llegó de los Estados Unidos ayer. Hoy vamos a Praga e iremos de allí a Dresde en bici. R y yo, hace dos años, emprendimos un viaje en bicicleta similar en Pensilvania. Esta vez, viajaremos de lujo porque una empresa organiza los hoteles y transportará nuestro equipaje. Tengo tantas ganas de montar en bici como de ver castillos; también, de beber buena cerveza y de comer mucho pastel alemán.