Mary: The Drink-y Weekends

Buenos Tardes!

A very windy afternoon in Madrid. I hear all you Marylanders are still enjoying blissful weather…it better still be there when I get back in two weeks and three days!! So nuts I only have that much left. As of right now, I am getting excited to return to the States…but I say goodbye to Rachel this week and Lucy next week, so I have a feeling I am going to start feeling sad to go home…

I missed another week of blogging last week, and again, it is due to the fact that not much happened over that weekend, the weekend in the Canary Islands. Mostly just lying on the beach while drinking cocktails. Every minute I was wishing all of you were sitting next to me. Really!

The Canaries were gorgeous—a beach surrounded by mountains, so the best of both worlds. Las Palmas, the beach town we stayed in, was also known for its pine forests, which we unfortunately did not make the trek to see. I love the idea of palm trees and pine trees co-existing, though. We checked into the “blue room” of a very pleasant, conveniently located hostel, and headed straight to the beach. The beach itself was less than 3 kilometers long, (reminded me of Andy’s Grenada beach), and so a few of us decided to take the stroll before settling our beach bums down. Of course we found a beach bar, and of course I bought a margarita…or two. And then maybe followed by a pina coloda. So it was not surprising that when I settled down on the beach, five minutes into my beach nap a tremendous wave attacked me and my bag, ruining my camera. I cried for two minutes and then laughed when Lucy said, “you’re a bloody idiot, you drunky.” That was that. And no, leaving it in a bag of rice for five days did not cure it. So…mom and dad, how about the iphone 5 for my bday??

This was most certainly an European beach…topless women everywhere. And I don’t think one man wasn’t clad in a speedo. The British part of our group rolled their eyes at the giggling Americans.

Headed to the boardwalk for a nice dinner, and then headed straight to bed, all of us a little sun poisoned. The next day was really the same pattern. No sights to report on, just the beach. That evening, we all got a little silly on wine in our hostel and it was really nice. There were six of us all together, and tensions can run really high when traveling, trying to mesh together a plethora of personalities, but that evening we all got along really lovely…until Laura starting throwing up. But all good things must come to an end. It was nice to have a weekend with no itinerary pressures. And so ends my Canary report!

This past weekend was St. Patrick’s Day, or “Paddy’s Day” as deemed by the good Irish people. Had a wonderful time in Dublin. Again, wish I had all of you there with me. Everyone popped into my mind for various reasons at least once over the weekend.

Rachel and I arrived at noon-thirty and decided to kick it in the airport until the other girls met us—we had to sneak them into our hotel, because we only reserved a room for two, (shh). So we got our drink on at the airport! Smithwicks and Bulmers Irish cider mmm…

So, our hotel situation turned out to be a mess, involving busted pipes, re-location, but most of all, a waste of precious time! We didn’t actually get to the city until around 5:00! That’s okay, though, for I was able to keep energized late into the night. If it wasn’t for our cab driver, the friendly John Paul, or for a list provided by Rachel’s Irish lover from Seville, we would have been lost as to which pubs to visit. We began on St. George’s Street, and headed towards a big crowd that was surrounding The Dame. There was a huge rugby game playing that evening, England vs. Ireland, so the atmosphere was truly brilliant. On the other side of the street was a stage set up, where a boy of maybe 16 was playing Irish dubstep using a synthesized keyboard and whipping his hair back and forth! So fun. We found a lovely young Irish artist to paint our faces and just started throwing beers back. We traveled to Flannerys and The Bleeding Horse, probably the two best pubs I’ve ever/will ever experience. Huge with wooden floors and walls, multiple drinking rooms, the best drinking music playlists, and plenty of Irish accents to make me constantly smile. We attempted to go to the club Copper’s, which we heard from multiple people was just ridiculous, but the line was absurd and it was raining outside, so we caught a cab home. This guy was not nearly as cheerful as John Paul, but I think we entertained him with our drunken nonsense chatter.

Woke up to some headaches, but nothing unmanageable, and Rachel and I traveled down to the dining room where we were offered a free full english breakfast for all the trouble with the hotels. Would never refuse breakfast! Three bowls of cereal, followed by baked beans, cooked tomato, and toast, (wasn’t craving the ham…). Rachel kept making gagging noises as I ate the beans…that was fun.

We had planned on the free Sandemans Tour, (the same touring service I used in Madrid), but once we got started with it we found our hangovers were truly not in the mood for history. Would have liked to do it another day, though! Why are weekends so short? Instead, we took Ginny’s advice and visited Grafton St. for some shopping. And then strolled all over the city, stopping in shops and pubs as we went along. Found the world’s oldest “Chippery” and had some fantastic fish-n-chips. Ended up at O’Donoghue’s as our last pub spot, where fiddle groups were playing amazing Irish tunes. A cool set-up, as well—we think the pub was a converted horse stable!

A long day but still not nearly enough. MUST go back to see the Irish countryside.

Other than that, life has been steady! Yesterday was St. Joseph’s day, which coincides with their Father’s day. Pretty much all of Madrid was closed. My family prepared a three-course meal in honor of the celebration—empanada, paella, and, of course, ham and potatoes. I was lucky to be included!

Still have a long list of places to visit, but my friend Courtney, (thanks to Julie J ) and I found an amazing breakfast place—really cheap, too! The La Latina and Bilbao areas, where this place is located, are my favorite. Almost like Greenwich Village of NYC—really funky with lots of thrift shops and food places that remind me of Portland, (Hollin!).

This weekend I travel to Lisbon, Portugal with my British women, Laura and Lucy. We found a hostel where the hostess makes fresh cakes and pastries for breakfast every morning—YAY!

Hope everyone is able to enjoy the beautiful weather! And also had a fun Paddy’s day. Was telling Emily that I had a blast, but never any funny stories because no one is weird here like my home people. J Congratulations to my big brother for getting residency at Virginia Tech! We are so proud of him!

Loving and Missing you from Madrid,

Mary