I am sitting at Panera in Greensboro, NC right now totally exhausted. I finally landed at about 8:30 last night and after eating and driving back to my mom's, made it at about midnight. I only slept till 8, and I can tell that it was definitely not enough. I think I was up for about a day and a half straight through the journey.
Well, Bo was not accurate on the chickend on the Air India flight, but he was definitely accurate about the sub par flight crew, plane, and massive amount of Indian people. I have never had a panic attack--until yesterday. I was a breath away from walking off the plane and going to BEG the British Airways personnel to get me on something, US bound.
It was the largest plane I have ever seen in my life--double decker thing...and larger plane=larger amounts of Indians. Unbelievable. The crew wore Indian garb, and every single person besides me and about 3 other people, of the 400 on the plane, were full on Indian. I am not talking like my friend Santosh Indian--I am talking...didn't speak English and had the dots on the forehead and all dressed in "garb"--the smell was overwhelming and the food was horrendous.
I don't even know what else to say. It was unbelievably uncomfortable and I have never been so excited to get off a plane in my life.
Then I had a 2 hour layover in Newark, NJ and with a snow storm looming, they told me that there was a chance I was going to get stuck there. At that point, I just said...whatever. I did make it though and my mom and Granny were waiting on me waving little American flags..it was so cute and I was so happy to see them both.
Now I must hit the ground running and find a job...life is a learning process, right??!!
love
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles...Spanish Style
Well, lots to tell. It is now 11:45 PM and I have a bus to catch at 5:40 AM...yeah, you do the math. WOW. I am going to give a quick recap of what I have been dealing with in the past 24 hours, so the next time you watch Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (as notated above..) you will think of me and chuckle.
I originally booked a flight on a discount airline to London. It was an afternoon flight, and the international flights all leave in the afternoon, so I was FORCED to stay in London. One arrived into Gatwick, and the net day I flew out of Heathrow, so I was going to wake up and take a bus to Heathrow to board my flight to the US.
Well, then I read the restrictions online about excess baggage and after hours (literally) of converting kilograms to pounds, euros to dollars, and British pounds to dollars...I realized that the $65 flight to London would cost me an additional---drum roll please....$649.00 for my luggage.
Yeah, I know...
So, I began hunting for other flights. Well, it seems all discount airlines have these policies pretty much, and they are the only ones flying out of Girona that I could find. So I then realized on British Airways I would only pay $85 for luggage charges. So, then I thought...well, they don't fly out of Girona...only Barcelona!
So, catching a bus in the morning to Barcelona, getting on a British Airways flight, arriving now into Heathrow--had to cancel the room at Gatwick--and departing out of Heathrow on Tuesday.
And if you think that's bad....I booked the first British Airways flight on my mom's AMEX. Got a confirmation email and everything. 24 hours later they decide to send me an email (this morning) that it was not processed because of suspicious activity.
So then I had to find another flight and use my credit card to pay for it. Which I also had to do with the bus ticket that I bought online tonight. Then I coe upstairs and check my email and I have an email from bank of America saying that MY card is being cut off because of suspicious activity. I try to log on to verify that it is me, and they ask me questions like--what is the 2nd cousin's name of your 1st grade teacher?
So I email my mom in a total panic and we Skype and call Bank of America and I spoke to them over Skype and verified myself and ALL IS WELL.
DEAR GOD.
My bags are in the car, I have two hands, and 3 enormous 50 lb. bags and SOMEHOW I have to make it to the United States of fucking America. (excuse my french)
Wish me luck...and in the words of Ozzy Osbourne,
"mama, I'm comin' home..."
I will write a more upbeat happy post tomorrow once I get to my first of many destinations!!!
And I am still laughing my way through this journey...cannot WAIT to see you all.
LOVE
I originally booked a flight on a discount airline to London. It was an afternoon flight, and the international flights all leave in the afternoon, so I was FORCED to stay in London. One arrived into Gatwick, and the net day I flew out of Heathrow, so I was going to wake up and take a bus to Heathrow to board my flight to the US.
Well, then I read the restrictions online about excess baggage and after hours (literally) of converting kilograms to pounds, euros to dollars, and British pounds to dollars...I realized that the $65 flight to London would cost me an additional---drum roll please....$649.00 for my luggage.
Yeah, I know...
So, I began hunting for other flights. Well, it seems all discount airlines have these policies pretty much, and they are the only ones flying out of Girona that I could find. So I then realized on British Airways I would only pay $85 for luggage charges. So, then I thought...well, they don't fly out of Girona...only Barcelona!
So, catching a bus in the morning to Barcelona, getting on a British Airways flight, arriving now into Heathrow--had to cancel the room at Gatwick--and departing out of Heathrow on Tuesday.
And if you think that's bad....I booked the first British Airways flight on my mom's AMEX. Got a confirmation email and everything. 24 hours later they decide to send me an email (this morning) that it was not processed because of suspicious activity.
So then I had to find another flight and use my credit card to pay for it. Which I also had to do with the bus ticket that I bought online tonight. Then I coe upstairs and check my email and I have an email from bank of America saying that MY card is being cut off because of suspicious activity. I try to log on to verify that it is me, and they ask me questions like--what is the 2nd cousin's name of your 1st grade teacher?
So I email my mom in a total panic and we Skype and call Bank of America and I spoke to them over Skype and verified myself and ALL IS WELL.
DEAR GOD.
My bags are in the car, I have two hands, and 3 enormous 50 lb. bags and SOMEHOW I have to make it to the United States of fucking America. (excuse my french)
Wish me luck...and in the words of Ozzy Osbourne,
"mama, I'm comin' home..."
I will write a more upbeat happy post tomorrow once I get to my first of many destinations!!!
And I am still laughing my way through this journey...cannot WAIT to see you all.
LOVE
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Besalu
Today we worked until about 2PM and then Ursula's friend, Natalia came over and we all drove to Besalu, a small mideival (why can I NOT spell that word??) village called Besalu about 30 minutes away.
It was beautiful. Kind of like you hopped into the story of Rapunzel or something...a little creepy, but beautiful. And Natalia is single and 40 and hilarious. She is very "free" and adventurous and had lots of men stories to share with us. She was really funny.
Anyway, my flight is booked and I will be on U.S. soil in less than a week. I get in next Tuesday night about 8:30 on Air India...Bo has put money on the fact that there will be chickens on my flight. I am a little worried--not gonna lie.
I cannot wait, but I have such a remorseful feeling about all that has happened and how I got to this point. It is all so strange. I have learned that sometimes, I make poor decisions. Bottom line. I wish that I had really thought about all of this and the effect the choices I make, have on others around me. I am ashamed, and it is not a good feeling to have. I apologize and will do everything to make my next transition as smooth as possible...and then I am going to become a recluse and talk to no one...haha
I am quickly learning also that Albert is majorly deprived of attention from his parents. They do not "play" with him. Gloria just left and I walked downstairs after taking my shower--she said to ursula, who was in her office, that she was leaving..then Ursula turned to me and said..can you watch him for about 30 minutes? I said--SURE.
Mind you, this was at 8:30 and he got home from school at 6. So of the 3 hours or whatever she has with him at night, she tries to sneak off and work, rather than give him attention. So he cries and bangs on the office door and jerks the handle, and screams.
AHHHHHH.....poor little Albert. It is actually pretty pitiful.
Sleep tight...love to all
It was beautiful. Kind of like you hopped into the story of Rapunzel or something...a little creepy, but beautiful. And Natalia is single and 40 and hilarious. She is very "free" and adventurous and had lots of men stories to share with us. She was really funny.
Anyway, my flight is booked and I will be on U.S. soil in less than a week. I get in next Tuesday night about 8:30 on Air India...Bo has put money on the fact that there will be chickens on my flight. I am a little worried--not gonna lie.
I cannot wait, but I have such a remorseful feeling about all that has happened and how I got to this point. It is all so strange. I have learned that sometimes, I make poor decisions. Bottom line. I wish that I had really thought about all of this and the effect the choices I make, have on others around me. I am ashamed, and it is not a good feeling to have. I apologize and will do everything to make my next transition as smooth as possible...and then I am going to become a recluse and talk to no one...haha
I am quickly learning also that Albert is majorly deprived of attention from his parents. They do not "play" with him. Gloria just left and I walked downstairs after taking my shower--she said to ursula, who was in her office, that she was leaving..then Ursula turned to me and said..can you watch him for about 30 minutes? I said--SURE.
Mind you, this was at 8:30 and he got home from school at 6. So of the 3 hours or whatever she has with him at night, she tries to sneak off and work, rather than give him attention. So he cries and bangs on the office door and jerks the handle, and screams.
AHHHHHH.....poor little Albert. It is actually pretty pitiful.
Sleep tight...love to all
Monday, January 19, 2009
King of Beers
Work was okay today..I woke up and ate breakfast and got down there about 9:25. I had finished the last task Ursula had given me, so when she came in I asked her what else she needed me to work on. She said, well, have you decided what you're doing (ie, leaving or not) and I said--oh, yes, I am so sorry, but I have decided to go. I am really sorry but it is just not working out.
So she says fine and asks when-I say, I think the beginning of next week, but I am not sure, and my mom is looking at flights, etc..so she looks very disappointed and gives me a smaller task to do, that I will have time to actually finish.
Anyway, at least that's over with...dear god...I had been dreading it all weekend.
She did kind of say to me later that she didn't understand, etc. And I said "Ursula you have to understand that this is not for everyone!" She acted as if someone would be mentally insane to not want to live there and do what I was doing. I said, you know, I thought this was what I wanted, but it's not!
God. Bless. America. I want to run through the streets of Nashville in a cowboy hat, boots, and an American flag Budweiser string bikini singing Lee Greenwood at the top of my lungs. And then drink a Budweiser. With some redneck that came in town from the outskirts. That is what I want to do.
Okay, this is the moment you have all been waiting for.....the infamous glass and marble museum!!!
This is obviously my bedroom and desk, where I am right this moment!
This is right when you walk into the bathroom, and shower is behind you.
This is the living room. I am standing in the dining room (pictured below) taking it. I have not seen anyone sit down in here since I have been here. It is the largest room in the house, and it is not used AT ALL...they don't EVER sit down in the living room. SO WEIRD.
Dining room...just plain weird. These pics actually make it look like there's a whole lot more color than there is. There is not.
The kitchen with the grill in the middle that literally is coals and a grate that is connected directly to a chimney. Notice on the counter....the slicer.....and ALL THE WHITE.
I must take a video of the juicer before I leave. It is unbelievable. This does not do it justice. The basket on top should be full of oranges and this thing goes to town.
This is when you walk in the front door. It is obviously sideways--the stairs go up on the left. And all that glass is an elevator that goes from the garage, to this floor, and then up to the bedrooms. In the middle of the house.
I hope everyone enjoys. Off to read my book. I read over 100 pages yesterday. Unbelievable. Get me outta here!!!! haha
love
So she says fine and asks when-I say, I think the beginning of next week, but I am not sure, and my mom is looking at flights, etc..so she looks very disappointed and gives me a smaller task to do, that I will have time to actually finish.
Anyway, at least that's over with...dear god...I had been dreading it all weekend.
She did kind of say to me later that she didn't understand, etc. And I said "Ursula you have to understand that this is not for everyone!" She acted as if someone would be mentally insane to not want to live there and do what I was doing. I said, you know, I thought this was what I wanted, but it's not!
God. Bless. America. I want to run through the streets of Nashville in a cowboy hat, boots, and an American flag Budweiser string bikini singing Lee Greenwood at the top of my lungs. And then drink a Budweiser. With some redneck that came in town from the outskirts. That is what I want to do.
Okay, this is the moment you have all been waiting for.....the infamous glass and marble museum!!!
This is obviously my bedroom and desk, where I am right this moment!
This is right when you walk into the bathroom, and shower is behind you.
This is the living room. I am standing in the dining room (pictured below) taking it. I have not seen anyone sit down in here since I have been here. It is the largest room in the house, and it is not used AT ALL...they don't EVER sit down in the living room. SO WEIRD.
Dining room...just plain weird. These pics actually make it look like there's a whole lot more color than there is. There is not.
The kitchen with the grill in the middle that literally is coals and a grate that is connected directly to a chimney. Notice on the counter....the slicer.....and ALL THE WHITE.
I must take a video of the juicer before I leave. It is unbelievable. This does not do it justice. The basket on top should be full of oranges and this thing goes to town.
This is when you walk in the front door. It is obviously sideways--the stairs go up on the left. And all that glass is an elevator that goes from the garage, to this floor, and then up to the bedrooms. In the middle of the house.
I hope everyone enjoys. Off to read my book. I read over 100 pages yesterday. Unbelievable. Get me outta here!!!! haha
love
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Good Eats
Today was a very interesting day, with a touch of the south intermingled..
Last week Ursula mentioned to me this lady named Donna from Dallas, Texas who was arranging a trip to Spain for the chef that she works for, and other foodies from around their area to go on a culinary tour of Spain. We are not doing the entire tour, but they contacted us to do a Catalan cooking class. Ursula is friends with the cousin of one of three brothers that own this REALLY unbelievable restaurant here. It has two Michelin stars which is the grading scale of restaurants, and there are only like 3 Michelin starred restaurants in the entire country. It is called Cellar de can Roca if you would like to google...I will post pics later.
Anyway, I asked who the American chef was because I was interested..she said, yeah, I think he was on some tv show or something..So of course then I am VERY interested. Well, ends up his name is Kent Rathbun, and he owns two different restaurants in Dallas, with 5 locations in total. AND, he was on Iron Chef AND BEAT BOBBY FLAY.
So, I of course try to explain this Ursula because she has NO idea what it is, what it means, etc. So I tell her that she needs to get this guy on the tour--it could bring press, and get her company started off on the right foot. So Donna emails the beginning of the week last week and says that she is coming this weekend to check things out, etc. So we frantically contacted Cellar de can Roca to see (they are closed on Sundays) if 1 of the 3 brothers could give us a tour.
They agreed, and Jordi, the pastry chef, and youngest brother, met us there at 11:30 today along with the infamous Donna and suprisingly, Kent's wife. We got a complete tour of the kitchen, the lab basically where they distill things for their dishes, the HOLY SHIT wine cellar, and the seating area.
Jordi is 30 and became pastry chef at 21. And his oldest brother Joan is head chef and 14 years older, and then the middle brother is Jossep, and he is the sommelier. If you are interested at all in this kind of thing, these guys are unbelievable. They are wildy creative with the foods they serve and have 45 waitstaff for 50 guests per night. For example, Jordi is famous for doing perfume dishes. They are named after famous perfumes, such as Miracle by Lancome, or Ralph Lauren, or whatever. He distinguishes the scents found in the perfumes, and creates desserts around them. And then, to prove his talent, they serve the dishes with a piece of paper (in a side dish) that has been sprayed with the scent, so each guest can realize what he has done.
I know..absolutely insane. We were going to have lunch with them today there if it were open, but it was not. Damn...anyway, they obviously loved it and we totally sold them. Then we took them on a walking our quickly through Girona and then had lunch at a really nice restaurant--another $300 lunch. Oh, I didn't post yesterday, but we had lunch overlooking the Mediterranean at another REALLY nice place--bottle of wine, champagne, and $300.
And of course, Kent's wife, Tracy totally loved me. We talked the whole time and laughed and she was hysterical. Very down to earth and nice. Then she tells me that she owns a restaurant as well. She was the manager of a Porsche dealership in Dallas for 13 years, quit, and asked a friend if she would open a restaurant with her so they could each spend more time with their children and take vacations when they wanted to. (I know...doesn't make sense to me either, but whatever)
So, that was 3 years ago, and they have just expanded. Her restaurant business is booming--it is called Shinsei (I think) and is obviously japanese. Then, Tracy mentions Top Chef, and I am like, OMG I love that show!!! And she says....Taylor, are you ready???? Drumroll please!!!!!!!!
TRE WAS HER CHEF WHEN HE WAS ASKED TO BE ON TOP CHEF!!!! I was like, NO WAY!!! He was my favorite!!! My friend Taylor is going to die! So of course I asked her all about him--and then Carly (I think that was her name..she came in 3rd) also worked for her, but they both got fired!!!! She said that they just got too big for their britches...I don't think Ursula understood. HAHA
Anyway, I almost didn't write all this because I know everyone is like, oh my god! That is so cool, you should stay! Well, no. Ursula, as well as her lack of parenting skills are driving me mad and I can't even take it. And she is totally one of those people that wants to put on a front instead of being honest. In the car on our way to meet them at the restaurant, I said...you know they are going to ask how I got here. What would you say? And she said...oh, I don't know...a website would sound so tacky. I don't think we should say that...and I said, well they would ask ME, not YOU, and I am not lying. I said, we can change it to Monster instead of AuPair.com, but I am telling them the truth. And then she said what about if we said we met through friends?? And I said..ummm.. NO.
And of course, they were like, oh Lauren, where are you from? Where did you go to school? So nice, adn could have cared less how Ursula found me..
And sidenote of the evening--anytime Albert does anything he shouldn't, she thinks it's cute. And giggles. He was refusing to eat what she had made for him and kept shoving it away and only would eat cheese. And then grabbed the glass olive oil container off of the table and starts putting his cheese into it--she laughs. I am thinking...olive oil is SO expensive, as is the GLASS container he is holding...Aww he wants to be so grown up...she says.
CRASH!!!! It breaks into a million pieces on the floor. And I said, chuckling, that is why you don't let 2 year olds play with olive oil! I can hear a faint scream in the distance as I type...
Ursula is sweet but will take, take, take, until you tell her no. She is trying to take advantage of me in so many ways. And it's as if the nice house and nice lunches should make up for it. It doesn't. For example, me working today...she never once asked me, and then joked about how she never asked me...haha...not funny. It was fun, but I finally said, so what do I get for working on a Sunday??? And she said real quick--well, we ARE going to Barcelona on Thursday! So, I said..fine...you're right. I hope they do drop me off on a corner so I can be by myself!!! There are so many idiosynch (I have no idea how to spell it..) that I cannot explain through a computer, but I have been practicing imitations. WOW.
I know that many people don't understand why i am leaving, but I do...and that is what matters. I do not see it as a failure....life is a learning process.
Enjoy these pics of the restaurant and the wine celler. They honestly don't do it justice, but here ya go!
Cellar de can Roca wine cellar--they had all these different little areas where each type of wine was represented and studied by Jossep, etc. This was the champagne area..with the flat screen in each area and things that represent the type in the middle--so hard to explain, but this glass box has silver little pebbles in it representing the bubbles of the champagne. Jordi said that vineyard owners come in and see what they are doing with their wines, and how much they understand it, and the vineyard owners leave crying they are so touched.
This is looking from the lounge (pictured below) across a courtyard to the outside of the wine cellar. Those are ALL old crates of wine, built to make the walls.
This is where they experiment distilling things and analyzing the molecular structure of ingredients. I know...weirdest thing ever. They have a recipe online that I found that calls for 10 oz. of distilled earth from moist soil...not even kidding. HAHAHAH
This is the Cabernet area..
Can't remember--something with earthy tones
It's like a museum for Hellen Keller or something, isn't it????
One tiny area of the cellar, turned around from the picture above.
The lounge area for before dinner or after dinner cocktails and smoking are permitted.
Like an IDIOT I didn't take any of the actual restaurant, but it's online.
The kitchen
Hope you all enjoy! And yep, still wanna come home! :)
can you tell my mood has changed now that I have made a decision and there is a light at the end of the tunnel??!!!! YAY!!!
love
Last week Ursula mentioned to me this lady named Donna from Dallas, Texas who was arranging a trip to Spain for the chef that she works for, and other foodies from around their area to go on a culinary tour of Spain. We are not doing the entire tour, but they contacted us to do a Catalan cooking class. Ursula is friends with the cousin of one of three brothers that own this REALLY unbelievable restaurant here. It has two Michelin stars which is the grading scale of restaurants, and there are only like 3 Michelin starred restaurants in the entire country. It is called Cellar de can Roca if you would like to google...I will post pics later.
Anyway, I asked who the American chef was because I was interested..she said, yeah, I think he was on some tv show or something..So of course then I am VERY interested. Well, ends up his name is Kent Rathbun, and he owns two different restaurants in Dallas, with 5 locations in total. AND, he was on Iron Chef AND BEAT BOBBY FLAY.
So, I of course try to explain this Ursula because she has NO idea what it is, what it means, etc. So I tell her that she needs to get this guy on the tour--it could bring press, and get her company started off on the right foot. So Donna emails the beginning of the week last week and says that she is coming this weekend to check things out, etc. So we frantically contacted Cellar de can Roca to see (they are closed on Sundays) if 1 of the 3 brothers could give us a tour.
They agreed, and Jordi, the pastry chef, and youngest brother, met us there at 11:30 today along with the infamous Donna and suprisingly, Kent's wife. We got a complete tour of the kitchen, the lab basically where they distill things for their dishes, the HOLY SHIT wine cellar, and the seating area.
Jordi is 30 and became pastry chef at 21. And his oldest brother Joan is head chef and 14 years older, and then the middle brother is Jossep, and he is the sommelier. If you are interested at all in this kind of thing, these guys are unbelievable. They are wildy creative with the foods they serve and have 45 waitstaff for 50 guests per night. For example, Jordi is famous for doing perfume dishes. They are named after famous perfumes, such as Miracle by Lancome, or Ralph Lauren, or whatever. He distinguishes the scents found in the perfumes, and creates desserts around them. And then, to prove his talent, they serve the dishes with a piece of paper (in a side dish) that has been sprayed with the scent, so each guest can realize what he has done.
I know..absolutely insane. We were going to have lunch with them today there if it were open, but it was not. Damn...anyway, they obviously loved it and we totally sold them. Then we took them on a walking our quickly through Girona and then had lunch at a really nice restaurant--another $300 lunch. Oh, I didn't post yesterday, but we had lunch overlooking the Mediterranean at another REALLY nice place--bottle of wine, champagne, and $300.
And of course, Kent's wife, Tracy totally loved me. We talked the whole time and laughed and she was hysterical. Very down to earth and nice. Then she tells me that she owns a restaurant as well. She was the manager of a Porsche dealership in Dallas for 13 years, quit, and asked a friend if she would open a restaurant with her so they could each spend more time with their children and take vacations when they wanted to. (I know...doesn't make sense to me either, but whatever)
So, that was 3 years ago, and they have just expanded. Her restaurant business is booming--it is called Shinsei (I think) and is obviously japanese. Then, Tracy mentions Top Chef, and I am like, OMG I love that show!!! And she says....Taylor, are you ready???? Drumroll please!!!!!!!!
TRE WAS HER CHEF WHEN HE WAS ASKED TO BE ON TOP CHEF!!!! I was like, NO WAY!!! He was my favorite!!! My friend Taylor is going to die! So of course I asked her all about him--and then Carly (I think that was her name..she came in 3rd) also worked for her, but they both got fired!!!! She said that they just got too big for their britches...I don't think Ursula understood. HAHA
Anyway, I almost didn't write all this because I know everyone is like, oh my god! That is so cool, you should stay! Well, no. Ursula, as well as her lack of parenting skills are driving me mad and I can't even take it. And she is totally one of those people that wants to put on a front instead of being honest. In the car on our way to meet them at the restaurant, I said...you know they are going to ask how I got here. What would you say? And she said...oh, I don't know...a website would sound so tacky. I don't think we should say that...and I said, well they would ask ME, not YOU, and I am not lying. I said, we can change it to Monster instead of AuPair.com, but I am telling them the truth. And then she said what about if we said we met through friends?? And I said..ummm.. NO.
And of course, they were like, oh Lauren, where are you from? Where did you go to school? So nice, adn could have cared less how Ursula found me..
And sidenote of the evening--anytime Albert does anything he shouldn't, she thinks it's cute. And giggles. He was refusing to eat what she had made for him and kept shoving it away and only would eat cheese. And then grabbed the glass olive oil container off of the table and starts putting his cheese into it--she laughs. I am thinking...olive oil is SO expensive, as is the GLASS container he is holding...Aww he wants to be so grown up...she says.
CRASH!!!! It breaks into a million pieces on the floor. And I said, chuckling, that is why you don't let 2 year olds play with olive oil! I can hear a faint scream in the distance as I type...
Ursula is sweet but will take, take, take, until you tell her no. She is trying to take advantage of me in so many ways. And it's as if the nice house and nice lunches should make up for it. It doesn't. For example, me working today...she never once asked me, and then joked about how she never asked me...haha...not funny. It was fun, but I finally said, so what do I get for working on a Sunday??? And she said real quick--well, we ARE going to Barcelona on Thursday! So, I said..fine...you're right. I hope they do drop me off on a corner so I can be by myself!!! There are so many idiosynch (I have no idea how to spell it..) that I cannot explain through a computer, but I have been practicing imitations. WOW.
I know that many people don't understand why i am leaving, but I do...and that is what matters. I do not see it as a failure....life is a learning process.
Enjoy these pics of the restaurant and the wine celler. They honestly don't do it justice, but here ya go!
Cellar de can Roca wine cellar--they had all these different little areas where each type of wine was represented and studied by Jossep, etc. This was the champagne area..with the flat screen in each area and things that represent the type in the middle--so hard to explain, but this glass box has silver little pebbles in it representing the bubbles of the champagne. Jordi said that vineyard owners come in and see what they are doing with their wines, and how much they understand it, and the vineyard owners leave crying they are so touched.
This is looking from the lounge (pictured below) across a courtyard to the outside of the wine cellar. Those are ALL old crates of wine, built to make the walls.
This is where they experiment distilling things and analyzing the molecular structure of ingredients. I know...weirdest thing ever. They have a recipe online that I found that calls for 10 oz. of distilled earth from moist soil...not even kidding. HAHAHAH
This is the Cabernet area..
Can't remember--something with earthy tones
It's like a museum for Hellen Keller or something, isn't it????
One tiny area of the cellar, turned around from the picture above.
The lounge area for before dinner or after dinner cocktails and smoking are permitted.
Like an IDIOT I didn't take any of the actual restaurant, but it's online.
The kitchen
Hope you all enjoy! And yep, still wanna come home! :)
can you tell my mood has changed now that I have made a decision and there is a light at the end of the tunnel??!!!! YAY!!!
love
Friday, January 16, 2009
Confusion
Well, I thought I had it all figured out..I thought that I was for SURE coming home. Until tonight. I told Ursula that I just couldn't do it and that I needed to leave. She basically tried to talk me into staying for the next 20 minutes.
I explained to her my frustration with working in the same environment that I am living and my lack of transportation issue. She said she would work out my work schedule and that they would be willing to buy me a bike to get around.
Then she left and Joan said he wanted to talk to me--he (via Ursula) said he feel so comfortable with me around and that he feels like I am part of the family. He is really so sweet. I actually like him the best..too bad we can't even talk.
There was much more than this said, but I just wanted everyone to be informed of the situation. I am trying not to be hasty either way, and I think I do owe it another week or two. In two days I may feel differently. In two hours, I may feel differently. Who the hell knows. I just wish time would speed up and it would be warm. It is so damn cold here. I know it is there too, but I mean, moving to Spain you think it would at least be 60--NO...it is not.
Another day, another day...the roller caoster of my life.
I explained to her my frustration with working in the same environment that I am living and my lack of transportation issue. She said she would work out my work schedule and that they would be willing to buy me a bike to get around.
Then she left and Joan said he wanted to talk to me--he (via Ursula) said he feel so comfortable with me around and that he feels like I am part of the family. He is really so sweet. I actually like him the best..too bad we can't even talk.
There was much more than this said, but I just wanted everyone to be informed of the situation. I am trying not to be hasty either way, and I think I do owe it another week or two. In two days I may feel differently. In two hours, I may feel differently. Who the hell knows. I just wish time would speed up and it would be warm. It is so damn cold here. I know it is there too, but I mean, moving to Spain you think it would at least be 60--NO...it is not.
Another day, another day...the roller caoster of my life.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Anne Frank...
So, I was lying on my bed earlier with like 15 blankets on me because the house is so cold, and I started giggling to myself and thought...I AM LIKE ANNE FRANK!!! Holed up in her room, reading instead of writing, but you get the gist...
I have nothing of eloquence to say this evening. I had a wonderful first conversation with my mom tonight on Skype and it was so good to see her sweet face!!! We were laughing at how it only been 9 days since I left!!! I feel like I have been gone an eternity!! It is so strange.
I need to get to bed, but I think I have come to the conclusion that this is just not for me. I don't know why God led me here and why this all fell into place, other than to show me what I DO have. I miss my friends tremendously and I miss my life. And with the circumstances as they are, I don't see anything getting any better. So, I am beginning to look at flights...not tonight, but soon--haha
I can't even think..I am exhausted and need to get some shut eye...
LOVE
I have nothing of eloquence to say this evening. I had a wonderful first conversation with my mom tonight on Skype and it was so good to see her sweet face!!! We were laughing at how it only been 9 days since I left!!! I feel like I have been gone an eternity!! It is so strange.
I need to get to bed, but I think I have come to the conclusion that this is just not for me. I don't know why God led me here and why this all fell into place, other than to show me what I DO have. I miss my friends tremendously and I miss my life. And with the circumstances as they are, I don't see anything getting any better. So, I am beginning to look at flights...not tonight, but soon--haha
I can't even think..I am exhausted and need to get some shut eye...
LOVE
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