Do you see what I see?

Okay, I know I've dropped a few photos from London in here and there, so now I'm going to release the hounds and show you all my faves. It's a big place.

Where to begin, where to begin?... Ah, yes, on the ride to the airport. Iñaki drove, I took pictures. I think this one's funny because it looks like the last photo they might find on his camera at the site of a car crash.

This is a shot of Portobello Road, my favorite part of London. It's a huge open air market that probably runs for 30 blocks in the Notting Hill neighborhood. They have lots of antiques and t-shirts and original clothing. I almost bought another cape there, but went for a little red jacket instead.

Here are some glimpses at Hyde Park. On the lake...

Iñaki and I in Hyde Park. I think he looks like a manican and my nostrils are huge, which is an issue I had throughout the whole trip, large nostrils in pics.

Here's one of the Peter Pan Statue.

I just like this one of a sign, so I'm sharing.

Now, from the Westminster neighborhood, here's Westminster Abbey. It was already closed when we got there, so we couldn't go in and see all the cool tombs. I guess they Have Isaac Newton and Darwin in there.

And right next to this is Big Ben. I was singing "England Swings" by Roger Miller the whole time I was in this area. See and listen here. I especially like the strange girls in the background with the leotards in the video. Thank you for letting me know that song exsists Dad and Whit. If you ever get the chance, ask my Dad to sing it to you. You just can't beat his rendition. Anyhow, here's Big Ben.

Here's one of Winston Churchill looking oddly similar to Jaba the Hut.

Buckingham Palace.

Tower of London. This houses the crown jewels, oooooh.

Next I have a bridge comparison. The first one I saw was the Tower Bridge. It's pretty cool.

So, from here, we went in search of the London Bridge, which must be so amazing if this is only the Tower Bridge, right? Here is what we found.Can you see it? That's it, right in the middle of the photo. The only thing distinguishing it were the words "London Bridge" carved into the side. I suppose it really must have fallen down (yuck, yuck, yuck!).

Here's a snap of Saint Paul's Cathedral.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre was next. Or, at least the replica. It made me feel so "Shakespeare in Love." I'm not a big fan of his actual works, but the films of today that represent them are always pretty good.

The typical American I am, I had to have this one.

At the end of this street we found a pretty sweet restaurant, check out the name, of course, we didn't eat there.If there are two things that go together, it's Texas and London... not! Texas and Paris, maybe.

We had a big English meal on our last night in London. Iñaki had the fish and chips and I had the cottage pie. It was yummy. The only thing that gave us a little pause, was that on the menu, the fish and chips had a sign next to them that said, "improved!" But, Iñaki ate it and didn't have issues.

After dinner, we visited the big finale. Well, at least it was the big finale for me. Are you a Harry Potter fan? Well, I am. And guess what? It's real...

On our way back home we had checked in at the airport and checked our bags. I happen to have a bright orangish-yellow suitcase and as we were sitting at our gate Iñaki says to me, "hey Darb, take a look out the window, can you see your suitcase?" It was sorta funny. Pic...

And here we are, all tuckered out. We came, we saw, we Londoned.

And now, a story. Each day we'd walk down to the Tube station and get our day pass and go through the gate. Each day we'd have to take the "lift" down to the train and each day an automated voice would tell us, "the doors are closing, please do not obstruct the door." Well, Iñaki really took a liking to this phrase and started immitating it each time we got in the elevator. Each time, he'd get a little louder and sound a little more Wizard of Oz. By the end, I think his line was, "Pleeeez, DO NOT STROPKT Thuh DOOOOE!"

I said, "Iñaki, what was that word in the middle, stropkt?" He said, "yes, I was trying to make it sound stronger." I said, "you can't just make up words in english just to make them sound stronger." He goes, "yes I can." So, everyone, FYI, stropkt, is now a word and it means the same thing as obstruct, but it's stronger. Iñaki, I wouldn't go on another vacation to London sintigo!

I'll be home in like 3 weeks, crazy! I'm getting so anxious. Luvins!

Tate Modern Crappola

One of our stops on our trip to London was the Tate Modern Museum. Some of it was really cool and we had the chance to see some famous stuff... Picasso, Warhol and a Kandinski. My friend Stelz loves her some Kandinski. We actually had a painting of his on our wall during our senior year of college. In fact, I saw that painting in person and it was hung differently than we had it, 180 degrees to the left. The funny thing is, it was a poster and had a caption beneath it, so the poster people were way off! Anyhow, Iñaki and I, at the risk of being chewed out by a guard, took a picture of it and ran, just for Lauren...

One of the cool parts of the Tate Modern was the restaurant at the top. It was 7 floors up, right on the Thames River and you could see all of London and just sit and have a juice for a minute. Here is the view, lots of construction...

We started at the top and cruised down through actually. All the museums in London are free. By the time we got to Duchamp's "Fountain", we knew it was time to go, take a look. I'm pretty sure we saw something similar at the Whitney in NY and that was our cue to get the hell outta dodge there as well.

We needed a little pick me up before leaving, so we stopped in the coffee shop downstairs for an iced latte. They didn't have an iced latte on the menu, but they did have just a regular latte. I had been doing all the talking since english is my native language and all. I went up to the guy at the counter and said, "can you make an iced latte?" He just shook his head no and I turned to iñaki and shrugged. Iñaki turned back to the guy and said, "can you make a latte and then put it in a cup of ice?" The guy's face sort of lit up and he said, "sure we can do that."... what? Isn't that what I just asked for? Hello, McFly, is anybody in there? I think Luis said it best... the fog in London does something to effect the British brain.

Sorry for the quicky, but I have to run. More to come later on.

A word on London

So, surprise, I went to London this last weekend! It was great. Pictures are to come tomorrow, but for now a few choice moments that I can't resist to share, in order.

When I first got off the plane in London, I split from Iñaki to get in the very short non-EU line and make my little declaration. As I waited, I picked up on a cell phone conversation occurring behind me. A man in a leather jacket, white colared, shirt, sunglasses and Italian leather boots, blathered into the receiver...

"Hi, it's me, I just landed and thought I'd check in and see what's going on in your world... yes, I'm about an hour late... I have a headache and I need a glass of merlot, but I'm fine, just fine... So, I was thinking about something and I just wanted to run it by you. Why are we using, "it puts the 'zing' in amazing"? I mean, I read it in the times too, but I don't even know what that means... mm hmm... yeah, I know, but what DOES that even mean? I mean, it's like we're just using words here. Can you tell me what that means? And, "putting the 'gin' in original"? What is that? I mean, what is that really? It doesn't say anything to me. It brings no image to my mind, sends no message. I mean, why are we really doing this anyway?... we need to remind ourselves why I think... ok, yes... well you do that and then you get back to me... mm hmm, bye bye."

And click, the convo was over and he walked through the gate. I thought he was some kind of play director or something. It was like watching the Isaac Mizerahi show in real life. Someone who thought that what was at the center of his world was at the center of everyone's.

I relayed the conversation to Iñaki afterwards and as we were riding an escalator up from the underground later, we saw it... a poster for the show, "The Drowsey Chaperone." And right there, in large yellow letters on a red background, gleamed the words, "putting the gin in original." I couldn't believe it. We saw them all over the tube stations after that and laughed each time.

Uff, I'm tired now and I'll share more tomorrow. Just know that there is a real platform 9 3/4 and I've been there and it really does put the zing in amazing.

Streatball

This weekend I got to play in a 3 on 3 tournament in the Plaza Del Castillo called "Streetball." They had half of the plaza blocked up and 3 short courts with 6 hoops set up. It was so fun! A ton of folks from the club in Zizur were there, but I played with Irene's team. We actually went 2-3, but ended up getting 4th place. I guess you can win money and fabulous prizes if you finish in the top 3 spots and we almost had 3rd place. Next year.

I took a tumble in our second game. I was cutting across the key and got pushed, I guess. I didn't really feel it but everyone keeps telling me I should have fought the girl. Mostly I was just embarrassed and laughing. I have a sweet battle wound though. We won that game, heh heh heh. Some action shots... This was our 3rd/4th place game and here, I was cutting outside to hit a 3 I guess. I'm not sure why.

Here I'm posting up against Anna, from the regionales in Zizur. She promised me beforehand that she'd be hitting me the whole time. What do you think... a foul? Not in Spain it's not.

In this one, our little guard from my team in Zizur, Patri, is carrying the ball. What a rip off! I know she's only tiny, but I think I'll push her on Monday at the scrimmage.

So, we finished 4th, but still got trophies. Here I am going up to receive mine and kiss the president of Navarra's basketball federation. I was cold, so I needed the hat. This is actually my orphan look. When Iñaki saw it, he said, "oh look, a little orphan going up to kiss the president." Ha ha ha! Really though, it's a big orphan, not a little one.

As we inspected our trophies after receiving them, we noticed something strange... "streetball" was spelled "streatball." It just makes the trophy that much cooler in my opinion. Here's me with my team after the big finish... Me in the upper left then Maria, then Laura, Irene in the red sweatshirt and Christina to the left of her. Christina played with us in the morning, but felt pretty sick, so her twin sister, Maria played with us in the afternoon. Double trouble.

Irene and Laura and I went out after to celebrate. Irene brought her trophy, which resulted in at least 2 shots being bought for us.

But, don't worry, the shots here are more often just sweet liqueurs than hard A. We poured some of our drinks into the cup and took sips too. It was a fun time. I didn't want to stya out too late though, because Alexis had his communion on Sunday, so I headed home early. I met up with the ringer team that won the whole tourney on my walk out of the bar and chatted for a second. Nice girls, just too tall : ) Hugs hugs hugs! I'm going to see you all in less than a month, ahhhhhhhhhhh!

A series

I finally have all the pictures from my trip, yay! Now I just have to adjust all the ones I want to show you... but first, here's a funny series of pics I found of me and Whit just before diving into the surf in Conil (I think that's where we were)...

We discover the Yucca plant and can't quite decide what to do with it. It looks like I've decided to poke it and Whitney is bracing me in case something poisonous shoots out...

Next, I've actually touched it and Whit moves in to inspect it a bit more closely...

Here, I think I've actually extracted some type of liquid from the spine and am doing various tests like smelling, tasting, etc. Whitney is still fascinated as am I...

Fianlly, we discover we are being watched...

A few more pictures that I think would go nicely in this blog... This is a picture of the beach in Conil. The one sunny afternoon we had and Whit and I took advantage by jumping in the waves for a while.

This is a picture of me that Whit and I both liked, but I think Iñaki was a bit grossed out by it. I put my clothes on over my swimming suit and it looked like I peed my pants. If Steph is reading this, I hope she knows this is an ode to peebutt.

This is a snail we met on the way home from the beach. I ended up picking him up, but realized that probably bothered him, so I put him back down. He just sort of rolled over and laid there for a while, poor fella.

Not much more to blog on I spose. Alexis' communion is this weekend, so we're having a big bash on Sunday. Oh, on Saturday I'm playing in a "streetball" 3 on 3 tourney in the Plaza del Castillo. I looooooove 3 on 3, so I'm really pumped. Plus, I find it hilarious that it's in the Plaza because it's such a touristy spot and all "old Pamplona" and I sort of feel like streetball is not what it was meant for. I mean, it has a gazebo. But, it's gonna be really fun. Last night I ate some really awesome food that GPJ would be proud of. Two fried eggs (which I will have to learn the technique for because they are different from home and delicious), two sausages, 3 slices of pork, tomatoe sauce and fries. Mmmmmmmmm. It's still sticking to my ribs as I write.

The actual dinner conversation was a little rough on me though. There are times when I understand and times when I don't. I understood enough last night, but I kept saying what, or huh and felt like an idiot. I dunno, writing about it now makes it seem like I was all twisted up for no reason. After all, I should just tell people to slow down a tad, but dumb old pride gets in the way and before I know it, I'm on autopilot and nodding and smiling when I don't know what to ask. I started thinking about dinner at Shari's or Red Robin with college buddies and how everything just flowed and I could talk and be funny and laugh at jokes and the fact that I was speaking in English never even crossed my mind.

But, I know I can speak and communicate and get the important parts when I need to. I wish I'd push myself a little harder though. It's my experience and I'll only get out what I put in. I'm putting in, but maybe I want to put more in. I want to be able to chat, not just speak.

Sorry, I guess that was a bit of a downer, but don't worry, I still feel happy. I'm starting to work on getting a visa for next year and find out if I can teach english here so send me good vibes as it's a lengthy process! Love you!

Tided over

This entry is really mostly for aunt dona, but I thought it was funny, so I'm posting.

Last night I realized I still have the need to be tided over... I had plans to go get kebabs with Iñaki after work but we were having sidra sausage for dinner so I had some of that and some salad and an apple sauce. Catherine asked me why I wasn't eating very much and I said that I was going to eat later and she sort of laughed nervously like, "you´re having two dinners big girl?"

Just two hours later I had a full kebab to myself. Without that little "snack" beforehand, I'm sure I couldn't have held out until the kebab and may have fainted or passed out.

So, aunt Dona, Kelly and whoever else is concerned about how I'm eating, don't worry, as always, I'm well fed.

Giving the Sur a once over

Over Semana Santa, basically spring break here, I headed south to find the sun, a tan and a few mojitos. Alas, all I found was a drizzle and a lot of walking. Though I wasn´t prepared for a huge site seeing vacation, it was good to see things and places in other parts of Spain.

I had some company on this trip...

Kim "The Real" McCoy and Whit "The Weige" Cave

Iñaki "Shiny happy person" Mayo

Iñigo "I don´t know your last name, sorry buddy"

Darby "Colleen" Cave

Because, of course, I am always good company when I'm with myself.

Kim and I began our journey from Pamplona during the wee hours of the morning on April 5th. We drove 11 hours, I think, to meet Iñaki and Iñigo in Gibralter that evening. We got settled in and hit the town. After some dinner, etc., part of the town´s easter week "celebration" began. These celebrations aren´t really celebrations at all, but long slow parades that trudge through the streets carrying large statues of Jesus on the cross that really creep me out. They are most famous in Seville and there is a lot of crying involved and sadness. Sort of a downer.

Whit was supposed to meet up with us, but there were complications with trains and she didn't get south until two days into the trip. During this time we checked out a really cool castle, that I still don't have pictures of because my email was too full to receive them and a town that I forget the name of but is perched on the top of a canyon and is quite gorgeous. Pictures to come.

We picked up Whitty at the train station on day 3 and started perusing various beach towns in search of sun. No such luck. We finished up in Cadiz or Conil on Whit's first night, I can't remember which one and it was actually a pretty nice day out. Whit and I dragged Iñaki down to the beach to jump in the waves for a few, even though it was pretty cold. We had to test it out, plus we're from Oregon, and if you couldn't handle the cold water, you'd never have gotten to swim when you were little. Those pictures are also to come. And possibly some video.

In the morning we drove to Seville. When we arrived, I realized I'd have to go back. It was purdy. Every building looks like a palace and from a different country. They've got an awesome cathedral and the river runs right through the center. The bull ring is a neat site to see as well. We met up with Whitney's old teammate, Lauren Surber, and her sister for lunch, found a hostel and just wandered around for the rest of the evening. We got sort of lost trying to pick up Whit's bag at Surbs' hotel, so that took up a big chunk of the evening, but, we got to walk around and see a lot in doing so! (positive spin)

Kim, Iñigo and Iñaki headed off or to do their own things the next day and Whit and I took a 9 hour bus ride to Valencia. Yikes stripes. We wanted a girly vacation with beach sitting, shopping and relaxing. But, more rain and clouds. When we got in, Whitney's current teammate, Segrin's, fiancee picked us up at the bus station and deposited us at a chinese restaurant with Segrin and Tina, another of Whit's teammates. Israel, the fiancee, is from Valencia and they were in town making wedding plans. Tina goes to school there. Israel looked into our hostel situation as we ate. Come to find out, our hostel was like an hour outside of the city! The website had a miss-print, so we didn't have to pay and cancelled. Israel found us a really cheap place with a private bathroom right downtown, so we booked it. We just got up when we pleased, wandered around each day, and came home when we wanted. Here are some pics (finally)...

This is the market we went to every morning to get dried fruit and nuts and fresh fruit and magdelenas (lemon muffins) to keep us full until dinner. It was right across from our hostel and so cheap.
The cathedral and views from the top...

This is a shot of the old city gate on one side... or maybe just a cool arch. Whit and I were just sort of our own tour guides...

Our second night in Valencia their soccer team was playing a huge match at home so we walked down to the stadium. All the bars were packed and they all had flatscreens outside broadcasting the game and people were sitting in the streets watching. Everytime something good happened we could hear the stadium erupt with shrieks and then the street dwellers would follow. Whit and I meant to find Tina and hang with her this night, but we couldn't find her. We were supposed to meet her at the burger king, but were at the wrong one. Weird. So, we parked it at a table outside, had a beer and watched the match. It was so fun!

Me being a tree... can you tell which one is the tree?

Valencia used to have a river running through the middle of it, just like all big cities. Now, they just have a river bed they dug out to create a park that runs the length of the city. It's quite a neat thing. They have soccer fields, baseball fields, playgrounds, fountains, green areas, all throughout. Whit and I walked through it one day...

This sign made us think of Mindy and perhaps J. Scott. They actually put projectile poop on there...The park ends at the City of Arts and Sciences which is a cool group of 3 or 4 buildings that are sort of a glorified OMSI. There's the oceanographic, an IMAX, the city of sciences and the opera house. The oceanographic was cool because they had belugas and a neato dolphin show but the city of sciences was a little lame. As I said to Whitney way too many times because I thought I was funnier than I am, "ok, enough of this diarama crap."

The buildings were actually quite interesting to see, very star wars helmet...

Here's a shot of Whitney inside the City of Science in this weird skeleton area we found behind a curtain that lights up when you enter. Of course, I was a little scared and didn't want to stand by it...

On our last day in V-town we headed over to the beach and The America's Cup, which turned out to be less than active, but it was nice to see the boats I spose...

I love that they have the little blue and white tents on the beach in Valencia like in a Goofy cartoon. I've never seen that in real life.

I had such fun with Whitty just hanging out for 4 days and it was interesting being on vacay before that with 5 people who know eachother at various levels. What a lucky girl I am. Whit finally got her girly vacation on her birthday, which I believe she spent in Nice, France. I'll leave you with this picture she took on her big day, I just love it...

I wish you all pink toes, rocky beaches and crystal blue seas!