October 2010: Liverpool

Liverpool in October was wet, cold (made even colder by whipping winds), and more charming than I'd anticipated.

I went to Liverpool for the 2010 International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) conference, which was held at the Echo Arena and Conference Centre on Albert Dock. I stayed at the Ibis hotel just across the street from Albert Dock. The view from my hotel room:

Left of center you can see Liverpool's version of the London Eye, and just behind that, the building that looks a bit like a spaceship, is the Echo Arena. The body of water in the background is, of course, the Mersey River.

Considering that I was traveling alone, that it pissed down rain most of the week I was there, and that I caught a very bad cold on the second day of the conference that lasted for two weeks, I had a fairly good time in Liverpool. My hotel was a 5-10 minute walk from a large pedestrian shopping area (complete with Starbucks--very important), and Albert Dock consists of several posh bars and restaurants, the Beatles Museum, and the Tate Gallery in what once were working warehouses. It reminded me a bit of Portland's Pearl district in that respect.

Between attending conference sessions, eating mediocre food in the hotel restaurant, keeping on top of work emails, and hiding out in my hotel room watching strange British television as an effort to make the nasty cold go away, I managed to:
-walk 5 or 6 miles around the city
-see a McDonald's whose decor is retro 60's à la Barbarella (see photo below)
-eat at a Spanish tapas restaurant and talk to the lovely young Polish waitress about travel, goals, etc.
-buy a British cell phone
-go to the World Museum and the Tate Gallery (both free)
-follow the pounding bass beats to Matthew Street
-find the one block of gay clubs and bars
-notice that the Empire Theatre was simultaneously featuring The Sound of Music and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (most excellent)
-spend a couple hours in Starbucks writing and watching all the high school and college students navigate their social lives
-opt NOT to pay the outrageous admission fee for the Beatles museum but merely to buy souvenirs in the adjoining Fab Four Store
-and, last but not least, figure out where to buy cold medicine and bottled water (i.e. Boots)

Liverpool is a mix of upscale bars, beautiful old buildings, not-so-beautiful old buildings, new glass-and-concrete structures, and (a new concept for me) Irish-American bars. I first heard about the Irish-American bars from a gorgeous young Irish bartender at one of the bars on Albert Dock where I'd just eaten lunch. I snorted (charmingly) and said, "Irish-American bar? What the hell is that?" He shrugged and told me was that it was best to steer clear of them at any rate, since they could get rather rough.

By accident I happened to stumble into one of the Irish-American bars, The Slaughterhouse, a day or two later. It looked like a typical Irish pub--dark wood, low beamed ceilings, tiny tables, Murphy's and Guinness on tap--except for the glossy, cartoonish, life-sized "statue" of Elvis in mid-full-arm-strum against one brick wall. Huh. Sadly, no fights broke out while I stood awkwardly alone in the middle of the room, sipping my glass of Murphy's, surrounded by boisterous, multi-generational groups of men. I escaped without even being groped or ogled. Sigh.

On Friday night, after the conference was over, I went back to the bar on Albert Dock, hoping the Irish bartender was working so I could tell him about my Irish-American bar experience. He was working and sympathetic to my full-blown cold and consequent need for a steady supply of hot toddies. Also at the bar were another bartender (very young, blonde, Liverpuddlian) and a man who seemed to be a well-known regular (middle-aged, fit, slightly drunk).

Eventually the latter and I entered into conversation, and he ended up buying my drinks (I do so love this about English men) and going with me to an Irish bar downtown called Pogue Mohone (translation from the Irish: kiss my ass), and then we walked around in the cold and wet until about 2am. Probably not the best for my cold, but hey: how often am I going to be in Liverpool on a Friday night?

Click here to see the rest of my photos from this trip.

September 2010: Madrid

Highlights of Madrid:
-seeing friends, former students, and my Spanish family
-hanging by the pool with Leslie
-going to Bar Colorado, my favorite Mexican bar in Madrid
-a night out with the bartenders of aforementioned Mexican bar
-eating at the Chinese restaurant under the Plaza de España, which I found out the locals call "the Blade Runner restaurant" because it looks like it could have been in that movie for its smallness and dinginess
-meeting Yoko No-No, Laurels new puppy (so freakin' adorable!!)

-taking a bus to Villaviciosa de Odón, where my friend Javi lives, and seeing life in a pueblo
-drinking loads of Mahou, café con leche and tinto de verano
-tasting torreznos (fried cubes of fat), pickled pulpo (octopus) and tigre de mejillón (a mussel croquette)

-finding out about (but not trying) the traditional madrileño dishes entresijos (intestines) and gallinejas (chicken uteri?)
-finding out what a fiesta del pueblo really is (think County Fair, but in the middle of a little town instead of at a fairground)
-getting to know Kate better and learning to play Rummi Cube from her while we sat in an elegant bar drinking the best tinto de verano and eating the best potato chips I've ever had
-buying €4 Dolce & Gabanna knock-off sunglasses
-seeing The Runaways (in English)
-having fun, wonderful interactions with new people
-spending more time with Spaniards in 2 weeks than I probably did my entire year living in Madrid

Realization: At home in the U.S. I have emotional walls up all the time that I didn't even realize I put there. There is a part of me that I withhold, that remains distant except with my closest friends and then sometimes even with them. These walls exist to dissuade people from asking me for things I cannot or will not give, hence to spare them from disappointment and to spare myself from the repercussions of disappointing others. This has a lot to do with the definition of "being a good person" that I've had for a long time: a good person is one who does whatever they can to meet others' needs, even at the expense of one's own emotional or physical health.

In Madrid I am a different person: confident, open, unafraid. I am more present with myself in the moment, less likely to be asking myself "what does this person want and how can I give it to them?" Instead I ask myself, "what do I want and how can I communicate that to this person?" Perhaps in Madrid I am less concerned with "being a good person," but I do know that in Madrid I enjoy myself more, have more satisfying interactions with people, and feel more anchored in myself.

I like my Madrid-self better than my U.S.-self. I am working on bringing my Madrid-self into the U.S. I am working on changing my definition of what it means to be a good person.

Click here for more photos of my trip to Madrid.

August 2010: Motorcycle Trip

Dad and I continued our annual tradition of taking his Harley out for a ride again this year. He asked where I wanted to go and I asked to head south on 101 to Otter Rock, where the Devil's Punchbowl and also one of the Mo's Chowder restaurants are.

Dad is so good at planning these trips. He not only maps out the route and checks for construction and road closure notices, but he also figures out where we'll stop every couple of hours--rest stops, view points, Dairy Queens--so our butts don't get too sore.

It was a clear, hot, sunny day inland, cooler with fog on the coast: perfect for a ride. I must be getting better at riding on the back of the bike, despite infrequent practice, because this year I didn't have as much trouble staying upright as I remember having in the past.

As in previous years, we took Hwy 22 West to Hwy 18 and stopped to stretch at the HB Van Duzer Forest State Park rest area before continuing on to Hwy 101 South. We drove through Lincoln City and Depoe Bay and stopped again at a wayside/view point/park...I think it was Boiler Bay State Wayside, before Depoe Bay. There were lots of people out, seagulls, a nice view if you like cloudy weather (as I do). Dad took lots of photos.

On 101 South again we drove around Rocky Creek State Wayside a bit and then took Otter Crest Loop down into a little vacation resort called Otter Crest. Very posh, nice swimming pool, semi-private beach you could walk down to via stairs cut into the cliff face. There was a restaurant there too--The Flying Dutchman--where we ate. The restaurant was clean and I liked our waiter--cute, tattooed, had personality--but the food was a bit overpriced for the quality in my opinion.

After lunch Dad and I walked down the road and found Otter Rock and the Devil's Punchbowl, where he took more photos and I wandered around. We saw we could get back to Otter Crest by descending to, and then crossing, the semi-private beach, so that's what we did. It was a lovely little beach, just a half-moon shaped bit of sand nestled between two rock outcroppings.

Then we got back on the bike and headed back the way we came. The trip was pleasant and (thankfully) uneventful. Hooray for father-daughter bonding time! =*)

Click here for more photos of this year's motorcycle trip.

For my cousin Cari

Upcoming Trips: Oregon Coast, Madrid & Liverpool

Next week my dad and I will take our third annual trip to the coast on his motorcycle. It's always an exhilarating experience to be on the back of his roaring Harley, partly because it's work to stay on and partly because the bike attracts appreciative looks wherever we go. I love being out in the open at 50 or 60 miles an hour, feeling the moisture and breathing in the smells of the highway and coastal air in August. Our trip is something I've come to consider as one of the few traditions in my life, and it's something I look forward to every year.

Am also excited to have not one but TWO trips to Europe planned for this fall.

View from the window of my former 8th story flat in Las Águilas, Madrid.

 First trip will be back to Madrid for two weeks of vacation in September. Plan to see several friends--from the U.S., Spain, Australia--as well as perhaps some former students. Might also meet a friend from Poland in Paris for a weekend. Ah, how I miss being able to jet to Paris for a long weekend!

Second trip will be to Liverpool in October for a professional conference. Although I've been to England a few times, have not yet been to Liverpool. Am looking forward to exploring a new town, perhaps taking a Beatles tour, not to mention geeking out at the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning conference.

A couple years ago, when I imagined my life in the not-too-distant-future, I'd seen myself being in a position, both financially and in terms of vacation time, to travel abroad for a month every year. It's important to me to continue to expose myself to new ways of being in and perceiving the world, as well as work toward my goal of being fluent in seven languages before I die. While I can't yet quite afford to spend a month of each year abroad, I am incredibly grateful to work at an institution where they're willing to make such a significant investment in me as to help send me to an international conference abroad.