Monday 21 October 2013

A leettle homesick

I'm missing lots of things about London, although I am having a good time in Madrid. I've realised that the two things really aren't mutually exclusive. Not that I'd be there anyway if I was in the UK since Oxford term has begun but whatever. These are a few such things from a great article.

LIVE IN LONDON

ABC Serrano

So this is where our nearest supermarket is. Feel like I'm living a very glamorous life but it is actually just Mercadona (queue the great Mercadona jingle played in there every five minutes). It's the old ABC newspaper building from 1899 and from the Castellana side, this façade is what you see.
Oh and here's a cool video I found of some bloggers on the ABC Serrano website while looking up the opening hours. I was actually asked by a very hipster looking blogger yesterday on the street whether he could take a photo of me for his 'Street Style in Salamanca' post and well, we'll see how that one turns out.

ABC Serrano Tendencias Verano from cupofcouple on Vimeo.

Monday 14 October 2013

First month done and done

Wow, it's only taken me a month but I finally have the triple threat for any student here: my NIE, Spanish phone and home wifi.

I've now been here for 34 days and hombre, I've learnt a lot. Therefore amiguitos, I thought I'd make a list of year abroad lessons learnt and add to it each month! First twenty, here goes...

1. I've found that I can sleep absolutely anywhere - in the car on both the way and way back from school, on the desks in the staff room and even on the bus full of shouting children.

2. Everyone in Spain appears has been to London and/or Brighton. No idea why on the Brighton front but well I now know far more about the seaside town.

3. Spanish beaurocracy is impossible  - the quest for a NIE became the bane of my existence and it was easier to get a job out here than it was been to set up a bank account.

4. In Madrid? Not sure where to go for dinner? Lateral. Every time.

5. Being at school to teaching at a school, nothing changes. My first day was spent with all the women (the teaching staff in primary is about 80% female) discussing the one or two men considered attractive (mostly just because they're there).

6. I quickly learnt ITV is not the TV channel but the Spanish MOT. Bit of an anti-climax that one.

7. You begin to get excited for just about anyone's birthday because they treat everyone to something in the school, whether it's biscuits, cake or an empanada. Yummm.

8. Alcohol is cheaper than you can ever even imagine. You can buy a good bottle of wine, which would cost at least six pounds in the UK, for three euro. If that's not incentive enough to live in Spain, I don't know what is.

9. Spain is lacking 'the meal deal' in supermarkets. Although in most bares you can get a pretty cheap fixed menu option for a meal, it's just not the same.

10. Spaniards just function on less sleep. It's madness... We got home from a birthday party last weekend at 9am. Yes - as in 9 o'clock in the morning. 

11. You'll learn vocabulary and expressions that will never (ever) come up in exams, such as ser chungo (a colloquial way to say something is bad, complicated, weird or dodgy), or donde tengas la olla, no metes la polla (a pretty inappropriate way of saying don't get involved with somebody you work with).

12. Spaniards are sadly not really dessert people... But they do make up for that by almost always having a starter and main course.

13. The metro may claim to be air conditioned but they really need to up their game. The hot, sticky air hits you as soon as you come into the station. However, at least it is less busy (and probably less sweaty) than the London tube.

14. Spain is crazy for Fernando Alonso. Not only do I see a cardboard cut out of him every time I go to the bank (Banco Santander) but he's in cologne and watch adverts and even on the side of a building by the motorway on my way to work.

15. The word ánimo, as an interjection, needs to exist in English! 'Cheer up' or 'come on' are neither the same nor nearly as concise.

16. This is vital advice for living in Spain in general, people ask "¿qué tal?" (how are you?) sort of as a form of hello, without ever expecting an answer and lots of the time you look like a fool if you answer them. Oh and this works the other way round to, don't expect an answer because you will undoubtedly be left hanging!

17. Madrid in September/October is incredibly confusing weather wise. Morning to afternoon in terms of the temperature could be the change from Winter to Summer in the UK. How on earth does one dress to leave the house when it's 10 degrees but to survive the day when it reaches 27. Although it's far better than English weather so I'm not complaining!

18. Never enter into a Britain vs. Spain argument. It will never end (well).

19. Despite the fact that I didn't turn around when people called me for the first couple of weeks, I have finally got used to being either the Spanish Rosi or the English pronounced Rosie.

20. Last but not least, I have begun a new obsession, Zara Home. I could live there with the pristine white sheets and heavenly smell. I have even had a dream about my future Zara Home-filled home.

Thursday 10 October 2013

Hermès at Cibeles

The weekend before last, Germán, Helena, Chiara, Claudia, Manu and I went to see the Hermès exhibition on at the moment, 'Esencia del cuero'. After a delicious lunch at Sushi Shop - yes, I went back there again, I loved it that much - we ambled over to Palacio de Cibeles.


None of us were sure what to expect but I imagined something quite small, like the Dior exhibition in Harrods last year. I was wrong, it was gigantic.

As we came in I immediately thought of Norman Foster's roof at the British Museum. I love that style, bathing the space with natural light so that you have the feeling you're outside when you're in.


The exhibition was divided into rooms, each one very well done and each one telling a different part of the story. The first room gave us a chance to feel the leather and suede from different animals. A favourite was a blue-dyed ostrich leather.


We then had the opportunity to watch one of the craftsmen make a bag. It's a long and intricate process that I could watch all day long.

Next came various different rooms explaining the history of the brand, helping us to plot the trajectory of ideas that leads us to their place in fashion today. Each room had a distinct theme and design.



This included a North African refuge complete with desert sounds and sand.



A take on a silent moving picture.


A room for Hermès' sueños hechos realidad whose entrance was floor-length hanging strips of leather. There was even a pretty upmarket leather lunch box for your apple and pen knife.


There was even a room with Hermès saddles, stirrups and riding boots, which went so far as to *smell* like a stable.


The photo below is just too good to go unseen.



I leave you with their homage to Spain, bags mechanically dancing flamenco. It was all so well done, down to the extensive knowledge of those there working. If you can go, do. The exposición is on until the 13th October.



See Miss Fidalgo's blog for some more photos.

Friday 4 October 2013

Kike Keller

A week ago today I went with friends for a drink at Kike Keller, after dinner at Whitby (another great place you should try). Granted this post is pretty late in the day so why write it? Well, the bar is definitely worth it. I've been telling anyone and everyone I meet that they have to go for a gin tonic there - and yes, Spaniards for some bizarre reason omit the 'and'.

This is the website and they have a super artsy blog. To be honest it's way too cool for me, thankfully Manu and Germán donned their hipster glasses so we didn't look too out of place!

Here are some photos I took of the bar which is a combination of interesting pieces of art and design.














 The boyfriend and I.

 A particularly creepy lamp.


Crate chairs which really work with the warehouse of the exposed brick and piping at the bar.

Tuesday 1 October 2013

Las Rozas Village

I've never really been big on outlet shopping, I find the whole business a little stressful having to fight to find something that ends up not even being my size, but I have to admit, I quite liked my evening at Las Rozas Village.

El Ganso there is pretty good and could this top in Pepe jeans be any more perfect?


It's open late therefore you can escape the crowds and the options for relaxing are pretty good too. Definitely go to Lobby Café where everything is all British-acristocracy themed and look at the view from this bar de copas, 




All in all, if you're around there - granted it is quite far out of Madrid - it's a lovely place to be.