Brussels - Day 1

15.04.2011

Reede/Friday

Uus 9 päevane seiklus!

Ärkasin varem et viimased asjad pakkida sest tahtsime lennujaama kusagil kella 1 ajal minna sest tavaliselt on Ryanairi lendudel väga pikad järjekorrad. Võtsime takso sest kottidega metroosse minna on nii tülikas. Lennujaama jõudes nägime et järjekordi polnudki, super. Ehk inimesed lendavad siis varahommikul või hilisõhtul. Kyle käis viisakontrollis ja kõik läks hästi. Tegime check ini ära, läksime läbi turvakontrolli ning jäime lendu ootama. Söime hommikust lennujaamas –väikse võileiva. Lend kestis natukene üle 2 tunni ja olimegi Brüsselis. Lennujaamast pidime sõitma bussiga veel tund aega Brüsseli kesklinna. Buss peatus rongijaamas, sealt võtsime takso ning sõitsime oma hotelli. Taksojuht ei osanud hotelli minna, aga selgus et see on uus. Hotell on väga lahe, üks parimaid kus oleme Euroopas ööbinud. Väga moderne. Tuba on lahe. Megasuur LCD telekas seinas, voodi on super mugav- kui sinna istud siis püsti enam tõusta ei taha. Allkorrusel on baar, piljard ning mõnusad lebotamistoolid kamina ümber. Hotell asub Euroopa Parlamendi piirkonnas. Kesklinna saame metrooga 10 minutit. Küsisime hotelli töötajatelt kuhu minna õhtust sööma. Otsustasime tänasel õhtul minna lähedal asuvasse väikesele väljakule kus oli mitmeid söögikohti. Väljas ei olnud külm, aga ei olnud ka soe. Restoranis kus me õhtust söime olid soojapuhurid õues ning seetõttu valisime laua terrassil. Meie valikuks osutus Belgia õlu. Kyle valis heleda õlu ning mina kirsiõlu. Söögi poole pealt suupisteks valisime kreveti qroquetta (mis on siis peamiselt muna, jahu ja krevetid aga maitseb nagu oleks see kartulipuder ning mis on praetud väikeseks palliks) ning pearoaks jagasime hobuseliha. Mõlemad olid väga maitsvad. Hobuseliha oli muidugi Genevas parem, aga hind oli ka poole kallim. Peale maistvat õhtusööki läksime kõrval baari ning proovisime veel 2 erinevat õlut. Selles baaris oli pildiraami sees erinevatest riikidest kohalik raha ja kohe jäi silma ka eesti 10 ja 25 kroonine :) Tegin pildi tõestusmaterjaliks. Mõnus algus meie reisile on tehtud. Sellest tuleb kindlasti järjekordne vahva reis. Ootan juba homset päeva!

Rohkem pilte: https://picasaweb.google.com/HeleriR/BrusselsBelgium#

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I woke up early to finish packing because we wanted to go to the airport around 1PM because there are usually so long lines with Ryanair flights. We took a taxi because it’s so difficult to take a metro with the bags. We had only one check in bag, one carry on bag and a computer. When we got to the airport there wasn’t any lines. That was surprising. Mayby people travel in the morning and in the evening not in the middle of the day. Kyle went to visa checking, it went well. We ate breakfast in the airport because we didn’t had anything at home. We are going to be away 9 days and it would be good if there is any food in the fridge what might go bad. Flight was over 2 hours and we made it to Brussels. Let the fun begin.

From the aiport we had to take a bus to the city center. It was one hour ride. The bus stoped in a train station, from there we took a taxi and went to our hotel. The taxi driver didn’t know how to go there because it was new. The hotel was AWESOME. One of the best where we have stayed during our travels in Europe. It was so modern and design was incredible. It had a big LCD TV on the wall and bed was sooooo comfortable- if you sit down you didn’t want to stand up anymore. Downstairs was a bar, pool table and a fireplace. The hotel was located near the EU institutions- Aloft Brussels Schumann. We were really happy with this discovery. City center is only 10 minutes metro ride. We asked from the hotel workers where is the best places to eat and also what places we have to definately see while being in Brussels. We got a map and recommendations. This evening we decided to walk around the area neat the hotel and go to the city center tomorrow. We walked to a small square what was full of restaurants. It wasn’t cold outside, but it wasn’ warm either. We choosed a restaurant what had heaters so we could sit outside. Right away we wanted to try belgium beer. Kyle choosed light beer and I wanted to try cherry beer. Both of them were really good. Our appetiser was shrimp croquettas. It was delicious. Similiar like in Spain, but way better, lol :D We decided to split main course- horse meat. It was good, but the horse meat what we ate in Switzerland was so much better. It was more expensive too of course. After good dinner we weren’t ready to go back to the hotel so we walked to a bar next to the restaurant and tried some more beers. There was a frame full of money from different countries. I found Estonian 10 and 25 EEK :D It was good beginning to our trip. It is going to be another good trip. I can’t wait for tomorrow!

More pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/HeleriR/BrusselsBelgium#

H.

Brussels - Day 2

16.04.2011

Laupäev/Saturday

Meie hotell soovitas meile väga head hommikusöögi kohta. Söök oli seal orgaaniline ja väga maitsev. Kyle söi munaroa ja mina müsli, jogurti ja puuviljadega.Crossaint oli ka super hea. Pärast hommikusööki jalutasime Brüsseli vanalinnas ringi. Nägime Grand Place peaväljakut ning Mannekes Pis – väikest pronkskuju poissi kes koguaeg pissib. Peaväljakul oli Godiva šokolaadipood ja seal müüdi šokolaadiga kaetud maasikaid, mitte ei suutnud neid ostmata jätta. Ütleme nii et need oli ülimaitsvad. Olime just hommikust söönud aga kui belgia vahvleid nägin oli kõht jälle tühi. Peale pikka mõnusat jalutuskäiku sõitsime metrooga Atomiumi vaatama. Atomium on monument Brüsselis, algselt ehitatud Expo '58, the 1958 Brüssel World's Fair. Ta on üheksa terasest sfäärides ühendatud nii, et kogu vormide kuju üksuse raku raua kristall võimendab 165 miljardit korda. Atomiumi kõrval asus ka Park Mini Euroopa. Pargis näeb üle 80 Euroopa Liidu miniatuurseid linnasid. Päris huvitav oli seal ringi jalutada. Tallinna miniatuurne vanalinn oli sinna parki isegi ära eksinud. Parki sisse astudes tehti meist maskotiga koos pilt ning pargist lahkudes sai selle pildi osta. Olen paljudes kohtades selliseid pilte teinud aga mitte kunagi pole neid ostnud sest teeme ise niikuinii pilte. Seekord kui ma seda pilti nägin siis pidin selle ostma kuna see mulle väga meeldis. Proovisime palju erinevaid õllesid. Minu lemmikuteks osutusid vaarika ja kirsi õlu. Kyle’ile meeldis rohkem hele õlu. Šokolaad oli ka väga maitsev. Peaaegu igas teises poes sai tasuta erinevaid šokolaade proovitud. Väga populaarne toit Brüsselis on friikartulid mida saab osta väikestest putkadest väga odavalt. Oleme harjunud et Madriidis ei räägi keegi inglise keelt väga hästi aga Brüsselisse tulles ei olnud mingit probleemi kuna enamus inimesi rääkis inglise keelt. Õhtul jalutasime vanalinnas ringi ja leidsime pika tänava mis oli täis mereandine restorane. Valisime ühe restorani kus saime vaadata ka Real Madridi ja Barcelona mängu. Loomulikult valisime selle koha kuna saime 2 tasuta klaasi sampust. Õhtusöögiks söime krevette, tigusid ja vähi suppi. Restoranis oli kamin mis muutis meie õhtu romantiliseks. Kõht täis ja mäng läbi suundusime kõrval tänavale asuvasse baari Delirium. See on väga populaarne baar kuna seal müüakse 250 erinevat õlut ning samuti saab osta seal absinti. Kaks päeva Brüsselis oli just piisav aeg nüüd on aeg vallutada Amsterdam.

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Our hotel recommended to us a really good breakfast place. It was a small cafe, but the food was organic and really healthy. Kyle got eggs and I got a parfait with granola, fruit and yogurt. Freshly baked crossant was also delicious. After breakfast we walked around the old town. We saw the main square- Grand Place- what is awesome. The buildings are so incredible. Took pictures of the small bronze fountain sculpture- Manneken Pis- a naked little boy peeing into the fountain's basin. On the main square I bought strawberries covered with Godiva chocolate. Oooo my :D It was heavenly good, lol. We had just ate breakfast but I’ve always wanted to eat those and I had to have it! When I also saw belgium waffles I couldn’t just walked by I had to get those too. Kyle got just the waffle but I got with strawberries and bananas. I thought I’m going to blow up, I was so full. After our walk in the old town we took a metro and went to see a Atomium. The Atomium is a monument in Brussels, originally built for Expo '58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. It was pretty cool. Next to the Atomium was Mini Europe Park. Mini-Europe has the reproductions of the most attractive monuments in the European Union on show, at a scale of 1:25. Roughly 80 cities and 350 buildings are represented. We both liked it. It was fun! When we walked in the park photographer took a pictures of us with the mascot. When you leave the park you can buy the pictures. I’ve done that kind of pictures in a lot of places but never bought them. When we walked out from the park and when I saw the pictures I wanted it. It was good picture and it wasn’t expensive like those usually are. Walking around the city you could eat chocolate in every store- everything was so yammy :D We asked from a beer store what are the 5 best belgium beers and bought those to try. My favorites were cherry and rasberry. Kyle still liked light beer. Very popular food in Brussels in also fries. You could buy those from every corner and it’s cheap. It was so much easier in Brussels to talk with people, because almost everybody can speak english.

In the evening we found a street full of seafood restaurants. Everybody were trying to get us to their restaurant offering free drinks etc. We finally choosed one small restaurant where was a fireplace and Kyle could watch Real Madrid and Barcelona game, but we got also 2 free glasses of champagne. We ate garlic shrimp, snails and lobster soup. Everything was really good. After dinner we went and found on of the popular bars in Brussels- Delirium. They offer more than 250 different beer sna they have also absint in their menu. It was really cool bar because they had the whole street for their own. It was a good day and now we’re ready to go and discover Amsterdam.

H.

Amsterdam - Day 1

17.04.2011

Pühapäev/Sunday

12:18 sõitsime rongiga Amsterdami. See oli meie mõlema esimene rongisõit. Kahe tunni pärast olimegi Amsterdamis. Rongijaamast ostsime ka kohe pileti Cologne. Sõitsime oma hotelli kus meid võeti väga hästi vastu. Toas ootas meid troopilistest marjadest tere tulemast pakike. Panime kotid tuppa ning läksime Amsterdami avastama. Hotellist kesklinna oli kusagil 15-20 minutiline jalutuskäik. Ilm oli ilus nii et jalutuskäigu vastu pole meil midagi. Ilmaga oli meil väga vedanud kuna soojakraadid ulatusid kuni 26 kraadini. Museumpleinil kus asub Van Gogh ja Rijksmuuseum asus ka suur park. Park oli inimesi täis. Enamus kohti oli kinni kuna oli pühapäev. Leidseplein väljak oli puupüsti inimesi täis kuna seal asus väga palju söögikohti. Jalutasime natukene aega ringi et näha millised restoranid seal on. Meie valikuks osutus Itaalia restoran. Küsisime taksojuhilt kes meid hotelli viis et mis on Amsterdami kohalik toit. Ta ütles, et sellist toitu nagu polegi. Inimesed pidavat sööma siin paljude erinevate riikide toite. Imelik on siin see et inimesed alustavad sinuga rääkimist inglise keeles mitte nende emakeeles. Ehk nad teavad et turiste on nii palju ja peamiselt räägitakse inglise keelt. Trammid ja jalgratturid on seal küll väga ohtlikud. Amsterdam on väga lahe linn. Eriti vahvad on kanalimajad kus inimesed elavad. Neil kõigil peab olema majades elekter ning vesi nagu tavalistel majadel. Toit on tunduvalt parem kui Madriidis. Valik on suurem. Jalutasime peatänaval ringi aga ega ka seal midagi väga näha väga ei olnud kuna enamus poode olid kinni. Eks me peame ootama homseni. Coffee shopid on iga nurga peal. Kyle oli nii vaimustatud neist. Läksime korra hotelli puhkama ning õhtul jalutasime peaväljakule-Dam ning käisime uudistasime ka punaste laternate tänavat. Kyle arvas et see tänav on poole hullem ja räpasem, haha. Homme võtame tõsiselt linna uudistamise käsile. Tänane päev oli kiire ülevaade kus teatud kohad asuvad. Kyle’ile väga meeldib Amsterdam. Ütles, et siiamaani on see ta lemmiklinn Euroopas.

Rohkem pilte: https://picasaweb.google.com/HeleriR/AmsterdamNetherlands#

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At 12:18PM we were on our way to Amsterdam. It was our first train ride in Europe. When we arrived to Amsterdam we bought train tickets to Cologne right away. We took a taxi and drove to our hotel. We put away our bags and went for a walk. It was about 15-20 minutes walk to the city center from the hotel. The weather was beautiful so we didn’t mind walking. We’ve been so lucky with the weather all through our trip. It’s been +26C. First stop was Museumplein where was Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh museum and Diamond museum. There was also Iamsterdam sign. There was a big park next to the museum and that day it was full of people. Most of the places were closed today because it was Sunday. Next stop was Leidseplein square what was full of restaurants. We asked from the taxi driver that what was a traditional Amsterdam food we should definately eat. He said there wasn’t any that people here eat different kinds of food. So we could eat everything, we like that. We felt like eating pizza in a italian restaurant.Usually when you travel to a country the people over there start speaking with you to their native language and then when they see that you speak English they start talking to you in English. In Amsterdam people started to talk in English not in Dutch and it was like that every place we went to. It was so much easier than in Madrid where most of the people doesn’t understand english. Trams and bikes are really dangerous over there. They are everywhere. You better not walk on the bike road because you might get hit. The city is well kept. There are flowers everywhere. It is a very cool city. The food is better than in Madrid, there are more choices here. We walked also on the main shopping street but most of the shops were closed. There are coffee shops in every corner. You just go in and buy weed and smoke it in there. Kyle was so excited about the coffee shops. I bet most of the people are, lol :D We walked back to the hotel to rest a little bit and in the evening went to the main square- Dam. We ended our day walking around the red light district. I’ve been there before so I know what to expect. Kyle thought it was worse but when he saw it it wasn’t that bad. Definately place to see in Amsterdam. Today was a quick overview where the things are and tomorrow we are going to tour around more. Kyle said that Amsterdam is his favorite city in Europe so far.

More pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/HeleriR/AmsterdamNetherlands#

H.

Amsterdam - Day 2

18.04.2011

Esmaspäev/Monday

Pidime kell 13:00 Mary ja Juliega kokku saama, kes ka eile õhtul Amsterdami jõudsid. Söime hommikust ühes armsas pannkoogikohvikus ning suundusime siis meie kohtumispaika. Võtsime oma suunaks Albert Cypti tänava kus asub ka suur tänavaturg. Seal müüdi igasuguseid asju- riideid, toitu jne. Mulle jäi kohe silma heeringas hapukurgiga. Ma lihtsalt pidin selle maiuspala ostma. Madriidis pole kusagil heeringat nagu Eestis ja selline isu tuli kohe peale. Soovitasin ka teistel proovida. Keegi polnud eriti vaimustatud aga kui nad ampsu võtsid hakkas meeldima :D Ma ikka vahel tean mis on hea ja mis pole. Minu sõbranna Silvia soovitas mulle ühte väga head restorani Bazaar mis pidi olema väga populaarne ka kohalike hulgas. Meie hommikusöögist oli möödas juba paar tundi nii et oli aeg süüa lõunat ning miks mitte selles samas restoranis. Tegemist oli türgi toiduga. Restoran oli väga lahe ning seal istudes tekkis isegi tunne et oled Türgis kuna sisekujundas oli super. Ma soovitan kõigile kes Amsterdami lähevad sinna sööma minna sest toit oli seal väga maitsev.

Kõhud täis söödud suundusime Heinekeni tehasesse. Tutvusime õlle ajalooga, saime enda nimelise õllepudeli valmistada ning loomulikult saime õlut juua :D Piletiga koos sai 2 tasuta õlut, aga kuna me istusime baarileti läheduses saime veel lisaks paar klaasi. Üldkokkuvõttes oli päris vahva muuseum. Igast põnevaid tegevusi leidus seal aga mis ma nendest räägin kuna kes teab äkki mõni lugejatest tahab mõni päev sinna minna ja eks nad siis ise näevad mis see endast kujutab. Ostsime kõik piletid õhtusele kanalikruiisile (Blue Boat Company). Paadi sõit kestis kusagil 75 minutit ja päris vahva oli mööda kanaleid ringi tiirutada. Paljud inimesed elavad paatmajades mis näevad välja nagu päris majad, aga paiknevad kanalis. Saime ka teada et nendel kõigil peab olema elekter ja vesi sees ning nad peavad maksma makse nagu iga teine maja omanik. Lõpetasime oma paadisõidu päikeseloojangul ning suundusime õhtust sööma mehhiko restorani. Õhtu tipphetkeks osutus live sex show punaste laternate tänaval. Mis ma ikka muud ütlen kui et soovitan vaatama minna ja Amsterdam on just õige koht selle jaoks.

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We were supposed to meet with Mary and Julie who arrived to Amsterdam last night too. Before meeting them we ate breakfast in a pancake cafe and then headed to our meeting place. We walked to Albert Cypti street where was also a street market. You could find so many different things from there-clothes, food, furniture etc. I saw herring with pickles and I had to buy it. I haven’t had a herring since I was in Estonia on Christmas time because Madrid doesn’t have a herring, at least I haven’t seen anywhere. Nobody were so excited about trying it but when they did they liked it. Sometimes I know whats good. My friend Silvia from Estonia recommended a good restaurant on that street. She said that it was very popular with local people. It’s been couple of hours since breakfast so we were ready to eat lunch. It was a Turkish restaurant. The interior was cool and the food was amazing. I recommend to go there! After delicious lunch we went to Heineken brouwery. Heineken exerience was about 2 hour tour where you hear about the beer history, you can do a lot of fun things, make your own heineken bottle and finally drink some beer. It was a really fun!!! With ticket everybody gets 2 free beers but we were sitting next to the bar so we were lucky and got more. When you go to Amsterdam, definately go there. Another cool thing what we did was a canal cruise (Blue Boat Company is the best). The cruise was 75 minutes long. Driving around the canals and seeing all the boathouses were people live was pretty cool. People who live in the boathouses have to have electricity and water like every normal house has. Our cruise ended on a sunset and after that we went to eat dinner in a mexican restaurant. Amsterdam is fun.

H.

Amsterdam - Day 3

19.04.2011

Teisipäev/Tuesday

Minu enesetunne polnud just kiita teisipäeval seega istusin pool päeva hotellis. Käisin hommikust söömas ning peale seda läks Kyle teistega rattastega ringi sõitma. Nagu nad mulle mainisid siis väga kaugele nad ratastega ei jõudnud. Olid pargis käinud ja natukene linnas ringi sõitnud ning oligi aeg rattad tagasi viia. Enne õhtusööki läksid kõik oma hotelli ennast välja puhkama. Õhtu Amsterdamis lõpetasime väga odavas itaalia restoranis mis oli üllatavalt hea. Nii pizzad ja pastad olid ainult 5 eurot. Kahju küll et mu enesetunne mind alt vedas aga mis teha... Igatahes meie 3 päeva Amsterdamis oli vahva ja ega see meie viimaseks korraks siis ei jää....

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I didn’t feel good on Tuesday so half of the day I stayed in the hotel. I wasn’t happy about it but there was nothing to do about it. I went to eat breakfast with everybody and then went back to the hotel. Kyle and everybody else rented a bikes. They ride around the Vondelpark and just around the city. They didn’t get far because I think they only had 2-3 hours. Before dinner everybody went back to their hotel and in the evening we all met in the city center. We walked around to find something good to eat and we saw italian place where all the pizzas and pastas were only 5 euros each. Italian it is. It was cheap and good. I was sad that I didn’ feel good but we still had a great time and hopefully it’s not going to be our last time here because we both like Amsterdam.

Cologne - Day 1

20.04.2011

Kolmapäev/Wednesday

Kell 14:36 sõitsime rongiga Cologne. Sõit kestis 2 tundi. Rongis oli passikontroll aga õnneks Kyle pääses sellest. Tundub et Saksamaal on see kontroll natukene rangem kui mujal. Mary ja Julie ööbisid samas hostelis kus meiegi. Õhtul läksime jalutasime naabruskonnas vähekene ringi ning söime õhtust kohalikus restoranis kus šnitsel oli populaarseim söök. Me kõik tellisime ühe prae aga mitte keegi meist ei suutnud seda ära süüa kuna see oli lihtsalt nii suur. Järgmine kord me teame et enne küsime kui tellime midagi. Kõhud kurguni täis söödud läksime kõrval asuvasse baari et jalgpallimängu vaadata- Real Madrid ja Barcelona. Õhtu lõppes varakult kuna tahtsime homseks ennast välja puhata ning linna uudistama minna.

Rohkem pilte: https://picasaweb.google.com/HeleriR/CologneGermany#

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Our train from Amsterdam to Cologne departured 2:36PM. It took us 2 hours to get there. There was a passport checking on the train. They asked passport from Kyle but I was in the bathroom and I had the documents so when Kyle said that they left. That was lucky. We didn’t know that it was so strict in Germany. Mary and Julie were staying in the same hostel as we. In the evening we went walking around in the neighbourhood. We ate dinner in a schnitzel restaurant. We ate schnitzel in Estonia too. I love it. We all ordered one and when they came we were surprised because they were huge. None of us couldn’t finish it, because it was too big but it was delicious. Next time we know that we should ask before we ordered that how big is the meal, lol :D We were so full. After dinner we went to a bar to watch soccer game- Real Madrid and Barcelona. Our evening ended early because we wanted to start our day tomorrow early to see the city.

More Cologne pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/HeleriR/CologneGermany#

H.

Cologne - Day 2

21.04.2011

Neljapäev/Thursday

Magasime ennast välja ning kella 11 paiku võtsime suuna vanalinna poole. Jalutasime peatänavale mis viis vanalinna. Enna peatänavale minekut söime väikeses pagariäris hommikust-saiake ja kohvi. Sain üle pika aja kohupiimakooki süüa. Peatänaval leidsime paar lahedat poodi. Üks neist oli fotograafia pood, kus müüdi üliägedaid fotosid ning teine oli õlide ja maitseainete pood. Poes sai proovida erinevaid maitseaineid ja õlisid enne kui ostad. Kyle läks päris pöördesse kuna ta ei suuda oliivõlist eemale hoida, haha :D Lõpuks jõudsime peakiriku juurde mis oli vägev. Ei tea miks see kirik musta värvi oli, nagu õudusfilmist. Kiriku kõrval oli ka rongijaam kust ostsime rongipiletid Brüsselisse. Ostsime pileti kus peame 2 korda rongi vahetama. Kiirelt otsustades tegime vale otsuse. Eks näis kui tüütu see saab olema, aga mis tehtud see tehtud. Siiamaani ei olnud ma eriti Cologne’ist vaimistatud aga kui jõudsime Rheini jõeni oli jutt juba teine. Istusime jõe kõrval kohvikus mõnda aega ning seejärel jalutasime üle silla. Silla küljes oli tuhandeid tabalukke. Seda nimetatakse armastusesillaks. Selline sama sild on ka pariisis. Paarid kirjutavad luku peale oma nimed, lukustavad selle silla külge ning viskavad võtme ära – see peaks tähendama siis et nad on koos igavesti. Hommikusöögiks oli möödas jube tunde ja kõhud hakkasid korisema. Otsisime restorani mis pakkus õiget saksa toitu. Rheini jõe kaldal oli neid päris palju. Meil kõigil oli ikka päris raske suhelda inimestega kuna mitte ükski meist ei osanud rääkida saksa keelt. Ma küll õppisin 3 aastat gümnaasiumis, aga midagi külge kahjuks ei jäänud. Õhtusöögiks tellisime verivorsti saksa moodi mis oli hea aga mitte nii hea kui Eesti oma ning erinevus oli ka see et see oli külm. Pearoaks tellisime praekartulid vorstiga mis oli imehea. Peale pikka päeva ringi jalutades suundusime hotelli ning paari tunni pärast läksime istusime hotelli lähedal asuvas baaris ning lõpetasime oma reisi Cologne’is paari saksa õllega.

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Our day started at 11AM when we start walking towards the old town and city center. We walked to the main street what took us to the old town. Before starting our tour we ate breakfast in a small cafe on the main street. We found a couple of really cool stores on the main street. One was a photography store and they had so amazing photos on sale. The other one was oil and vinegar. The store had so many different kinds of olive oils, vinegar and herbs. You could taste everything before you even buy. Kyle wanted everything from there especially olive oil because he just loves it. The store had a personality, it was pretty cool. After walking 30 minutes we made it to the cathedral. I was so big but it was also very dark. We have seen a lot of cathedrals travelling around Europe but it was a scary looking color for a cathedral. I’m curious why it’s so dark. The train station was next to the cathedral so we bought our tickets back to Brussels. We got a ticket and we have to switch train twice. I don’t think it was a good idea, but I guess will see tomorrow. Finally we saw the river- Rhein. That area next to the river was pretty. We sit down to a cafe for a while and enjoyed a beautiful weather. We were getting hungry but decided to walk around a little bit more. We walked across the bridge to the other side. There was a high glass building where you could go on top and see the view over Cologne. The bridge was also like in Paris – lover bridge. There was a thousands of locks on the bridge.Couples write down their names on the lock, lock it to the bridge and throw away the key and they are together forever. Again we didn’t had a lock with us but like Kyle always says that he wants to put a combination lock just in case, lol :D We all were hungry and on the way back strated to find a place were we could eat some german sausage. Didn’t took us a long time to find a place. There were so many restaurants next to the river. None of us didn’t know any german language but somehow we managed to do things all through our Cologne trip. I studied German 3 years in high school but I don’t remember anything what is sad. So, we finally got some Germany sausage what was really good. We also tried blood sausage German style. It wasn’t that good as in Estonia. After long day of walking around we went back to the hotel and in the evening went out to eat dinner close to the hostel. We all were happy with Cologne and I think it was a nice little city.

H.

Brussels and back to Madrid

21.04.2011

Reede/Friday

Reede hommikul sõitsime tagasi Brüsselisse. Seekord pidime 2 korda rongi vahetama kuna saime soodsa rongipileti. Mõtlesime et see võib väga tüütu olla, aga õnneks laabus kõik hästi. Enne rongile minekut Colognes nägime jälle rongijaamas passikontrolli ringi jalutamas. Õnneks jalutasime ruttu eemale, et nad meie juurde ei tuleks. Nad olid päris karmid ja kisasid seal ühe hiina pere peale. Jõudsime õnnelikult Brüsselisse. Brüsselis leidsime hotelli kus me saime tuba jagada neljakesi kuna nii on odavam. Mary ja Julie läksid linna peale ringi jalutama me natukene puhkasime kuna olime Brüsselit juba näinud. Mõne aja pärast läksime otsisime linna pealt midagi süüa. Söime vahvleid jälle ning leidsime tervisliku söögikoha kust ostsime oma lõunasöögi. Käisime ka toidupoes kust mõtlesime et leiame ka midagi põnevat näksimist ning ostsime õhtuks ka mõned belgia õlled. Õhtul hiljem läksime neljakesi vanalinna õhtust sööma ning sellega ka meie reis lõppes.

Tüdrukutel läks lennuk varahommikul meie lendasime õhtul kell 6 ajal. Pidime rongijaamast bussiga lennujaama sõitma ning seal veel paar tundi lendu ootama. Ryanairi lennukid lendavad alati lennujaama mis asub linnast vähemalt tunni bussisõidu kaugusel. Eks see tüütu ole, aga piletid on odavamad. Lõpp hea, kõik hea. Reis oli super äge ja oleme tagasi õnnelikult Madriidis kus meil on jäänud veel ainult 1 kuu ning siis algavad juba uued seiklused uues kohas. Enne Euroopast lahkumist lähme veel Itaaliasse ja suveks tagasi Eestisse.

Kohtumiseni

Heleri

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On Friday morning we went back to Brussels. This time we had to take 3 different trains that means switching twice. We had to do that because we wanted the cheapest tickets. Me and Kyle thought that it was a bad idea, because switching and finding trains is so much trouble but everything worked out. Before going to the train we saw the passport controls walking around the train station. We walked away from them as soon as we saw them. They were yelling to a chinese family asking where they are from and so on. I guess the passport checking is a little bit stronger here in Germany. We made it back to Brussels. We found a hotel big enough for 4 of us to share because it’s cheaper like that. We had 2 queen size beds in the room. Mary and Julie went to walk around in the city center but we stayed in the hotel to rest a little bit. We have already seen Brussels. After a couple of hours we went out to find lunch. We just had to buy belgium waffles because those are sooooo good and we also found a organic food place where we bought our lunch. When I’m travelling I always want to go to the grocery stores because every country has different things in the stores and I want to try them. We bought some belgium beers too to drink in the hotel room before we went out. In the evening we went out to eat our last dinner of our trip.

Mary and Julie flew back to Madrid early on the Saturday morning. Our flight was 6PM. We had to took a bus from the train station to the airport. Ryanair always flies to the airport away from the city so you pretty much every time have to take a bus to the city center. Sometimes it might not be comfortable but the tickets are cheaper. We made it back to Madrid and our trip was awesome. There is only one month left in Madrid and then there is going to be new adventures in a new place. Before leaving from Europe we are going to Italy and then back to Estonia.

Until next time ;)

Heleri

Siit ja sealt!/Here and there !

14.03-20.03.2011

Teisipäeval oli minu esimene tööpäev 30 3 aastase hispaania lapsega. Tunnike möödus kiirelt videoklippe vaadates, laule lauldes ning loomulikult lapsi korrale kutsudes. Lapsi on seal igasuguseid- nii häid kui halbu, aga üldkokkuvõttes mulle meeldib. Neljapäeval tähistasime St.Patricku päeva iiri pubis. Laupäeval käisime india toitu söömas ja kinos. Meie korteri läheduses on nii palju india restorane ja mõnikord sa lihtsalt ei suuda sellele toidule ei öelda. Pühapäeval käisime ühes väikeses hispaania linnakeses- Segovias.

Rohkem pilte Segoviast https://picasaweb.google.com/HeleriR/Segovia#

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On Tuesday I had my first day at work with 30 3 year old spanish kids. An hour went by quickly while watching cartoons, singing songs and of course trying to calm down the kids because they are running around all the time. There are good and also very bad kids in the class but overall I like it, they all are cute. On Thursday we were celebrating St.Patricks day in a irish bar. I’ve never celebrated it before. On Saturday we had a movie day and also decided to eat some indian food. There are so many indian resturants near our apartment sometimes you just can’t resist. On Sunday we went on a day trip to Segovia. It’s a small city near Madrid, about 2 hours train ride. It was beautiful and it was also good to get out from the city, even only for a day.

More pictures of Segovia https://picasaweb.google.com/HeleriR/Segovia#

21.03-27.03.2011

Sellel nädalal ei kuulanud 3 aastased kohe üldse sõna, jooksid ainult ringi ja kisasid. Reedel käisin tööintervjuul-eratund 3 ja 6 aastase poisiga. Sain selle töö. Alustan järgmine nädal. Nädalalõpul olime mõlemad natuke tõbised, seega olime kodused, ravime ning lõbustasime ennast filmide vaatamisega.

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This week the 3 year old kids didn’t listen at all. They were running around all the time and screaming like crazy :) I don’t mind it because that is their job right now-play, lol :D On Friday I went to a job interview.Private class with 3 and 6 year old boy (they are brothers). I got the job and I start next week, yay. On the weekend we both were a little bit sick so we didn’t go anywhere.

28.03-14.04.2011

Kuna olin haige kaotasin oma hääle ja teisipäevases tunnis ei saanud üldse rääkida aga see on päris raske kui pead 3 aastaseid korrale kutsuma ja häält pole. Reedel käisime kinos, aga peale meie filmi hiilisime veel teist filmi vaatama - tasuta :D Laupäeval käisime ja proovisime ära Madriidi Hard Rock Cafe toidu. Päris maitsev oli! Järgmisel laupäeval läksime sõprade Retiro parki ja pidasime piknikku. Ilm oli lihtsalt imeilus. Järgmisel päeval käisime linnast väljas asuvas kaubanduskeskuses. Vahel on lihtsalt hea korraks linnast välja saada. Uue nädala kolmapäeval asendasin ma ühte õpetajat koolis- 6 7 aastast õpilast. Tund möödus hästi ja nad kuulasid mu sõna. Õhtul oli mu eratund 2 vennaga, nemad aga ei kuulanud sõna üldse. Alates uuest nädalast vanemad üritavad samal ajal kodus olla, et poisid sõna kuulaksid. Ka sellel perekonnal on koristaja ja lapsehoidja kodus. Vahel ma ikka imestan kas hispaanlased ise üldse midagi teevad- ma mõtlen just koristamist ja laste kasvatamist. Neljapäev oli viimane tööpäev sest alates esmaspäevast algab hispaanias puhkus-9 puhkepäeva :D Õhtul pakkisime oma kohvrid sest reedel sõitsime oma 9 päevasele puhkusereisile, haha :D

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When being sick I lost my voice and working on Tuesday at school was so hard because if you don’t have your voice you really can’t do anything with 3 year olds. Friday was a movie night again and we also sneaked in to another movie after the first one. 2 for 1 :D Next day we went and ate lunch at Hard Rock Cafe in Madrid. It was good, but I don’t know if US has better food than Madrid Hard Rock Cafe, because I’ve never been there before. On Saturday we had a picnic in Retiro Park with friends. It was a perfect weather for a picnic. Last day of the week we went to a mall outside the city. We had to buy some things but sometimes is just good to go out from the city. Next week Wednesday I was substitute teacher for 6 7 year olds kids at the school. It was a good class. At the evening I had a private class with the brothers. They didn’t listen at all. Starting from next week the parents are going to be at home the same time so the boys will behave. Like my last family this one has also babysitter and a cleaner at home. Sometimes I’m thinking that do the spanish people ever do some things their own. I mean cleaning and raising kids. I just don’t get it. Thursday was the last day at work and on Friday 10 day holiday began.

Heleri

What's been going on in Madrid :)

I appologise for not writing my blog but nothing that spectacular hasn't happened here in Madrid. I still wrote something what we have been up to... Here it is...

15.02-20.02.2011

Tuesday- Sunday

During the week we stayed home. On the weekend Kyle went out but I stayed home because I was sick. I didn’t want Kyle to be sitting at home with me so he went out with some friends ;)

21.02-27.02.2011

Monday- Sunday

I’m proud of myself because I made my first pie today. Kyle

really liked it. It was pretty good ;) During the week there is not a lot going on, we usually don’t go out. On Friday we were supposed to go out to bars but we stayed at our friends apartment and hanged out over there. On Saturday nothing didn’t happen so we stayed home. Kyle got the playstation working so the guys were playing fifa all night long. Our roommate Marian’s brother was visiting her so on Sunday morning we made big American breakfast- scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes, yammy :) We ate breakfast on the balcony because it was so sunny morning.

28.02.2011- 06.03.2011

Monday- Sunday

Only event I remember from this week was the Mardi Gras party at our friends Mary’s and Julie’s apartment. This was my first time celebrating Mardi Gras. We bought masks also. It was a fun night. On Sunday we had a little hangover so we went to our favorite tapas bar- Tapas44, ate lunch there and then went for a long walk.

07.03- 13.03.2011

Monday- Sunday

We both started to go to the gym again. I like more aerobics. We made 3 months contract with on of the best fitness centers in Madrid. I haven’t worked out a long time and I can feel it and see it, lol. I need some muscles....summer is coming!!! :D We also bought our plane tickets to Brussels. On April 15-23 we are going to Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne. We are both really excited. I’ve been to Brussels and Amsterdam

before but I’m excited for Kyle and also because we are going there this time together. This is going to be a great trip. Another good news is that I got a job in Kyle’s school where he is teaching. I got only 2 hours a week with 30 3 year old spanish kids but still it’s a start. I’m excited! It’s a new experience and also good challenge for me. Hopefully I can get more hours soon. Friday we stayed at home, but on Saturday we were invited to our friend Megan’s birthday party at our other friends apartment (Sean and Lindsey). In the beginning we drinked some wine in the apartment, then went out to eat pizza and go out to bars. It was a fun night. On Sunday we stayed home (because Kyle had a little hangover, lol :D I didn’t drink so I felt good). We ended our week and night with Chinese take out and movies.

Heleri ;)

Meie viimased tegemised...

Vabandan et pole kaua aega kirjutanud, aga nagu näete siis pole siin Madriidis midagi põnevat vahepeal toimunud. Annan väikse ülevaate siiski mida oleme teinud...

15.02-20.02.2011

Teisipäev-Pühapäev

Nädala sees olime kodus. Mina jäin haigeks ja istusin kodus ka nädalavahetusel. Kyle käis nv väljas. Ma ei tahtnud et ta minuga kodus peab passima.

21.02-27.02.2011

Esmaspäev-Pühapäev

Olen uhke enda üle kuna valmistasin oma esimese soolase piruka mis tuli välja väga maitsev. Sain palju kiita. Reede õhtul pidime välja baaridesse minema, aga jäime hoopis Mary ja Julie korterisse ning ajasime niisama juttu. Laupäeval olime kodused. Kyle sai playstationi tööle ning poisid mängisid öö läbi jalgpalli videomängu. Pühapäeva hommikul valmistasime suure Ameerika hommikusöögi- munapuder, peekon ja pannkoogid, njämm.

28.02.2011- 06.03.2011

Esmaspäev- Pühapäev

Selle nädala peasündmus oli Mardi Gras pidu Mary ja Julie korteris. Pühapäeval ravisime pohmelli lõunasöögiga Tapas44 kohvikus ning seejärel pika jalutuskäiguga.

07.03- 13.03.2011

Esmaspäev- Pühapäev

Hakkasime mõlemad üle pika aja jälle trennis käima. Holiday Gym on üks paremaid spordiklubisid Madriidis. Tegime mõlemad 3ks kuuks lepingud. Mina pole vist üle 6 kuu trenni teinud, annab tunda küll. Lihaseid pole ollagi enam, haha :D Suveks vormi!!!! Ostsime ka Brüsselisse lennukipiletid ära. 15-23 aprill lähme Brüsselisse, Amsterdami ja Cologne. Oleme mõlemad väga elevil. Mina olen Amsterdamis ja Brüsselis enne käinud, aga olen elevil Kyle pärast :D Veel üks hea uudis on see, et sain Kyle kooli tööle. Hetkel sain 2 tundi nädalas, 30 3 aastast hispaania last. Loodan saada rohkem tunde juurde. Reede õhtu veetsime kodus. Laupäeval käisime Megani sünnipäeval Lindsey ja Seani korteris. Alguses istusime nende korteris jõime veini ning seejärel suundusime linna peale pizzat sööma ning baaridesse. Pühapäeval istusime terve päev kodus. Õhtul käis Kyle ja ostis õhtusöögiks hiina toitu :D ning lõpetasime oma nädala nuudlite ja filmide vaatamisega :)

Heleri :)

Valentines Day :)

14.02.2011

Esmaspäev/Monday

Meie esimene Valentinipäev koos!

Ma olen nii õnnelik kuna see on meie esimene Valentinipäev koos. Eelmine aasta olin mina Eestis ja Kyle oli Hawaiil. Hommikul tõi mu kallis mulle ilusa lillekimbu ja õhtul pisikese roosi veel lisaks..nii armas :) Tahtsime midagi meeldejäävat sellel õhtul teha ning otsustasime minna sushi restorani. Oleme pikalt rääkinud et tahaks Madriidis head sushit süüa ja miks mitte täna. Me tellisime 4 erinevat sorti sushit ja kõik need olid väga maitsvad, võib olla isegi ühed parimad mis ma olen kunagi söönud.Magustoiduks tellisime šokolaadikoogi mis sulas suus, njämm... Saime ka tasuta proovida Jaapani alkoholi mis oli põneva maitsega. Ideaalne Valentinipäeva kohting!!! Hea toit,hea vein ja parim seltskond. Olen õnnelik et olen leidnud inimese keda südamest armastan ja kes muudab iga mu päeva päikseliseks. Ta on imeline ja suudaks ilma selle tundeta elada. Õhtu lõpetasime kodus hea veini, maasikate ja sulatatud šokolaadiga. Ma olen õnnelik...

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Our first Valentines Day together!

This is our first Valentines Day together. I’m so happy! Last year I was in Estonia and Kyle was in Hawaii. He brought me beautiful flowers in the morning and another rose in the afternoon. Who doesn’t love flowers? :D I certainely do. We wanted to do something special and decided to go eat dinner in a sushi restaurant. We dressed up and headed out. We got 4 different kinds of sushi and dessert chocolate cake. Everything was delicious. Sushi was really good and the cake and the wine. We also got free Japanese shot what was interesting. This was the perfect first Valentines Day date. Not only for the restaurant and the food but because I spend the day with the one person I truly love in this world. He is the most amazing person I’ve ever met and I love him more than anything.

We ended our beautiful day with wine, strawberries and chocolate at home :) I couldn’t ask for more. He makes me happy...

03.02-13.02.2011

Mis siis vahepeal on toimunud. Mõtlesin et kogun natukene materjali et oleks millestki kirjutada. Otsustasin ligi 2 nädalat tagasi et nüüdsest üritame igal õhtul midagi uut kokata. Oleme siiamaani valmistanud ainult toite mida me mõlemad teha oskame ja ega neid väga palju pole. Nüüd siis õpime iga päev midagi uut ja erinevad maitseelamused on ju alati tere tulnud. Oleme isegi mõne väga hea retsepti leidnud mida võib teinekordki teha. Me oleme hea meeskond köögis ja koos valmistatud toit maitseb veelgi paremini. Söögikorrad hakkavad vaikselt paika minema hispaanlaste söömisaegadega. Mina olen harjunud õhtust sööma kusagil 18:00 paiku, Kyle võib olla natukene hiljem. Hispaanlased söövad õhtust kusagil 10-12 vahel õhtul ja väga paljudel päevadel oleme ka meie 10 paiku õhtust söönud. Üldse ei taha nii hilja süüa aga kuidagi juhtub nii. Oleme mõlemad vahelduva eduga haiged olnud. Ilm siin on ka muidugi väga muutuv. Üks päev on väga soe ja järgmine väga külm. Üle eelmine laupäev oli väljas +17 kraadi sooja. See oli imeilus laupäev ja veetsime selle päeva Retiro pargis. Pühapäeva õhtul valmistas meie korterikaaslane õhtusöögiks paella mis oli väga maitsev. Üks parimaid mis ma olen Hispaanias saanud. Õhtul vaatasime kõik 4-kesi Superbowli.

Uue nädala algus oli rahulik, olime kodused. Tuba on ka varsti valmis ja täitsa kõlblik elamiseks. On vaja veel paar asja osta ja siis saan mõned pildid ka meie toast teha lõpuks ometi. Korterikaaslased on meil lahedad ja õpetavad meile hispaania keelt. Neljapäeval läksime ühte baari mille ma leidsin internetis googeldades :D Üks firma teeb üritusi igal neljapäeval erinevates kohtades ja pakub tasuta itaalia toitu. Ainuke reegel on et pead ostma kokteili ja siis saad süüa nii palju kui tahad. Süüa pole palju aga toit on väga maitsev. Sinna üritusele võib teinekordki minna.Reede õhtul läksime oma esimest flamenco showd vaatama. Päris äge oli. Pärast seda läksime väikse kambaga iiri pubisse - Dubliners ja lõpetasime oma õhtu seal. Meie uue elukoha asukoht on ikka hea- 15 minutit kesklinnast jalutada. Laupäeval käisime sünnipäevapeol ja pühapäeval olime kodus kuna ilm oli vastik ning meil oli päris sisukas nädalavahetus. Vaatasime filme ja tv-seriaale. Me mõlemad naudime seda, miks me muidu kogu aeg kinos käime. Me oleme ühed filmi friigid :D haha. Õhtul käisime ühel näitusel koos korterikaalastega. Tegemist oli siis fotonäitusega kadunud inimestest. Ma ei olnud eriti vaimustunud sellest näitusest kuna see oli pisut liiga masendav, eriti pühapäeva kohta. Veel näitasid meie korterikaaslased meile ühte vana tubaka laohoonet kus nüüd toimuvad erinevad kogunemised, peod. Seal on raamatukogu ja lastetuba, samuti erinevad firmad rendivad ruume seal. Seal toimuvad ka erinev tunnid või loengud, saab õppida erinevaid tantsustiile jne. Koht ise on lagunenud aga väga puhas. Suht hirmus nägi välja aga tundub et see on inimeste lemmik paik. Teinekord võib minna sinna küll mingile üritusele. See oligi meie teguderohke 2 nädalat. Järgmise korrani...

NB! Mõned uued pildid selle albumi lõpus

https://picasaweb.google.com/HeleriR/MadridSpain#

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So, what has happened in last 2 weeks here in Madrid. I was waiting couple of weeks so I would have something to write about, lol.

We always cook the same things what we know how to make. Now I decided that we need to start finding new receipes and start cooking new things. So I’ve been looking up different kind of receipes and we have found some pretty good ones. We are a good team in the kitchen and why not try some new things to cook. That’s how we learn and became the best :) About eating times in Spain. Spanish people eat dinner so late, it’s unbelievable. They eat dinner between 9-12 at night. I’m used to eating around 6 o’clock and Kyle mayby little bit later, so I’m pretty much every day hungry around 6 but all the restaurants are closed. Couple of days a week I’ve noticed that we end up eating dinner at home around 9 as well, I don’t like it but it’s becoming a habbit here. I’m trying not to but sometimes it just happens. We also have been sick. Me then Kyle, then me, then Kyle etc...

The weather is also changing all the time. One day it’s really warm, then it’s chilly, then it’s cold. Last Saturday it was +17 C/62 F. We spent that pretty day in a Retiro Park. There were so many people. We were throwing football what I got for Kyle and just laying on the grass and enyoing the warm sun in February :D On Sunday our roommate made us paella for dinner. It was one of the best paellas I’ve had in Spain. Sunday was also Superbowl. For us it started 1 o’clock at night but we still stayed up and watched it.

In the beginning of new week during the week days we stayed at home. Our room is almost ready, we need a couple of things more and then it’s pretty good for the next 4 months we have left here in Madrid. Then I’m taking some pictures and showing you guys too. Our roommates are cool and they are teaching us some spanish too. It’s not that easy, it doesn’t want to stick with me. I’m trying but still don’t know how to speak it. I know some things, but not enough. On Thursday we went to a bar where they served free Italian food. You had to buy drinks and then the food was free. I found that company who does that from the internet. They are doing the event I think every Thursday in different places. The food was really good. I think I would go back there. On Friday we went to see our first Flamenco show. It was awesome. We both really liked it. It was entertaining. We didn’t understand the story because it was in spanish but everything else was cool :D We ended our night in a irish bar with a group of people. It was a fun Friday. On Saturday we went to a birthday party and on Sunday we stayed at home.We had a pretty busy and fun weekend so now we felt like watching movies and tv-shows. In the evening before dinner we went to see a exhibition with our roommates. Photos about missing people. I didn’t enjoy it because it was too depressing for me, especially on Sunday. After the exhibition our roommates showd us a warehouse what used to be a tobaco factory. Now it’s like community house. People go there to party, to the library, to study- there are different kind of classes. It was a little bit scary place but looked like a lot of people hung out there. It might be a cool place.

So that has been our last two weeks... Until next time....

P.S. Some new pictures in the end of this album

https://picasaweb.google.com/HeleriR/MadridSpain#

Kyle’s 24 birthday :)

02.02.2011

Kolmapäev/Wednesday

Tahtsin et Kyle 24 sünnipäev oleks meeldejääv sellepärast läksime õhtust sööma maailma vanimasse restorani - BOTIN. (See on kirjas Guinnessi rekordite raamatus).Helistasin eelmine päev ja reserveerisin laua 2-le. Palusin ka küünlad laua peale panna aga see polnud kahjuks võimalik. Nad pakkusid välja et toovad koogitüki koos küünaldega ja mulle see idee meeldis. Pearoaks tellisime mõlemad 2 restorani parimat rooga- sea- ning lambapraad. Mõlemad olid väga maitsvad. Pearoog söödud toodi meile magustoidu menüüd ja mis juhtus.... Nad unustasid mu koogi. Pidin neile Kyle juures olekul meelde tuletama et ma palusin koogi küünaldega kuna mu kaaslasel on sünnipäev. Nii palju siis üllatusest. Kyle ainult naeris ja ütles et mõte loeb ei ole hullu. Niisiis mõni minut hiljem saabus koogitükk koos 3 küünlaga.Kõrval lauas mõned inimesed laulsid sünnipäeva laulu :D Minult paluti vabandust et koogi ära unustasid ja sellepärast saime koogitüki ja 4 hispaania shotti maja kulul. Super! Kook oli võrratult maitsev. Shottid olid väga kanged. Kokkuvõtvalt oli meil väga tore õhtu ja loodan et Kyle jäi oma sünnipäevaga rahule. Nüüd saame öelda et oleme söönud maailma vanimas restoranis, päris äge :D

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I wanted Kyle to remember his 24th birthday here in Spain so we decided to go out and eat dinner in the oldest restaurant in the world- BOTIN (it’s written in the Guinness World Records book). I called day before and reserved a table for two. I also asked to put candles on the table but they said it’s not possible. They said that they could put candles in a piece of cake. I liked that idea. Reservation for 8 o’clock and piece of cake with candles for the birthday boy :)Restaurant was really nice. We ordered 2 of their specialities for main course-suckling pig and roasted baby lamb. Both were really good. After that they brought a dessert menu to us. After waiting a couple of minutes I figure it out that they forgot about my cake. I had to tell them in front of Kyle that I ordered a birthday cake with candles on it. That was my surprise but not anymore. I wanted to see Kyle’s surprise face when he saw the cake. Kyle was only smiling and said that it’s the thought that counts and he was still happy that I got the cake for him. A few minutes later small piece of cake with 3 candles on it was brought to us. Make a wish and blow the candles ;) Couple of people next to our table started to sing a birthday song, lol. Cake was really good. The waiters appologized about forgetting the cake and because of that we got the cake for free and 4 spanish shots on the house too :D The shots were really strong. The first we got the waiter told us to take it with one time but when the other waiter came back and filled our shot glasses he told us to drink it slow, lol :D We had a great night and I hope Kyle was happy with his birthday dinner. Now we can say that we have eaten in the olders restaurant in the world, pretty cool :D

Lõpuks ometi on meil oma tuba/Our own room finally, yay :)

01.02.2011

Teisipäev/Tuesday

Ma pole alates jaanuari algusest kui me tagasi Madriidi lendasime blogi kirjutanud. Põhjuseks tooksin siis selle, et siin pole midagi huvitavat vahepeal toimunud. Kyle käib usinasti tööl ja mina otsin ikka veel uut tööd kuna perekond kelle juures töötasin kolis linnast eemale. Hetkel elame veel endiselt oma sõprade korteris sest pole uut elukohta leidnud. Pole kerge paaril endale elamist leida. Oleme Madriidis veel ainult 5 kuud ja korterit ainult meile on raske saada kuna enamus omanikke tahab aastast lepingut ja mitme kuu deposiiti mis on minu arust rumalus. Ütleme näiteks et kui korteri üür on 600 eurot ja omanik tahab 4 kuu üüri deposiidiks siis kuidas on see võimalik et noortel on selline suur summa taskust võtta. Tuba üürides on aga see probleemiks et ei taheta kahte inimest veel vähem paari ühte tuppa. Me oleme vähemalt 100 e-maili saatnud ja enamus vastavad ei või ei saada midagi tagasi. 2 nädalat tagasi käisime siis ühte tuba vaatamas. 3 toaline korter kus elab üks hispaania tüdruk ning kes rendib teist magamistuba välja. Lõpuks ometi leidsime korteri. Sellel tüdrukul polnud midagi selle vastu et me kahekesi seal elame. Täna siis kolisime lõpuks ometi sisse. Oleme mõlemad väga õnnelikud sest kaua sa ikka sõprade diivanil magad ja me oleme oma kohvrites elanud alates detsembrikuu algusest. Lõpuks ometi saame kohvrid lahti pakkida, ma ei teagi enam mis mul seal sees on. Nii mõnus tunne on sest meil on oma tuba ja oma voodi jälle :)

Mis me siis põnevat oleme teinud. Oleme kinos käinud, erinevates restoranides- Itaalia, Tai, Jaapani, India- kõik on väga head olnud. Oleme nii öelda „kodus“ süüa valmistanud ja filmi õhtuid teinud. Ühe meie sõbra juures toimus sushi õhtu ning ühel pühapäeval käisime bowlingut mängimas väikse seltskonnaga. Hetkel oleme mõlemad natukene tõbised aga võitleme visalt ja küll varsti terveks saame. Mina lõin nädal tagasi oma varba vastu laua jalga ära. Varvas on ikka paistes ja lonkan ka veel. Ma olen mitmeid kordi oma varbaid igale poole ära löönud aga mitte kunagi nii hullusti. Arvan et luu katki pole aga mõra on kindlasti. Eks ma siis lonkan ja ootan millal see korda saab sest ega varvast kipsi ju ei panda. Nüüd tuleb siis asjad lahti pakkida ja lõõgastuda. Kui oleme ennast sisse seadnud tuleb hakata viimaseid reisiplaane paika panema. Meil on ainult 5 kuud Madriidis veel jäänud ja nimekiri on pikk kuhu veel reisida tahame. Tuleb veel paar kuud töö rabada ning reisiperiood võibki alata.

Kohtumiseni varsti uute ja põnevate lugudega.

H.

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I haven’t wrote my blog after we came back to Madrid from Estonia. I’m being honest there hasn’t happened any exciting things in January. Kyle has been working and I’m still looking for a new job. We are still living in our friends apartment because finding a place for us has been difficult. Getting our own apartment is hard because owners wants a year lease but we will be here only 5 more months and they also want 3-4 months deposit what is crazy. Renting a room is not that easy too because a lot of people doesn’t want two people and especially couple in one room. I don’t understant. We have sent at least 100 e-mails mayby even more and most of them say no.One thing more. We are writing to people like this: me and my girlfriend are looking for a place to live.... They wrote back that the room is only for a girl. When your girlfriend can come and see it? Spanish people have difficulties to understand that we are living together and we are looking for a place for both of us, lol. I wish this could be easier for us. So, what have we been doing?!- We’ve been going to the movies and different kind of restaurants- Thai, India, Japanese, Italian- all of those has been really good. We have been cooking at home and having movie nights. We also had a sushi night at our friends apartment and also a bowling night. That’s about it.

We both are a little bit sick but getting better already. I hit my toe against the table about a week ago and it’s still swollen and I’m limping. I think that nothing is broken but it can be a crack. I always hit my toes but never happened anything like that.

And.... Now some good news. 2 weeks ago we went to see a room for rent and finally find a place to live. It’s a 2 bedroom apartment 15 minutes walking from the center. We will be living with 1 spanish girl and her boyfriend is staying there too most of the times. We have a pretty good size room with big bed and big window so the room has a lot of light. That’s all we need for the next 5 months. We moved in today. We are so happy because we have been living in our suitcases since in the beginning of december. We can finally unpack our things and have our own bed and our own room, YAY :D We are thankful to our friends for letting us stay with them so long but sleeping on a coach is not that exciting :) At least now we can relax and start thinking about other things than finding a place to live. I also got a job. It’s only twice a week and I’m not earning a lot but at least something even if it’s only a week food money. Everything helps right now. Now we can start working until April and then do some travelling. We have still a long list of the places we want to go before we leave.

See you soon with a little bit interesting stories, lol :D

H.

Kyle in ESTONIA! First stop - Tallinn

17-19.12.2010

Meie lennuk Tallinnasse väljus reede hommikul kell 10. Vahepeatus oli meil Helsingis ning kell 17:30 jõudsime Eestisse. Õnneks Kyle teel Eestisse koju ei saadetud, ihii :D Lennujaama tulid meile vastu Kristiina ja Ulrika. Sõitsime siis Kristiina juurde kelle juures me öömaja saime. Enne välja minekut, oli ju ikkagi reede, söime nende korteris õhtust- verivorst, hapukapsas ja keedukartul. No mida veel tahta koju tulles. Kyle proovis ka ära esimese pitsi Eesti viina ning klaasi hõõgveini. Pärast maitsvat õhtusööki suundusime Kristiina sõprade korterisse kus toimus väike istumine enne klubisse minekut ja ega kaua ei läinudki kui läksime klubisse Hollywood. Tahtsime ju Kyle’ile Tallinna ööelu näidata. Meie pidu lõppes kusagil 2 ajal sest olime natukene lendamisest ka väsinud. Laupäeva hommikul söime musta leiba pasteediga ning Eestimaist juustu ja sinki. Mul ju terve pikk nimekiri toitudest mis Kyle peab ära proovima. Panime soojalt riidesse kuna väljas oli ikka külm võrreldes Madriidiga kus on ikka veel pluss kraadid. Kõigepealt oli meie missioon leida Kyle’ile soojad suusapüksid, saapad ja kindad. Õnneks leidsime kõik vajaliku Kristiine kaubanduskeskusest. Nüüd kui mõlematel olid soojad riided seljas (mina tõin täditütre käest sooja jope ära mis mu ema Saaremaalt oli saatnud mulle) läksime vanalinna jalutama. Väljas oli ikka hirmus külm. Maitsesime maitsvaid mandleid vanalinna tänavatel ning shoppasime jõuluturul (NB! Ega me tegelikult midagi ei ostnud sealt). Ma olen alati jõulude ajal Saaremaal olnud ja isegi mina polnud kunagi jõuluturule jõudnud. See oli nagu postkaart. Kella 5st oli mul juuksur ja pärast seda läksime ühte minu lemmik restorani sööma (Karja Kelder vanalinnas) koos mu täditütrega. Kyle proovis esimest korda Eesti õlut ning keefiri. Keefir talle ei meeldinud kuna ütles et see maitseb nagu hapukoor, haha :D Söögi poole pealt proovis ta Noore Villemi šnitslit, juustu kreveti suppi ning samuti juustušnitslit. Kõik maitses talle väga, välja arvata keefir. Õhtul läksime kinno. Pühapäeval sõitsime natukene autoga linna peal ringi, et Kyle näeks natukene Tallinnat ja selle ümbruskonda. Õhtul oli väike istumine minu sõprade Silvia ja Rometi juures. Õhtu kujunes väga lõbusaks ja Kyle sai tuttavaks minu heade sõpradega.

Heleri

NB!Rohkem pilte: http://picasaweb.google.com/HeleriR/TallinnEstonia#

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Our plane to Estonia to Tallinn departured on Friday morning 10 AM. We had a layover in Helsinki and 5:30 PM we were in Tallinn (It’s the capital of Estonia). We didn’t have any problems in the airports and Kyle didn’t get deported. Welcome to Estonia Kyle ;) It was so cold in Estonia. I bet when going back to Madrid the weather over there feels really warm. My friends Ulrika and Kristiina were in the airport waiting for us. We were staying with Kristiina couple of nights so after all the hugging we went to her place to eat some Estonian dinner (blood sausage, sauerkraut, boiled potatoes, black bread and a glass delicious hot wine) and then went out because it was Friday :D After eating delicious dinner we went to my friends friend apartment and stayed there until midnight when we went to the famous nightclub in Tallinn club Hollywood. I just wanted to show you the nighlife in Tallinn. We left from the nightclub around 2 o’clock I guess we were tired from flying. Saturday morning for breakfast we ate black bread with Estonian pate and also different kinds of ham and cheese. It’s good to be home. I’m so excited to eat Estonian food for three weeks. I have a long list of foods what Kyle have to definately try in Estonia. Our first mission was to find warm clothes for Kyle-boots, ski pants and gloves. Luckily we found almost everything in one mall. My cousin brought my warm winter coat from my home to the capital. We thought that we were dressed warm enough but no. Walking around the Old Town in Tallinn we were both freezing. It was so cold and there was so much snow in Estonia. I can’t even imagine how much snow does we have in my island at home. The Old Town was really pretty. Kyle liked it and even I said that the old town squire looks like a postcard. We were walking around the Christmas market but didn’t buy anything. This was also my first time there because usually on that time I’m already at home in the island. At 5 o’clock I went and cut my hair, it was good to sit inside where was warm. After that we went to eat dinner one of my favorite pubs, my cousin came with us too. Kyle tried one think from my food list. It was made of milk but a little bit thicker. He didn’t like it. He said that it was like eating sour cream but it wasn’t a sour cream. Anyway that was the only thing he didn’t like, everything else was good. He doesn’t know what he’s missing, lol. We ended our evening in the movie theatre watching The next three days. The movie was pretty good. On Sunday Kristiinas boyfriend took us for a ride around the city so Kyle could see some places in Tallinn before we go to the island where my home is. He saw some places but like anywhere else he should come back in summer time because everything is pretty and there is so much to do. After driving around couple of hours we went to meet my friends. The evening was fun and Kyle got to meet some of my good friends. I’m really happy that everybody spoke english all night long even if they were talking with each other. That was really thoughtful.

Heleri

P.S. More pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/HeleriR/TallinnEstonia#