Catching up

These pictures are actually from over a month ago but when I arrived home from Belgium I was too anxious to post about Belgium. I plan on posting my Christmas activities in a few days but for now I will give you all an update. I have been trying some new recipes and had some recommendations. I have a very large cook book that I received as a gift last year but I have not used it as much as I would like. Artichokes are something I have not worked with much but decided to make this simple recipe of artichokes in a vinaigrette.

I never knew that they had a metallic characteristic or that they reacted so strongly to the air.

I bought some artichokes from the local market.

The final product was okay but I would probably not make them again to consume as is, rather using them for a topping on pizza was fabulous!

One weekend a few friends came to visit for the day, which was a great excuse to explore the town.

This area is really famous for pottery and you can find several stores that have been around for years and years. I am actually planning to enroll in a course to learn how to make some things myself. The course is only three weekends for a total of 40 hours in January.

I bought myself a coffee cup since there was nothing large enough in my house for the amount of coffee necessary for me to wake up in the morning!

This is the main street with many of the pottery stores. At one point this was the main street here but now it does not seem like this ever was...

This very beautiful and famous church has only been reopened recently and was closed for many many years. I have yet to go inside because I want to go during mass when it is free.

City Hall

In front of the city hall all of the stones are in beautiful designs.

Olive trees for days!! Now is the collecting season for olives.

Finally some pictures for my school!!

Welcome to Colegio San Juan de la Cruz! Here there are 3 year olds to 6th graders. I only work with 1st through 6th grade.

My office :)

This is where I greet students Tuesday through Friday.

I found some cute little first graders up to no good in the hallway.

Elias always has horrible behavior but who cannot love that adorable face!! He tells me in English everyday that he loves me.

Hooray! 

BELGIUM

This past weekend I had five days free and took advantage of the opportunity by heading to Belgium with five friends! It was a wonderfully magical weekend with a lot of Christmas spirit in the air. We started the journey by staying over night in the Madrid airport... it was a looooong night. We arrived in Brussels and enjoyed a Belgian style coffee immediately, you can see below it had plenty of cream.

We rented an apartment in the city because it was much cheaper. The apartment was amazing. We stayed here for three days. We spent most of the time in Brussels but took a day trip to Bruge for one day as well. I have a difficult time spelling city names often because there are too many languages floating in my head, therefore I am not sure how to spell the city name in English but I know it means witches. Below you can see pictures of our wonderful accommodations :)

The first night exploring there was only four of us because the other two girls were to arrive later. We were all tired so we only explored for a few hours and returned for a early night in.

Every thirty minutes during many of the night hours there is a light show in the main plaza. Here you can see the colors reflected on the beautiful buildings.

In the main square we took a look around the Christmas market and enjoyed some mulled wine.

Of course then I needed a waffle to accompany the wine.

Followed by some very very strong Belgian beer. This Christmas beer was my favorite from Delirium.

After all of our walking we decided that we needed some dinner. For dinner we enjoyed some famous mussels and fries. I did not get a picture of the streets filled with restaurants but it was amazing. All of the guys were in the streets trying to convince you to eat at their restaurant which was VERY entertaining. After all the food and drinks we were beat! We decided to call it an evening and head home to rest up.

When I looked out the window the following morning I was greeted with SNOW!!

We bundled up and headed to the streets.

On our way to the square we took a stop at the Cathedral.

In front of the cathedral we saw these lovely moose. I had to take a picture... I am always trying to describe the difference between a moose and an elk here in Spain because in Spanish they are the same.

We walked through the gallery where there are many fancy stores. There was also a recommended place for waffles.

I had my waffle with butter and powdered sugar, my favorite!!

Next we stopped by the famous atom that was built for the World Fair in the fifties. It was absolutely HUGE! We did not pay to go inside but I hear that it is pretty cool.

After seeing all of these pictures you are going to think that all I did was drink and eat all weekend which is almost true but we walked for HOURS! Here is supposed to be some of the best "frites" or fries.

We ordered several sauces to try as well... this pink one I hope was beets because if not I am a little scared.

This beer was actually  not mine and I just posed for the picture... I tried not to stray too far from my gluten-free diet but... when in Rome.

Almost like France... but not quite. Although France I will be visiting later this month.

Another visit to the Christmas market in Brussels.

More mulled wine with the ladies.

I am so sad that I did not capture the coolness of this carousel. There were all kinds of little things like a rocket, hot air balloon, submarine, and much more. Each thing was unique and moved!   

This building close to where we stayed was lit like a tree.

CHOCOLATE!!

A taste of home... STARBUCKS.

The last day we took the train one hour to Bruge. This town is much smaller and was my favorite by far!

The canals reminded my of Amsterdam.

We went on Saturday and the amount of tourists was crazy! I am not sure I could live in a place where people swarm during particular seasons.

This picture is so amazing for two reasons... the glass I am holding was a wonderfully cheap souvenir AND the guys in the back totally got into our picture and I didn't notice for a very long time! So funny.

KIELBASA!!

The buildings were so cute and beautiful! Look at all those people!!

This entire picture is made from chocolate.

Did you know that the Smurfs are Belgian? I didn't but now I do.

This little statue of a peeing boy is the symbol of Belgium and the story why is unknown, although there are many theories. It was been stolen many times and although this version is very old the original from the 12th century is no longer here.

To finish our weekend we spent a wonderful and healthy dinner together in our apartment!