Sunday: Heading Home

I'm going to miss my European breakfasts!

Not much to report today. We had our first and last Swiss breakfast at the hotel this morning. Freshly made yogurt with muesli, six different kinds of cheese, turkey slices, fruit, bread and coffee were on the menu. Yum!

We made it to the airport in plenty of time to catch our 10:20am flight to Newark, NJ.  The flight was scheduled to be nine and a half hours, but actual flying time is more like eight hours. I sat next to the window, hoping to sleep for a couple of hours. That didn't happen. While it was a comfortable ride, it really just wasn't possible to rest during the daylight! I received a pretty good meal of broiled fish with rice and vegetables. It also came with a small salad, a fruit salad and a roll. I have started ordering the gluten free meal on my international flights. While I don't have celiac disease, I have found that most airline meals are bulked up with crackers, cookies and breads. I liked knowing that my meal would be a little more heavy on the proteins and fruits.

Right before the flight ended, we were served a turkey sandwich (gluten free roll) with a piece of fruit. Airline food has improved dramatically since my last flight to Europe in 2004. You don't usually get full meals on flights to Mexico so this was nice for me. They also carried Dasani Lime Flavored Sparking Water which was a nice treat. While wine and beer are complimentary on international flights, that just held no appeal for me!

In Newark, we made it through immigration, customs and security rather easily.  This was surprising given that it was the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Things were going well until we reached our gate. As anticipated, our flight from Newark to Dayton was delayed four times. Then, our plane was recalled for an unknown reason. Both Mandy and I were not feeling great. She was having severe ear pain and I had developed a raw, red, spotted throat that I suspected might be the beginning of strep throat. When they started taking bags off the first plane, we knew we had to make a quick decision about school on Monday. We decided to play it safe and arrange for subs for our classes. We were exhausted, missing our families and yearning to be home in our own beds.

By the time this blog post is published, I can only hope that are back home in Ohio! It was an amazing trip filled with lots of culture, professional development and new friends. I am forever grateful to the tourism division of the Spanish government (Turespaña), the Comunidad de Valencia, the Fedele for granting me this opportunity to explore Spain and its impressive language schools.  It was truly the experience of a lifetime!

Saturday: Wrapping up Spain and heading to Zurich

We have been told that it never rains in Valencia. They lied. Of our six days in Valencia, it rained for three of them including this morning, our last chance to explore the city.

I went to mass at the cathedral and then walked around in the rain a little bit. With luggage to pack and the desire to stay dry for a day of travel, I only stayed out for about an hour. Mandy and I visited a cute cafe where we enjoyed our last coffee together. We were both a little sad to be leaving Spain, but also were excited for our evening adventure in Zurich.

We left the SH Hotel Inglés at noon sharp (thanks again to all of those who made our travel arrangements for us) and were at the airport within about 15 minutes.  We flew Swiss Air from Valencia to Zurich. This is only a 1 hour and 40 minute flight. Although, when you sit next to a woman who had a cat on her lap the entire time, it can seem like an eternity. I seriously thought she might let him get out and jump around the cabin. It was a bit strange.

We arrived in Zurich at 5:30pm local time (same as Spain time). We changed hotels at the last minute to save money. We were booked at the Zurich Marriott, but then found a better deal at the Hotel Allegra at the airport. It was a beautiful, clean and modern hotel!  Great advice from some of our new travel friends in Valencia!

They say that the trains in Switzerland run like their clocks, on time! We found this to be true. We dropped our bags in our room and then walked out the back door of the hotel to the train station where we caught the 5:55pm bus to the city center. This cost us each 13 Francs (about $13 USD) for a 24 hour ticket for the bus, train, streetcars and boats of the city. Not a bad deal!  The train dropped us off promptly at 6:10pm for a night of exploring!

Super efficient trains in Zurich

It was cold and misty in the city, but that didn't hamper our enthusiasm.  The central bus station was hosting Europe's largest indoor Christmas Market.  At this market, the largest Swarovski Christmas tree is on display.

We knew that the market didn't close until 10pm so we decided to take a walking tour of the city by night. Honestly, it was possibly the highlight of the trip for me! I felt at home in a country where my maiden name is posted throughout (Rauch means smoke...lots of No Smoking, streets with smoke in the name, etc.). Don't get me wrong. I loved Spain as I knew I would, but my ancestry is much more German, Swiss, Austrian than anything close to the Mediterranean.  I loved walking past the various beer houses, chocolate shops, restaurants and designer stores. The city was in its full Christmas spirit. The entire city was lit up (even lights that hang across all the main streets of the city) and festive. Nuts were roasting everywhere and the glühwein was flowing freely.  This is a delectable concoction of red wine, mulling spices, liquor and sugar. Mandy and I stopped at the famous Zurich Singing Christmas tree to buy some in a souvenir mug. We used it to get refills back at the train station. One cup is not enough! We stopped at a small restaurant in the old town area of Zurich. Fortunately, there was no wait. We did have to share a banquet table with a family with young kids, but that made for a fun and lively dinner.  Both Mandy and I chose a Swiss Christmas beer with the boiled meat supper. We got wurst (sausage), pork, bacon and beef with boiled potatoes and sauerkraut!  It was delicious and such a nice change from all of the olive oil and seafood! The meal started with a nice warm soup with little fried dough balls.  It was hearty meal, but so delicious!  

We walked around for about 3 hours before heading back to the train station to shop. We took pictures of the gorgeous churches, the designer stores (Jimmy Choo anyone?) and the Christmas displays. I picked up a couple of gifts at the market before we grabbed the train back to the hotel.

We set our alarms for 7am and drifted blissfully off to sleep with dreams of returning home tomorrow. Our night in Zurich really put me in the holiday spirit and was a great way to transition back to the reality of what it sure to be a crazy, hectic holiday season!

Every street looked like this

Friday: Last full day in Spain

Today will also be know as the day when Heidi Morrissey became an official Valencian Paella Specialist!  What a fun adventure we had today.  First, we walked to the central market of Valencia which is the largest fresh food market in Europe. It is a surprisingly clean, airy place where a person can purchase anything imaginable to make a great meal. The seafood stalls alone are worth the trip!  We met our instructor from the Escuela de Arroces (school of rice) who led us through the market to purchase our ingredients for our Valencian paella. She explained the many different varieties of beans and spices.  Paella in Valencia (the only truly authentic paella in the world) uses rabbit and chicken meat with snails added at the end. There are no onions or garlic in this dish at all.  It requires a special low round pan and takes about two hours from start to finish!     In groups of 3-4, we painstakingly chopped vegetables, turned meat and added ingredients as instructed by our instructor, Chef Jaime. He was fun, but very serious about his paella.  I was scolded more than once for my mistakes. It was a little intense at times. I wasn't sure I would get my certificate at the end of the training!

Rabbit!

jamón

Eel

Shrimp!

Snails!

While the broth was boiling (no canned broth here), we enjoyed some tomatoes, Spanish omelet, mussels and more wine.  When the paella was ready, we posed for some photos and then began to dig in. Apparently, it's customary to eat straight from the pan. We were served a salad with olives and tomatoes along side our paella. It was delicious, but very dense. In order to make sure that all of us were qualified to receive our certification, we had to try each other's paellas.  By the time lunch was over (at 4pm), we were stuffed and ready for a nap!

Mandy and I hung at the hotel for a few minutes and then decided to visit the tower of the Valencian cathedral. We walked the 200 steps to the top (we needed that!) and enjoyed the panoramic views of Valencia from the observation area.  We happened to be there when the 5 o'clock bells rang which was really cool.

After that, we stopped for some fartons (Valencian-type churros) and some coffee.  Then, we bought some chocolate at Valor.  It was yummy!  

   

We walked around the main parts of Valencia for about an hour and then headed to the Mercado Colon again to try the other Valencian beer, Turia.  I didn't like it as much as the Socarrada from yesterday.  I also tried the sangria which was supposed to be the most refreshing in the world.  Not so sure about that.  We picked up some cheese and crackers at the grocery and headed back to the hotel to rest up for our Zurich adventure tomorrow.  

Sangria!

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving from Spain!

It might be Thanksgiving in the US, but that doesn't mean you can't stuff yourself in other parts of the world!  My Thursday was filled with food and wine and thankfully, some hiking and walking!

Namaste from the Xátiva castle! Today, we explored the quaint town of Xátiva which is about 45 minutes to the west (inland) of Valencia. This town is surrounded by mountains and has two beautiful castles.

After our trip up the mountain to see the castle, we had another amazing lunch. This time it was at Canela y Clavo which is a restaurant that serves food specific to the Valencian region. 

The highlight of the lunch was tasting the craft beer made only in this town called Socarrada. It was a great honey-flavored beer that I am now on a mission to find in the US.

More fois gras with a prune inside and pumpkin purée on the outside (Happy Thanksgiving to me).

More squid with squid ink spurting from the body with each cut of the knife.

Fish (I think sea bass this time) with a red sauce and potatoes.

This was Mandy's pork. I didn't try this one, but she said it was really good.

Pistachio gelato with strawberry mouse and yogurt.  Very light and the flavors mixed very well.

My afternoon cortado (espresso with milk).

After lunch, we took the bus back to the hotel where most of us rested. I didn't want to take a nap so I walked around the city for about an hour and a half. This is the facade of the Corte Ingles store (Macy's of Spain). It is all decorated for the holidays and reminded me of the Macy's store in Herald Square in New York City.

We had another huge meal at 9pm at the Ma Khin Cafe which is an Asian fusion restaurant in the trendy Mercado Colon.

 Light toasted chips with yogurt dip

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The most delicious artichoke, chickpea, green bean and lemon salad.

Veggie tempura with curry

Seafood potstickers

Pork bun with a wrap that tasted like a sweet marshmallow cream bun!

Hake with vegetables.

Chicken curry with rice

Grapefruit ice with vanilla yogurt

This was a day that revolved around good food and good wine! I was exhausted at the end of the meal (which ended at 12am) and slept until 8:30am on Friday.  

Friday is our last full day in Spain.  I can't wait to see what the day will bring!

Wednesday: School tours

Today's blog post will be fairly short as today was mainly a work day.  I woke up after four hours of sleep and decided to go out in the rain for a nice long walk. I made my way all the way to the City of Arts and Sciences and back which is about four miles.  Keep in mind that it was pitch black and raining the entire time. With all of the eating and drinking here in Spain, it felt good to get out and move! I took a couple of pictures in the dark. It was strangely quiet as the sun doesn't even make an appearance here until about 8am. Spain is a late night culture. I'm sure the cars that passed me thought I was heading home after a long night of dancing!

A walk in the dark!

We left the hotel at 9:30 to begin a long day of school presentations and tours. Our bus took us to the Albufera Natural Park which is just outside of Valencia. This is a nature preserve and beach that is 25 kilometers long. It was absolutely beautiful. Inside of the park is a lake that is both fresh and saltwater. Here only commercial fisherman can catch fish, but licensed individuals (who inherit licenses) can hunt duck. It was a beautiful peaceful place!  The boat ride in the rain was nice, but could have been a lot nicer on a sunny day. Everyone here tells us how sunny Valencia is and how they never get rain. Well, we've been here two days and it has rained most of the day on each day.

We listened to ten Spanish language school presentations and then we had a paella cooking demonstration. Paella comes from Valencia because the rice that is used to make paella comes from this area exclusively. After having cocktails, we were seated for our traditional paella lunch. Because this is Spain, we had to share three appetizers first.  We had a cod salad, huge calamari with salsa and duck paté (no thank you!). Of course, we had lots of wine and bread. They actually had four goblets at each place setting.  After our appetizers, we were served both traditional paella and vegetarian paella. The traditional paella has rabbit, snail and chicken. I was not thrilled to consume duck, rabbit, squid and snails in the same meal, but I did. Our dessert was a chocolate crumble topped with caramel, apples and vanilla bean mousse.  So much food!

The rest of the day was spent touring language schools. In all, we visited 8 schools. It was informative, but incredibly exhausting. By 8:30pm, we returned to the hotel where most of us went immediately to bed. We had the option of another four course meal, but most of us were still full from lunch and decided to get some well-needed rest.

All in all, a really great day! I'm so grateful to be here to learn more about the various language schools in Spain. This trip has exceeded my expectations in so many ways!