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Learning to drive in Spain

December 1, 2016 chaput@live.com 1 Comment

We went and completed the driver theory exam for a second time last week. The test location and the process were identical to the first time we wrote the exam.

img_20160922_103304568_hdr — Ministerio del interior Centro de Exanenes

We entered the testing room and wrote a paper exam with completely different questions than the last one. Some of the questions were on motorcycles, traffic statistics, and illegal drug use. We completed the English version of the 30 question exam and returned home to await our results. Two days later we received notification that we both passed the exam and could move on to the practical training.

In Spain, it is mandatory to take driver training through a government recognized driving school. We signed up with a local driving school called “Autoescuela Pausa” which is walking distance from our home.

img_20161129_092825399_hdr — Ray and Shelley in front of the Autoescuela Pausa

There are few things that make driving a challenge in Spain. There are no English instructors and all lessons are conducted in Spanish. The final exam testing is also completely in Spanish and you are not permitted to have an interpreter present during the exam. The road system here is very different from Canada. The traffic lights, signage, and intersections are dissimilar to what we are accustomed to. Finally, the majority of vehicles in Spain have standard transmissions, there are very few automatic transmissions. The issue here is If the driver’s exam is done while driving an automatic transmission then you are only licensed to drive an automatic. In order to rent vehicles and have the flexibility, we are both taking our exam with a standard transmission vehicle.

On Tuesday we went for our first driving lesson. Our vehicle was a smaller compact car with standard transmission.

img_20161129_110222428 — The driving school training car

Our instructor’s name was Oscar and he could not speak any English. He was very good at explaining things using hand language and clear Spanish. He was very helpful and had lots of patience with us.

Ray was the first to drive while Shelley sat in the back seat waiting her turn. Oscar would give directions in Spanish.

Here is a very small list of some of the Spanish driving words:

Gire a la izquierda (Turn left)
Gira a la derecha (Turn right)
tome la segunda a la derecha (take the second right)
tome la segunda a la izquierdo en la rotonda (take second on the left in the roundabout)
perada (stop)
Tranquilo ( calm or relax)
Espere (wait)
Mas rapido (faster)
Mas dispacio (slow down)
Empuje el embrague (push the clutch in)
Suelta el embrague (let out the clutch)
Cambiar a tercera marcha (change to third gear)

This is only a very small portion of the language we need to learn before taking our practical drivers exam.

We headed on to the roadway and drove through the streets of Alicante. After about 45 minutes we stopped and switched seats. Shelley has never driven a standard before and Oscar was very good at explaining the gear shift and clutch process.

img_20161129_101906060 — Shelley and Oscar reviewing the standard shift and clutch process before heading onto the road.

Shelley drove around the city and did very well navigating the clutch and standard shift. After about 45 minutes we headed back to the driving school and finished for the day. It was a nice pace and we enjoyed ourselves very much. We are looking forward to more driving and getting the driving test completed.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

France

A walk to Sacre-Coeur Church

November 5, 2016 chaput@live.com

We stayed at a nice hotel in Paris called “Hotel des Arts Martre” which was close to the famous Moulin Rouge.

img_20161026_102105477_hdr — Moulin Rouge in Paris

We decided to take a walk from our hotel and walk up the steep streets near our hotel. We weaved in and out of the streets working our way up the hillside.

img_20161027_113408194_hdr — stairs along the way leading up the hilltop in Paris

We eventually reached the top of the hill and discovered a vibrant area with a large plaza in the middle. There were artists of every kind selling their art in the plaza. We were even approached by different artists wanting to do a portrait of us for about 10 euros. We walked around the entire plaza admiring all the artwork on display.

img_20161027_113913999_hdr — Art on display for sale in the plaza

img_20161027_114205404 — Artist working on some art while waiting to sell his drawings.

img_20161027_114043160_hdr — People looking at the art for sale

Afterward, we headed up towards the Sacre-Coeur Church which we could see in the distance. The church as a beautiful large domed structure with an amazing view of the city.

img_20161027_121704292 — Shelley and Ray on the steps of the Sacre-Coeur Church in Paris

We entered the church and there was a mass going on so we did not stay. We headed outside and walked around the church area admiring the views of Paris.

img_20161027_112324893_hdr — View of Paris from the Sacre-Coeur Church

Unfortunately, there was fog which made it hard to see all of the city, but it was still very breathtaking.

img_20161027_120956485 — View of Paris from Sacre-Coeur Church area

After walking around looking at the beautiful views we headed down the main stairs of the Sacre-Coeur church. Along the walk down we came across some interesting sights. There was a person dressed completely in white as a statue and people were having their photo taken with him for a price.

img_20161027_121137216_hdr — Person having photo taken with person in white

Further down the stairs, we came to a section which had a wall with several fountain bases inset into it. This was an area where everyone gathered to sit and enjoy the view.

img_20161027_121440424 — Wall area where people could sit and enjoy the views along the stairs of Sacre-Coeur Church

Further down the stairs, we came to an area that had a merry-go-round. There were kids playing and enjoying the ride.

img_20161027_122220984 — View of Merry-Go-Round with the Sacre-Coeur Church in the background.

The walk was very enjoyable and we spent almost 5 hours walking up and around the hill enjoying the views and atmosphere.

“Au revoir et bonne journée”

France

A few days in Paris

November 1, 2016 chaput@live.com

We went to Paris which is the most populated city in France with over 2.2 million people. The city is the capital of France and a major centre for tourism, art and fashion. We decided to take the hop on bus in order to explore as much of the city as we could. The weather was very cool around 15 or 16 degrees celsius. We bundled up and found good seats on the top row of the bus.

img_20161025_130422628 — Louise and Brad on the Hop on Bus in Paris

We travelled throughout the day on the bus looking at all the popular sites.

img_20161025_131311944 — Eiffel tower in Paris

img_20161025_124358488 — The National Assembly in Paris

We spent approximately eight hours on the bus seeing the different areas of Paris. We travelled to the new area of the city with modern buildings and architecture. This was a contrast to what most people imagine when they think of Paris. The modern buildings were very impressive.

img_20161026_135223801 — AccorHotels Arena in Paris

img_20161026_134557693_hdr — Bibliotheque National de France in Paris

img_20161026_134503489 — Unique cubed style building in Paris

img_20161026_134448172 — mk2 Bibliotheque in Paris

After touring the city on the bus, we decided to walk along some of the old sections of Paris.

The walk was very enjoyable and we were able to see some of the quaint stores, cafes and restaurants. Although the day was cool, we had a very good time.

“Au revoir et bonne journée”

Spain

The Beautiful Visit to Ronda Spain

October 30, 2016 chaput@live.com

We went to Ronda Spain which is a beautiful mountain top town. The views are gorgeous, overlooking the valley and gorge below.

What makes this town truly unique is the El Tajo gorge which separates the town into two sections. There is an amazing bridge which connects the two sides of Ronda. It was originally built by the Moors in the 15th century.

img_20161019_122228071_hdr — Side view of the Ronda Bridge built by the Moors in 15th century

We decided to take a walk on the observation area in the middle of the bridge which is accessed through a long set of steep stone stairs.

img_20161019_122018149 — Brad, Louise, and Shelley walking down the stair to the observation area in middle of the bridge

We climbed the steep stairs and entered the observation area to admire the breathtaking views.

img_20161019_122158291_hdr — Stairs into the middle of the Bridge

Inside we could see the gorge and cliffs lined with buildings.

img_20161019_122235984 — View from the center of the bridge observation area

We could also see the side of the bridge which was quite impressive. The column base is almost 200 feet down to the base of the gorge.

bridge-copy — View of the columns of the bridge in Ronda Spain

We then walked throughout the town exploring the narrow cobblestone streets. We came across a horse-drawn carriage and decided to take a ride. It was a great way to explore the town and have a rest at the same time.

img_20161019_113046833_hdr-1 — Horse-drawn buggy in Ronda Spain

img_20161019_114521409 — Louise and Brad in horse-drawn Carriage in Ronda Spain

We traveled through the streets admiring the sites and sounds of Ronda. We came across several very beautiful buildings and vistas along our route.

img_20161019_112738239_hdr — Narrow cobblestone street in Ronda

img_20161019_112024295 — Historic building in Ronda’s Min plaza

img_20161019_115142685 — Bullfighting arena in Ronda Spain

After our horse-drawn tour, we decided to get something to eat at a restaurant called. “Duquesa de Parcent” The restaurant was nice looking inside, but once we stepped out onto the back patio we were in awe.

img_20161019_135503811_hdr — Front of the “Duquesa De Parcent” Restaurant

img_20161019_135000443_hdr — The outside patio of the restaurant

The view was spectacular and we managed to get a seat at the very edge of the patio overlooking the gorge.

img_20161019_130322493_hdr — View from our table in the restaurant.

The lunch was extremely tasty and very enjoyable. Afterwards, we walked through the narrow streets towards the cliffs and came across some great views.

img_20161019_105758821 — View of the rooftops of Ronda Spain

img_20161019_143849590_hdr-1 — The fortress wall of Ronda

img_20161019_144158124 — The walled street overlooking part of Ronda

img_20161019_143742870 — The street along the other fortified wall of Ronda

img_20161019_144605054 — Brad, Louise and Shelley taking a break to admire the views in Ronda

We truly enjoyed our time in Ronda. The city is a beautiful spot and well worth the time.

“adio y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Taking a Spanish cooking Class

October 28, 2016 chaput@live.com

We decided to take a cooking class and learn how to make some traditional Spanish meals. We headed to one of our favorite traditional Spanish restaurants called “Taberna Iberica.” Our Chef Francesca was very friendly and greeted us with a kiss on each cheek. She spoke only Spanish and the entire cooking demonstration was in Spanish. We entered the small galley kitchen which is used for the entire restaurant.

img_20161020_124052110_hdr-1 — Mike, Louise, Brad, Liz and Ray in the galley kitchen

She demonstrated the techniques and processes for the making of several traditional meals. The first meal we began making was Paella with chicken. She began by chopping up a half chicken which included the bones.

img_20161020_115721381 — Chicken being chopped up by our Chef Francesca

Chef Francesca then demonstrated how to cook the chicken and make the paella. The process involved olive oil, water, peppers, a few spices and very easy to make.

img_20161020_122502992 — Chicken paella being made

img_20161020_123904644 — Shelley mixing up the magic

We then began another Spanish dish “tortilla de potatas” which is a breakfast meal. The process was surprisingly easy and simple to make. It used potatoes, olive oil, and eggs with a few spices. The tortilla de potatas was made using a frying pan.

img_20161020_123544907_hdr — Chef Francesca making Tortilla de Potatas with Brad watching in the background.

The final dish we made was a seafood paella. The process was somewhat different with a few changes. One of the differences was the boiling of fish pieces in water then removing the fish and using the water to make the rice. We then added some cuttlefish and prawns.

img_20161020_121715093 — cuttlefish used in the seafood paella

img_20161020_123208627 — Prawns used in the seafood paella

Once the three dishes were finished we took them upstairs to our table.

img_20161020_124641886 — Ray taking the paella to the restaurant table, Liz watching in the background

img_20161020_124722546 — Our table with the paella and tortilla de potatas

We sat down at our table to enjoy the paellas and Tortilla. There was also red and white wine, freshly baked bread and water. We enjoyed the food and ate until we were all full and content.

img_20161020_135120069 — The remains of the paella

img_20161020_135123661 — the remains of the tortilla de potatas

We were relaxing and enjoying ourselves when they owner presented us with an after dinner drink.

img_20161020_140600699 — After dinner, Spanish drink being poured

We toasted the Chef and enjoyed the after dinner drink, before heading out.

img_20161020_140657740 — Ray toasting the after dinner drink with Brad and company

As we were leaving the restaurant, Chef Francesca came and gave us a Spanish kiss on each cheek and made us feel like we were family. It was an amazing feeling to be so welcomed into a restaurant. It was more like a family meal than a restaurant.