Boat Tours, Shopping, Floating, Greek Salad and more!

Well today we are getting ready to leave Skiathos and begin the journey back to BCN. It involves a boat, a bus, a train, a plane and a taxi! So I imagine I'm going to have my guests worn out pretty good by the time we get in early tomorrow morning!

it's been a great week. Really really hot but that's just how I like it! We took a boat tour all around the island and got to see some of the beaches which are only acessible by the water. The island isn't that big but you wouldn't even be able to walk to some of them because of the really steep cliffs and hills! We saw the historic city (16-17 century) and we swam at each one. The water is just right, not too hot and not too cold and 90% of the beaches we've been to have been crystal clear water for atleast 40-50 feet. It's so easy to float in it, I don't have to even try, even when I exhale I still just float around on the top. It's great! Easy to get a sunburn though, but I'm actually not too bad! I am a bit tired though because mom snores at night... a lot hahah! And so the beach is a nice place to relax even though it is so hot.

Hmmm... lots of other adventures from Madrid and the island but here's a few photos to show you and everything else will have to wait until we get back to Spain!

The Saga Continues!

Well! We finally sorted out what was going to happen, how to get to the busses etc and I'm not going to draw this story out any more than neccessary but I forgot that the cell phones here to automatically select the right time code so i set the alarm to wake up nice and early to get to the busses. We arrived just in time to see our bus pull away - full. Without us. We had to wait an hour for the next one, missed our ferry in Agios Konstantinos, waited 7.5 hours there for the next one, bought new tickets and finally arrived late last night on the island.

It was well worth all the trouble. The island is amazing, it has a great history, the people are friendly and there's lots to see and do. We don't have internet where we are staying but I have a cafe here right around the corner where I can send from back and forth from work.

Can't wait to upload some of the photos!

PS-Yesterday I ate two GIANT bowls of greek salad - it is so. good. here. amazing in fact. If anyone would like anything from Greece speak now haha!

<3

PPS- lots of famous people stay on this island apparently! Maybe I'll get to see some. They say that during the summer there is over 300m euros worth of yachts parked in the water. Also the population is 6000 or so people but during the summer there are 60 or 70 THOUSAND people who stay here. Wow.

Bye!!!

It's All Greek To Me....

Seriously.

We arrived in Athens today. We made it. Alive. It's all fine. However, we arrived off the plane to find out that the taxis are on strike which means we could not catch a cab to the hotel. we took the metro. we got off and proceeded to get fairly lost but eventually after a nice hilly walk through some seedy areas (or so they seemed with the mood we were in) we got turned around and made it back to the hotel. Where the internet doesn't work. So we couldn't figure out how we were going to get to the bus station tomorrow to catch the bus to catch the ferry to the island. Sound like a book anyone knows?

It's been an adventure and a half. Let me tell you! But we stopped (not my idea, although in the end i agree it was a good one) for an amazing greek dinner at a little restaurant where I tried REAL moussaka! MMMmmmm.... guys - seriously. I think Greek food is better than italian. It's so much more creative! So much more unique! It was a great meal, and then we went to McDonalds for icecream and to use the internet.

Now we are back, need to wake up at 6 and there is another wifi which I can leach off of to tell you this wonderful story.

The joys of travelling! Hahah, but seriously - ANYWHERE I want to travel they have strikes and protests! What's with this? First Thailand, then Spain and now Greece. I'm starting to think it's me?

Hahah love to all, photos when I get home. In the mean time google Skiathos and feel jealous <3

Madrid!

Sorry to take my time since the last post, to update everyone but it's been a bit chaotic! In a good way of course :)

So in the last week here is a very very very quick explanation of what has been going on!

I handed in my Thesis outline (3 days late) but I finally got it done! I feel okay about it, but now I have lots of research to do so let the reading begin! (In Greece!)

Mom and Richard arrived last Friday, just in time for the Fiesta Mejor for my barrio (El Raval) which means live music performances in the streets, parties, the works! Lots of fun! We sat outside and watch a symphony play in the MACBA square where I go to school while we waited for a ballet performance to begin. We went to Teatre Goya and saw Giselle - a great ballet and in a very small theatre so you were close enough to see their muscles flexing. It was great!

Lots of shopping! I've been trying to catch up on Rebajas (the month of sales) because I was waiting for mom to come. So far I've been pretty good and only bought a few small things. It'll be over when I get back to Spain though! We had a lot of Tapas, the best I think was the other evening with Nima (roomate) who took us to a place he knew. Very nice!

Now we are in Madrid, got in yesterday afternoon, the heat is dry but very nice! And so we took the evening off, this morning had lots of work to do so that meant i couldn't go out and explore the city. No fun. Oh well, luckily the day doesn't truly end in Spain until 2am. However, Madrid, my first impression is that it's a lot older and more authentic, and also the general crowd here is older, a bit more calm. I guess not having the sea makes it not such a party town. Tonight I want to to try TRUE paella!

Anyhow, I've been taking tons and tons of pictures, and when I get back to barcelona I'll just do a huge huge post of photo uploads from my big camera.

Hope everyone else is doing good!

Talk to you soon!

IKEA!

They love to take my money, you know that? Hahah well it's pouring rain here tonight, I know this very well because I was out for dinner in Gracia with a few friends to say goodbye before they head home until next term. So we were having a drink in the main placa and it started real good so I walked for about 5 minutes and then caught a cab the rest of the way. A well spent 5 euros!

Anyhow, today I went back to IKEA to get a few things for my company this weekend - pillows, a blanket, some other things for the house like a new trash can and shower curtain because the ones here have been completely gross since I moved in and I couldn't stand it any more. I don't know how people are okay with living like that... but oh well. Our house is almost mold free! Wohoo!

Tomorrow I'm going to be more productive. I have a lot of reading to do so that I can write my paper and also I should do a bit more work. Since the weather is supposed to be crappy tomorrow as well I think that will be good incentive not to go out wandering around all day again! Also, I would like to try and do some baking, but that hasn't worked out so well since I got here - hopefully tomorrow will be better because I now own a muffin tin!

Anyhow, short and boring today but hope it's all going well!

<3

Monday Monday...

Well after a fairly sleepless night where I mostly tossed, turned and did everything BUT sleep I had a surprisingly nice day. A more sentimental well thought post to come tomorrow. But for now, here is how I spent my afternoon. At this place. The air was warm, the water was perfect and I feel 100x better now. I'm also mostly done all my hours for work this week. So that's nice too :)

http://www.studionegri.ie/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=tag&tag=Alvaro+Siza&Itemid=69

He is a Portugese architect (I believe) and this is at the last stop on L5 in BCN in Cornella. A nice neighbourhood which feels like you are in an entirely new city which is not at all part of BCN.

Love to all!

Calella & Sant Pol de Mar

So this afternoon I decided to take off after doing some work and go to the beach. I chose a random place from google maps and said I was going. It looked pretty good from the air and then a google image search also looked good. So! I hopped on the Renfe and went to Calella. It was hot - 30 degrees at 3:30 in the afternoon and I took the train for 1 hour North of Barcelona and got off to huge huge beaches. Where I got off I saw this mountainy type hill which looked nice, with some rocks - maybe 2km?!? So I started walking and kept walking and found some really really beautiful spots to lay on the beach. The only unfortunate part? I got there a bit too late in the afternoon so they were quite full of naked people. Although I have to give credit - at least they weren't all old ugly foreigners hahah! Anyhow, I'm not brave enough to do that kind of shit so I just kept walking and found a slight more touristy spot where people where both pieces of their bikinis. It was gorgeous. Almost as gorgeous as Thailand. I now have faith that that kind of beach exists here. I just have to find it :)

Anyhow, here's a few pictures along the way. I couldn't take too many because I forgot to charge my camera battery AGAIN! I'm such an idiot, but I took a few to remember the place. I may actually go back tomorrow if I can get enough work done this evening! There are little villages to explore, and I'd like to go early in the morning. I also need to take someone with me so I can stay in the water for longer and not have to worry about someone stealing my stuff.

Hm. What else? Mom & Richard are coming in 1 week so I'm super excited for that! It's Rebaixes right now (1 month of boxing day shopping basically!!!) So I've been waiting to do some shopping and just today finalized the plans for Greece. Meanwhile... Modus is trying to take over my life and I'm fairly behind in school so next week I NEED to get caught up, submit my assignments so that I can be DONE and just doing thesis work! Fun fun fun.

Pasta time.
Miss you all, hope you're enjoying Stampede (or escaping it maybe)!
<3

Killing Time?

Here is my thesis abstract. Hopefully this time it's a bit more clear! Also, I think you would prefer to read the abstract than the 15 pager I have to submit.

Ps- There's this french girl who works at the bar/cafe at the school and good god she is rude. She is the only one on the staff who has absolutely no manners and she is ALWAYS cranky. I'm not really sure how she has this job when there are so many unemployed friendly people. But I guess whatever. I got my fricken coffee.


Thesis Statement
Within the next 5 years Cochrane, Alberta will be “complete”. Having utilized all the space within the Town Boundaries, there are two directions that the town could continue to grow. The first and more convenient option would be to simply annex more land around the town. The other possibility is to grow inwards, redeveloping the already developed areas. This does not mean demolition projects and re-appropriation of public space. With an overwhelming number of satellite cities developing across Canada around major urban centers, and an ever increasing amount of sprawl (particularly around Calgary and Toronto) a new model of adapting and retrofitting suburbia in a series of rational and acceptable phases has become necessary. This thesis will examine ways of engaging the community, the political entities and the developers in a discourse around these topics, aiming to reduce apathetic tendencies of citizens and encourage user defined development rather than corporate model development.

Methodology
Part I
The first phase of the thesis involves the development of several strategies and “experiments” to test the community engagement and create discourse and discussion within different age groups, user groups and political bodies. This includes school children, senior citizens, local architects and developers, town council and neighbourhood associations. Not unlike an integrated design process, the approach will bring to the table a number of points and counterpoints which stimulate thought and interaction. These experiments will utilize and embrace the digital environment and preferences as spaces of interaction and participation within various networks. An online database will be created to house the research and organize the ideas, accessible to the participants and rest of the community for feedback and review.
Part II
The second phase of the thesis will be the development of several short proposals relating to the various phases which may be considered for future growth. The intention is to promote economic and social vitality and consider environmental impacts in a future market which may not revolve around the local oil industry. The collection and organization of information during Part I will develop the guidelines and basis for this portion of the work, therefore making it a collaborative project proposed by not an individual but the collective.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

To Evan and Jessica! I'm going to be a bridesmaid again!!! I'm so truly happy for you both.

I don't really have very much to talk about today because I haven't really been doing all that much. For Canada Day we had a small dinner party with the housemates and a couple people from class. My friend Marol and I made dinner - a Greek dish with chicken and potatoes. Now that I know how, I can make it for you when I come home :) It's really delicious! Then we had a house party with Ciro's friends as well. It was nice.

I have one more week of school type stuff and then it's home free! Well... kind of haha!

What else to tell you? Really not a whole lot... Thesis presentation went alright. I recorded it and watched it a few times, we only had 15mins to present so it went by so fast and tehre was so much I didn't talk about and I was so tired from staying up most the night trying to put some slides together that I just didn't really do great. Also I was first... which always kind of sucks. But I'll try to figure out how to put it on youtube and then maybe I'll share it.

Sorry I haven't responded to any emails in a while. I promise, there will be some coming soon <3