Swimming and yet more parks
I am getting a bit listless. Good thing I am starting at school on Wed. Still don't have my timetable, but Sonia told me I will be at Barredos on Wednesdays and Thursdays, which should mean Laviana on Mondays and Tuesdays.
So: today I had a skype chat with Robin, tried (and failed) to make a phone appointment for my NIE (I have forgotten how the Spanish pronounce the alphabet, so I couldn't spell out my name beyond B. Geez). After that I was like right, time to get out of the house! So I went to Milan campus and asked about the DELE exams, got a pamphlet. I thought they did regular preparation courses, but they only do a 20-hour thing 2 weeks before each exam. So I'd probably need to find my own tutor, which is not a bad idea anyway.
Then I went back to the library, which I found accidentally previously, but didn't go in. It's pretty rad! It has several levels, and a comics section, and an Asturias section. I tried to borrow a book but of course I couldn't on the spot. So I signed up (! surprised I could do that with a passport actually), and apparently they will send me the card on Friday. I don't actually know how to access the mail tho... so... shrug.
Then I went and walked around Campo de San Fransisco some more. There is a pond near the middle. I was walking near it and noticed the light dancing under the trees in a lovely way. Then I watched the ducks for a bit, who have an island and were doing a bang-up job of preening and so on. Then I noticed half the island was covered in TURTLES!!!
Is this a normal Europe thing? (Apparently!) Also they could have been tortoises, because I don't know the difference, but I feel like turtles are more common.
TURTLES at Campo de San Fransisco
Random unlabelled "ruins of the Romanesque façade of the old San Isidoro Church", so this would date to the 10-13th century? boggle.
Creative tree support
After the park, I looked up where bike stores were and saw that a Trek store was not too far away, so I walked there to check it out. By now it was after 2 so of course it was closed. So I walked home, partly along the Calle de Los Pilares (these guys) and picked up some groceries on the way.
I had lunch maybe at 3.30 or later, and wiled away a couple of hours somehow. Around 6 I felt restless that I hadn't done more with the day, so I decided to take the bus to Parque del Oeste and check out the park and actually go swimming.
Parque del Oeste is basically a wide green space on the side of a big hill, with some paved paths and children's playgrounds at the bottom. There seemed to be a regular cast of runners at the top, so perhaps there is a good running track connected there.
The park gives you a pretty nice view of the city, and you see how it is surrounded by lovely mountains.
Another example of Park Benches Gone Wild
Hey, isn't that a gumtree??! The answer is yes. Yes, it is.
A few other pictures on flickr.
OK finally the pool! The pool was ok. As soon as I got in I was like, OMG swimming is the best. I even kind of like chlorine. I did 900m in a 25m pool. 25m pools are the worst. Now I feel a bit cheated, because they have a 50m outdoor pool (but it's only operational TWO MONTHS of the year) and a 50m indoor one - that they split into two! Hmph. I need to check if they always do that, maybe they just do it because the evening is extra busy, there were lots of kids squads taking place. (Spain, late night shopping every day of the week.) But somehow I doubt it. Sad times...
Also the staff all wear black, like black shorts and a black polo t-shirt, and I think there is no special 'on staff lifeguard'. It was weird. One of these black polo guys pulled me up after I helped myself to a kickboard from a box on the side of the pool. Then when I got back in the pool he was like "Actually you need a cap too". Well I didn't bring one... he had a spare (or maybe it's always there for cases like this??) and so then I wore that. I think I prefer to wear one now. I forgot to see if I can buy one at the pool's front desk or not, I think perhaps not.
I think I would like to do the squad swimming, maybe I will try that in November, give myself October to get back into practice a little bit.
So: today I had a skype chat with Robin, tried (and failed) to make a phone appointment for my NIE (I have forgotten how the Spanish pronounce the alphabet, so I couldn't spell out my name beyond B. Geez). After that I was like right, time to get out of the house! So I went to Milan campus and asked about the DELE exams, got a pamphlet. I thought they did regular preparation courses, but they only do a 20-hour thing 2 weeks before each exam. So I'd probably need to find my own tutor, which is not a bad idea anyway.
Then I went back to the library, which I found accidentally previously, but didn't go in. It's pretty rad! It has several levels, and a comics section, and an Asturias section. I tried to borrow a book but of course I couldn't on the spot. So I signed up (! surprised I could do that with a passport actually), and apparently they will send me the card on Friday. I don't actually know how to access the mail tho... so... shrug.
Then I went and walked around Campo de San Fransisco some more. There is a pond near the middle. I was walking near it and noticed the light dancing under the trees in a lovely way. Then I watched the ducks for a bit, who have an island and were doing a bang-up job of preening and so on. Then I noticed half the island was covered in TURTLES!!!
Is this a normal Europe thing? (Apparently!) Also they could have been tortoises, because I don't know the difference, but I feel like turtles are more common.
TURTLES at Campo de San Fransisco
Random unlabelled "ruins of the Romanesque façade of the old San Isidoro Church", so this would date to the 10-13th century? boggle.
Creative tree support
After the park, I looked up where bike stores were and saw that a Trek store was not too far away, so I walked there to check it out. By now it was after 2 so of course it was closed. So I walked home, partly along the Calle de Los Pilares (these guys) and picked up some groceries on the way.
I had lunch maybe at 3.30 or later, and wiled away a couple of hours somehow. Around 6 I felt restless that I hadn't done more with the day, so I decided to take the bus to Parque del Oeste and check out the park and actually go swimming.
Parque del Oeste is basically a wide green space on the side of a big hill, with some paved paths and children's playgrounds at the bottom. There seemed to be a regular cast of runners at the top, so perhaps there is a good running track connected there.
The park gives you a pretty nice view of the city, and you see how it is surrounded by lovely mountains.
Another example of Park Benches Gone Wild
Hey, isn't that a gumtree??! The answer is yes. Yes, it is.
A few other pictures on flickr.
OK finally the pool! The pool was ok. As soon as I got in I was like, OMG swimming is the best. I even kind of like chlorine. I did 900m in a 25m pool. 25m pools are the worst. Now I feel a bit cheated, because they have a 50m outdoor pool (but it's only operational TWO MONTHS of the year) and a 50m indoor one - that they split into two! Hmph. I need to check if they always do that, maybe they just do it because the evening is extra busy, there were lots of kids squads taking place. (Spain, late night shopping every day of the week.) But somehow I doubt it. Sad times...
Also the staff all wear black, like black shorts and a black polo t-shirt, and I think there is no special 'on staff lifeguard'. It was weird. One of these black polo guys pulled me up after I helped myself to a kickboard from a box on the side of the pool. Then when I got back in the pool he was like "Actually you need a cap too". Well I didn't bring one... he had a spare (or maybe it's always there for cases like this??) and so then I wore that. I think I prefer to wear one now. I forgot to see if I can buy one at the pool's front desk or not, I think perhaps not.
I think I would like to do the squad swimming, maybe I will try that in November, give myself October to get back into practice a little bit.