Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Running Abroad: Spain

Now don't worry I have not taken part in this sort of running while in Spain, but it would provide plenty of motivation to keep that pace up.

I have not been in Spain for three days and I have been able to run everyday and do my scheduled workouts. The hotel that I am staying at has a nice room with two treadmills so I am able to run there. I would like to run outside possibly in Parque Retiro (It is similar to Central Park in NY, but in Madrid) or Casa de Campo (a very large park that was formally the royal hunting ground of the King and Queen of Spain). Unfortunately the weather has been cold and rainy and I do not have proper clothing to stay dry, so I have been forced to the treadmill. Perhaps tomorrow it will be nicer out and I will be able to get outside for a nice run.

One thing that is difficult is not only the time change but the culture here is Spain is a lot different, obviously, than in the US. For example, I went out with a friend for "Tapas" (similar to appetizers, but they are often given for free when you order a beer or glass of wine) and we were out until 12:00am which is somewhat normal in Spain, they eat dinner much later but get up a bit later too so I have been trying to get over my jet lag and some of the difference in culture.

Being in Spain again has brought back a lot of great memories from when I studied abroad here. Though it is interesting to see the city now that I am not a student. Though I have had several Doner Kebabs while I have been here, which was a staple of my diet while studying abroad, I figure that the company likes it too because they are only 4 euros so quite a bit less to charge. Unfortunately I only have one more day here and I will be off to Portugal and it will be adios to Spain again.

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