La Noche Buena, Madrid, Spain

Sunset at Plaza Mayor, Madrid

Christmas Eve! 

"Esta noche es Noche-buena, y no es noche de dormir"

Tonight is the good night and is not meant for sleeping!

Madrid's Christmas market in the Plaza Mayor

Being fortunate to experience now our second Christmas season in the Northern hemisphere we were very excited to get amongst the local festive spirit and join in Spain's many Christmas time customs. Although most Spanish tend to hibernate more in the Winter they were out in full force this season. 

The famous Tio Pepe and Sol Christmas tree

Christmas Tree- Vodafone Sol

Christmas Tree- Barrio Salamanca

Christmas plants

Nativity scene figurines

Christmas markets

Nativity figurines

Fairy lights

Families shopping in Plaza Mayor

Christmas officially starts in Spain on December 8th with the Immaculate Conception, from this time the city begins to overtly dress and display itself in colourful and bright lights with hideously artificial trees on almost every street. Beautifully detailed nativity scenes pop up in shop windows, churches and homes. 

Calle Mayor lights

Lights by the Town Hall

Calle de Arenal

Calle La Montera

Christmas ball lights

Lights on Gran Via

Compared to New Zealand or South Africa it's certainly much cooler in Madrid but it's unfortunately not a white christmas (maybe next year?) but the immense sunshine is a fair compensation! It also gives us one less reason to not be outside exploring Madrid's Christmas markets and of course the Christmas lights walk!

Beautiful streets!  

We have included in this blog some snaps of the colourful lights around the city, which we recently visited. In Spain, Christmas Eve seems to be bigger than Christmas day and families celebrate on Christmas Eve by coming together and eating!

Palacio de Cibeles

Food seems to be generally served all afternoon and after attending midnight mass (at 12am) families return home for their main meal- yes this would be around 2am! Then the parties begin!

At this time, we would like to again this year take the time to wish all of our friends and family across the globe a happy Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!

Wherever you are, we hope that you are enjoying some delicious foods in your belly and are finding a well deserved moment to reflect on another fabulous year.

As we reach for 2015 we hope that you continue to explore, venture and push yourself towards new goals and are surrounded by the love of others.


Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a fantastic 2015.


Tot siens,
John and Kara

Dancing on the streets

Christmas lights Plaza Colon

Toledo, Castile La-Mancha, Spain

View of Toledo from the Alcazar of Toledo 

Christmas is just around the corner! And our first guest has arrived so the Spanish exploration continues!

Yesterday, we got up well after the sun had cleared the horizon, had our first Spanish breakfast and then of course our second breakfast (not because we were up very early but just because that's what you do) before slowly making our way around midday to Madrid's Estascion de autobuses. Our plan was to visit the UNESCO world heritage city of Toledo, located 70kms south of Madrid in the Castile La-Mancha province.

Looking at a small church entrance

The city of Toledo is located a top a mountain and has been occupied by many different groups and forces since long, long ago in the bronze age. We made our way to Toledo via direct bus from the Estascion de autodus and arrived within a quick and comfortable 45minutes.

Tapa lunch stop! 

It was a beautiful blue sky day when we arrived but the wind was icy cold, leaving us thinking that perhaps we should have bought a tad more practical clothing. Ek! We assumed that the city was very small so we didn't bother collecting a map at the bus station rather taking the more wild way of heading 'south' up that mountain. By this time, hunger was driving us on and our priorities changed to just finding somewhere to eat!

Looking up the East side of the main Gothic Cathedral

We eventually found and stopped at a small and thankfully warm tapa bar, ate some Spanish Tortilla and drunk a nice cold beer! This boosted our spirits and warmed our bellys so we continued our exploration.

The three of us ventured across the city and clambered up the Alcazar of Toeldo to admire the views, we walked to the city monastery and through the mighty Cathedral. By then it was bloody cold with the wind whipping up through the small cobbled streets, but we powered on!

Main Toledo cathedral

Its that way to the mountains....

Surprisingly, many of the small Toledo shops were decorated with an array of 'Lord of Rings' memorabilia and merchandise. We read that Toledo was home to many fine sword-makers and blacksmiths dating back to the Roman era. Then between the 15th and 17th centuries there was a large boom wheres Toledo's products became known as the best in Europe.

Main cathedral sphere of Toledo

Walking down the lanes

Today the city keeps the production and interest alive by selling many different Tolkin products, from golden rings to ginormous hand swords .

In front of the El Transitio synagogue 

Her lady sword holder! 

Plates on the walls

When the sun set and the temperature dropped further we made our way in a barra for a few more belly warming drinks and then ventured back to the Estascion de autobuses to our trip back home!

The highlights of our trip were; the views of the medieval city, getting lost in the unbelievable small, twisty and turny backstreet laneways and trying the Spanish mixta lemon beer!


Tot siens,
John and Kara (and Ryan)

Mercado de Maravillas, Cuatro Caminos, Madrid, Spain

Our Mercado de Maravillas

One of the most fascinating things about living in Madrid is the food shopping! Madrid is an old city and its an extremely walkable city! It seems that most of the locals still shop for their food the old fashioned way! In old style covered market places, hopping from one vendor to the next toting their wheely bags.

John buying mince for our dinner!

Although many of the city's food markets (such as San Anton or San Miguel) are now tourist destinations and there is substantial competition from one stop discount supermarket chains (like dia/lidl and carrefour), Mercado de Maravillas is still worthwhile and surprisingly more economical. 

Fresh fish salesman preparing someones tea.

We are very spoilt to have recently found that we live just the throw of an apricot pit to our own traditional (non-touristy) market place (Mercado de Maravillas).

This hidden away gem is actually the largest market (half a kilometer around with over 260 stalls) in the city and is full of amazing character, colours, smells, people and food!. This weekend we ventured together to explore, do some people watching and a bit of shopping. 

One of the many meat shops, with all your meaty needs.

It was a perfect day for exploring an indoor market! Very overcast with threatening rain overhead and a cold wind seeping its way through under the door. So we donned our hats and gloves and briskly walked up the road to the market. Inside was extraordinarily busy and we were greeted by the warm smell of roasted garlic potatoes and burnt coffee.

We took our time wandering around the shops, watching the many vendors at work cutting up huge fish with even larger knifes, salesmen de-boning rabbit, others weighing up fruits, eggs, cured meats and cheeses. We ummed and aaahhed far too long about what type of olives we should buy to munch on and admired the beautiful Spanish breads and pastries, which you might as well just slap onto your thighs they look so decadent.

Fresh fruits and veges

You could purchase anything food related at this market.

There's actually an old Madrid saying on the door at the entrance "Si buscas algo, vete a Maravillas. Si no lo encuentras, es que no hay" (If you're looking for something go to Maravillas. If you don't find it, it's because it doesn't exist.)

Chocolate con Churros (typical 2nd breakfast food)

By the time we felt that we had seen enough for one day vertical gravity took hold and we were suddenly pulled  into one of the random spotted cafes for a chocolate con churro~Kara and paella~John. (Actually it's more like a bar you lean up against to drink your coffee or beer as you eat your tapa).

So we stayed a bit longer before again venturing out into the cold and wet winter day and heading home with our wares. 

(As a side note, when visiting watch your timing when shopping because of course they close every day for siesta time!) Closed Sundays. 

Tot siens,

John and Kara

Salamanca, Castile & León, Spain

View of Salamanca across the Rio Tormes

Yay! We are in Madrid and this weekend is our first long weekend in Spain!

This weekend Spain celebrated the feast of the 'immaculate conception'. Briefly, December 8th annually is a day which a large proportion of Catholic's celebrate the birth of the virgin Mary by attending church and then 'feasting'. We like the idea of taking a weekend to feast and so we ventured to one of Spain's oldest gastronomical capitals -Salamanca! 

A frosty morning at the New Cathedral (built 16th Century) 

Aside for being well know for its local produce and beverages Salamanca is rich in a very long history and is now also a UNESCO world heritage site. It has such a long history that actually its all a bit confusing as to who was where and at what time. However we were told that the city was originally founded pre-Ancient Rome period. From that time and for the next couple of centuries there were an array of sieges/wars and overtakings and the city was occupied by Christian kings, Muslim rulers and other Empires (including the French). 

Placio de Anaya 

Then during the Spanish Civil War in 1936-1939, Salamanca was Spain's de facto capital by the country's Nationalists.

In the year 1218 Salamanca was granted royal charter to its University of Salamanca (which had been teaching since 1130) and the university became one of the most prestigious and acclaimed within Europe, the wealth and reputation of the city also increased.




The city today is still considered a 'university town' with students making up the a large percentage of population (around 36,000). In fact the city now has the highest bar-to-inhabitant ratio in Europe (synonymous with a large student gathering perhaps?) .  

Panoramic of Plaza Mayor by night

As winter is well under way, when we arrived late on Friday evening (via high speed train from Madrid) it was pretty chilly. Our first stop was the Plaza Mayor (above) the beating heart of the old city. This plaza has seen everything, from bull fights, executions, royal balls, markets and is considered one of the most beautiful in Spain. The plaza was built from 1729- 1755 in Spanish baroque style and is really quite stunning. 

Mmmm.... Yum!! 

Spanish pastries 

Our next stop was dinner and so we did the Spanish 'thing' and hopped around several tapa bars! An advantage of heading to a student town were the discounted prices. One large tapa and glass of wine and/or beer costs approx 1-2 euro.  Typically you hop to several rather than staying in one place. 

Pictured abover is John enjoying a delicious tortilla (potato pie) at the bar. 

A popular meat store in the Central Market

Spanish breakfast! 

Early the next morning we explored many of the old churches and buildings getting ourselves lost in the old windy cobbled streets. It was very cold so we had regular stops in small family-run stores, sometimes into bakeries to smell the fresh bread and to nibble on a chocolate croissant or into a side street bar just to ponder and enjoy a strong coffee. We found an old market and bought some seasonal Christmas fairy lights to decorate our Madrid flat and Kara spent a ridiculous amount of time trying on an array of leather boots for fun.

We also visited Salamanca's central market (built 1899) where locals came to purchase their produce. (Markets are still a preferred shopping experience for many).

Salamanca is widely known for its top class cured ham (jamon) and the market is a good place to go and try a wide variety of samples, as well as a wide range of fresh produce and dairy products.

Poor little piggies! 

Meat! Meat! Meat! 

Casa de las Conchas (House of the shells)

Over the next few days we spent our time between exploring the city's bars, 'feasting' on Spanish tapas, and wandering in and out of the old buildings.

We were quite fascinated by the old Roman bridge (built 1st century BC) leading out of the city but probably more so getting our heads around the delicious Spanish wine! 

Next up- stuffed cheesy mushrooms

Tapa time! Tortilla de Patata

The pictures below are some of the amazing architecture and places within Salamanca, Spain.

Tot siens,
John and Kara

Autumn colours! 

What a handsome view! 

Ancient Roman bridge, South of the City

A few glasses of wine and a festive spirit at Plaza Mayor

Plateresque facade of the University of Salamanca

Taking a break by the Cathedral

Facade of the Church of La Clerecia

Trying the Paella- yum! 

A world apart (Spain and China)

A view of Beijing on a clear-ish day

Our 'team' is currently in transition! John has made the move to our new home in sunny Madrid, Spain! And Kara is now just weeks behind- tying up some loose ends and finishing her employment in (the wintery) Beijing.

After exploring Turkey last month and immersing ourselves into the amazing European influences -yes we mean the food, we are excited to head to and make our next move to Spain.

In Madrid, John will be a student studying at one of Europe's top business schools and Kara will most likely find herself immersed in the wine (ah hem culture).

Eating Beijing noodles and dumplings

So at this time we prepare ourselves to say goodbye to China. This past year has been amazing and with the impending departure we had the chance to truly reflect on our experiences and send love to those who have helped us on our way. We hope that everyone gets the opportunity to visit China sometime in his or her life. It is truly a remarkable and different place to the west. In brevity, so cold, so hot, so old. Never have we seen so much weirdness, atrocities, passion and friendliness all in a day. We will miss China and our lives in China. Someone asked us the other day what we will miss the most and it sounds odd but we will miss being Westerners. In Beijing foreigners tend to mostly stick to common districts (typically around the embassy's) and with a ratio of 1:200 in a city of 25mil+ we are a rare breed. It sounds vain but in China westerners are prized for their pale complexions, light hair and big eyes. People stare, but they stare out of curiosity so it's a fleeting look or a quick smartphone photo. You are addressed as 'beautiful or pretty girl or handsome man' and people will remark 你是漂亮 (ni hao piaoliang) even if your face its puffy and red after climbing stairs on the mountainside for the last 40 minutes. It gives you a sense of confidence and you feel proud to be different. Living in China and not speaking Chinese is of course not without its challenges but this was part of the fun for us. There is some joy in being able to switch off everyone when out walking or sitting down to eat, living in ignorance of signs, local news and the bombardment of communication/propaganda can be somewhat relaxing. When you’re ready you can flick it back on.

Peking Opera

We probably won't miss the oily food, aside from the dumplings (favorite being 莲藕和鸡蛋 which is lotus root and egg) and certainly not the air pollution which on some days is so bad that you can't see the building 100metres in front of you. Nor will we miss the smoking and the foul spitting. We've seen things that can't be unseen, but when we reflect it's all those things that make China different too- and in a weird way.. we will miss it. 

We will miss the safety of China. China is an extremely safe country. Lastly we will miss the convenience China offers. Dinner sets you back not even 10mins and NZ$1.50- where can you eat cooked food so cheaply? 

Summer dinner atmosphere

A special Baozi

Until then, tot siens,

John and Kara