Hey there. Sorry that it has been forever since my last update. There has been an unfortunate combination of lack of Internet and lack of motivation for the past few days.
On Friday we left for Nerja. As usual we took a bus from Segovia to Madrid, then waited for the long bus ride at the station in Madrid. While there, we sat and talked with a 70-year-old American expatriate who we later called Bill. Bill was a simple guy; after talking to him, you got the feeling that he was the kind of guy who enjoyed the simple things in life. He told us a series of stories that seemed to make up the vast majority of his life. I felt like I was in Forrest Gump.
We talked to him for about an hour and a half. He would later return and give us some of the bottle of the water that he had just purchased. I think he realized A: how expensive water is B: that we were college kids that were poor by reputation and C: that he probably wasn’t going to be able to finish an entire liter and a half bottle by himself. We thanked him, and wished him safe travels. Its kind of interesting to think that we won’t ever see him again.
After that we took off for Nerja. We had a bus transfer in Malaga, and we were able to see the sun rise over the Andalucía Mountains as we drove through them. I was listening to “Quiet Houses” by Fleet Foxes while this event unfolded. What a beautiful amalgamation of audio and visual.
Anyways we grabbed a quick nap at our hostel/apartment, and then went to the beach. We had a fun day at the beach, but we had some unfinished business to attend to. We needed to find some Spanish speakers to talk to about the subject of apologizing for our linguistics class.
Alejandro and I scoped though the busy plaza in Nerja and happened upon two girls that seemed, by visual observation, nice enough to talk with us. Unfortunately, when I asked them if they could help us in Spanish, one of the girls responded with, “Where?” I let out an expletive. Nerja is filled with Englishmen and Scottsmen (its like the Cancun or Cozumel of The United Kingdom); if you ever need to find a hispanohablante, don’t go to Nerja.
Fortunately, these girls were on an exchange trip and their sponsors both spoke fluent Spanish. After a quick dinner, we agreed to meet them back at the plaza at 10:30. They didn’t make fools out of us; they showed up, and we were able to get that incredible monkey off our backs.
After that, we celebrated. We mixed some “cuba libres” (coke and rums), took them to the beach, and watched the tide, and reflected on the trip that is quickly coming to a close. It was a little warm, we were all admittedly sweaty, and the full moon was casting a sufficient amount of light on the wake, so we went back to the room, changed into our swimsuits, and went for a midnight dip in the Mediterranean. This was probably the highlight of the weekend.
Another beach day came and went with sun and more swimming. I’m sorry if I’m rushing through this a little. Truthfully nothing really eventful happened… that is until we returned to the room where a note was on the door explaining to us that checkout was at 12, and that our bags were up in the apartment owner’s room. So we scurried up there, and after being told very sternly that she had to put someone (who was checking in that day; a Sunday. Who in their right mind checks into a room on a Sunday?) in a different room. She told us that the only way we were getting our bags back was if we paid for the next night. A cool 60 Euros. That’s right, this heartless wench was holding our bags for ransom. So like those poor train passengers that are propositioned at gun-point in those old Western films, we emptied our pockets and fished out the necessary means. I was pissed. I felt victimized; like she was stealing from me. She didn’t tell us when checkout was. We were promised air-conditioning, Internet, and a fridge before the weekend started. These promises weren’t fulfilled and I would’ve looked the other way had this not happened to us. This is a family owned and operated business. If this woman had any tact or anything that even resembled character or manners, she would have allowed us to get our bags and leave, but she decided to take advantage of the unknowing college-age tourists. Life has a crazy way of sorting things out though. I chuckle at the fact this woman has to live 365 days of the year in this air-condition-internetless shanty that she calls an apartment building. What goes around comes around, señora. Hope that extra 60 Euros that you now possess, buys you a nice jetski lesson that ends tragically and causes your ultimate demise. (JK but seriously I needed to get this anger out.)
We took the red-eye bus back to Madrid where we arrived somewhere around 6 AM. We got on the first bus to Segovia, and Nate and I were able to take a nap that surprisingly, and abruptly ended at 10:30, when we both realized that we had 20 minutes to walk a distance that normally takes us close to 25 minutes to cover. We made it; covered in sweat, no less, but we made it on time.
Class was quite all right. Today was the first of the final three days, and I’m starting to feel closure. We did class evals and we read the last article for linguistics today. I’m excited to go back home, but I’m going to miss the people that I hung out with here and seeing the cool places that we have been able to visit.
I have 4 more days here. Can’t wait to see everyone. Until next time…¡Adios!
Alcazar
I less spectacular view of Alcazar, but its remains something that we simply don't have in the States.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Going through the motions
Not a whole lot happened today. We seem to be running ourselves into a little bit of a rut. This especially happens during the work-week because we have 3 hours of class each day followed by lunch, which is subsequently followed by homework for said classes, and by the time that is done, the only thing we can really do is activities within the town. Nate and I went on another run today. That’s two days in a row for us, and I think that my endurance is starting to come back. We ran across the river that starts near la casa and winds down adjacent to what I’m going to call la vista de alcazar; a little field that sits underneath the cliff that the famous castle sits on. After stopping to talk with some friends from our group that we ran into, we continued up the path that we normally run down. Down is the keyword. A 1 mile run down a very consistent down-slope is a lot easier to run down than up. It was tough, but I made it up near the beginning of the path. A small victory for myself; a little confidence booster in an element where I’m in perpetual need of confidence. Not traveling anywhere has kind of allowed things to settle around me. I have found comfort in and out of the classroom without the constant reminder that I’m not as good of a Spanish speaker as some people in this group. I have made exponential growth in my understanding of both the language and the culture, and if this had to start 9 days before the end of the trip, so be it. At the very least, it happened, and I’m sure that my parents and my sister will be happy to hear this.
Anyways, back to what I was saying before I went into reflection mode, we ran about 2 ½ miles. We returned to la casa, did a little more homework, took showers, then had a spectacular cena; one of the best of the trip.
After dinner, we watched the movie Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox story, and now we are sitting here, scratching our heads trying to think of something to blog about. I’m thinking that what I have so far will have to suffice.
Anyways, were taking a trip, after class tomorrow, to tour a castle, which will be a nice vacation from old churches. I think I’ve seen enough of those for this trip at least .
Hope that everything is super cool across the pond. Love you all. ¡Adios!
Anyways, back to what I was saying before I went into reflection mode, we ran about 2 ½ miles. We returned to la casa, did a little more homework, took showers, then had a spectacular cena; one of the best of the trip.
After dinner, we watched the movie Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox story, and now we are sitting here, scratching our heads trying to think of something to blog about. I’m thinking that what I have so far will have to suffice.
Anyways, were taking a trip, after class tomorrow, to tour a castle, which will be a nice vacation from old churches. I think I’ve seen enough of those for this trip at least .
Hope that everything is super cool across the pond. Love you all. ¡Adios!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Update
If you look at the time stamps from the last post to now, you will probably realize that I haven’t blogged in a couple of days. I have been a little busy with class work and have spent most of the last few days mentally exhausted. I know that I’m not taking a full work load, but I guess I’m not used to putting my brain under this much duress during the summer months. Anyways, I’m back at it for the time being.
The last day hanging with my parents (Sunday) was, as expected, a blast. The otros dos toros took an early morning bus to Madrid, and met us at our hotel. We spent the day checking out the sights again. We spent the morning at an open-air market; the biggest in Spains, and one of the biggest ones in the world. I got something for Meghan and Dave there, so the visit was fruitful. We then went to Mcdonald’s and had American fast food for the first time in god knows how long. My dad was very pleasantly surprised that they served beer at this particular McDonald’s, so he was much obliged in enjoying a cold one during lunch. After lunch, we made a visit to El Museo de Prado, where we took advantage of our ISIC cards, got a discount on our admission, and took in some priceless art including paintings by Goya, Greco, Velasquez, and Rembrandt. After sitting down with the rest of the group for late afternoon sangria and tapas, and walking around for more gift shopping, we said goodbye to my parents and headed back to Segovia. My parents are now safely back in the U.S. I am so glad that they stopped by for a little bit. I was missing home, but now I miss it a little less thanks to their visit.
That was everything of note that happened on Sunday.
We accomplished a lot in the homework department on Monday afternoon. Let’s just say that I only have to write one more paper for Cultures class while I’m here. Late classes were monotonous, and that is part of the reason I didn’t feel the need to write last night.
Today, classes were a bit more interesting. In linguistics, Nate volunteered himself and I to play out a scenario in front of the class. This practice of Spanish seemed to buoy my confidence, and I was very active for the rest of the school day. In fact, today was probably the best day of classes for me, if were going by participation. It was a pretty satisfying feeling. Hopefully, I can carry this confidence over to tomorrow.
After class, we had lunch, then hit the books hard for yet some more homework. Thank you, Lisa Kuriscak. After homework, Nate and I went out for a much-awaited, much-needed run. We took the route to Alcazar, and then sprinted through the park that is adjacent to the cliff face that the castle is perched on. We walked home; it had been a while since the last time we ran, and I kind of took the pace a little too quickly. I’m also hoping that we can become a little more regular with our runs.
After we returned, a quick shower was in order, followed by cena. Since Nate and I didn’t have any more homework to do, we watched a movie. Alejandro would join us a little later. I’m so glad that I’m not taking the conversation class that he is taking. For every one assignment that Nate and me have in our cultures class, I think Alejandro has like 3. I feel bad for the guy. This is a one-month course in a place that we’re expected to explore thoroughly during our free time. Once again, thanks, Lisa Kuriscak. (Don’t get me wrong; she’s an excellent teacher. I’m just giving her a hard time because we’ve been getting more homework than I expected to get.)
Anyways, were finally somewhat back to normal here with our routine. Nate and I are both writing our blogs and listening to music. I’m trying to get Nate into Jazz Fusion. I don’t think its working.
To Jenna Smith, Amanda Kasem, and Zach Arnett: I’ll see you guys in Cincy in 10 days!
We watched The Big Lebowski last night. In honor of that movie: Goodnight, sweet prince. (lol.)
The last day hanging with my parents (Sunday) was, as expected, a blast. The otros dos toros took an early morning bus to Madrid, and met us at our hotel. We spent the day checking out the sights again. We spent the morning at an open-air market; the biggest in Spains, and one of the biggest ones in the world. I got something for Meghan and Dave there, so the visit was fruitful. We then went to Mcdonald’s and had American fast food for the first time in god knows how long. My dad was very pleasantly surprised that they served beer at this particular McDonald’s, so he was much obliged in enjoying a cold one during lunch. After lunch, we made a visit to El Museo de Prado, where we took advantage of our ISIC cards, got a discount on our admission, and took in some priceless art including paintings by Goya, Greco, Velasquez, and Rembrandt. After sitting down with the rest of the group for late afternoon sangria and tapas, and walking around for more gift shopping, we said goodbye to my parents and headed back to Segovia. My parents are now safely back in the U.S. I am so glad that they stopped by for a little bit. I was missing home, but now I miss it a little less thanks to their visit.
That was everything of note that happened on Sunday.
We accomplished a lot in the homework department on Monday afternoon. Let’s just say that I only have to write one more paper for Cultures class while I’m here. Late classes were monotonous, and that is part of the reason I didn’t feel the need to write last night.
Today, classes were a bit more interesting. In linguistics, Nate volunteered himself and I to play out a scenario in front of the class. This practice of Spanish seemed to buoy my confidence, and I was very active for the rest of the school day. In fact, today was probably the best day of classes for me, if were going by participation. It was a pretty satisfying feeling. Hopefully, I can carry this confidence over to tomorrow.
After class, we had lunch, then hit the books hard for yet some more homework. Thank you, Lisa Kuriscak. After homework, Nate and I went out for a much-awaited, much-needed run. We took the route to Alcazar, and then sprinted through the park that is adjacent to the cliff face that the castle is perched on. We walked home; it had been a while since the last time we ran, and I kind of took the pace a little too quickly. I’m also hoping that we can become a little more regular with our runs.
After we returned, a quick shower was in order, followed by cena. Since Nate and I didn’t have any more homework to do, we watched a movie. Alejandro would join us a little later. I’m so glad that I’m not taking the conversation class that he is taking. For every one assignment that Nate and me have in our cultures class, I think Alejandro has like 3. I feel bad for the guy. This is a one-month course in a place that we’re expected to explore thoroughly during our free time. Once again, thanks, Lisa Kuriscak. (Don’t get me wrong; she’s an excellent teacher. I’m just giving her a hard time because we’ve been getting more homework than I expected to get.)
Anyways, were finally somewhat back to normal here with our routine. Nate and I are both writing our blogs and listening to music. I’m trying to get Nate into Jazz Fusion. I don’t think its working.
To Jenna Smith, Amanda Kasem, and Zach Arnett: I’ll see you guys in Cincy in 10 days!
We watched The Big Lebowski last night. In honor of that movie: Goodnight, sweet prince. (lol.)
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Family Matters
I had such a hectic day yesterday that I was completely exhausted before I was able to get to my computer to blog, so I'm going to give a quick recap of the past two days for you:
Yesterday morning: I woke up an hour before we were planning on waking up, and I couldn't fall back to sleep because of excitement/nervousness for the day ahead. This was the day that I would get on a bus to Madrid, get on the Metro, find my parents hotel, and meet up with them and their companions (two of my mom's fellow autism educators and their husbands).
But first, I had an interesting day planned with the Bulls. Upon Nate's faint recollection of his trip the year before, he had gone to the twon of Granja and had a lovely time in some sort of park. Granja, which is a quick ten minute bus ride from Segovia, is also the home to the Summer Royal Palace and a magnificent botanical gardens. We visited the former and the latter before we went searching for this mythical park. The bulls hadn't eaten yet, so we decided to sit down at a restaurant with outdoor seating. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, we finally flagged the attention of a waiter, got menus, then realized that this place was ridiculously expensive. So we bailed; Alex and I went one way, and for some reason, Nate went a different way. we lost him for about ten minutes, but we were eventually reunited.
After that mini-adventure, we found a much more reasonably priced restaurant and had hamburguesas there. They were awesome!! By far one of the best meals that I have had thus far.
After that, we went searching for the park. Nate's directional instincts took us down a winding path that seemed to take us completely out of Granja and out into the middle of nowhere. After about 30 minutes and finally conceeding that Nate didn't really know where the park was, we all sat down on a foothill that was perched close to a ravine and a couple of mountains. There we took several pictures and even played UNO.
After the walk back, we got on a bus that took us back to Segovia, where I subsequently packed my things for a short weekend visit with my parents.
After the bus ride to Madrid, I took the metro. I got off at the station that I was told would be the best one to get off at; everything was falling into place. All except for the fact that I didn't know where the hotel was. I must have done several laps up and down Gran Via looking for the street was on. I even had the location narrowed down to within a blocks distance from the Plaza de Santo Domingo. Still no luck. After about 50 minutes of failure, I went into a competing hotel and asked the desk clerk if her knew where the hotel was. He told me that it was in a place that I'm sure I passed at least 3 times. My back was completely covered in sweat from the heat that was held in by my backpack. I was dejected but relieved.
I met the weary travellers at the Metro stop, escorted them to the hotel, and then took them to a tapas bar nearby. This group of six adults were very hard to interpret for at first, but as time has elapsed it has gotten progressively easier. The tapas were a hit, and thereafter we called it a night.
Today: we woke up early, got some breakfast, then took a double-decker bus tour around town to get our bearings. i had seen most of the stuff on the tour before, but it was nice to get a better understanding of where everything is geographically.
We had lunch near the puerta del sol. Bocadillos and sandwiches that were the same size but were doubled in price when toasted, were served to us by a very confused, disgruntled waiter.
After lunch, we took a different bus tour, then came back to the room for naps.
Dinner was at a restaurant that the hotel recommended. El Labriego. There we had a very sweet waitress who was very easy to understand and talk to in Spanish, and my dad and I shared a dish of paella that was probably meant for 4 people instead of 2. It was absolutely scrumtrelescent.
After dinner, we decided to take the bus tour again to maybe catch a glimpse of the city under a cloak of darkness, and see the buildings lit up. This was enjoyed by all. It was another one of those moments where I have been to unwind and just lose myself in whats around me; this time it was great architecture and my parents. I can't believe that, in between the hustle and bustle of a six credit study abroad program, I get to hang out with my parents for 2 days in Europe. I love having them here, and I'm glad that made this stop before they head back to the states. After more than two weeks of being in a different country, this was exactly what the doctor ordered; a little piece of home. This'll surely get me through the rest of the trip without any troubles.
Anyways, that has been the last two days of my life. Hope that everything at home is fantabulous!! ¡Hasta luego!
Yesterday morning: I woke up an hour before we were planning on waking up, and I couldn't fall back to sleep because of excitement/nervousness for the day ahead. This was the day that I would get on a bus to Madrid, get on the Metro, find my parents hotel, and meet up with them and their companions (two of my mom's fellow autism educators and their husbands).
But first, I had an interesting day planned with the Bulls. Upon Nate's faint recollection of his trip the year before, he had gone to the twon of Granja and had a lovely time in some sort of park. Granja, which is a quick ten minute bus ride from Segovia, is also the home to the Summer Royal Palace and a magnificent botanical gardens. We visited the former and the latter before we went searching for this mythical park. The bulls hadn't eaten yet, so we decided to sit down at a restaurant with outdoor seating. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, we finally flagged the attention of a waiter, got menus, then realized that this place was ridiculously expensive. So we bailed; Alex and I went one way, and for some reason, Nate went a different way. we lost him for about ten minutes, but we were eventually reunited.
After that mini-adventure, we found a much more reasonably priced restaurant and had hamburguesas there. They were awesome!! By far one of the best meals that I have had thus far.
After that, we went searching for the park. Nate's directional instincts took us down a winding path that seemed to take us completely out of Granja and out into the middle of nowhere. After about 30 minutes and finally conceeding that Nate didn't really know where the park was, we all sat down on a foothill that was perched close to a ravine and a couple of mountains. There we took several pictures and even played UNO.
After the walk back, we got on a bus that took us back to Segovia, where I subsequently packed my things for a short weekend visit with my parents.
After the bus ride to Madrid, I took the metro. I got off at the station that I was told would be the best one to get off at; everything was falling into place. All except for the fact that I didn't know where the hotel was. I must have done several laps up and down Gran Via looking for the street was on. I even had the location narrowed down to within a blocks distance from the Plaza de Santo Domingo. Still no luck. After about 50 minutes of failure, I went into a competing hotel and asked the desk clerk if her knew where the hotel was. He told me that it was in a place that I'm sure I passed at least 3 times. My back was completely covered in sweat from the heat that was held in by my backpack. I was dejected but relieved.
I met the weary travellers at the Metro stop, escorted them to the hotel, and then took them to a tapas bar nearby. This group of six adults were very hard to interpret for at first, but as time has elapsed it has gotten progressively easier. The tapas were a hit, and thereafter we called it a night.
Today: we woke up early, got some breakfast, then took a double-decker bus tour around town to get our bearings. i had seen most of the stuff on the tour before, but it was nice to get a better understanding of where everything is geographically.
We had lunch near the puerta del sol. Bocadillos and sandwiches that were the same size but were doubled in price when toasted, were served to us by a very confused, disgruntled waiter.
After lunch, we took a different bus tour, then came back to the room for naps.
Dinner was at a restaurant that the hotel recommended. El Labriego. There we had a very sweet waitress who was very easy to understand and talk to in Spanish, and my dad and I shared a dish of paella that was probably meant for 4 people instead of 2. It was absolutely scrumtrelescent.
After dinner, we decided to take the bus tour again to maybe catch a glimpse of the city under a cloak of darkness, and see the buildings lit up. This was enjoyed by all. It was another one of those moments where I have been to unwind and just lose myself in whats around me; this time it was great architecture and my parents. I can't believe that, in between the hustle and bustle of a six credit study abroad program, I get to hang out with my parents for 2 days in Europe. I love having them here, and I'm glad that made this stop before they head back to the states. After more than two weeks of being in a different country, this was exactly what the doctor ordered; a little piece of home. This'll surely get me through the rest of the trip without any troubles.
Anyways, that has been the last two days of my life. Hope that everything at home is fantabulous!! ¡Hasta luego!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
“Gypsy Camp of Death”-Alex Clary
So today was rather uneventful. We went about our normal business; a cup of tea and mini muffins smothered with nutella for breakfast. When arriving at class, the only seats available were those in the very front row. I was reminded of why I normally take one of the seats in the front of the class; I’m forced to focus, and I’m actually able to learn a thing or two. I’m not saying that my ability to learn is completely removed if I don’t sit in front. I just feel like more is accomplished when I sit in front. Such was the case today. You would be surprised, but 400 level classes that are fit into a hour and a half period don’t go by very quickly. Today was definitely different, and I liked it.
Anyways after class, we ran into some Texans that were visiting Segovia as a part of their family vacation. The matriarch of the family was a teacher, and after a conversation with her that lasted about 20 minutes, Nate and Alejandro were all but employed in a small school district in suburban Austin, Texas.
Lunch was next on our agenda. A quick nap ensued followed by homework, which has become one half of the bane of my existence on this trip. The other half is attending the classes that I’m assigned said homework in. I swear this trip would be absolutely amazing if I didn’t have to do 6 credits of coursework during it.
After homework, I talked with Jenna for a little bit. Her family was headed to the beach so she couldn’t talk for very long. How about for an oxymoron? Being in a hurry to relax at the beach. Oh well, I’m over it now. I’m really glad that she’s having a splendid time with her family, and I know that it won’t be long until the next time I get to talk to her.
After that, Nate did some research on the destination for our final weekend here. Originally we wanted to pay a visit to San Sebastian; a small, beautiful beach town in the northern Basque region of Spain. But this destination isn’t very popular to come back from, so with only one bus available, the chances of all of us getting a ticket weren’t favorable. Nate looked up another destination, and another beach town trip that was affordable materialized on the screen in front of him. The town is called Nerja, its on the southern side of Spain, its about 8 hours away, and it looks like it will be at least 20 Euros cheaper than our trip to Barcelona. We’ll be making the bus ticket transactions tomorrow, so please keep your fingers crossed for us.
The clock struck 9:15 before, Maricarmen had returned to the house. The Bulls were beginning to wonder if we were going to be fed. As quickly as she returned, she had dinner on the table. It was pollo y arroz con ajo. The dish was pretty tasty.
After dinner we went out to a bar. I can’t remember the name of the bar, but we stood around at a table inside, drinking sangria and playing Uno. I know, this sounds kinda lame, but the Tres Toros know how to make something out of nothing. After that, we decided to go visit Alcazar at night. It was absolutely beautiful, but in order to get there, we had to walk down a dark treacherous path. We passed some patches of abysmal blackness, and Alejandro was a little paranoid about what lurked in the depths of the darkness. Because we had talked about Spain’s rather large gypsy population, and then subsequently met one last night, Alejandro was under the impression that we were going to be mugged. Long story short, we got out of the path alive, and had a few more stories and laughs to look back on when we reminisce about this trip.
Once again, we are blogging in the room. I’m ready for this short week of classes to conclude, so the long weekend can start and bring my parents and I together again. Can’t wait to see them. Hope everything is sweet back in the States. ¡Hasta luego!
P.S. I want to send my condolences to the Shaw family. I just received the news of Pastor Shaw’s passing, and am understandably empathetic for them. A nicer family would be hard to find. My heart goes out to you guys.
Anyways after class, we ran into some Texans that were visiting Segovia as a part of their family vacation. The matriarch of the family was a teacher, and after a conversation with her that lasted about 20 minutes, Nate and Alejandro were all but employed in a small school district in suburban Austin, Texas.
Lunch was next on our agenda. A quick nap ensued followed by homework, which has become one half of the bane of my existence on this trip. The other half is attending the classes that I’m assigned said homework in. I swear this trip would be absolutely amazing if I didn’t have to do 6 credits of coursework during it.
After homework, I talked with Jenna for a little bit. Her family was headed to the beach so she couldn’t talk for very long. How about for an oxymoron? Being in a hurry to relax at the beach. Oh well, I’m over it now. I’m really glad that she’s having a splendid time with her family, and I know that it won’t be long until the next time I get to talk to her.
After that, Nate did some research on the destination for our final weekend here. Originally we wanted to pay a visit to San Sebastian; a small, beautiful beach town in the northern Basque region of Spain. But this destination isn’t very popular to come back from, so with only one bus available, the chances of all of us getting a ticket weren’t favorable. Nate looked up another destination, and another beach town trip that was affordable materialized on the screen in front of him. The town is called Nerja, its on the southern side of Spain, its about 8 hours away, and it looks like it will be at least 20 Euros cheaper than our trip to Barcelona. We’ll be making the bus ticket transactions tomorrow, so please keep your fingers crossed for us.
The clock struck 9:15 before, Maricarmen had returned to the house. The Bulls were beginning to wonder if we were going to be fed. As quickly as she returned, she had dinner on the table. It was pollo y arroz con ajo. The dish was pretty tasty.
After dinner we went out to a bar. I can’t remember the name of the bar, but we stood around at a table inside, drinking sangria and playing Uno. I know, this sounds kinda lame, but the Tres Toros know how to make something out of nothing. After that, we decided to go visit Alcazar at night. It was absolutely beautiful, but in order to get there, we had to walk down a dark treacherous path. We passed some patches of abysmal blackness, and Alejandro was a little paranoid about what lurked in the depths of the darkness. Because we had talked about Spain’s rather large gypsy population, and then subsequently met one last night, Alejandro was under the impression that we were going to be mugged. Long story short, we got out of the path alive, and had a few more stories and laughs to look back on when we reminisce about this trip.
Once again, we are blogging in the room. I’m ready for this short week of classes to conclude, so the long weekend can start and bring my parents and I together again. Can’t wait to see them. Hope everything is sweet back in the States. ¡Hasta luego!
P.S. I want to send my condolences to the Shaw family. I just received the news of Pastor Shaw’s passing, and am understandably empathetic for them. A nicer family would be hard to find. My heart goes out to you guys.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Salamanca, Ávila, early mornings, and late nights
We woke up muy temprano this morning. 6:30 to be exact. I grabbed some pop-tarts, put them in my backpack for later use, and we sauntered over to the bus stop at around 7:10.
Thereafter, the bus rolled, and I and most of my companions lost consciousness. We woke up about 2 hours later in Salamanca. We were met up promptly with out tour guide, who was wearing a much-appreciated megaphone around her waist.
She took us through one of the more prominent and ancient cathedrals in Salamanca. I can’t remember its name but part of it was built in the 14th century and the other part was constructed in the 17th century. The edifice was spectacular! One part that really impressed me was the rotunda that hung over 100 feet above the floor. It contained several beautiful and detailed frescos that were lost for a few centuries under a layer of dust.
The next place that our guide took us was the Universidad Salamanca; the oldest institution of higher learning in Spain and most of Europe and alma mater to none other than Christopher Columbus. We searched for the famous frog in the rather large wall in the front of the University, and learned that students in the early years of the school had to sit on the floor for class, so they hired servants to warm their seats before attending class.
After Universidad Salamanca, we headed to La Plaza De Oro, Salamanca’s Plaza Mayor, and were given an ungodly 4 hours to do what ever we felt like doing. Luckily, I was on a mission to by some gifts. Since this was a college town, I was able to find some great gifts for practically nothing. My mission for the day was complete. Unfortunately, that only took us an hour, and we still had plenty of time before the bus was to leave Salamanca, so the three bulls, still zombified by lack of sleep, dragged ourselves around town. We happened upon a tapas bar so Alejandro, who had left his bocadillo on the bus, could get something to eat. That was about as exciting as our trip to Salamanca got.
4 o’ clock arrived with great approval from our group and the bus moved on to Ávila. An hour nap later, we found ourselves looking at the ancient defensive wall that surrounds the city of Ávila, AKA the only thing to really do in Ávila. I had gotten a call from the parents, so I decided to call them back. This was the first time I had heard their voices in like five days, so it was really nice. My dad could not stop talking about St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican; it was apparent that their short trip to Rome was fruitful. I was very happy for them. I’m really excited to see them on Friday when they come to Madrid, which BTW, is the party capital of the world right now, thanks to the World Cup victory. This weekend should be an interesting one.
After I got off the phone with them, Los Tres Toros decided that we had enough wth walking around for one day, so we went to a bar to steal their internet for a little while before the busses left Ávila.
On the way home, I took yet another nap. I think everyone on the bus agreed that ever since we flew into Madrid on July 1st, we’ve been in a perpetual state of mild exhaustion.
Cena couldn’t have come quicker this evening; on top of being deprived of sleep, we were also famished. Dinner was fantastic, but unfortunately, I have no idea what the dish was called. It involved a lot of cheese and what appeared to be tortillas stuffed with chicken.
At around 11 we met up with some of the girls in the group to maybe go to a club that Nate had been talking up all day. The club was closed though, so we ended up going to another barn and an Irish pub in that order. This was nice because it didn’t involve walking around, sight seeing, or anything that could possibly pass for academic. This was just a bunch of young people, getting to know each other a little better, and enjoying each other’s company at the same time.
Now I am sitting here blogging while Nate and I share more music. I’m still very tired. I am poised to get a better night sleep tonight, and I think I will. Classes tomorrow and Thursday, and then its time to see mis padres in Madrid. ¡Adios!
Thereafter, the bus rolled, and I and most of my companions lost consciousness. We woke up about 2 hours later in Salamanca. We were met up promptly with out tour guide, who was wearing a much-appreciated megaphone around her waist.
She took us through one of the more prominent and ancient cathedrals in Salamanca. I can’t remember its name but part of it was built in the 14th century and the other part was constructed in the 17th century. The edifice was spectacular! One part that really impressed me was the rotunda that hung over 100 feet above the floor. It contained several beautiful and detailed frescos that were lost for a few centuries under a layer of dust.
The next place that our guide took us was the Universidad Salamanca; the oldest institution of higher learning in Spain and most of Europe and alma mater to none other than Christopher Columbus. We searched for the famous frog in the rather large wall in the front of the University, and learned that students in the early years of the school had to sit on the floor for class, so they hired servants to warm their seats before attending class.
After Universidad Salamanca, we headed to La Plaza De Oro, Salamanca’s Plaza Mayor, and were given an ungodly 4 hours to do what ever we felt like doing. Luckily, I was on a mission to by some gifts. Since this was a college town, I was able to find some great gifts for practically nothing. My mission for the day was complete. Unfortunately, that only took us an hour, and we still had plenty of time before the bus was to leave Salamanca, so the three bulls, still zombified by lack of sleep, dragged ourselves around town. We happened upon a tapas bar so Alejandro, who had left his bocadillo on the bus, could get something to eat. That was about as exciting as our trip to Salamanca got.
4 o’ clock arrived with great approval from our group and the bus moved on to Ávila. An hour nap later, we found ourselves looking at the ancient defensive wall that surrounds the city of Ávila, AKA the only thing to really do in Ávila. I had gotten a call from the parents, so I decided to call them back. This was the first time I had heard their voices in like five days, so it was really nice. My dad could not stop talking about St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican; it was apparent that their short trip to Rome was fruitful. I was very happy for them. I’m really excited to see them on Friday when they come to Madrid, which BTW, is the party capital of the world right now, thanks to the World Cup victory. This weekend should be an interesting one.
After I got off the phone with them, Los Tres Toros decided that we had enough wth walking around for one day, so we went to a bar to steal their internet for a little while before the busses left Ávila.
On the way home, I took yet another nap. I think everyone on the bus agreed that ever since we flew into Madrid on July 1st, we’ve been in a perpetual state of mild exhaustion.
Cena couldn’t have come quicker this evening; on top of being deprived of sleep, we were also famished. Dinner was fantastic, but unfortunately, I have no idea what the dish was called. It involved a lot of cheese and what appeared to be tortillas stuffed with chicken.
At around 11 we met up with some of the girls in the group to maybe go to a club that Nate had been talking up all day. The club was closed though, so we ended up going to another barn and an Irish pub in that order. This was nice because it didn’t involve walking around, sight seeing, or anything that could possibly pass for academic. This was just a bunch of young people, getting to know each other a little better, and enjoying each other’s company at the same time.
Now I am sitting here blogging while Nate and I share more music. I’m still very tired. I am poised to get a better night sleep tonight, and I think I will. Classes tomorrow and Thursday, and then its time to see mis padres in Madrid. ¡Adios!
Barcelona Beaches, Spanish Victory
Sunday morning, we had plans to wake up to watch the sunrise over the Mediterranean. Unfortunately we had no idea when the sun was supposed to come up, so our 6:00 alarm was rendered completely useless when we awoke to see daylight peering in through the window curtains of our hostel room. We promptly went back to sleep and awoke at a more reasonable time.
When we did finally get up, we headed downstairs to the lobby for another nice complimentary breakfast. I had a mixture of corn flakes and cocoa pebbles and a glass of zumo de naranja (O.J.).
After breakfast, we got our stuff together quickly to check out, and put our swim suits on, poised for a sweet day of catching rays and swimming in the sea.
The girls decided to go do their own thing, so it was just Los Tres Toros at the beach. Other than acquiring a minor abrasion on the bottom of my foot from a jagged rock on the sea floor, the day was pretty solid. We did some laps, did some people watching from the water, shared some stories, and laid out on the beach for a little while to get some color.
After that, we headed back to the hostel lobby where most of our belongings were. There we changed into our street clothes, brushed our teeth, and went out on another excursion. This time to find a Barcelona Harley Davidson t-shirt for Nate’s mother. A metro ride and a mile and a half walk later, we arrived at a very desolate, very closed Harley Davidson storefront. Nate was defeated, but he seemed to have the right idea very soon after; though it was kind of a waste of time to walk all the way over there, we still got to see a part of Barcelona that we wouldn’t have otherwise seen. Jesse Eisenberg’s rule number 32 from the movie Zombieland: Enjoy the little things.
Upon returning to the Hostel, we met up with the girls. We told them that we were famished, so we set out to find some food. Our futile search for an open restaurant found us back at telepizza where we found ourselves too impatient to wait for the pizza to cool down. I mused that our feeding frenzy must’ve resembled something out of an episode of Jackass.
After dinner, we picked up our bags and returned to Arc de Triomphe station to hopefully watch the better part of the World Cup Finale between the Spanish and the Dutch before we had to get on our bus. We were able to do just that, but, unfortunately the game was so evenly matched that the score was tied 0-0 at the end of regulation, and our 10:15 bus was leaving the station before the first 15 minute overtime period started, so we were understandably unsettled as we boarded our bus.
By the way, interesting game, right? I have to provide a little bit of my own analysis because I want to know if anyone else was thinking what I was thinking. First of all, I’m a huge Chicago sports fan, and I have been following the “courting of the king” for the past week. I know that I’m not the first one to say this, but I just need to get it out; I can guarantee that the only people in America that were happy with the epic signing of Chris Bosh and Lebron James to the Miami Heat were a collective group of fair-weather, rich snobs from South Beach. This move did nothing for anybody, but make the rich (athletes) richer and leave a city like Cleveland scratching its head wondering what they did to deserve their rare history of sucking miserably at sports.
With that being said, I wanted to establish that Spain was not only the favorites to win based on pure skill, but they were the sentimental favorites, and if they had lost it would be reminiscent to the Miami Heat situation. The only people that would’ve been happy with a Holland victory would have been people in Holland. The world was ready for a Spanish victory. We just had to wait 116 minutes for Andres Iniesta to draw first and only blood. I had found a plug-in on the bus seat in front of me to listen the game on the radio. The broadcast was in rapid-fire Español, which is getting easier and easier for me understand, especially since I knew every player’s name, and the emotion of the announcers was apparent. When Iniesta put the winning goal into the net, the bus went crazy. Thereafter, I had a nice text convo (sorry Mom and Dad) with my sister about the game, Barcelona, and the delicious sounding tapas and croquetas that her and Dave were planning on having that evening.
The bus ride back was a lot better than the one that we took to Barcelona. There was a lot more room between each seat, and our friend Savannah was all by her lonesome in front of us, so there wasn’t anyone to recline their chair into my lap this time. Needless to say, I slept quite soundly, and before I knew it, we were back in Madrid ready to get on yet another bus to return to Segovia. As we sifted through the Madrid transit system, we ran into several pockets of sobered yet somewhat still enthusiastic red and yellow clad youths that were still out celebrating last night’s victory.
When we returned to Segovia, Alejandro went to class, and Nate and I returned to La Casa where we found that Maricarmen was not there, so Nate made some tea and I took that opportunity to take another quick nap.
We then proceeded to walk to class, where I’m starting to get the even-flow of the material and acquiring comfort.
After class, we had a much-needed almuerzo followed by an even more necessary siesta (that lasted 3 hours). By the time we had woken up it was almost dinnertime, so we did some of our tarea, and then ate. After dinner, we watched another segment of the Tenth kingdom, and now were blogging and getting ready to wake up nice and early again tomorrow. We’re taking a bus to Ávila and Salamanca. I’m pretty pumped about the former, and very excited about the latter. Hope that everything is fantastic at home. Miss you all. ¡Hasta luego!
When we did finally get up, we headed downstairs to the lobby for another nice complimentary breakfast. I had a mixture of corn flakes and cocoa pebbles and a glass of zumo de naranja (O.J.).
After breakfast, we got our stuff together quickly to check out, and put our swim suits on, poised for a sweet day of catching rays and swimming in the sea.
The girls decided to go do their own thing, so it was just Los Tres Toros at the beach. Other than acquiring a minor abrasion on the bottom of my foot from a jagged rock on the sea floor, the day was pretty solid. We did some laps, did some people watching from the water, shared some stories, and laid out on the beach for a little while to get some color.
After that, we headed back to the hostel lobby where most of our belongings were. There we changed into our street clothes, brushed our teeth, and went out on another excursion. This time to find a Barcelona Harley Davidson t-shirt for Nate’s mother. A metro ride and a mile and a half walk later, we arrived at a very desolate, very closed Harley Davidson storefront. Nate was defeated, but he seemed to have the right idea very soon after; though it was kind of a waste of time to walk all the way over there, we still got to see a part of Barcelona that we wouldn’t have otherwise seen. Jesse Eisenberg’s rule number 32 from the movie Zombieland: Enjoy the little things.
Upon returning to the Hostel, we met up with the girls. We told them that we were famished, so we set out to find some food. Our futile search for an open restaurant found us back at telepizza where we found ourselves too impatient to wait for the pizza to cool down. I mused that our feeding frenzy must’ve resembled something out of an episode of Jackass.
After dinner, we picked up our bags and returned to Arc de Triomphe station to hopefully watch the better part of the World Cup Finale between the Spanish and the Dutch before we had to get on our bus. We were able to do just that, but, unfortunately the game was so evenly matched that the score was tied 0-0 at the end of regulation, and our 10:15 bus was leaving the station before the first 15 minute overtime period started, so we were understandably unsettled as we boarded our bus.
By the way, interesting game, right? I have to provide a little bit of my own analysis because I want to know if anyone else was thinking what I was thinking. First of all, I’m a huge Chicago sports fan, and I have been following the “courting of the king” for the past week. I know that I’m not the first one to say this, but I just need to get it out; I can guarantee that the only people in America that were happy with the epic signing of Chris Bosh and Lebron James to the Miami Heat were a collective group of fair-weather, rich snobs from South Beach. This move did nothing for anybody, but make the rich (athletes) richer and leave a city like Cleveland scratching its head wondering what they did to deserve their rare history of sucking miserably at sports.
With that being said, I wanted to establish that Spain was not only the favorites to win based on pure skill, but they were the sentimental favorites, and if they had lost it would be reminiscent to the Miami Heat situation. The only people that would’ve been happy with a Holland victory would have been people in Holland. The world was ready for a Spanish victory. We just had to wait 116 minutes for Andres Iniesta to draw first and only blood. I had found a plug-in on the bus seat in front of me to listen the game on the radio. The broadcast was in rapid-fire Español, which is getting easier and easier for me understand, especially since I knew every player’s name, and the emotion of the announcers was apparent. When Iniesta put the winning goal into the net, the bus went crazy. Thereafter, I had a nice text convo (sorry Mom and Dad) with my sister about the game, Barcelona, and the delicious sounding tapas and croquetas that her and Dave were planning on having that evening.
The bus ride back was a lot better than the one that we took to Barcelona. There was a lot more room between each seat, and our friend Savannah was all by her lonesome in front of us, so there wasn’t anyone to recline their chair into my lap this time. Needless to say, I slept quite soundly, and before I knew it, we were back in Madrid ready to get on yet another bus to return to Segovia. As we sifted through the Madrid transit system, we ran into several pockets of sobered yet somewhat still enthusiastic red and yellow clad youths that were still out celebrating last night’s victory.
When we returned to Segovia, Alejandro went to class, and Nate and I returned to La Casa where we found that Maricarmen was not there, so Nate made some tea and I took that opportunity to take another quick nap.
We then proceeded to walk to class, where I’m starting to get the even-flow of the material and acquiring comfort.
After class, we had a much-needed almuerzo followed by an even more necessary siesta (that lasted 3 hours). By the time we had woken up it was almost dinnertime, so we did some of our tarea, and then ate. After dinner, we watched another segment of the Tenth kingdom, and now were blogging and getting ready to wake up nice and early again tomorrow. We’re taking a bus to Ávila and Salamanca. I’m pretty pumped about the former, and very excited about the latter. Hope that everything is fantastic at home. Miss you all. ¡Hasta luego!
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