Life continues to be a whirlwind here in Madrid and I feel like I'm getting busier everyday despite becoming more accustomed to life abroad. The last week has been absolutely fabulous. Wednesday was my first day of TAing the English class in the Universidad Complutense. Katie, from Tulane, and I were a bit nervous heading into it, but we met for coffee the night before and decided to just have an open hour of introducing ourselves and asking general political and social questions to the class that we thought might be interesting and fun. To our delight, it seemed like the students were really into the class, and after a slightly slow start, we had the class laughing and talking in English for a solid hour while we got to know each other. It was so cool to be up in front of the class and for the first time in 6 weeks actually know how to speak better than those around me. It was quite an uplifting moment as I have been struggling through the grind of feeling inadequate most of the time here. The students are so cool, and one has already offered to take Katie and I to his house in la Extremadura some weekend this year. Other students came up after class to ask if they could meet us for coffee outside of class for intercambios, and offered to take us out on the weekends, show us around, and introduce us to their friends. It was so FABULOUS to FINALLY really connect with more Spaniards. While I have met a few, I feel like this will open up so many doors. I'm really really excited about it. After teaching the class on Wednesday, I had a meeting with my program where I got a job teaching English two boys ages 4 and 7 an hour every Monday. I'll start at the beginning of November. I also enrolled myself in a program here in Madrid that hooks you up with more English teaching positions after you take a ten hour course and complete a 10 hour internship. While it has made for a really busy week, attending my 6 hours of class Monday and Tuesday, followed by 3 hours of this course, I think it will be really valuable in the end. I am realizing how very little I know about the English language, and gaining more respect for teachers as I go through this process. While I could have found more teaching opportunities on my own, I will finish this program with an internationally recognized certificate and access to an entire library of teaching materials, which will come in handy throughout the year. All my classes will pay about 15 Euro an hour, which is fantastic, although I will have to figure in a lot of prep and transportation time. Anyways, it will be a good way to make some much needed money and gain some quality experience.
At our meeting I also met three Spaniards, who had come with a number of others seeking intercambios from our group. Ivan, Elena, Isabel, Heather, and I went out for coffee and ended up talking for 3 hours. They are all really cool, and we are going to meet for lunch later this week and maybe go out this weekend. I also found another intercambio from our office with whom I have emailed back and forth a few times and am meeting for coffee on Thursday. These contacts will be fantastic for improving my Spanish, which feels like it is progressing slowly. I have really started to notice, however, the last few days, that I am able to understand people much better without trying as hard, and I have found myself understanding phrases that when spoken fast, used to be impossible to catch, but now seem much more natural to me. Hopefully with speaking aspect will fall into place next. Classes are getting easier to understand as well, even that of Complutense.
After doing my final regestration for classes on Thursday, I spent the rest of the evening starting to plan my winter break trip with Dave, Chris, and Kyle, who will be flying over to join us. Chris is coming to Madrid to spend Christmas with his brother and Spanish sister-in-law, and Kyle will be arriving on the 27th. I, however, think I'll be spending Christmas with Dave. Right now I'm thinking about meeting him in Freiburg, Germany, (already found a really cheap flight) and staying there for a day while he finishes up his classes while I explore the city. After that, we have thought about taking a train to Zurich and passing through Switzerland on our way to Prague, where we would spend Christmas. It is supposed to be one of the most fabulous places to spend Christmas in the world, as the whole city is decorated for the occasion. After that, we're thinking of traveling to Berlin for a day where we would depart on a very cheap flight to Rome or Paris (we've found both) to meet Chris and Kyle. My flatmate, Dominik, has a friend in Berlin with whom he says we could definitely stay... quite tempting... We're thinking that the four of us will spend a week in Rome and Paris, and try to make a day trip to the Italian Riviera or something like that. With so much cheap travel available in Europe, it's amazing that one can plan such an incredible trip as this for such a reasonable price. We still have a lot of planning to do, however...
This past weekend I went to Sevilla with Jess and Heather. We stayed in basically the last available hotel in the city as everything imaginable was book due to the Heroes del Silencio concert (The Rolling Stones/ Dave Matthews Band of Spain). Jess and I literally looked for days in search of a hostel or hotel before finally finding a room for one, in which we slept three. We played it off to the hotel staff as being Jess and I, traveling as boyfriend and girlfriend, which they accepted, and then snuck Heather and her bags in a bit later. Haha, it was quite the operation, and we pulled it off well. We took a comfortable 7 hour bus ride, and passed the time resting after a busy week. We got in late, so it wasn't long before we were fast asleep, me in my bed of blankets and sleeping bags on the floor, which actually was quite comfortable.
The next day, we arose at a comfortably early hour and set out into the city. We took the bus in to the center, as we were on the outskirts, and spent the morning visiting Sevilla's famous cathedral. It is the one think I really remembered from my family's trip there in 6th grade. The tomb of Columbus was just as I remembered, but the Gothic structure even more impressive. I just never get tired of Gothic cathedrals, no matter how many I see. They are simply beyond description. We climbed the famous Muslim Giralda, the only remaining piece of the old mosque that was destroyed by the Christian reconquest. The Giralda, however, a large tower, was left intact and incorporated into the cathedral. From here, we were able to see Sevilla from a spectacular point of view. It is so tall, in fact, that the interior is series of ramps that circle around the center, which once allowed the muezzin and important political leaders to ascend on horseback.
In the afternoon, we also toured the Alcazar, which is a fantastic blend of Muslim and Christian influences, and which holds some of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. We spent hours walking through them, drinking in the tranquility and beauty. It was an absolutely perfect day, sunny and warm like summer, only in October. After finding ourselves famished midday after a small breakfast and a long morning, we settled in to a small restaurant nearby. And what a fabulous surprise it was. The best meal I've had in Spain by far. We each ordered from the midday menu, in which you could choose your various courses. I started off with the best gazpacho in the world (a cold tomato soup but oh so much more), followed by Spain's famous paella, a cana de cerveza, and a glass of sangria which tasted like Christmas, the best I have had in my 6 weeks here. It was the most satisfying meal I have had in quite a long time, and we spend the better part of the afternoon there enjoying the meal, the weather, the company, and the all-too-kind, very Andalusian, waiter.
The lifestyle in Andalusia is much different than that of Madrid. More relaxed, and more appreciative of the beauty that Spain possesses. Everything moves a bit more slowly, and the sun glows a bit more brightly. There is also something very calming in the air that I think is quite unique to the south of Spain. After a walk through the old Jewish sector, we returned to the hotel for a short descanso. Jess and I prepped for the exciting night we had planned, while Heather rested before heading back to the city center for more sightseeing.
Jess was the one who originally convinced me to come to Sevilla and she also got us tickets for the famous Heroes del Silencio concert. Arun, my flatmate, is an absolute fanatic, and he has been lending me CDs and playing their songs for me on his guitar and serenading me every night before I go to bed. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the spectacle I was about to witness. We left really really early for the concert, as we attempted to arrive at the olympic stadium by bus. Luckily, I think we caught the last bus at the stop just before the city center that had a smooth ride out to the stadium. Our bus driver drove past every stop, as the bus was completely packed with fans, and I imagine those on the side of the road had to wait quite a while... When we arrived, I was shocked to see a huge sea of fans in the middle of a botellon before the concert. It reminded me so much of how it looks before a Dave Matthews concert, only everyone was wearing the trademark black of the band, and drinking Sangria, instead of Miller or Honeyweis, grilling out, and tossing beanbags. As we waited about two hours inside the stadium, it continued to fill to what I estimate to be 100, 000 people. We were on the ground floor, in the middle of the pack.
When the music started, without opening acts (a fabulous idea), the stage erupted with lights and the band played to the screaming fans. Absolutely incredible music, and an atmosphere oh so similar to the Dave concerts I've been to. The fans are fanatics, sing every single word of every single song, and cling to every movement of the band members. The few songs I did know I belted out with Jess and the rest of the Spaniards. At one point, it crossed my mind that I was sure I was the only blond of the 100,000 people in the stadium. And I really think that I was. Quite an odd feeling... After 2.5 hours, 3 call backs, and an amazing fireworks show over the open-air stadium to rival any Fourth of July show in the US, Jess and I exited with the masses in complete shock at what we had just been apart of. It was such a one of a kind experience, and worth every penny.
What followed, however, was an utter nightmare. Spain, while so efficient in some ways, and so smart with regard to its public transportation, just does not understand how to adapt to special circumstances. It's something I have noticed in Madrid as well. For example, why does the Metro close between 1:30 and 6:00 on the weekends when no one in Madrid between the ages of 12 and 40 is asleep? Why is NOTHING open during those hours when they could make an absolutely killing selling to the gente? It was the same in Sevilla. The buses stopped running at midnight, before the concert ended, and there were almost no taxis waiting to give lifts from the goldmine that was the Olympic stadium? While many, many people drove to the concert, why were there no means of transportation for the others? The taxi companies could have made a KILLING just having all of their cars line up there right before the concert ended. But there was nothing. Jess and I walked for 4 straight hours, half in the direction of the hotel, which was really really far way, and half in search of a cab. Finally, at 4 in the morning, we found a cabbie willing to let us share with someone already en route. Another oddity, cabbies don't allow you to share cabs! I can't even count how many I saw carrying one passenger that refused to stop for us even after talking to them. Saturday night I experienced my first ever "screw you, Spain" moment. I had yet to have one, but the night left me utterly shocked and exhausted. The hassle was so worth it, however, as I quickly realized again the next morning.
We decided we needed to sleep in the next day, despite our desire to see more of Sevilla. A busy week of classes ahead, and a horrible night behind us warranted taking the trip a bit more slowly. After waking up about 11, we showered, checked out of the hotel, and lugged our bags and backpacks to the Torre de Oro, the premier Muslim military structure in the world today outside of al-alhambra. Situated down by Sevilla's river, it was quite beautiful in the warm sun and offered a great view of the city. We later decided to take an open-air bus tour of the city, like I had done in Lisboa, which again proved to be a great way to see the rest of the city and appreciate its layout. It also was a great solution to the fact we had all of our luggage with us and nowhere to store it. We stopped for a lunch of bocadillos before heading to the bus station, and after a cana with Jess, we headed back to Madrid as the sun set on the beautiful Andalusian landscape. Arriving home after a long metro ride back to the flat, I quickly set off to bed with such a busy day to follow on Monday.
Nine hours of class has greeted me both Monday and Tuesday. I'm learning some interesting things in my Teach English seminar, and I think it will definitely be worth my time and effort in the long run, although I am quite exhausted tonight. I have my English class to teach tomorrow, and I'm meeting with Katie in the morning to discuss a lesson plan. Then I have my first class in the Museum Prado manana, which should be quite fun, I think. My medieval history class was brutal today, as she seemed to be talking faster than ever, with names and places unfamiliar to me, but quite familiar to Spaniards I am sure. I was surprised, however, that I was able to figure most of them out after not too much trouble, maybe indicating that I'm starting to get a better grasp on this language. Who knows? I also got my first haircut in Spain today, which was kind of fun trying to explain how I wanted it done. It turned out really well, I think, with a little Spanish touch...
Emma and Dominik made a last minute decision to go to Cadiz in the south of Spain last weekend as he was visiting a friend. I would have loved to go, but I already had my plans to go to Sevilla. I definitely miss being in Madrid and with my friends here when I'm away, especially Emma and Dominik, with whom I get along so well. I am so lucky to have stumbled on this piso with Emma that random day in September. We barely knew each other at the time, but she has turned out to be one of my closest friends here in Madrid. Sassy, hilarious, smart, and driven; probably the best ways to describe her. More than anyone here, she has seized every possible opportunity and made this year her own and I really admire her for that. Every day she has unknowingly motivated me to get more and more out of this incredible opportunity and to not waste a single minute of my time here. At the same time, she's quite an amazing friend. With my other flat mates and other Spaniards I am starting to meet, as well as Anok, a French girl I've gotten to know in my Complu class that is majoring in Historia Medieval (perfect for keeping up in class!), I think I'm finally starting to open the doors to having a network of friends here that will make me feel even more comfortable and grounded in this country.
I don't know if I'll ever want to leave... Wow, I really need to get some sleep. Looks like another 4 hour night of sleep... This got to be longer than I intended, as always. Buenas noches.
Sevilla and most of the Lisboa pics are now up on my album, although I'm still awaited a few really good ones of Lisboa from Julie, so check back to that album in a few days and look for pics of the beach.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Lisboa es de puta madre!
Wow. What a trip. I can't even remember what happened last week since the last few days have been so amazing. I left for Lisbon, Portugal, on Thursday afternoon with six friends from my program. We took at 5:00 p.m. bus and arrived there at about 1:30 after the time change. After a busy morning of running errands, I found myself a bit behind schedule, and had to quickly stuff my backpack full of the essentials and rush off to catch the metro to the train station, which actually is quite a journey. I made it in plenty of time, and we set off into the Spanish countryside with much excitement. Within an hour we entered what felt like the Spain of Cervantes and his legendary Don Quixote de la Mancha, although we were traveling west instead of south. The countryside is empty and beautiful, with mountains and olive groves, and the setting sun made me feel like I had traveled back in time. The trip went surprisingly quickly, as Julie and I chatted up a storm like usual. While I feel like I get along with everyone pretty well here, there are a small few with whom I really connect, and Julie is definitely one of those people. Like she said, there wasn't a a moment of boredom during our 9 hour trip to Lisbon. I brought fresh bread, apples, and brie, and she even brought some wine. It was definitely the classiest meal I've ever had on a bus... After telling many stories and jamming away to tunes on our ipods, we arrived at the bus station in Lisbon. The journey into the city was incredible, as we traveled over a 17 kilometer-long bridge into a sea of city lights. We caught two taxis to take us to our hostel, as the metro was closed. The first driver spoke Spanish and knew how to get to the hostel. After letting the others take the taxi we had flagged down, Melissa and I caught another. This guy did not speak Spanish or English, and had no idea how to get to the address which we had written down. Instead of trying our luck with another cabbie, we told him to step on it, and we were quickly thrown into a scene right out of The Amazing Race. Glad to still have our business, he quickly sped up in hot pursuit of the other cab which had disappeared in front of the red light for which we waited. How he knew which turns to make, I have no idea, but incredibly he found the other taxi, which was also speeding like I've never seen before. Through tiny cobble-stoned streets we flew, and a short time later we arrived at our hostel.
After ringing an obscure doorbell, we waited a few minutes in ernest before someone finally buzzed us in. We climbed the narrow stairway and made our way inside. After paying 37 euro each for our 3 night stay, we made our way up to the 6-bed room which we shared. Nothing fancy, of course, but it was a place to sleep, they gave us sheets, and there was an outdoor patio. We quickly crashed and awoke promptly the next morning. After a breakfast of cheap and delicious rolls from small tienda we found, we walked along the harbor right next to our hostel. We made our way to Lisbon's patriarchal cathedral, of gothic design, which was quite beautiful but in many ways lacking the grandeur of those I have seen in Spain. We continued to climb the winding city streets, and discovered incredible view after incredible view of the harbor and the city, each better than the last. I felt a bit like I was in San Francisco as the street cars passed by as well, only more beautiful. We made our way to an 11th century castel atop Lisboa's highest point, where we spent many hours exploring and admiring the indescribable panoramic views of the city. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have seen, up there with the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa as well as the Cinque Terra in Italy. We later descended to lower elevation in search of a much needed lunch, and passed through a few run down areas of rubble that held some incredible graffiti unlike any I had seen before. The artists have some real talent, and there was even a work by an artist who is well know in Madrid and throughout the world, according to Danny. As we continued to search for lunch, we stopped at a little pastry shop for a snack. I found yet another amazing pastry equal to that of Segovia, filled with cream and other deliciousness. It was also the messiest thing I have ever put in my mouth, however, and I felt like I needed a shower when I was finished. After seeing another beautiful cathedral near the water, we made our way to San Jorge's Castle Terrace, which is home to the graves of past kings of Portugal, many beautiful works of art, as well as another incredible view, the best of the trip. The castle is open on the top, and one can admire the basilicas and beautiful water which surround it. It was an absolutely fabulous day.
We finally settled on lunch at this small restaurant on one of Potrugal's many narrow cobblestoned streets. We were greeted my a middle-aged couple, and through speaking Spanish and hearing confused responses in Portuguese we managed to convey our orders to them. As the wife went to work nearby in the kitchen, we talked a bit with the husband and he offered us some maps of the city and explained to us how to get to the beach by train. The lunch of pork chops was fabulous, the first real food I had eaten in about two days apart from mostly bread and cheese. As we ate, we all realized that the people of Lisbon, in general, are much more friendly than those of Madrid, and I attribute that to the fact they live by the ocean. I really think that open water has an important calming effect on people, makes them slow down, and appreciate life more. I know it has that effect on me.
After lunch, we made our way to La Plaza de Comercio, where we randomly discovered a departure point for a city open-topped bus tour. Although it was a really touristy thing to do, we settled on it as we had been on our feet all day and still hadn't seen most of the city. It turned out to be a fantastic idea, as the tour included a ticket to hop on and off the bus anytime of day for a full 24 hours, and it stops at all the important points of the city. The open top provided a great way to get a general sense of the city, its layout, and we ended up seeing many areas that would have been nearly impossible otherwise. We hopped off down by the water a ways from our hostel to see el Torre de Belem, a Portuguese defensive structure built to defend the port, as well as the Monumento de Descubrimiento, dedicated to the Portuguese conquest of South America. We timed it perfectly, as we were able to sit on the edge of what used to be thought of as the end of the world and watch the sunset over the water.
After returning to our hostel, we crashed. Twelve hours of being on the go required a siesta, and only a few of us forced ourselves out of bed around 10:30 to continue on with the day. Julie, Danny, Melissa, and I walked around some of the plazas in search of a good place to have tapas, and settled on a place about 20 minutes from the hostel after some beautiful views of the Plaza de Comercio at night. We later looked for a good bar, but were clearly in the wrong part of the city, and decided it would be best to get some sleep before another really busy day.
Although we were asleep around 2:30, and the others since 9:00, I awoke first the next day eager to get moving. After a little coaxing of the others, we made a trip using the tour bus to
la Basilica da Estrela, of 18th century Barock design, and the most beautiful church in Lisboa. We decided to cut our church/museum viewing short and head to the beach in Cascais, about 30 minutes outside of Lisboa by train. After navigating the metro system a bit, we found our way. What awaited us was the most pleasant surprise of the trip. And absolutely gorgeous day, a beautiful beach, and the whole day to spare. We had lunch at an oceanside cafe, sipped a few Portuguese beers (much better than those of Spain), and relaxed on the warm sand in between short dips in the chilly water. In typical European fashion, there were far too many topless elderly women for my taste... We spent a little time walking though the little seaside town, Danny bought some of the famous Port wine, and at sunset we headed back to the hostel very very satisfied.
After a long walk back from the train station, we showered, tried some of the fabulous Port, and planed our route to Las Docas, a group of legendary bars/discotecas down by the waterfront. The bus we thought would take us there only got us about half way, so we had a bit of a walk, but on the way we found this little latenight food stand on the side of the road where many locals were hanging out. We made friends with the middle aged couple manning the stand, talked in a mixture of Spanish, English, and Portuguese, and ate the most delicious hamburgers I have ever tasted, covered by every conceivable topping. (It might be due to the fact I haven't eaten a hamburger in 2 months, but I'm pretty sure they were just delicious). We headed across the street to las Docas and went into a discoteca that looked promising. We were a bit early at 1:00 so it wasn't very crowded, but we quickly headed to the empty dance floor and got the party started. Within a matter of minutes, we had coaxed the rest of the room away from the comfortable, posh, seating arrangements and the place quickly filled up into a giant party into the late hours of the night, when we decided it would be best to return and get a couple hours of sleep before we headed home. Afer an hour and a half of sleep, we awoke, quickly packed, and followed the bus directions I had asked for from the hostel manager the night before. We got there very early, sipped on a few cups of espresso, and made our way onto the bus, which was equipped with very comfortable leather seats. The trip back was long and hot, as the AC seemed to not be working and there was constant traffic from the holiday weekend. We stopped at a few roadside rest stops and as I ate a few snacks on the grass, I looked around and was strangely reminded of South Africa. The mountainous and dry landscape, the rest stop very similar in appearance, and the fact that the majority of the people on the bus were immigrants from I'm assuming west African countries. After almost 11 hours, we made it back, tired, hot, dreading classes the next day, but very very pleased with the trip. Portugal is very similar to Spain in some ways, but seems to lack the grandeur and luster of its brother to the east. You can tell that the empire was once grand, but it is also possible to see the fall in decadence and power, and the city reminds one very much of the fallen empire that is Portugal. In general, however, Lisbon is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I can only hope to make it back there some day. It's late, I haven't slept much, and I have another 6 hours of class tomorrow, followed by grabbing a coffee with a Tulane student with whom I'm leading a University English discussion section to plan some activities for our first class on Wednesday. I also have a meeting Wednesday to find out about teaching english to younger kids to make some much needed money. The dollar/euro exchange rate makes it disappear quickly, and living here is definitely not cheap, especially if you want to travel. My trip with Heather and Jessica to Segovia this weekend is all set except I need to read up on the city. I've also booked a hostel for Norway at the beginning of November, so I;m pretty much ready for that trip as well. I love traveling here, and it's nice to have these weekend escapes, but I find myself missing Madrid if I'm gone for too long, and feeling like I'll miss out on things if I leave too much. Dominik is back from Germany and Alfonso returns from a long weekend at home in the Basque country on Wednesday. Emma has already planned a "family" ultimate frisbee game in Retiro Park on Wednesday and it will be nice to spend some time with everyone here before I leave again this weekend. Okay, that's all for now. It's bed time.
After ringing an obscure doorbell, we waited a few minutes in ernest before someone finally buzzed us in. We climbed the narrow stairway and made our way inside. After paying 37 euro each for our 3 night stay, we made our way up to the 6-bed room which we shared. Nothing fancy, of course, but it was a place to sleep, they gave us sheets, and there was an outdoor patio. We quickly crashed and awoke promptly the next morning. After a breakfast of cheap and delicious rolls from small tienda we found, we walked along the harbor right next to our hostel. We made our way to Lisbon's patriarchal cathedral, of gothic design, which was quite beautiful but in many ways lacking the grandeur of those I have seen in Spain. We continued to climb the winding city streets, and discovered incredible view after incredible view of the harbor and the city, each better than the last. I felt a bit like I was in San Francisco as the street cars passed by as well, only more beautiful. We made our way to an 11th century castel atop Lisboa's highest point, where we spent many hours exploring and admiring the indescribable panoramic views of the city. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have seen, up there with the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa as well as the Cinque Terra in Italy. We later descended to lower elevation in search of a much needed lunch, and passed through a few run down areas of rubble that held some incredible graffiti unlike any I had seen before. The artists have some real talent, and there was even a work by an artist who is well know in Madrid and throughout the world, according to Danny. As we continued to search for lunch, we stopped at a little pastry shop for a snack. I found yet another amazing pastry equal to that of Segovia, filled with cream and other deliciousness. It was also the messiest thing I have ever put in my mouth, however, and I felt like I needed a shower when I was finished. After seeing another beautiful cathedral near the water, we made our way to San Jorge's Castle Terrace, which is home to the graves of past kings of Portugal, many beautiful works of art, as well as another incredible view, the best of the trip. The castle is open on the top, and one can admire the basilicas and beautiful water which surround it. It was an absolutely fabulous day.
We finally settled on lunch at this small restaurant on one of Potrugal's many narrow cobblestoned streets. We were greeted my a middle-aged couple, and through speaking Spanish and hearing confused responses in Portuguese we managed to convey our orders to them. As the wife went to work nearby in the kitchen, we talked a bit with the husband and he offered us some maps of the city and explained to us how to get to the beach by train. The lunch of pork chops was fabulous, the first real food I had eaten in about two days apart from mostly bread and cheese. As we ate, we all realized that the people of Lisbon, in general, are much more friendly than those of Madrid, and I attribute that to the fact they live by the ocean. I really think that open water has an important calming effect on people, makes them slow down, and appreciate life more. I know it has that effect on me.
After lunch, we made our way to La Plaza de Comercio, where we randomly discovered a departure point for a city open-topped bus tour. Although it was a really touristy thing to do, we settled on it as we had been on our feet all day and still hadn't seen most of the city. It turned out to be a fantastic idea, as the tour included a ticket to hop on and off the bus anytime of day for a full 24 hours, and it stops at all the important points of the city. The open top provided a great way to get a general sense of the city, its layout, and we ended up seeing many areas that would have been nearly impossible otherwise. We hopped off down by the water a ways from our hostel to see el Torre de Belem, a Portuguese defensive structure built to defend the port, as well as the Monumento de Descubrimiento, dedicated to the Portuguese conquest of South America. We timed it perfectly, as we were able to sit on the edge of what used to be thought of as the end of the world and watch the sunset over the water.
After returning to our hostel, we crashed. Twelve hours of being on the go required a siesta, and only a few of us forced ourselves out of bed around 10:30 to continue on with the day. Julie, Danny, Melissa, and I walked around some of the plazas in search of a good place to have tapas, and settled on a place about 20 minutes from the hostel after some beautiful views of the Plaza de Comercio at night. We later looked for a good bar, but were clearly in the wrong part of the city, and decided it would be best to get some sleep before another really busy day.
Although we were asleep around 2:30, and the others since 9:00, I awoke first the next day eager to get moving. After a little coaxing of the others, we made a trip using the tour bus to
la Basilica da Estrela, of 18th century Barock design, and the most beautiful church in Lisboa. We decided to cut our church/museum viewing short and head to the beach in Cascais, about 30 minutes outside of Lisboa by train. After navigating the metro system a bit, we found our way. What awaited us was the most pleasant surprise of the trip. And absolutely gorgeous day, a beautiful beach, and the whole day to spare. We had lunch at an oceanside cafe, sipped a few Portuguese beers (much better than those of Spain), and relaxed on the warm sand in between short dips in the chilly water. In typical European fashion, there were far too many topless elderly women for my taste... We spent a little time walking though the little seaside town, Danny bought some of the famous Port wine, and at sunset we headed back to the hostel very very satisfied.
After a long walk back from the train station, we showered, tried some of the fabulous Port, and planed our route to Las Docas, a group of legendary bars/discotecas down by the waterfront. The bus we thought would take us there only got us about half way, so we had a bit of a walk, but on the way we found this little latenight food stand on the side of the road where many locals were hanging out. We made friends with the middle aged couple manning the stand, talked in a mixture of Spanish, English, and Portuguese, and ate the most delicious hamburgers I have ever tasted, covered by every conceivable topping. (It might be due to the fact I haven't eaten a hamburger in 2 months, but I'm pretty sure they were just delicious). We headed across the street to las Docas and went into a discoteca that looked promising. We were a bit early at 1:00 so it wasn't very crowded, but we quickly headed to the empty dance floor and got the party started. Within a matter of minutes, we had coaxed the rest of the room away from the comfortable, posh, seating arrangements and the place quickly filled up into a giant party into the late hours of the night, when we decided it would be best to return and get a couple hours of sleep before we headed home. Afer an hour and a half of sleep, we awoke, quickly packed, and followed the bus directions I had asked for from the hostel manager the night before. We got there very early, sipped on a few cups of espresso, and made our way onto the bus, which was equipped with very comfortable leather seats. The trip back was long and hot, as the AC seemed to not be working and there was constant traffic from the holiday weekend. We stopped at a few roadside rest stops and as I ate a few snacks on the grass, I looked around and was strangely reminded of South Africa. The mountainous and dry landscape, the rest stop very similar in appearance, and the fact that the majority of the people on the bus were immigrants from I'm assuming west African countries. After almost 11 hours, we made it back, tired, hot, dreading classes the next day, but very very pleased with the trip. Portugal is very similar to Spain in some ways, but seems to lack the grandeur and luster of its brother to the east. You can tell that the empire was once grand, but it is also possible to see the fall in decadence and power, and the city reminds one very much of the fallen empire that is Portugal. In general, however, Lisbon is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I can only hope to make it back there some day. It's late, I haven't slept much, and I have another 6 hours of class tomorrow, followed by grabbing a coffee with a Tulane student with whom I'm leading a University English discussion section to plan some activities for our first class on Wednesday. I also have a meeting Wednesday to find out about teaching english to younger kids to make some much needed money. The dollar/euro exchange rate makes it disappear quickly, and living here is definitely not cheap, especially if you want to travel. My trip with Heather and Jessica to Segovia this weekend is all set except I need to read up on the city. I've also booked a hostel for Norway at the beginning of November, so I;m pretty much ready for that trip as well. I love traveling here, and it's nice to have these weekend escapes, but I find myself missing Madrid if I'm gone for too long, and feeling like I'll miss out on things if I leave too much. Dominik is back from Germany and Alfonso returns from a long weekend at home in the Basque country on Wednesday. Emma has already planned a "family" ultimate frisbee game in Retiro Park on Wednesday and it will be nice to spend some time with everyone here before I leave again this weekend. Okay, that's all for now. It's bed time.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Vale Vale Vale
Goodness, it seems as though the weeks are just flying by. Every time Sunday rolls around, I realize that it has been another week since I have written in this blog, and yet it seems like I did the day before. This week has been full of ups and downs, absolutely loving everything that is going on here at times, and in other moments feeling a bit overwhelmed by memories of people that have been so important to me the last few years, whom I won't see for a very long time. Part of me is happy to have this space in order to redefine myself apart from what had previously helped to define me. Another part of me wants so badly to return to the comfort of what has been familiar. It's hard to reconcile the desire to start anew and to hold on to what I love at the same time. I don't know if I'll ever figure out how to do it.
All in all, it has been a very fun week. Classes started on Tuesday, and since I only have classes Monday, Tuesday, and soon to be Wednesday, I only had one day of class last week. It is going to be a brutal schedule, with 6 hours of class two days in a row, but it's nice to have the rest of the week to do other things. Eventually I'll have a tutorial in the Prado, hopefully Wednesday, and I'll be helping teach a university English class with a few other students Wednesday mornings. I've realized that I actually need to study the English language because I really have no idea how it works, and even more so no idea how to teach it.
On Wednesday I went to El Escorial with my friend, Reidar. It is a giant 16th century palace built by Felipe II, with an enormous Basilica right in the middle. The palace is full of amazing paintings and sculptures, with a large crypt made of gold in which all the kings and queens of Spain since the 1500s are buried. It leaves you breathless thinking about the modern history of Spain basically all contained in a single room. Reidar and I caught a bus in the morning and headed back later in the afternoon. We took a guided tour with a Spanish couple, which I could follow without many problems. I always think it's worth taking a guided tour at places like this, as you just can't appreciate it as much without knowing what you're looking at and the story that surrounds it. After a short rest and some dinner, Emma, Alfonso, and I went to see "La Jungla 4.0, (Die Hard 4) at the theater. It was my first experience seeing a movie in a theater outside of the US, and my first movie in Spanish without subtitles. In Spain, they rarely leave American movies in their original form and add Spanish subtitles, but instead, the movies are dubbed. Every famous actor, like Bruce Willis, has a Spanish double, who does all of their films. It was hilarious to hear Bruce Willis speaking fluent Spanish, and I had to work hard to contain myself for the first hour of the movie. The language was surprisingly easy to understand, although I did have to listen a little bit harder than usual.
Thursday and Friday weren't extremely productive. I had a cold, and decided to catch up on some sleep. I cooked dinner with Maren a few times, uploaded pictures to the internet, wrote some emails, and made a few short walking trips around the city. I strolled around the royal palace, visited la Plaza de Espana, and found an old church squeezed into the modern city buildings named Real Iglesia Parroquial de San Gines. It was absolutely gorgeous inside, and the first I've seen that wasn't overrun with tourists. Instead, I found Madrilenos who were stopping in to pray during the day, many on their way home from work. I found a Chocolateria in the tiny Pasadizo de San Gines, where I decided to stop for churros and some people watching. It was the first time that I had tried the gloriousness that is churros con chocolate. You dip the churros in a rich chocolate sauce, and later drink what remains like coffee. Mmmmmmmmm.... I also went running with Alfonso and Emma, finding a beautiful path in a park that holds some ancient Egyptian (yes Egyptian) ruins that are beautifully lit at night. There is also an amazing view of the city that I never knew was really there. A light rain was falling, and it felt great to get the blood pumping for the first time in a while. Went to a few bars with Alfonso and Emma later that night, and met up with my Italian friend Jessica for a bit, but headed home before it got too late.
Friday night I went out with Pablo and Burho, the Spaniards I have gotten to know a little bit, and Julie. We went down to university campus, close to my old dorm, where we came across a huge outdoor party with music blaring and Sangria flowing. Hundreds of Spaniards in the full swing of "Botellon". We stayed there for hours before heading to a fabulous discoteca in Moncloa. The name is failing me now, but it was the coolest one I've seen in Madrid so far. Packed with people, great music, and a good time.
I spent Saturday planning a trip to Sevilla with Jessica from my program. We're going on the 19th-21st, seeing a concert by a well known Spanish group, Heroes de Silencio, and staying in a hostel in the city. There will be a lot to see in just a few short days, but I'm really excited to go. Heather might join us as well. I took the long Metro journey to the bus station with Julie on Saturday to buy tickets, and was amused to see that it looks exactly like an airport, with different companies selling tickets and checking people in, and a general feeling of chaos in the air.
I'm working on planning a trip to Merida this coming weekend with Melissa and Alyia, although it's proving a bit difficult to find a hostel. This town is in Extremadura, in western Spain, and is home to many Roman ruins and architectural marvels. I'll have to do a little more research tomorrow, but I'm hoping to make it happen, as many of my roommates will be gone this weekend, as well as many from my program. There is a 3 day weekend for those who have class on Fridays, so many people are taking the opportunity to travel.
Also, Jen called me last night to ask if I wanted to accompany her and Reidar to Norway during the 1st weekend of November, as they found round trip plane tickets for about 20 euro a piece. I definitely couldn't say no to that, and I am really excited to finally visit the origin of my blondness. Lots of travel in just a few weeks, but it's best to do it now before winter comes.
Last night I went to a dinner party at Nicolas's apartment, which is about as far from central Madrid as you can be while still technically being in the city. He lives with some friends who had studied abroad in Madison last year, in an AMAZING flat. Wow, it is the perfect example of paying for location. He pays less than I do, but lives in a dream house. It takes about an hour to get there by metro, however... We had good wine, delicious food, and Emma's amazing dessert, and stayed there until the early morning. After getting home about 6, Emma and I made tea and chatted in the kitchen until finally deciding we had better get some rest.
This afternoon I had a slow breakfast of fried eggs and tomatoes, bought the newspaper from the local kiosk, and tried to get a better grip on the tense political climate here at the moment. As always, there are problems with the Basque county, but the last week has been full of arrests, illegal meetings, protests, and alleged ETA terrorist plots. I can only imagine the tensions will rise as the March presidential election approaches. This nation is even more closely divided between two parties than the United States.
I watched the Barcelona- Atletico Madrid futbol game in a bar late this afternoon with my roommate, Arun, one of his friends, and Emma. Arun is a die hard Atletico fan, but I have already grown to love Barcelona... Could cause some tensions in the house, haha... Futbol is an amazing sport, and it's definitely under appreciated in the US. Emma and I made a good old American dinner of scrambled eggs and pancakes tonight. Definitely a nice reminder of home.
Wow, I think this is probably the most fragmented, most poorly written blog I've done to date, but a lot has happened in the last week and it would take too long to really explain everything well. Maybe I'll try writing a little bit more frequently from now on...
Ah, yes, my classes. We didn't really do much the first day, mostly just went over what we'd be doing all semester. My professors seem interesting and fair, but it's hard to know what to really expect. The Complutese class is going to be hard, as I only understood about half of what the professor was saying. Hopefully by not taking the traditional Spanish approach (not going to class), I'll give myself a better chance. I'll definitely need to quickly make a friend from whom I can borrow notes, however...
Anyways, I have a long day of class tomorrow and should probably get some sleep. Sorry if this was just a bunch of nonsensical rambling.
All in all, it has been a very fun week. Classes started on Tuesday, and since I only have classes Monday, Tuesday, and soon to be Wednesday, I only had one day of class last week. It is going to be a brutal schedule, with 6 hours of class two days in a row, but it's nice to have the rest of the week to do other things. Eventually I'll have a tutorial in the Prado, hopefully Wednesday, and I'll be helping teach a university English class with a few other students Wednesday mornings. I've realized that I actually need to study the English language because I really have no idea how it works, and even more so no idea how to teach it.
On Wednesday I went to El Escorial with my friend, Reidar. It is a giant 16th century palace built by Felipe II, with an enormous Basilica right in the middle. The palace is full of amazing paintings and sculptures, with a large crypt made of gold in which all the kings and queens of Spain since the 1500s are buried. It leaves you breathless thinking about the modern history of Spain basically all contained in a single room. Reidar and I caught a bus in the morning and headed back later in the afternoon. We took a guided tour with a Spanish couple, which I could follow without many problems. I always think it's worth taking a guided tour at places like this, as you just can't appreciate it as much without knowing what you're looking at and the story that surrounds it. After a short rest and some dinner, Emma, Alfonso, and I went to see "La Jungla 4.0, (Die Hard 4) at the theater. It was my first experience seeing a movie in a theater outside of the US, and my first movie in Spanish without subtitles. In Spain, they rarely leave American movies in their original form and add Spanish subtitles, but instead, the movies are dubbed. Every famous actor, like Bruce Willis, has a Spanish double, who does all of their films. It was hilarious to hear Bruce Willis speaking fluent Spanish, and I had to work hard to contain myself for the first hour of the movie. The language was surprisingly easy to understand, although I did have to listen a little bit harder than usual.
Thursday and Friday weren't extremely productive. I had a cold, and decided to catch up on some sleep. I cooked dinner with Maren a few times, uploaded pictures to the internet, wrote some emails, and made a few short walking trips around the city. I strolled around the royal palace, visited la Plaza de Espana, and found an old church squeezed into the modern city buildings named Real Iglesia Parroquial de San Gines. It was absolutely gorgeous inside, and the first I've seen that wasn't overrun with tourists. Instead, I found Madrilenos who were stopping in to pray during the day, many on their way home from work. I found a Chocolateria in the tiny Pasadizo de San Gines, where I decided to stop for churros and some people watching. It was the first time that I had tried the gloriousness that is churros con chocolate. You dip the churros in a rich chocolate sauce, and later drink what remains like coffee. Mmmmmmmmm.... I also went running with Alfonso and Emma, finding a beautiful path in a park that holds some ancient Egyptian (yes Egyptian) ruins that are beautifully lit at night. There is also an amazing view of the city that I never knew was really there. A light rain was falling, and it felt great to get the blood pumping for the first time in a while. Went to a few bars with Alfonso and Emma later that night, and met up with my Italian friend Jessica for a bit, but headed home before it got too late.
Friday night I went out with Pablo and Burho, the Spaniards I have gotten to know a little bit, and Julie. We went down to university campus, close to my old dorm, where we came across a huge outdoor party with music blaring and Sangria flowing. Hundreds of Spaniards in the full swing of "Botellon". We stayed there for hours before heading to a fabulous discoteca in Moncloa. The name is failing me now, but it was the coolest one I've seen in Madrid so far. Packed with people, great music, and a good time.
I spent Saturday planning a trip to Sevilla with Jessica from my program. We're going on the 19th-21st, seeing a concert by a well known Spanish group, Heroes de Silencio, and staying in a hostel in the city. There will be a lot to see in just a few short days, but I'm really excited to go. Heather might join us as well. I took the long Metro journey to the bus station with Julie on Saturday to buy tickets, and was amused to see that it looks exactly like an airport, with different companies selling tickets and checking people in, and a general feeling of chaos in the air.
I'm working on planning a trip to Merida this coming weekend with Melissa and Alyia, although it's proving a bit difficult to find a hostel. This town is in Extremadura, in western Spain, and is home to many Roman ruins and architectural marvels. I'll have to do a little more research tomorrow, but I'm hoping to make it happen, as many of my roommates will be gone this weekend, as well as many from my program. There is a 3 day weekend for those who have class on Fridays, so many people are taking the opportunity to travel.
Also, Jen called me last night to ask if I wanted to accompany her and Reidar to Norway during the 1st weekend of November, as they found round trip plane tickets for about 20 euro a piece. I definitely couldn't say no to that, and I am really excited to finally visit the origin of my blondness. Lots of travel in just a few weeks, but it's best to do it now before winter comes.
Last night I went to a dinner party at Nicolas's apartment, which is about as far from central Madrid as you can be while still technically being in the city. He lives with some friends who had studied abroad in Madison last year, in an AMAZING flat. Wow, it is the perfect example of paying for location. He pays less than I do, but lives in a dream house. It takes about an hour to get there by metro, however... We had good wine, delicious food, and Emma's amazing dessert, and stayed there until the early morning. After getting home about 6, Emma and I made tea and chatted in the kitchen until finally deciding we had better get some rest.
This afternoon I had a slow breakfast of fried eggs and tomatoes, bought the newspaper from the local kiosk, and tried to get a better grip on the tense political climate here at the moment. As always, there are problems with the Basque county, but the last week has been full of arrests, illegal meetings, protests, and alleged ETA terrorist plots. I can only imagine the tensions will rise as the March presidential election approaches. This nation is even more closely divided between two parties than the United States.
I watched the Barcelona- Atletico Madrid futbol game in a bar late this afternoon with my roommate, Arun, one of his friends, and Emma. Arun is a die hard Atletico fan, but I have already grown to love Barcelona... Could cause some tensions in the house, haha... Futbol is an amazing sport, and it's definitely under appreciated in the US. Emma and I made a good old American dinner of scrambled eggs and pancakes tonight. Definitely a nice reminder of home.
Wow, I think this is probably the most fragmented, most poorly written blog I've done to date, but a lot has happened in the last week and it would take too long to really explain everything well. Maybe I'll try writing a little bit more frequently from now on...
Ah, yes, my classes. We didn't really do much the first day, mostly just went over what we'd be doing all semester. My professors seem interesting and fair, but it's hard to know what to really expect. The Complutese class is going to be hard, as I only understood about half of what the professor was saying. Hopefully by not taking the traditional Spanish approach (not going to class), I'll give myself a better chance. I'll definitely need to quickly make a friend from whom I can borrow notes, however...
Anyways, I have a long day of class tomorrow and should probably get some sleep. Sorry if this was just a bunch of nonsensical rambling.
Monday, October 1, 2007
El fin de clase, bares, pueblo, Prado, Toledo
Again, lots to tell, and little time to do it justice. Oh well. The end of last week was filled with an intense, seemingly endless study session of Spanish art, architecture, history, and grammer. I spent a lot of time studying in the park or cafes with friends, which actually was kind of nice to do for a change. Come Friday, however, I was very ready for the intensive course to be over. All in all, it was interesting and I learned a lot. Probably didn't do as well as I should have, but I've had a lot on my plate lately and although I know I will very much later, I don't seem to mind right now that my performance wasn't what it should have been. It's just very nice to be able to apply what I've especially learned about Spanish architecture and history to what I can see first hand here in Spain. It's a whole different type of learning and it makes one appreciate knowledge even more. More on that later.
Friday afternoon, Emma and I collapsed from a lack of sleep and the end of our respective caffeine highs, and later sought out a laundry mat since our washing machine did not arrive until Saturday and we were in very short supply of clean cloths. I went to Bailey's apartment to celebrate her 21st birthday with a few friends and her Spanish roommates, but I only had time to stay for a glass of sangria, as I had told the roommates I would be home before it got very late. Had dinner as usual about 10. (Helena, if you're reading this, I eat your fried tomatoes in olive oil almost every day...) Emma and I taught Alfonso and Maren how to play poker, and we put our supply of sunflower seeds to use as stakes for betting. Some friends of mine from WIP, Julie, Melissa, Alyia and Katrina went out with the four of us and Julie's Russian and Argentinian roommates to an area of Arguelles that Alfonso knows well. We went to a great bar for a couple of hours and then to a bar/discoteca about two o'clock, a time much more appropriate for such a place. It was a great time, and the first that I had gone out with Emma, Alfonso, and Maren at the same time. Alfonso is hilarious, and I'm really looking forward to living with him this year. He's probably the nicest person I've met in Spain so far as well, always asking how your day is going and reaching out to spend time with you even when he's busy.
Saturday was, of course, partially filled with sleeping in after a typical very very late night. Watched a little bit of the Barcelona game with Alfonso and Arun, as well as an episode of The Office with Emma to remind me of home. I think I'll definitely be a fan of football by the end of the year. I met up with Pablo, the guy I almost moved in with before the arrangements fell through, some of his friends, and Julie, who was with me when I looked at the apartment. She ran into him at the grocery store the other day, and he suggested the we go out with him this weekend. Sure enough, we met him at the Moncloa metro station, were introduced to his friends, and waiting a long time to board a bus with masses of other Madrilenos. They took us to a pueblo a little ways outside of Madrid, where many people choose to live due to lower housing costs. It's typical in these pueblos to have community parties on the weekends, with one area for families and another for people my age. We got off in what seemed like the middle of nowhere in this little town with cobblestone roads. After walking for about 20 minutes, we came across a whole mass of Spaniards my age, and a carnival/fair/outdoor party. It was fun talking to Pablo's friends in Spanish and having them talk back to us in English because they were just as eager to practice with a native speaker. Felipe was really interesting to talk to, and he taught me a lot about how the pueblos developed, interesting phrases, and facts about Madrid. It was a strange feeling, because it felt like the Polk County fair, or Dairy Days, in Thorp, Wisconsin, but with different food and a monton de espanoles. At about 5:30 we started the long trek back to the bus station, waited for a really long time, and decided to take the train back to Madrid instead. Let's just say I very happily fell into bed at 8:00...
I went to the Prado art museum with Katrina on Sunday, the day in which it is always free. While I was there, I think fell in love with Francisco de Goya. While we saw the work of many famous Spanish painters like Valazquez and El Greco, I think Goya is on a whole different level. His Pinturas Negras are the most fascinating works I've ever seen, and they were painted in the later stages of his life, isolated at home, and suffering from mental and physical illnesses. I would have given anything see what was going on in his mind at the period of time, because it was a dark and twisted inspiration for some incredible work. I also saw Velazquez's very famous, "Las Meninas", of the royal family as well, which was quite captivating.
Last night, Emma made a huge batch of chicken noodle soup for us all to share together. It was like sitting down for a family meal, with her homemade soup, my bread, Dominik's wine, and some homemade apple tart from Alonso's family. Dominik's girlfriend was here from Germany this weekend, so there was a hilarious mixture of Spanish, German and English spoken so that everyone could understand each other.
Today I went to Toledo, rising bright and early, and catching the 9:00 train with Rebekah, Jessica, Steven, and Heather. It was nice to get out of Madrid for a day (even though I can't think of a city I have ever loved more, other than St. Paul). The fact that the US can't develop a quality rail system is unbelievable to me after seeing how it operates today. Nothing but efficiency, from buying your ticket to boarding the train, to arriving at your destination. It's so simple and yet so brilliant. It's a shame that we can't do it at home. The trip from Madrid to Toledo takes exactly 30 minutes, in which time I read a bit about where I wanted to go. Toledo is a walled city, and became the capital of Christian Spain after it was retaken from the Islamic empire in 1085. It remained capital until King Felipe II moved the capital to Madrid in the 1600s. Toledo has been and continues to be the religious center of Spain, with an almost obscene number of churches, cathedrals, mosques, and synagogues. It held the largest population of Sephardic Jews of any Spanish city before they were expelled in 1492.
Today we saw some incredible buildings, the most noteworthy being La Catedral Primada. It was much like the one in Segovia in its design, except it includes an ever broader range of artistic and architectural styles, making it all the more stunning. It was build over the course of three hundred years starting in 1280, but contains artistic styles from even later periods. A prime example of Gothic architecture, but it contains plateresco artistic styles from the renaissance, lingering Mudejar influences from the tenth century, as well as a number of paintings by the famous El Greco. Also a few from Goya and Velazquez as well. All in all, absolutely stunning.
We also saw the inside of la Sinagoga Santa Maria La Blanca, clearly more humble in its appearance, but equally as interesting in its simplicity and Islamic inspiration. We walked down to an old (Visigothic?) bridge named la Puente de San Martin, which offered an amazing view of el Rio Tajo and the surrounding landscape. We had bocadillos (sandwiches made from baguettes) at a little bar in town, and made our way up to the highest points of Toledo for some truly extroidinary views. We visited many tranquil plazas such as la Plaza Zocodover, where we stopped for icecream, and made our way to la Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz, which was built before the reconquista. We also stopped at La Mezquita de las Tornerias, which contains some very beautiful arches.
Toledo is extremely beautiful and full of rich history. It's hard to know really how it compared to Segovia, by which I was enchanted, but the cathedral I think is even more impressive in Toledo. It is certain that I will have to return to Toledo again this year, at least once, because there is still so much that I was unable to see. The ride back home on the train made me drowsy after such a busy day, and I was glad to get home about 7:00 to cook and early dinner and put my feet up for a while.
My room is in desperate need of a pickup, so I think I'll get on that before too long. It drizzled today for the first time since La Noche en Blanco, and only the 2nd time since I've been here. It's now raining steadily, bringing a very homey feel to the apartment. I also need to figure out where and when I'm going to all four of my power lectures tomorrow... Ick... I havn't had even close to that much class in one day since highschool, which didn't really count. I also have a meeting during my only freetime all day, as I'm going to be a TA this semester for an English class at the university. I'm not exactly sure what I'm getting myself into, but they were eager for people to take the position, and it seems like a good way to meet more Spaniards. I think I'm mainly responsible for preparing discussion topics, facilitating discussions during class, and lending native speaker experience. I'll find out more tomorrow. It's going to be a really long day, but hopefully rewarding as well. Maybe a trip to El Escorial later this week? That's all for now. Hasta pronto.
Friday afternoon, Emma and I collapsed from a lack of sleep and the end of our respective caffeine highs, and later sought out a laundry mat since our washing machine did not arrive until Saturday and we were in very short supply of clean cloths. I went to Bailey's apartment to celebrate her 21st birthday with a few friends and her Spanish roommates, but I only had time to stay for a glass of sangria, as I had told the roommates I would be home before it got very late. Had dinner as usual about 10. (Helena, if you're reading this, I eat your fried tomatoes in olive oil almost every day...) Emma and I taught Alfonso and Maren how to play poker, and we put our supply of sunflower seeds to use as stakes for betting. Some friends of mine from WIP, Julie, Melissa, Alyia and Katrina went out with the four of us and Julie's Russian and Argentinian roommates to an area of Arguelles that Alfonso knows well. We went to a great bar for a couple of hours and then to a bar/discoteca about two o'clock, a time much more appropriate for such a place. It was a great time, and the first that I had gone out with Emma, Alfonso, and Maren at the same time. Alfonso is hilarious, and I'm really looking forward to living with him this year. He's probably the nicest person I've met in Spain so far as well, always asking how your day is going and reaching out to spend time with you even when he's busy.
Saturday was, of course, partially filled with sleeping in after a typical very very late night. Watched a little bit of the Barcelona game with Alfonso and Arun, as well as an episode of The Office with Emma to remind me of home. I think I'll definitely be a fan of football by the end of the year. I met up with Pablo, the guy I almost moved in with before the arrangements fell through, some of his friends, and Julie, who was with me when I looked at the apartment. She ran into him at the grocery store the other day, and he suggested the we go out with him this weekend. Sure enough, we met him at the Moncloa metro station, were introduced to his friends, and waiting a long time to board a bus with masses of other Madrilenos. They took us to a pueblo a little ways outside of Madrid, where many people choose to live due to lower housing costs. It's typical in these pueblos to have community parties on the weekends, with one area for families and another for people my age. We got off in what seemed like the middle of nowhere in this little town with cobblestone roads. After walking for about 20 minutes, we came across a whole mass of Spaniards my age, and a carnival/fair/outdoor party. It was fun talking to Pablo's friends in Spanish and having them talk back to us in English because they were just as eager to practice with a native speaker. Felipe was really interesting to talk to, and he taught me a lot about how the pueblos developed, interesting phrases, and facts about Madrid. It was a strange feeling, because it felt like the Polk County fair, or Dairy Days, in Thorp, Wisconsin, but with different food and a monton de espanoles. At about 5:30 we started the long trek back to the bus station, waited for a really long time, and decided to take the train back to Madrid instead. Let's just say I very happily fell into bed at 8:00...
I went to the Prado art museum with Katrina on Sunday, the day in which it is always free. While I was there, I think fell in love with Francisco de Goya. While we saw the work of many famous Spanish painters like Valazquez and El Greco, I think Goya is on a whole different level. His Pinturas Negras are the most fascinating works I've ever seen, and they were painted in the later stages of his life, isolated at home, and suffering from mental and physical illnesses. I would have given anything see what was going on in his mind at the period of time, because it was a dark and twisted inspiration for some incredible work. I also saw Velazquez's very famous, "Las Meninas", of the royal family as well, which was quite captivating.
Last night, Emma made a huge batch of chicken noodle soup for us all to share together. It was like sitting down for a family meal, with her homemade soup, my bread, Dominik's wine, and some homemade apple tart from Alonso's family. Dominik's girlfriend was here from Germany this weekend, so there was a hilarious mixture of Spanish, German and English spoken so that everyone could understand each other.
Today I went to Toledo, rising bright and early, and catching the 9:00 train with Rebekah, Jessica, Steven, and Heather. It was nice to get out of Madrid for a day (even though I can't think of a city I have ever loved more, other than St. Paul). The fact that the US can't develop a quality rail system is unbelievable to me after seeing how it operates today. Nothing but efficiency, from buying your ticket to boarding the train, to arriving at your destination. It's so simple and yet so brilliant. It's a shame that we can't do it at home. The trip from Madrid to Toledo takes exactly 30 minutes, in which time I read a bit about where I wanted to go. Toledo is a walled city, and became the capital of Christian Spain after it was retaken from the Islamic empire in 1085. It remained capital until King Felipe II moved the capital to Madrid in the 1600s. Toledo has been and continues to be the religious center of Spain, with an almost obscene number of churches, cathedrals, mosques, and synagogues. It held the largest population of Sephardic Jews of any Spanish city before they were expelled in 1492.
Today we saw some incredible buildings, the most noteworthy being La Catedral Primada. It was much like the one in Segovia in its design, except it includes an ever broader range of artistic and architectural styles, making it all the more stunning. It was build over the course of three hundred years starting in 1280, but contains artistic styles from even later periods. A prime example of Gothic architecture, but it contains plateresco artistic styles from the renaissance, lingering Mudejar influences from the tenth century, as well as a number of paintings by the famous El Greco. Also a few from Goya and Velazquez as well. All in all, absolutely stunning.
We also saw the inside of la Sinagoga Santa Maria La Blanca, clearly more humble in its appearance, but equally as interesting in its simplicity and Islamic inspiration. We walked down to an old (Visigothic?) bridge named la Puente de San Martin, which offered an amazing view of el Rio Tajo and the surrounding landscape. We had bocadillos (sandwiches made from baguettes) at a little bar in town, and made our way up to the highest points of Toledo for some truly extroidinary views. We visited many tranquil plazas such as la Plaza Zocodover, where we stopped for icecream, and made our way to la Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz, which was built before the reconquista. We also stopped at La Mezquita de las Tornerias, which contains some very beautiful arches.
Toledo is extremely beautiful and full of rich history. It's hard to know really how it compared to Segovia, by which I was enchanted, but the cathedral I think is even more impressive in Toledo. It is certain that I will have to return to Toledo again this year, at least once, because there is still so much that I was unable to see. The ride back home on the train made me drowsy after such a busy day, and I was glad to get home about 7:00 to cook and early dinner and put my feet up for a while.
My room is in desperate need of a pickup, so I think I'll get on that before too long. It drizzled today for the first time since La Noche en Blanco, and only the 2nd time since I've been here. It's now raining steadily, bringing a very homey feel to the apartment. I also need to figure out where and when I'm going to all four of my power lectures tomorrow... Ick... I havn't had even close to that much class in one day since highschool, which didn't really count. I also have a meeting during my only freetime all day, as I'm going to be a TA this semester for an English class at the university. I'm not exactly sure what I'm getting myself into, but they were eager for people to take the position, and it seems like a good way to meet more Spaniards. I think I'm mainly responsible for preparing discussion topics, facilitating discussions during class, and lending native speaker experience. I'll find out more tomorrow. It's going to be a really long day, but hopefully rewarding as well. Maybe a trip to El Escorial later this week? That's all for now. Hasta pronto.
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