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.
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