Friday morning bright and early (or, not so bright but definitely early), I said goodbye to a sleepy Menchi and got to Barajas. I had the darnedest time trying to check in, since Dad bought my ticket to Venice with the credit card that I didn’t have, which apparently they require you to produce in order to confirm your identity. I ended up switching the payment method to my credit card, which means paying another 230 euro, but the original ticket should be refunded. We’ll find out.
28 December 2010
27 December 2010
A sneak peak of what's to come...
Get ready for my next blog post...if I ever make it back to the States!
17 December 2010
Last days in Spain
Like many of us, I'm ready to go home. Not that I'm going home tomorrow, but the feeling remains the same. I love Spain, this semester has been amazing, I am so happy I decided to study abroad here, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Menchi has been a blessing - she is so welcoming and makes me feel so comfortable, and we get along great. I can definitely tell that my Spanish has improved, especially when I've been drinking. And, I've gotten to travel around Europe and will get to do more of that with my whole family when they get here tomorrow - none of us had ever been to Europe before.
This is one reason why I love Spain. Where else would you find these figures pooping as a Christmas decoration? They have EVERYONE - the king and the royal family, Hilary Clinton, and even the Dalai Lama. What the hell?
Also this is hanging in the hallway in our apartment and I just noticed it the other day. Apparently, Menchi's father did something worthy of getting a commendation from Franco. Huh.
And here is Menchi! Por fin, we took a photo together, using the trusty timer on my camera.
Nonetheless, I am ready to be back in the good ol' US of A. Being in Europe makes me appreciate the United States in a different way. I will miss the fantastic Madrid Metro and the high speed AVE train, but nothing can compare to not dealing with general strikes and soldiers with automatic weapons in the train stations. And like I said before, it's all about NORMANDY if you are ever feeling blue about the US. I promise, it's like the ultimate existential crisis anti-depressant.
Wednesday night the whole program went out and celebrated finishing our semester together with drinks and dancing. Thursday night, Ashleigh and I went to watch the aggressive prostitutes on Gran Vía one last time. And with that, I say hasta luego to Madrid and to Spain. I'm leaving, but I'll be back.
This is one reason why I love Spain. Where else would you find these figures pooping as a Christmas decoration? They have EVERYONE - the king and the royal family, Hilary Clinton, and even the Dalai Lama. What the hell?
Also this is hanging in the hallway in our apartment and I just noticed it the other day. Apparently, Menchi's father did something worthy of getting a commendation from Franco. Huh.
And here is Menchi! Por fin, we took a photo together, using the trusty timer on my camera.Nonetheless, I am ready to be back in the good ol' US of A. Being in Europe makes me appreciate the United States in a different way. I will miss the fantastic Madrid Metro and the high speed AVE train, but nothing can compare to not dealing with general strikes and soldiers with automatic weapons in the train stations. And like I said before, it's all about NORMANDY if you are ever feeling blue about the US. I promise, it's like the ultimate existential crisis anti-depressant.
Wednesday night the whole program went out and celebrated finishing our semester together with drinks and dancing. Thursday night, Ashleigh and I went to watch the aggressive prostitutes on Gran Vía one last time. And with that, I say hasta luego to Madrid and to Spain. I'm leaving, but I'll be back.
02 December 2010
Hello Mother, Hello Father, Here I am at Camp Granada
As much as we enjoyed Sevilla, Granada totally blew our minds. First of all, our hostel was such an improvement. You know how you know it was classy? They gave us those Ferrero Rocher golden hazelnut chocolate balls upon check-in. Also, TV, private bath, balcony, and HEAT. Two stars well deserved.
We started out with a walk around the city, since we had nothing to do and our hostel wasn't ready yet. Paola, ever enchanted by the fountains, proceeded to take photos of almost every one we passed. Our hostel was close to the Cathedral, so we saw that, and the river, and some nice views of the Sierra Nevada mountains outside town. We walked through another Belen, found a Christmas market, and got more Spanish Christmas songs stuck in our heads (Campanas de Belen, all weekend long).
View from the river of the mountains
The Cathedral, which we walked past pretty much every day
Best. Streetlight. Ever.
On Monday, we had our tour of the Alhambra. We couldn't get regular tickets (they were all sold out for the long weekend) and so we bought the 30 euro themed guided tour (Ours was the Alhambra and Carlos I) so we could see the Alhambra anyway. Our tour guide was named Martin, and he showed us the most famous parts of the Alhambra (the Patio de los Leones, the Sala del Trono, the Washington Irving plaque) and a super secret Carlos I room, and Carlos I's unfinished palace. Then we walked back into the city, passing by the Cathedral, and went to the San Jerónimo Monastery, where Carlos I's wife (he was there on his honeymoon) stayed while he was in the Alhambra. How romantic.
Ceiling in the throne room
We had tapas for lunch because TAPAS ARE FREE in Granada! Just pay for your drink! We probably had too much to drink in the 3 days we were there just to get free tapas. Not that we ate nothing but tapas those three days, because Stacy and Laura were also in Granada with their families and we had dinner with them as well. We also walked up the Sacromonte (well, most of it) to get nice views of the Alhambra at night.
Finally, on Tuesday, we saw the cathedral, which was not as cool as I was hoping, and the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel) which had the tombs of the Reyes Católicos (Fernando and Isabel) and Juana la Loca and Felipe el Hermoso (Juana the Mad and Felipe the Handsome). No photos were allowed, but here is a taste.
We also walked back up that hellish hill that the Alhambra sits upon for the third time in three days to look at the exhibition of Matisse artwork influenced by the Alhambra, then walked back down through the Realejo neighborhood. Finally, with only 8 days left in Spain, this completely sums up my semester:
Where is? my beer, my tapa, my ham.
We started out with a walk around the city, since we had nothing to do and our hostel wasn't ready yet. Paola, ever enchanted by the fountains, proceeded to take photos of almost every one we passed. Our hostel was close to the Cathedral, so we saw that, and the river, and some nice views of the Sierra Nevada mountains outside town. We walked through another Belen, found a Christmas market, and got more Spanish Christmas songs stuck in our heads (Campanas de Belen, all weekend long).
View from the river of the mountains
The Cathedral, which we walked past pretty much every day
Best. Streetlight. Ever.On Monday, we had our tour of the Alhambra. We couldn't get regular tickets (they were all sold out for the long weekend) and so we bought the 30 euro themed guided tour (Ours was the Alhambra and Carlos I) so we could see the Alhambra anyway. Our tour guide was named Martin, and he showed us the most famous parts of the Alhambra (the Patio de los Leones, the Sala del Trono, the Washington Irving plaque) and a super secret Carlos I room, and Carlos I's unfinished palace. Then we walked back into the city, passing by the Cathedral, and went to the San Jerónimo Monastery, where Carlos I's wife (he was there on his honeymoon) stayed while he was in the Alhambra. How romantic.
Ceiling in the throne roomWe had tapas for lunch because TAPAS ARE FREE in Granada! Just pay for your drink! We probably had too much to drink in the 3 days we were there just to get free tapas. Not that we ate nothing but tapas those three days, because Stacy and Laura were also in Granada with their families and we had dinner with them as well. We also walked up the Sacromonte (well, most of it) to get nice views of the Alhambra at night.
Finally, on Tuesday, we saw the cathedral, which was not as cool as I was hoping, and the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel) which had the tombs of the Reyes Católicos (Fernando and Isabel) and Juana la Loca and Felipe el Hermoso (Juana the Mad and Felipe the Handsome). No photos were allowed, but here is a taste.
We also walked back up that hellish hill that the Alhambra sits upon for the third time in three days to look at the exhibition of Matisse artwork influenced by the Alhambra, then walked back down through the Realejo neighborhood. Finally, with only 8 days left in Spain, this completely sums up my semester:
Where is? my beer, my tapa, my ham.Sevilla, in which we froze because our hostel had no heat.
Looks like Paola and I chose the correct destination for the December Puente. After basically every flight to a destination north of Madrid cancelled (Gatwick, Amsterdam, etc) to ruin the weekends of all the kids in the program (not to mention once we got there we learned that there was an air traffic controller strike over the Puente) we decided to a) travel south to Andalucía (where it is warmer!) and b) travel on the ground (by train).
So we went on our merry way - first to Sevilla for two days, then onto Granada for three. We took the early train to Sevilla, and found our way to our hostel, which was a bargain and you could tell. We first visited the Alcázar, or old castle/fortress. We took a guided tour, and basically learned that half the palace was a bad copy of the Alhambra commissioned by a Christian king and the other half was built by Carlos I on top of the older part of the palace built by the Arabs. The gardens, however, were probably the most impressive part (it also helped that the sun came out and we were not quite so freezing as before).
Next came the cathedral, in which we wandered around the whole thing listening to our audioguía since Amalia was not there to point out all the important features. We saw Columbus' tomb, which was quite the imposing structure, and we visited the famous Patio of the Oranges, and then climbed to the top of the Giralda, or bell tower, or former minaret of the mosque that used to occupy that spot. Lovely views of the city and all we had to do was walk up 34 ramps, one on each side of the Giralda, and ten stairs.
Columbus' Tomb
The Giralda
The view
We got some other lovely views the next day from the Torre de Oro right on the river. We also had chocolate at Valor, got a teensy bit lost, got yelled at for eating pipas on a bench, bought Christmas sweets, walked through a belen (Bethlehem) market (where Paola got Spanish Christmas songs stuck in her head and, by extension, so did I), and had some DELICIOSO cous-cous with honey and balsamic vinegar at this little restaurant we stumbled upon on a street called Calle Franco.
Torre de Oro
Finally, we went to see the Virgen de la Macarena. We took a bus since it was on the other side of town, but it came highly recommended. It was...meh. I mean, maybe if I was any sort of Catholic I would have a bit more of a reaction. It seemed like pretty much any other Virgen, richly decorated and all, but nothing too special. I do like its name, however, and if I may make a suggestion, we could liven it up with a little song and dance number from the 90s... On the way back from the Macarena we had quite the Spanish lunch - standing at a bar eating tapas, feeling super authentic.
A bit blurry, but you get the idea.
We ended up catching the early train the next morning for Granada, because we felt like we'd seen pretty much all Sevilla had to offer. Also, we were cold and our hostel did not have heat. On to Granada!
So we went on our merry way - first to Sevilla for two days, then onto Granada for three. We took the early train to Sevilla, and found our way to our hostel, which was a bargain and you could tell. We first visited the Alcázar, or old castle/fortress. We took a guided tour, and basically learned that half the palace was a bad copy of the Alhambra commissioned by a Christian king and the other half was built by Carlos I on top of the older part of the palace built by the Arabs. The gardens, however, were probably the most impressive part (it also helped that the sun came out and we were not quite so freezing as before).
Next came the cathedral, in which we wandered around the whole thing listening to our audioguía since Amalia was not there to point out all the important features. We saw Columbus' tomb, which was quite the imposing structure, and we visited the famous Patio of the Oranges, and then climbed to the top of the Giralda, or bell tower, or former minaret of the mosque that used to occupy that spot. Lovely views of the city and all we had to do was walk up 34 ramps, one on each side of the Giralda, and ten stairs.
Columbus' Tomb
The Giralda
The viewWe got some other lovely views the next day from the Torre de Oro right on the river. We also had chocolate at Valor, got a teensy bit lost, got yelled at for eating pipas on a bench, bought Christmas sweets, walked through a belen (Bethlehem) market (where Paola got Spanish Christmas songs stuck in her head and, by extension, so did I), and had some DELICIOSO cous-cous with honey and balsamic vinegar at this little restaurant we stumbled upon on a street called Calle Franco.
Torre de Oro
We also saw the Plaza de España, which is about ten bazillion times cooler than Madrid's Plaza de España, because this one has a lake. The building is filled with government offices, and all around are these little tributes to major Spanish cities in tile. All the good ones are there, and there are little benches and even a map for the geographically inclined. Paola has family from Alicante, in Valencia, so she took those photos. I had to settle for Madrid, since that's the only city I can claim any sort of connection to.
Finally, we went to see the Virgen de la Macarena. We took a bus since it was on the other side of town, but it came highly recommended. It was...meh. I mean, maybe if I was any sort of Catholic I would have a bit more of a reaction. It seemed like pretty much any other Virgen, richly decorated and all, but nothing too special. I do like its name, however, and if I may make a suggestion, we could liven it up with a little song and dance number from the 90s... On the way back from the Macarena we had quite the Spanish lunch - standing at a bar eating tapas, feeling super authentic.
A bit blurry, but you get the idea.We ended up catching the early train the next morning for Granada, because we felt like we'd seen pretty much all Sevilla had to offer. Also, we were cold and our hostel did not have heat. On to Granada!
26 November 2010
"Thanksgiving" in Segovia
So let me begin by saying that our trip to Segovia yesterday (Friday) was FREEZING. Why am I suddenly such a cold weather wuss? Spanish cold weather got nothing on Boston, but I am nine months removed from my last experience of a Boston winter, and Spain made it doubly hard to believe winter was coming by staying in the 70s until late October. I should just be thankful it wasn't raining...
We started off the day stopping for a photo op of this view of the Alcázar, or castillo, or castle:
BU knows what is important to us - kodak moments. We flocked into a wet field to take advantage of this view, which was much better than the one from the entrance to the castle, as we learned later in the day. After that, we rode the bus into the middle of town and got out to learn all about the aqueducto, the Roman aqueduct that is the best surviving example of a Roman aqueduct in the peninsula, and possibly in the world.
We then went for the tour of the synagogue-turned-church and the Jewish quarter which has become synonymous with all trips we take with the program. This synagogue looked a lot like the one in Toledo, but was actually part of a convent of cloistered nuns. Have I mentioned that I am fascinated by nuns? Mostly just because a) I've never really been surrounded by so many nuns as there are in Spain and b) I am always wondering what the difference between various types of nuns are. Like, mostly it is about their clothes. Why do some nuns have to conform to the US stereotype of nun fashion (think Sister Act) and some get to pull a more Mother Teresa look together? Some super secret nun hierarchy? In El Escorial, Amalia explained to us where nuns got their distinctive dress: she said that widows got sent to convents back in those days (easier to pawn off an old and perhaps powerful woman on the church to control?) and what we now think of as nun fashion was actually widow fashion in the 16th Century that convents adopted.
In the patio of the synagogue - ducks!
Then came the part of the day that we had all been waiting for (alternatively with anticipation and trepidation): our "Thanksgiving" meal. Typical of Segovia, we had cochinillo asado, or roast suckling pig.
I probably should not say "we" here, as that is misleading. I did not have cochinillo asado - I had salmon, a nice big chunk that did not come with a face. As part of the ceremony of serving it, the chef José María had Nicole (who's birthday was most recent) help him as a volunteer. They cut through the piggy with a plate to prove how tender it was, and then to prove the plate was not doctored in some way, they broke it on the floor. And then he proceeded to portion out all the cochinillo by cutting it into pieces with a plate. We also had a special dessert of his creation, which was ice cream with chocolate sauce "flambeado" (I love that flambear is a verb) with alcohol and a jasmine-like herb. Oh, and there were peppermint flakes in the ice cream. It was a Thanksgiving Miracle.
Next, on to our last stop of the day, the visit to the Alcázar. It was an interesting mix of medieval/mudejar architecture on the inside and had the look of that one German castle on the outside (you know the one. Neuw-something). What I was not expecting was to see my first suit of armor inside.
Then, after a brief spell in the gift shop playing with toys and reading pop-up books with Amalia, we hiked back through the city and got back on the bus for the ride home, in which everyone slept. Later that night, my literature professor threw a party which he invited us to, so we got to see his surprisingly spacious apartment and he served us what can only be described as very nice tapas and jungle juice. Happy Thanksgiving.
We started off the day stopping for a photo op of this view of the Alcázar, or castillo, or castle:
BU knows what is important to us - kodak moments. We flocked into a wet field to take advantage of this view, which was much better than the one from the entrance to the castle, as we learned later in the day. After that, we rode the bus into the middle of town and got out to learn all about the aqueducto, the Roman aqueduct that is the best surviving example of a Roman aqueduct in the peninsula, and possibly in the world.
We then went for the tour of the synagogue-turned-church and the Jewish quarter which has become synonymous with all trips we take with the program. This synagogue looked a lot like the one in Toledo, but was actually part of a convent of cloistered nuns. Have I mentioned that I am fascinated by nuns? Mostly just because a) I've never really been surrounded by so many nuns as there are in Spain and b) I am always wondering what the difference between various types of nuns are. Like, mostly it is about their clothes. Why do some nuns have to conform to the US stereotype of nun fashion (think Sister Act) and some get to pull a more Mother Teresa look together? Some super secret nun hierarchy? In El Escorial, Amalia explained to us where nuns got their distinctive dress: she said that widows got sent to convents back in those days (easier to pawn off an old and perhaps powerful woman on the church to control?) and what we now think of as nun fashion was actually widow fashion in the 16th Century that convents adopted.
In the patio of the synagogue - ducks!
I probably should not say "we" here, as that is misleading. I did not have cochinillo asado - I had salmon, a nice big chunk that did not come with a face. As part of the ceremony of serving it, the chef José María had Nicole (who's birthday was most recent) help him as a volunteer. They cut through the piggy with a plate to prove how tender it was, and then to prove the plate was not doctored in some way, they broke it on the floor. And then he proceeded to portion out all the cochinillo by cutting it into pieces with a plate. We also had a special dessert of his creation, which was ice cream with chocolate sauce "flambeado" (I love that flambear is a verb) with alcohol and a jasmine-like herb. Oh, and there were peppermint flakes in the ice cream. It was a Thanksgiving Miracle.Next, on to our last stop of the day, the visit to the Alcázar. It was an interesting mix of medieval/mudejar architecture on the inside and had the look of that one German castle on the outside (you know the one. Neuw-something). What I was not expecting was to see my first suit of armor inside.
Then, after a brief spell in the gift shop playing with toys and reading pop-up books with Amalia, we hiked back through the city and got back on the bus for the ride home, in which everyone slept. Later that night, my literature professor threw a party which he invited us to, so we got to see his surprisingly spacious apartment and he served us what can only be described as very nice tapas and jungle juice. Happy Thanksgiving.
23 November 2010
Not a real Thanksgiving???
OLD NEWS. I haven't spent Thanksgiving with my family for three years running. The best substitute, of course, is spending Thanksgiving with friends, who are sometimes better family - stereotypes of awkward relatives, cheek pinching, and all that (not the case in my family, however, where I kick nonstop butt at Trivial Pursuit and we all watch football and eat olives off our fingers). Or, at least we did in 2006, the last time I was home for Thanksgiving. Instead, I've a) bummed around Michelle's Thanksgiving and hung out with her family and b) made spaghetti with my cousin. I am going to miss Thanksgiving with Michelle's mom's adventurous cuisine. Last year she made grapes filled with goat cheese and little nut pieces as hors d'oeuvres. Yum. This year, we are going to Segovia on Friday, not Thursday, and eating roast suckling pig, not turkey. Not quite as yum. In other news, how glad am I that I do not have to deal with the new airport scanners/groping and the promised boycott. Not that I would have to deal with that were I in Boston, since I wouldn't be going home anyway, but I like to look on the bright side.
Looking ahead, you may remember that I will be spending next semester in Washington, DC. You may also recall that I mentioned getting an internship offer in the last posting or two. I ended up getting the other offer as well and have officially decided to intern for Senator Merkley's office next semester. Just sent in my acceptance and the first of what is sure to be lots of paperwork. I talked to a couple other people in the program today, and it turns out that I am not the only one of us that is ready to go home. I mean, Madrid and Spain as a whole have been amazing, but I think 14 weeks is going to be quite sufficient and I am looking forward to my time in the EUG, starting something new in DC, and returning to Boston to my roomies and everyone (and everything - men's basketball) I've missed.
Looking ahead, you may remember that I will be spending next semester in Washington, DC. You may also recall that I mentioned getting an internship offer in the last posting or two. I ended up getting the other offer as well and have officially decided to intern for Senator Merkley's office next semester. Just sent in my acceptance and the first of what is sure to be lots of paperwork. I talked to a couple other people in the program today, and it turns out that I am not the only one of us that is ready to go home. I mean, Madrid and Spain as a whole have been amazing, but I think 14 weeks is going to be quite sufficient and I am looking forward to my time in the EUG, starting something new in DC, and returning to Boston to my roomies and everyone (and everything - men's basketball) I've missed.
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