The food in Spain isn’t anything too strange or different from what we eat. (Unlike France, for example. Eating in France was an adventure I don’t think I would want to have all semester). Here they eat a good mix of meat, vegetables, fruit and bread.
Spanish food is in some ways richer than ours but simpler at the same time. They cook all of their food with a good helping of olive oil, which is relatively healthy but when every dish is cooked in olive oil it can be a bit too much. At the same time the dishes are simple. Usually just meat or vegetables or a combination of the two with a broth or spices. And bread is only served with butter at breakfast, otherwise it’s eaten plain or with whatever is left on the plate.
In general I like it. I don’t think I could point out a favorite dish; I’ve liked just about everything Any has cooked for me.
I’ve tried a few of the Spanish specialties. Paella is one of the most “Spanish” foods, and I’ve had it a few times. It’s a rice dish, usually made with seafood and/or chicken and lots of spices. A “tortilla” in Spain isn’t like a Mexican tortilla, it’s more like an American omlette with cheese mixed in, but fluffy and bigger. I really want to learn how to make a tortilla and paella, I’m hoping Any will show me some day.
And jamón! (ham). It’s a big deal here, and a couple times as a snack or light meal Any has served about six or seven different types of ham with bread and cheese. Also chorizo (sausage), but much richer than our sausage. It’s usually red or black, I’ve never had sausage like it before.
“Dessert” is generally just fruit. We’ve only had sweets once in my house. I do kind of wish they had some specialty desserts and that we had them at home, but I don’t really eat dessert often in the States either so I don’t miss it, and if I’m craving something I’ll just buy it.
I don’t really miss anything. Spinach salad perhaps; for a while I was missing wheat bread but then I disclosed that I prefer it and we now have a mix. I do miss being able to eat what I want without feeling bad if I don’t want to finish something.
Also I should talk about the eating schedule, which is unique to Spain. Many spaniards barely eat breakfast, but fortunately Any does and always puts out plenty of food. Lunch isn’t until 2:30 in the afternoon, so I usually have to eat a snack to hold me over. And then dinner at my house is on the “earlier” side at 9 or 9:30. Some people have told me they dint eat dinner until 11 at night, when I’m thinking about getting to bed. I don’t really like the schedule but it works and it really doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it might.
Magic Fountains in Barcelona. They did the show to music and this section has Lord of the Rings music!!! Amazing.
Friday - Sunday October 2nd - 4th
We flew on Ryanair, which was only 60 euros round trip. Gotta love cheap European flights! We stayed in a youth hostel called Barcelona Mar, which was even nicer than I expected. It was very clean, not loud, centrally located and had free breakfast and wifi.
Barcelona is an incredibly modern and unique city. Gaudí was a huge influence and designed just about everything of interest (the Sagrada Familiar, Parc Güell, some houses). Also, they don’t speak Spanish (at least not by choice). They speak Catalan, and many say they live in “Catalunya,” not Spain.
We got there late afternoon on friday and didn’t really have time to do any of the big things (plus we were waiting for another friend to come the next morning. So we walked down to the the Magic fountain of Montjuïc. Every night the fountain puts on a show of music and lights and, well, water.
(Check out the video in a later blog post to see the fountain show with Lord of the Rings music - so awesome!)
After the fountain we walked down La Rambla, a rather touristy strip of stores, restaurants, and people thinking you’ll give them money for wearing weird costumes and making annoying squeaky sounds. We ate some paella for dinner and make jokes about the lobster.
The next morning we got up as early as breakfast was available and headed to the Sagrada Familia, a “new” Cathedral designed by Gaudí and still under construction since 1882. I would love to see it again some day when it’s finished, but its still beautiful as it is. Like the rest of Barcelona, its incredibly unique. The structure, decorations, statues, everything is unique any other catholic cathedral. (I can’t choose one picture to summarize so you’ll just have to check out the album).
After that we went back to La Rambla for a bit and then ended up splitting into two groups. Me and two other girls went to La Pedrera (aka Casa Mila), yet another Gaudí work. The inside wasn’t anything particularly interesting, just an apartment, but the roof was like a big play house of weird statues and neat views.
Then we checked out Parc Güell (you guessed it, Gaudí). It was a very appropriate thing for Gaudí to design as most of his architecture reflects nature. There were three houses in the park some other interesting structures.
By this time we were getting pretty tired, but we picked ourselves up and went to the Picasso Museum (nothing to do with Gaudí). It didn’t have a lot of famous works, but each room was a different period of his work and it was interesting to see the progression. He also did forty something paintings based on Valázquez’s Las Meninas, but with a Picasso flare, and the museum had a large collection of these.
That night we got free dinner from a coupon from the hostel. It wasn’t all that great but hey, it was the cost of a glass of fanta naranja so I can’t complain. I was pretty tired and after walking around for a little while and talking to David I went to bed. That night we also had an interesting experience due to Cassie buying a bull shaped bottle of sangria as a gift and then realizing you can’t bring liquids on the plane… so we drank it. It was awful.
The next morning we woke up early in an attempt to see the sunrise over the beach. By the time we got there it was already over the horizon, but pretty nonetheless. And the color of the sky as we passed the pier was beautiful. We played in the water for a bit and then went back to the hostel and back to the airport.
Friday, September 25th
Getting to Avila (a small walled city nothwest of Madrid) was almost a disaster, but we had a fun time once we got there. If you don’t want to read my detailed account of getting to Avila, feel free to skip down to the part labeled ¡Ávila!
We planned to take the 11:30 train and met at 11:10. However by the time we found each other and the ticket office it was after 11:15 and there was a long line. We waited about 10 minutes and then decided we would try the bus instead.
We got to the bus station at 11:40 and saw there was a bus to Avila at 12. We got in line and after waiting for a few minutes I realized there was a machine where you could buy tickets with a credit card. After making sure that our bus was there, the other two girls got out of line. But when I swiped my card, nothing happened. It didn’t tell me something was wrong, it just sat there. The same with Cassie’s card and another machine.
So we got back in line and got to the window with five minutes left. In a hurry to get to the train I didn’t think to ask for the number, but the bus number was on the ticket. So we ran downstairs and across the station to find number 21, but there was no bus. Then after some more running around we figured out bus number 21 leaves from station number 49. So… we went to 49, and there was no bus. It was 12:01.
We went back up to the ticket window to see what we could do. She said (at least I understood) that we could use the tickets on the 2:30 bus. So we hung out for a couple of hours and ate our lunches, and returned at 2:15. But when the bus came, the bus driver told us we had to get tickets for 2:30 (of course). So we ran back upstairs and talked with a different guy, who told us we had to buy different tickets. So… we did. (Also the guy tried to tell me I needed my original passport and not just a copy, which was ridiculous).
Then, finally, we got on the bus. Naturally, the bus went a different way that the Spanish guy sitting next to me who often travels to Ávila said it never goes. But once we got there, all was well.
¡Ávila!
We got to Ávila with four hours to travel and such. We went to the Covenant of Saint Teresa, and also saw her finger. Apparently it’s a Catholic tradition I wasn’t aware of to save relics of various saints. They also had some bone splinters from another saint.
Then we bought yemas! Yemas are a specialty of Ávila; a soft boiled egg yolk coated in sugar. It wasn’t as gross as it sounds, but I probably wouldn’t buy it again. But worth trying. After that we went up the wall that surrounds the city. We made the mistake of using our two tickets on the smaller sections of the wall (there are three). But a great view!
After those activities we realized there wasn’t really much else to do, and we’d only been there two hours. So we went outside the wall and sat in the grass for a while, and then went to the main plaza. There we sat down and had some sangria and yummy free tapas. I’m a really big fan of sangria… I don’t really like many alcoholic drinks but sangria is very refreshing and it isn’t all that strong as far as wine and alcohol goes and very fruity and sweet.
Fortunately we made it home without a problem! It was quite an adventure, hopefully big enough of one that we won’t have another one of this sort.
Saturday - Sunday September 19th-20th
Our second group trip was an overnight to Granada. It was amazing! I had such a great time; Granada is a fascinating city.
We took a bus and got there early in the afternoon. After lunch we headed off the the Alhambra (the reason everyone goes to Granada). It was built during the occupation of the Moors as a residency for the Sultan and many others. The decoration is unlike anything you can see in the rest of Europe, with colorful tiles and detailed fresco but a distinct lack of paintings and imagery.
The reason for this lacking is the Muslim thinking that images should not be displayed, less they become idols or distractions. Additionally, everything was done very simply. Unlike European castles and cathedrals, the Alhambra was not built to last. The floor is strong and made out of marble, but the walls are simple. The bottom halves of the walls are covered in geometric tiles and the top half with frescoes which were stamped rather than done by hand.
I took a lot of pictures of the colorful tiles. David gave me the idea to make and print my own papers, and so I took pictures of the tiles to use in my scrapbook. :)
After the Alhambra and dinner we went to the Arab baths. The baths are housed in the same structure where the Sultan and his family went to bathe, although most of it is reconstructed. It was incredibly relaxing, but at the same time I felt like I was having a cultural experience. The arab music, tea, subtle perfumes and decorations similar to those in the Alhambra perfected the experience. There were three baths - two warm and one cold. (Apparently its good for the skin to switch between the two). There was also a sauna, which was an interesting but somehow enjoyable experience (despite the difficulty in breathing).
That night I decided to go out with a couple people. We went to a bar right down the street from our hotel and I decided I would give beer another chance (the only other time I’ve had it was in Germany, and I wasn’t a fan). I’d heard a popular thing here is “cerveza con limon”, beer with lemon fanta. I ordered one, and although it was better than plain beer I still wouldn’t drink it again. The group was moving on to some discoteca (club) further away, and I went back to the hotel. After spending $10 talking to David (he spent the $10, apparently calling a mobile from skype is not 2.5 cents a minute, that’s just for landlines), I went to bed.
After only six hours of sleep I woke up (I didn’t want to miss out on seeing more of the city) and went with some of the other girls to El Mirador de San Nicolas, a great place to see the entire Alhambra from a mountain next to it. We didn’t have too much trouble finding it, between the map and the signs and the fact that if you just keep going up you’re probably getting closer.
We met with the group at 11 or so to go to La Capilla Real (the Royal Chapel), where Isabel and Fernando are buried. As always, Isabel gave us a lot of interesting details. We had free time to eat, so we first went to see the Cathedral. We asked Isabel if there was anything else we had time to see, and she suggested La Plaza de Toros (bulls). Eric and I couldn’t find anyone else that wanted to go, so we took off by ourselves. The Plaza itself wasn’t terribly interesting, but in the area there are amazing tapas. Between the two of us we had four drinks and four tapas (the food comes free with the drink) for just over 7 euros. Each “tapa” was a small plate - I had a sandwich and potatoes with a fried egg and I was plenty full.
After that, sadly, it was time to head back. I spent almost the entire bus ride (despite it making me a bit car sick) reading something for class the next day that we didn’t end up going over, and were given another week to finish. But, it’s done.
What a great weekend! It’s thursday and I’m finally caught up on the sleep I missed, but that’s due more to staying up late talking to someone than the 2 hours I missed saturday night…
Friday, September 11th – Retiro
Pictures are at the end of the album Mas de Madrid
Friday afternoon we went back to El Parque Retiro to hang out and relax. We went back to the rose garden and I took even more pictures of roses! After that we got ice cream and found a nice place to sit down. We were just sitting in the grass under a tree for almost two hours, chatting and playing with a small plant that Cassie thought was absolutely fascinating. Especially living in a city we needed a break outside with trees and grass and beautiful weather.
Saturday, September 12th – El Escorial and El Valle de los Caidos (the Valley of the Fallen)
We went to el Escorial as a group trip with our director, Isabel. These places are about an hour northwest of Madrid, in the mountains.
After driving for a while we stopped in a mountain, with no clear purpose for being there. Then we started hiking up a mountain until we got to the top and La Silla de Filipe II. I didn’t know we were going to be hiking, but I really enjoyed it! I haven’t gone hiking in so long, and there were so many pretty views along the way. La Silla de Filipe II was at the top of the mountain, and was the king’s seat for watching the construction of el Escorial.
Next we went to el Escorial itself. The word doesn’t have a translation, but the structure itself is a mixture of palace, basilica and school. It is also a crypt for the kings and queens of Spain after Fernando and Isabel (who are buried in Granada). Unfortunately we couldn’t take any pictures inside, so my album only has pictures of the outside. Again, since we were with Isabel, we got a lot of interesting details about what we were seeing.
We left el Escorial and went to el Valle de los Caidos, a memorial to the fallen in the Spanish Civil War. The monument is a basilica built into a mountain; you enter from a plaza on the side of the mountain and are inside the mountain as you walk through the basilica. Under the cross in the church is a huge cross on top of the mountain (an absolutely gorgeous view from the outside).
Sunday, September 13th – Toledo
A group of us decided we wanted to go to Toledo together (eight total). We got on a bus (8 euro round trip) and got there around noon. The biggest thing to see in Toledo is the Cathedral; Toledo is the former capital of Spain and still the religious capital. It was gorgeous, but I especially enjoyed watching the others experience it. I’ve seen several european cathedrals, but they had never seen a cathedral before. And the in Toledo is probably one of the prettiest ones I’ve seen.
We walked around for a while (went in too many tourist shops) and then went to La Iglesia (church) de Santo Tome, which houses a famous painting by El Greco called “El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz” (the burial of Count Orgaz). I didn’t immediately recognize the name but I did recognize the painting.
