If you talk to anyone who has come to vacation in Spain, their first sentence usually is some variation of the following: " You´re going to Spain? Oh you have to go to Barcelona, it is one of my favorite cities ever!" So with my expectations high, I hopped on a late-night plane to see if what everyone said was true.
Of course, walking down Las Ramblas at 1 AM was probably not the best welcome to the city. Trying to avoid the groups of men selling beer cans and all of the club promoters while looking at a map and for directions to our hostel was a bit of a challenge, but soon we passed through the narrow and dark streets of the Gothic Quarter of the city to our small but nice hostel.
We slept in a little the next morning and then headed out to explore the city by day. In the light, the long pedestrian walkway of Las Ramblas had taken on a completely different personality. It was full of people selling everything from chicken and guinea pigs to flowers to paintings to massages. And of course, I have to mention the human art. All along the walkway were people dressed up as anything you could imagine, trying to get your attention and your coins. For example there was a man painted all in white sitting on a toilet or a person completely covered in fruit and dressed as a fruit stand. On our way up Las Ramblas, we stopped by the famous La Boquería market which if full of fresh seafood, meat, cheese, olives, spices, fruit, vegetables, basically all the goodies you could want.
Finally we managed to escape the madness of Plaza Catalunya and started our walk down tree-lined streets to visit Gaudí´s modern masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia. I have to say Barcelona reminds me of Paris architecturally speaking and definitely has a different feel than Madrid. Anyway when we got to La Sagrada Familia I was stunned. I mean it´s still under construction so there were cranes and tarps everywhere but the spires full of carvings to resemble trees and the brightly colored fruit-balls on the top alongside statues representing Jesus were a rather strange combination. But I have to say of all of the Cathedrals I´ve seen and all of the churches, it´s my favorite perhaps because it´s so eccentric and light-hearted.
Then we hopped on the metro to visit Gaudi´s park Guell. The park is bomb!!! There´s no other word to describe it. The longest park bench in the world, covered with mosaics rings a huge dirt plaza overlooking the city, the Mediterranean Ocean and the park itself including a house that looks like it should be out of Hansel and Gretel and a forest made completely of mosaic columns. The sun was shining, everyone was out enjoying the park and for once, I could sit and actually let it sink in that I was in Europe. Incredible.
Anyway that night we went out to a discoteca that turned out to be a long metro ride away plus a 40 minute walk. It was fun but at one point my friends and I left the dance floor to get some fresh air and when we came back everyone our age had suddenly disappeared and I swear that the youngest people there were two 28 year olds from Brazil that we met. So our night out in Barcelona wasn´t all that great but oh well, we discovered a very cool tiki bar that lit our drinks on fire at least.
The next day we spent shopping and wandering around by the waterfront and yes, I´m ashamed to admit it, eating at Hard Rock Cafe. I needed that 10 euro hamburger and 6 euro milkshake after all of that traveling. After filling ourselves up with chocolate crepes on the pier, we went to the neighborhood of Montjuic to watch a fountain show. But it wasn´t just any old fountain show. Oh no. The fountain had lights and a water flow that were choreographed to music and sat at the foot of the beautiful museum of modern art surrounded by cascading waterfalls. And did I mention it was free? Needless to say, we sat around being mesmorized by that for quite a while. I think that was my favorite part of Barcelona in the end. Then it was off to an Irish pub to watch the famous Fútbol Club Barça take on Bilbao. Although Barça is the best team in the league, they ended up tying the game. Oh well, I am still definitely getting into this fútbol thing!
So, my opinion of Barcelona? Okay, well it´s huge, people kept responding to me in English when I spoke Spanish, there were a lot more ummm, for lack of a better word, crazies around, and for the first time in Spain I didn´t always feel 100% safe or secure. However, it is beautiful, has a ton to do and awesome Gaudí architecture and I made sure to drink out of the lucky fountain to make sure I would return to the city someday. Still, it definitely made me appreciate how luck I am to study in Granada. ¡ Hasta el proxímo.....
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Los Medicos y Otras Observaciones
So I spent a wonderful weekend in Sevilla which is as beautiful, warm and sunny (Spain just refuses to celebrate the fall) and so full of history it is ridiculously overwhelming!! The only problem with all of this wonderful traveling is that I have a sinus infection. And it can´t just be any usual sinus infection but in fact is the most painful one I have ever experienced.
Because of my travel plans, I caved in and went to the doctor with my program director yesterday. I know I have spoken about how cheap healthcare is in Spain but let me just reiterate the numbers for you. An office visit: 40 euros. Four medications, including an antibiotic: 26 euros. Another interesting thing is that when you arrive in a doctor´s office, you have to find out who the last person in line in front of you is in the waiting room. No one calls out your name -- you just have to keep an eye on the door. Anyway I was in the room for all of about 2 minutes while the doctor felt my sinuses and prescribed a mountain of cures. I am definitely feeling a lot better now though.
Other than this little bump in my daily schedule, things have been moving along quite well. Other than sleep and homework, life has been going by as usual: nights spent at bars eating tapas or churros y chocolate, days spent window shopping and hanging out with the host family. I spent a rather crowded and smokey night watching France beat Ireland in a heated World Cup qualifier. Although I was there with several Frenchies, I was definitely cheering for Ireland. I mean, at least I can cheer for them in my own language! I am also leaving for a weekend in Barcelona tonight and I am very excited about seeing all of Gaudí´s works and the "Paris of Spain". I will definitely let you know how that goes, especially since I am going to Morocco next weekend and so I should be trying to keep up on my posting a bit.
Once again, another short post. I just don´t seem to have the time to write anything that interesting anymore!! Too much fun to be had out and about!
Because of my travel plans, I caved in and went to the doctor with my program director yesterday. I know I have spoken about how cheap healthcare is in Spain but let me just reiterate the numbers for you. An office visit: 40 euros. Four medications, including an antibiotic: 26 euros. Another interesting thing is that when you arrive in a doctor´s office, you have to find out who the last person in line in front of you is in the waiting room. No one calls out your name -- you just have to keep an eye on the door. Anyway I was in the room for all of about 2 minutes while the doctor felt my sinuses and prescribed a mountain of cures. I am definitely feeling a lot better now though.
Other than this little bump in my daily schedule, things have been moving along quite well. Other than sleep and homework, life has been going by as usual: nights spent at bars eating tapas or churros y chocolate, days spent window shopping and hanging out with the host family. I spent a rather crowded and smokey night watching France beat Ireland in a heated World Cup qualifier. Although I was there with several Frenchies, I was definitely cheering for Ireland. I mean, at least I can cheer for them in my own language! I am also leaving for a weekend in Barcelona tonight and I am very excited about seeing all of Gaudí´s works and the "Paris of Spain". I will definitely let you know how that goes, especially since I am going to Morocco next weekend and so I should be trying to keep up on my posting a bit.
Once again, another short post. I just don´t seem to have the time to write anything that interesting anymore!! Too much fun to be had out and about!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Es que no quiero salir
A month and a week. That is all that remains of my time here in Granada. And I am very sad about it. I know, less than two months ago I was complaining about life here and how much I miss home, but now I truly feel like I have made a connection with the city and the country and the prospect of returning home to the same routine and real life is daunting. Plus I know that change in constant and what I will be coming back to will be different, as will I.
My friend Olivia came to visit me here this last week and playing tourist with her just made my appreciation of Granada grow. And it made me realize just how amazing my host family and my friends and even the city itself are. We spent some time in the Mediterranean town of Málaga which was fun but returning home to show Olivia the sites was a wake-up call. I got to see the city through a newcomer´s eyes again and I also got to return to some of my favorite places. We spent a lot of time at various bars or cafés, just people watching and talking, or wandering the streets and stumbling upon tiny plazas and local markets. I am almost regretting my decision to go to Bacelona for a weekend because that is a weekend I am not in Granada. And as far as my Morocco trip goes, I am still debating when I could possibly tear myself away from here.
It was at this point that I realized I can´t imagine leaving Spanish life behind. First of all I had two exams this week and for once, I didn´t spend hours studying and I didn´t stress about them as I would have at home. Instead, I did what I felt like doing, which including going out for tapas or churros with my friends because time is getting too short here. Okay so maybe my grades won´t turn out that well but I have much fonder memories now than I would have had I sat around poring over my notes. I say "yes" here so much more than I do back home and every single day is an adventure. Plus when you are abroad, so much of your mentality is about meeting new people and trying new things and I hate to say it, but getting back into that Willamette bubble just takes that away from you. I have seriously contemplated staying here for the full year but you and I both know I can´t... not only do I think my parents would shoot me dead but I guess I can´t avoid real life forever, and graduation requirements and jobs and internships and the future are still staring me in the face.
So I know this post may have turned into a stream-of-consciousness ramble but I feel better for having put it all out there, especially given some of my previous posts. Where I used to tear up thinking about all I am missing out on back home, I get misty-eyed thinking of all I will be leaving behind. I guess this just means I will have to make the most of my time left here but I am sure that no matter what, there will always be that feeling that there is so much more I could be doing. Any way I need to stop now. Thanks for listening.
My friend Olivia came to visit me here this last week and playing tourist with her just made my appreciation of Granada grow. And it made me realize just how amazing my host family and my friends and even the city itself are. We spent some time in the Mediterranean town of Málaga which was fun but returning home to show Olivia the sites was a wake-up call. I got to see the city through a newcomer´s eyes again and I also got to return to some of my favorite places. We spent a lot of time at various bars or cafés, just people watching and talking, or wandering the streets and stumbling upon tiny plazas and local markets. I am almost regretting my decision to go to Bacelona for a weekend because that is a weekend I am not in Granada. And as far as my Morocco trip goes, I am still debating when I could possibly tear myself away from here.
It was at this point that I realized I can´t imagine leaving Spanish life behind. First of all I had two exams this week and for once, I didn´t spend hours studying and I didn´t stress about them as I would have at home. Instead, I did what I felt like doing, which including going out for tapas or churros with my friends because time is getting too short here. Okay so maybe my grades won´t turn out that well but I have much fonder memories now than I would have had I sat around poring over my notes. I say "yes" here so much more than I do back home and every single day is an adventure. Plus when you are abroad, so much of your mentality is about meeting new people and trying new things and I hate to say it, but getting back into that Willamette bubble just takes that away from you. I have seriously contemplated staying here for the full year but you and I both know I can´t... not only do I think my parents would shoot me dead but I guess I can´t avoid real life forever, and graduation requirements and jobs and internships and the future are still staring me in the face.
So I know this post may have turned into a stream-of-consciousness ramble but I feel better for having put it all out there, especially given some of my previous posts. Where I used to tear up thinking about all I am missing out on back home, I get misty-eyed thinking of all I will be leaving behind. I guess this just means I will have to make the most of my time left here but I am sure that no matter what, there will always be that feeling that there is so much more I could be doing. Any way I need to stop now. Thanks for listening.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Madrid
If Granada is like Santa Fe, Madrid is, well, New York. It is huge, bustling, and full of things to do and see. Yet at the same time, it still has that Spanish charm that I seem to just find everywhere. I mean every corner you turn, there is some plaza or other or an incredibly beautiful building predating anything I have seen in the US.
So we started off our visit in Madrid in the museum of modern art, known as the Reina Sofia. I hate to say it, but I have never laughed so hard at any artwork before. I guess I just can´t appreciate things like the ´untitled box for standing in´ or a completely white exhibit room that is actually an exhibit in itself. The Picasso´s, Dalí´s and Miró´s were interesting enough but just not really my cup of tea. In reality, they just weirded me out a bit. However, next on our list was the Museo de Prado which is basically just second to the Louvre in Europe. Now this museum is incredible - it has works by Velzquez, El Greco, Goya, Ribera, Rembrandt and more. It is amazing how lifelike some of the pictures are and you could spend whole days just getting lost in the building. The problem was that I was rather tired and though I hate to admit it, I was feeling overwhelmed with all of the art after only 2 mere hours. So, like any American tourist, I went to Starbucks to get some sustenance.
Our next stop was The Escorial which is the huge and rather austere palace from the reign of King Felipe II. The library was impressive, as was the maseleoum were all of Spain´s kings and queens since Felipe´s time are buried along with other members of the royal family. I think I probably saw about 2000 coffins that day, which was fitting as it was halloween. To continue in that same vein, we drove up the the Valle de Los Caidos where Franco is buried. It is an incredible monument and I was very conflicted regarding my feelings towards it. First of all, it is where 50,000 nationalist soldiers are buried and Franco built it as a testament to the strength of Spain under his rule. However, the monument itself is incredible, carved straight into the mountain with the second largest basilica in the world. The cross that towers overhead is much taller than the Eiffel Tower and the whole thing overlooks a massive valley and can be seen from miles away. However, when I would stop to think about how many people died in the civil war and how much suffering came about from it, I was not particularly fond of the monument. But I can still appreciate it. If you ask any Spaniard, they seem to express the same feelings. After all, their conflict was much more recent than our civil war and there are still many remains today.
Anyway, all seriousness aside, I was excited to celebrate halloween in Madrid. People actually do dress up and it is a rather popular holiday for young people. So we met up with a friend who lived in Madrid that we had met earlier and went out to a delicious dinner before meeting up with some other Spaniards, Mexicans, Venezuelans, and Costa Ricans to go dancing. It was rather fun but before long, all of us Americans were ready to head back and go to sleep. Of course, no one could believe that we would want to go home at 4:30 in the morning as the night was just getting started in Madrid. One day, I am sure I am just going to see the sun rise. In fact, the next morning when I woke up at 8 to get breakfast, there were many people walking along the streets still in costume, just heading home for the day.
I spent a glorious afternoon in the Parque de Retiro in Madrid which is basically equivalent to Central Park. The sun was shining, it was warm, the park was full of trees with autumn leaves, and everyone was out, either taking a walk, paddling a boat on the lake, watching the street performers, or just sitting in the grass. I have to say I really miss grass and decidious trees here in Granada, so it was so nice to actually feel like it was fall. If there is only one thing the Europeans do right -which I know they actually do a lot of things right- it´s that there are parks everywhere.
The next two excursions we took were to Segovia to see the impressive and more than a thousand year old roman acqueduct, and then to Toledo to visit the medieval city where Don Quixote was born. Both were charming and full of fall sunshine. In Segovia, I visited the royal palace which is supposedly the model for the castle in ´Snow White.´ During both excursions though, I was feeling a bit tired and sick so I probably didn´t appreciate them as much as a should have. But I have to say, after visiting Madrid, I am finding that it will be harder and harder for me to leave here. Don´t get me wrong, I can´t wait to see all of you, but I am finally settling into Spanish life and I know that there are many aspects of it that I will miss, much more than I originally thought.
So we started off our visit in Madrid in the museum of modern art, known as the Reina Sofia. I hate to say it, but I have never laughed so hard at any artwork before. I guess I just can´t appreciate things like the ´untitled box for standing in´ or a completely white exhibit room that is actually an exhibit in itself. The Picasso´s, Dalí´s and Miró´s were interesting enough but just not really my cup of tea. In reality, they just weirded me out a bit. However, next on our list was the Museo de Prado which is basically just second to the Louvre in Europe. Now this museum is incredible - it has works by Velzquez, El Greco, Goya, Ribera, Rembrandt and more. It is amazing how lifelike some of the pictures are and you could spend whole days just getting lost in the building. The problem was that I was rather tired and though I hate to admit it, I was feeling overwhelmed with all of the art after only 2 mere hours. So, like any American tourist, I went to Starbucks to get some sustenance.
Our next stop was The Escorial which is the huge and rather austere palace from the reign of King Felipe II. The library was impressive, as was the maseleoum were all of Spain´s kings and queens since Felipe´s time are buried along with other members of the royal family. I think I probably saw about 2000 coffins that day, which was fitting as it was halloween. To continue in that same vein, we drove up the the Valle de Los Caidos where Franco is buried. It is an incredible monument and I was very conflicted regarding my feelings towards it. First of all, it is where 50,000 nationalist soldiers are buried and Franco built it as a testament to the strength of Spain under his rule. However, the monument itself is incredible, carved straight into the mountain with the second largest basilica in the world. The cross that towers overhead is much taller than the Eiffel Tower and the whole thing overlooks a massive valley and can be seen from miles away. However, when I would stop to think about how many people died in the civil war and how much suffering came about from it, I was not particularly fond of the monument. But I can still appreciate it. If you ask any Spaniard, they seem to express the same feelings. After all, their conflict was much more recent than our civil war and there are still many remains today.
Anyway, all seriousness aside, I was excited to celebrate halloween in Madrid. People actually do dress up and it is a rather popular holiday for young people. So we met up with a friend who lived in Madrid that we had met earlier and went out to a delicious dinner before meeting up with some other Spaniards, Mexicans, Venezuelans, and Costa Ricans to go dancing. It was rather fun but before long, all of us Americans were ready to head back and go to sleep. Of course, no one could believe that we would want to go home at 4:30 in the morning as the night was just getting started in Madrid. One day, I am sure I am just going to see the sun rise. In fact, the next morning when I woke up at 8 to get breakfast, there were many people walking along the streets still in costume, just heading home for the day.
I spent a glorious afternoon in the Parque de Retiro in Madrid which is basically equivalent to Central Park. The sun was shining, it was warm, the park was full of trees with autumn leaves, and everyone was out, either taking a walk, paddling a boat on the lake, watching the street performers, or just sitting in the grass. I have to say I really miss grass and decidious trees here in Granada, so it was so nice to actually feel like it was fall. If there is only one thing the Europeans do right -which I know they actually do a lot of things right- it´s that there are parks everywhere.
The next two excursions we took were to Segovia to see the impressive and more than a thousand year old roman acqueduct, and then to Toledo to visit the medieval city where Don Quixote was born. Both were charming and full of fall sunshine. In Segovia, I visited the royal palace which is supposedly the model for the castle in ´Snow White.´ During both excursions though, I was feeling a bit tired and sick so I probably didn´t appreciate them as much as a should have. But I have to say, after visiting Madrid, I am finding that it will be harder and harder for me to leave here. Don´t get me wrong, I can´t wait to see all of you, but I am finally settling into Spanish life and I know that there are many aspects of it that I will miss, much more than I originally thought.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Menos que un mitad
So my life continues without my computer and so does the long Indian summer we´ve been having here. Not only is it tshirt and shorts weather but the sun is out full force. I can´t believe it! So much for that red peacoat I just bought.
My experience is more than halfway over and I have to say I´m excited for the next two months but also looking forward to coming home (though not to the rain and clouds). The only problem is that it is just now that I seem to be making more international friends and it is also just starting now that I will be busy almost every weekend. Our program is going to Madrid for five days starting tomorrow, then my friend Olivia is coming to visit and we are going to Malaga (right in the midst of midterms too!), then our program goes to Sevilla, then I have plane tickets to Barcelona, and then I plan on going to Morocco. Whew... I am disappointed that going to Portugal doesn´t seem to be like much of an option now but I guess I can´t go everywhere. There´s just not enough time! It´s frustrating though because there´s still so much to do and see but I am also feeling a lot lazier about traveling. Mainly that I never want to see the inside of the Granada bus station ever again.
My classes are going fine although rather disappointing in that I feel I am not learning anything new about the economy or much about translation. It was frustrating today because my econ professor showed us a video by Glen Beck when we were talking about immigration. Of course, I can´t stand Glen Beck but then the professor went on to say he should be censored and that he doesn´t understand why nudity is so taboo in the US while anyone can basically say anything when it comes to political rhetoric. I tried to explain to him about free speech laws in the US but he just kept saying ¨we have free speech in Spain but no one here would be allowed to say the Mexican president is lazy and stupid.¨ Then he went on to say that someone´s cultural level should be determined by how much school they went to. For example, he says in Spain the ¨cultural level¨is close to 30% meaning that 30% of people are university educated. We tried to tell him that culture and education have nothing to do with one another per se but he just kept negating our viewpoint. Needless to say it was a frustrating experience, especially since we could only speak in Spanish.
Well that´s all for now - I have to head home for lunch soon. I will let you know how Madrid goes though! ¡Hasta hora!
My experience is more than halfway over and I have to say I´m excited for the next two months but also looking forward to coming home (though not to the rain and clouds). The only problem is that it is just now that I seem to be making more international friends and it is also just starting now that I will be busy almost every weekend. Our program is going to Madrid for five days starting tomorrow, then my friend Olivia is coming to visit and we are going to Malaga (right in the midst of midterms too!), then our program goes to Sevilla, then I have plane tickets to Barcelona, and then I plan on going to Morocco. Whew... I am disappointed that going to Portugal doesn´t seem to be like much of an option now but I guess I can´t go everywhere. There´s just not enough time! It´s frustrating though because there´s still so much to do and see but I am also feeling a lot lazier about traveling. Mainly that I never want to see the inside of the Granada bus station ever again.
My classes are going fine although rather disappointing in that I feel I am not learning anything new about the economy or much about translation. It was frustrating today because my econ professor showed us a video by Glen Beck when we were talking about immigration. Of course, I can´t stand Glen Beck but then the professor went on to say he should be censored and that he doesn´t understand why nudity is so taboo in the US while anyone can basically say anything when it comes to political rhetoric. I tried to explain to him about free speech laws in the US but he just kept saying ¨we have free speech in Spain but no one here would be allowed to say the Mexican president is lazy and stupid.¨ Then he went on to say that someone´s cultural level should be determined by how much school they went to. For example, he says in Spain the ¨cultural level¨is close to 30% meaning that 30% of people are university educated. We tried to tell him that culture and education have nothing to do with one another per se but he just kept negating our viewpoint. Needless to say it was a frustrating experience, especially since we could only speak in Spanish.
Well that´s all for now - I have to head home for lunch soon. I will let you know how Madrid goes though! ¡Hasta hora!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
La Vida Simple
Technology: Can't live with it, can't live without it. I never understood just how dicey this relationship was until my time abroad. You see, my computer crashed on Sunday. Completely and utterly will not work. Which in any case is awful but it is especially worse when you are abroad. After all, it's my contact with the outside world and without it, how will I write this blog that I know you are all anxiously awaiting every Sunday and Wednesday (Yeah about that... I know it´s Tuesday. My writing may be a little less regular now that I'm computerless at home? More importantly, how will I keep up with Mad Men or Gossip Girl or the Tudors?
In reality, what seemed like an end of the world scenario to me has proven to be almost a blessing in disguise. You see, I have been spending way more time online at my home here than I care to admit. And now that I must walk 20 minutes to the school to use the internet, I am actually doing what I initially set out to do: read more, study more, watch more Spanish tv, and just plain get out of the house. I am not completely cut off from the world because my cell phone still works and I do have computer access at school, but it is forcing me to actually be productive. I have been finding it so easy here to sit around for most of the afternoon, spending hours on facebook or watching those American tv series I think I can´t live without.
My disc to reformat my hard drive should be arriving next week and I have my pictures online and on an external hard drive so all is not lost. At this point, I am (almost) happy it happened. Especially since I stumbled upon a tv channel last night that was showing the dubbed version of a Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes episode. Just remember, if you don´t hear from me for a while, I am [probably] not stranded in a small Spanish village without food, water or money. Rather, I am taking a long walk or trying to figure out what all those weird Spanish words in Unamuno´s book mean. ¡Que guay!
In reality, what seemed like an end of the world scenario to me has proven to be almost a blessing in disguise. You see, I have been spending way more time online at my home here than I care to admit. And now that I must walk 20 minutes to the school to use the internet, I am actually doing what I initially set out to do: read more, study more, watch more Spanish tv, and just plain get out of the house. I am not completely cut off from the world because my cell phone still works and I do have computer access at school, but it is forcing me to actually be productive. I have been finding it so easy here to sit around for most of the afternoon, spending hours on facebook or watching those American tv series I think I can´t live without.
My disc to reformat my hard drive should be arriving next week and I have my pictures online and on an external hard drive so all is not lost. At this point, I am (almost) happy it happened. Especially since I stumbled upon a tv channel last night that was showing the dubbed version of a Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes episode. Just remember, if you don´t hear from me for a while, I am [probably] not stranded in a small Spanish village without food, water or money. Rather, I am taking a long walk or trying to figure out what all those weird Spanish words in Unamuno´s book mean. ¡Que guay!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
La gente sale a las 4:30 por la manana...
I am sure you will all be glad to know that yours truly has returned from yet another weekend getaway without a scratch (but perhaps with much darker circles under my eyes). I spent our four day weekend in the north of Spain in a town known as Santiago de Compostela situated in the region of Galicia.
Galicia is known for its rain and happily, it was misting a little while we were there. Seriously, I enjoyed every last drop! It is also much greener and actually has some fir trees and grass which is a scarce commodity down south in Andalucia. Most of the houses are stone and judging by the smells throughout the city, fishing is big business.
Anyway I decided to go to Santiago de Compostela to see a different part of Spain but also to visit the famous Cathedral. Santiago was one of the apostles and his body is buried in the Cathedral. While I am not familiar with the whole story, there is something about Santiago being told by God to follow a star and he ended up in what is now Compostela where he died. Anyway, people from all over the world make pilgrimages to the cathedral, some starting as far away as France or Portugal and walking for over a month! When I went to mass on Sunday to see the huge incense burner, there were probably over 1000 people inside the church and many more outside waiting to get in. Crazy.
The cathedral was beautiful and old (originally founded in 1072) and I made sure to hug the gold bust of Santiago for luck. But it was really the city that made the trip great. For some reason, people seemed much more open and happy to talk to us there and the tiny medieval cobblestoned streets and huge plazas were, quite honestly, charming. I know, that's such a horrible cliche word to use but I really can't think of anyway else to describe it. However, one aspect of the trip I did not quite agree with. So, like our 60 year old hostel owner, my host mom, and every other Spaniard of any age, creed, or religion will tell you to do, we decided to go out on Saturday night. Of course, by now we are somewhat accustomed to the late hours here and we went to a bar before trying to go dancing at around 2 AM. The first discoteca we entered was completely empty except for us. The next was filled with 30-40 year olds trying out their amazing salsa skills. So as not to embarrass ourselves, we moved on. By 3:30 AM, after similar luck at 4 other empty discotecas around the downtown area, we collapsed by the cathedral, deciding just to take in the view and night air. A few of our Spanish contemporaries were walking by so we stopped them out of curiosity to ask where everyone was. I mean, Santiago is a university town after all. We were informed that no one even goes to the clubs in the city until 4:30. In the morning! As much as I wanted to dance, I do also have a very human need for sleep, so we gave up.
We ate pulpo a la gallego -- octopus cooked with potatoes. It is completely delicious! I also did my fair share of pastry eating which I feel is an essential element to any trip abroad, even daily during my extended "trip" to Granada. Also, I was happy to find a crepe restaurant serving spinach and goat cheese crepes on the plaza which was a very nice change: I hadn't eaten much in the way of vegetables since my carrot in Paris. Perhaps the best meal though was the one we bought at the grocery store in Noia, a small fishing village about an hour away from Santiago, and ended up eating at a bus stop. We were looking for a beach but hunger got the best of us and once again we showed our true red, white, and blue colors, eating on the side of the road which would horrify any self-respecting Spaniard.
Basically it was a nice relaxing trip after the whirlwind that was Ireland and Paris. I finally am going to stay in Granada for a little bit, at least until the end of the month when we have a long excursion to Madrid. I am exhausted of airports, buses, and metros though I can now navigate all like a pro. After that? Sevilla? Barcelona? Morocco? Portugal? Maybe all, although my bank account may not be agreeing with me at the moment.
Un saludo, Jenny
Galicia is known for its rain and happily, it was misting a little while we were there. Seriously, I enjoyed every last drop! It is also much greener and actually has some fir trees and grass which is a scarce commodity down south in Andalucia. Most of the houses are stone and judging by the smells throughout the city, fishing is big business.
Anyway I decided to go to Santiago de Compostela to see a different part of Spain but also to visit the famous Cathedral. Santiago was one of the apostles and his body is buried in the Cathedral. While I am not familiar with the whole story, there is something about Santiago being told by God to follow a star and he ended up in what is now Compostela where he died. Anyway, people from all over the world make pilgrimages to the cathedral, some starting as far away as France or Portugal and walking for over a month! When I went to mass on Sunday to see the huge incense burner, there were probably over 1000 people inside the church and many more outside waiting to get in. Crazy.
The cathedral was beautiful and old (originally founded in 1072) and I made sure to hug the gold bust of Santiago for luck. But it was really the city that made the trip great. For some reason, people seemed much more open and happy to talk to us there and the tiny medieval cobblestoned streets and huge plazas were, quite honestly, charming. I know, that's such a horrible cliche word to use but I really can't think of anyway else to describe it. However, one aspect of the trip I did not quite agree with. So, like our 60 year old hostel owner, my host mom, and every other Spaniard of any age, creed, or religion will tell you to do, we decided to go out on Saturday night. Of course, by now we are somewhat accustomed to the late hours here and we went to a bar before trying to go dancing at around 2 AM. The first discoteca we entered was completely empty except for us. The next was filled with 30-40 year olds trying out their amazing salsa skills. So as not to embarrass ourselves, we moved on. By 3:30 AM, after similar luck at 4 other empty discotecas around the downtown area, we collapsed by the cathedral, deciding just to take in the view and night air. A few of our Spanish contemporaries were walking by so we stopped them out of curiosity to ask where everyone was. I mean, Santiago is a university town after all. We were informed that no one even goes to the clubs in the city until 4:30. In the morning! As much as I wanted to dance, I do also have a very human need for sleep, so we gave up.
We ate pulpo a la gallego -- octopus cooked with potatoes. It is completely delicious! I also did my fair share of pastry eating which I feel is an essential element to any trip abroad, even daily during my extended "trip" to Granada. Also, I was happy to find a crepe restaurant serving spinach and goat cheese crepes on the plaza which was a very nice change: I hadn't eaten much in the way of vegetables since my carrot in Paris. Perhaps the best meal though was the one we bought at the grocery store in Noia, a small fishing village about an hour away from Santiago, and ended up eating at a bus stop. We were looking for a beach but hunger got the best of us and once again we showed our true red, white, and blue colors, eating on the side of the road which would horrify any self-respecting Spaniard.
Basically it was a nice relaxing trip after the whirlwind that was Ireland and Paris. I finally am going to stay in Granada for a little bit, at least until the end of the month when we have a long excursion to Madrid. I am exhausted of airports, buses, and metros though I can now navigate all like a pro. After that? Sevilla? Barcelona? Morocco? Portugal? Maybe all, although my bank account may not be agreeing with me at the moment.
Un saludo, Jenny
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