Until Next Time Espana

Three days home and I'm already missing Spain. I can not begin to explain how thankful I am for being able to go on this trip and have an experience of a lifetime. Also, I have to give a shout out to two of the most important people in my life. To my parents (if you read this) thank you for everything. You guys really are some of the best. I wouldn't be half of the person I am today without you.

Okay enough of the mushy stuff. I spent my last weekend in Spain in Madrid. A few of my friends and I planned a very last minute trip with a 5 hour bus ride and a $27 hostel, because what is a trip to a foreign country without spontaneity? I've grown to really enjoy staying in hostels- solely because it's hilarious. Three girls were crammed into a tiny room with 2 beds pushed together, sharing a bathroom with the strangers down the hall. This was after we were told that we went to the wrong location of the hostel and had to walk 10 minutes through Madrid with about six suitcases. That day we visited the Royal Palace of Madrid which was stunning. Each room was decorated differently and used for a different purpose. One room was used as a waiting room to talk to the King. Who has an intricately decorated waiting room?? I guess the King of Spain. My favorite room was the dining room which is still used today. It was huge with a long table and beautiful chandeliers. I wouldn't mind eating there one day. The next day we went to an art museum and then a huge flea market. It was insane. The amount of people and tents set up all through the streets was mind blowing. Even better I got to finish my last minute gift shopping for cheap.

Royal Palace of Madrid

Museum Reina Sofia

 El Rastro Flea Market

Then all of a sudden it was time to leave. I was so anxious to see my parents and boyfriend but very sad to leave behind me one of the best months of my life. Until next time Espana.

The Final Countdown

How is it possible that this is my last night in Granada?? And of course I'm laying in bed unable to move. This lifestyle is seriously catching up with me and my immune system but I need to rest up tonight because tomorrow I am heading off to Madrid for the weekend! I was just looking back through my Facebook pictures AKA "back-stalking" and reminiscing on the past month. Even though it flew by I was able to do so many different things, both cultural and social. I was truly able to immerse myself into the Spanish culture and lived this past month to the fullest. I couldn't be happier.

This past week, we went to tapas with our program on Tuesday, had our farewell dinner with our Spanish families on Wednesday and went to the Sierra Nevada mountains on Thursday. Everything was amazing as usual. Spending time with the students on my program and the teachers/directors is always fun. They are truly all such different people and I loved meeting them and being able to explore the other side of the world with them. Our farewell dinner with our parents was great and we got to experience an authentic flamenco show afterwards. I am definitely going to miss my padres espanoles! They were an amazing host family and always made me feel at home. The Sierra Nevada Mountains were absolutely breathtaking. I was surrounded by the snow covered terrain and the ski resort. (Although I hate snow) I have never been to a ski resort so it was very interesting to see this one. It was like its own little village. Then today I had my last day of class with Maria Jose- one of the sweetest teachers I will ever have. I learned so much in this class in so little time and she reminded me how much I enjoy the Spanish language. Hopefully I can continue my studies during my senior year of college because I would love to be fluent one day.

Mi Familia Española

Sierra Nevada Mountains

 Churros con Chocolate con la clase española

Viva Barca

This Spanish lifestyle is really starting to catch up to me. My eyes are nearly shutting as I'm writing this. In my weekend in Barcelona I got about 8 hours of sleep total. There's just so much to do and Barcelona was huge. We got there Friday night, got ready, and went straight to dinner at a restaurant/bar called CDLC. I got the cheapest thing on the menu as my euros are starting to run low and it was still amazing, a crispy chicken salad and a glass of wine. From there we went to a club called Opium- probably the coolest place I am ever going to go to. I had way too much fun with my friends and stayed out way too late. The next day we went to Park Guell which is a huge park with awesome views of Barcelona. We tried to go out to a Mexican restaurant but after waiting an hour we decided to leave since the host kept extending the waiting time. Even though I was super excited to eat a burrito, I happily settled for a durum "para llevar" which is easily becoming my favorite thing to eat in Spain. That night we went out again (and stayed out way too late again).

 Opium

CDLC

Park Guell

Sunday, we went to Sagrada Familia, another of one of the most amazing historical churches in Spain. The stain glass inside was breathtaking. We went up one of the towers with narrow stairs and small windows and got to seen an even better view of Barcelona on a beautiful day. Even after 3 weeks of endless beautiful views and insane architecture, I'm still not used to it. The architecture of the Sagrada Familia was exceptionally interesting and modern. The church, designed by architect Gaudi, was full of geometrical shapes and curves, much different than anything we had seen in earlier tours. The roof was designed to look like trees and branches coming from the columns. I found this amazing and much more complex/modern than any of the Arabic and Catholic designs I had seen. It was definitely much more appealing to a younger generation with the bright colors of the stained glass and the lighter walls. After this, we traveled to the FC Barcelona stadium (where I got an awesome hat). Even though I was sad that there wasn't a game we could attend, it was still awesome the be able to tour the stadium grounds and the store. It was obvious to see that soccer is so huge in this country with an extravagant stadium surrounded by statues and memorabilia. It was cool to see this because I love soccer, but it is not as big of a sport in America.

   Sagrada Familia Ceiling                                                     Stain Glass              

 

View from Tower

Messi and I

 Going back to class today was hard to say the least after such a fun weekend, but I'm trying to cherish it since I only have a week left in this country. It's flying by and I'm very excited to see my family and friends but I'm really going to miss it here (especially the tapas).

WINE

SO MUCH TO DO, SO LITTLE TIME. So instead of managing my time, I'm going to write about it on my blog while cuddling with my host dog, Loli. In the less than two weeks I have remaining here in Spain, I have 3 Spanish exams, 2 history quizzes, 2 presentations, and weekly journals. Aside from school work, I am going to Barcelona this weekend. And I still need time to go out. Sorry Mom. I am trying my hardest to do both school work and cultural activities, but I am getting very frantic. I need another trip to the Baños Arabes.

Yesterday though, I had a nice little stress relief at the winery, Bodega Pilongo. Other than the trip there when I thought we were going to fall over a cliff in a bus, the visit was very interesting. I interned at a winery this summer so although the tour was in Spanish, I could pick up on some of the things our guide was saying from previous experience. The actual winery with all of the machinery and barrels was in a cliff overlooking all of the vineyard. It would probably be so beautiful in the spring and summer, but everything was dead when we went. After the tour, we got to taste the wines with some delicious tapas. We tried one blush and one red. Neither were my favorite, both a little too vinegar-y and sweet, but I loved the experience. One of my favorite things to do is taste wines and try and figure out what aromas and flavors the grapes develop. I'm kind of a wine nerd. I may some day turn my chemistry and food science degree into a wine career because I love this field that much. The creativity and art and, yes even science, that goes into making the different wines is so intriguing and complex. To top off the great visit, we got a free bottle of wine to bring home.

View from the Winery

On Monday, we had our last tour at the Catedral and Capilla Real in Granada. I really enjoyed these types of tours because I know very little about religion. I love learning new things especially by visiting extremely old buildings and monuments. My absolute favorite part though was seeing the coffins of Isabel and Ferdinand. I just find it so cool that their bodies (more like dust now) were actually in those tombs from hundreds of years ago. I also found interesting the main chapel of the Catedral and how it depicted the steps to heaven. I was not raised religiously and never went to CCD or learned about this stuff in school. Even though I don't believe in it, I find it so interesting to learn about and see these huge buildings solely dedicated to the religion.

                          Steps to Heaven Chapel                                         Capilla Real

Trying to Fit the World Inside a Picture Frame

There is no better way to pass time on a long drive than to listen to John Mayer. Spending about 8 hours on a bus this weekend, I listened to every one of his songs. Twice. As I was listening, one of his lyrics really stuck with me (as they usually do because he is a musical genius). In his song "3x5" on his earlier album Room for Squares, he sings about how seeing something in person is so much better than just seeing a picture and I could not agree more. I've seen pictures of the most beautiful places on earth and it hasn't phased me, but seeing these places in person is almost unreal. It's just such a different experience when you're seeing something with your own two eyes than through a camera lens.

On Thursday we went to the Alhambra. The views of the whole city were breathtaking along with the architecture and decor on the interior. I don't understand how these buildings were constructed so long ago with limited technology and in such short time periods. We saw the same type of design in most the cathedrals, mosques, and palaces we toured in Sevilla and Cordoba. They are all from the Moorish Rule and were then later converted to catholic buildings when Isabel and Ferdinand conquered Spain. But, most of the Arabic architecture remains in the buildings with very intricate designs on the walls, ceilings and arches. Aside from tours, Sevilla was amazing and hands down my favorite city thus far. It was modern, yet historic and extremely beautiful. The first day there, we walked to the Plaza de Espana and then had the rest of the day to ourselves. Having absolutely no clue where we were, we wandered the city and found cute shops and restaurants (and a STARBUCKS). We sat on the edge of the large Guadalquivir River and had a beautful view of Triana. These are my favorite kinds of days, when there is no structure and you can explore whatever you want. After only two weeks in a foreign country, I can already see my sense of independence growing as well as my appreciation for other cultures.

 Top of the Alhambra

Inside the Alhambra

Plaza España in Sevilla

Reales Alcazares in Sevilla

Guadalquivir River

Random Street in Sevilla

Sevilla Cathedral

Steps and Cobble Stone Streets

We told our host family, "no mas pan para desayuno por favor" in fear that we may soon turn into a piece of bread. So at 8 am we drank our cafe con leche and grabbed fruit before we left for class. I am really enjoying my spanish class, Span 107. I haven't taken one since my senior year of high school 3 years ago and I forgot how much I enjoy learning the language. The professor is very interactive with the class and is really helping my conversational skills. This is my weakness, so I am looking forward to see how well it develops over the month.

Today for our other class, Span 208, we explored the Albacin which mostly consists of steps and cobble stone streets. The tour guide taught us even more about the rich history of Granada. My favorite part was seeing the building where Arab baths used to take place. She told us the rooms and entrance were zig-zag because intimacy and privacy was important to their culture. Someone from the outside should not be able to freely see in. The floors were heated with boiling water sent through pipes underneath. When Catholics took over, they shut down the baths because they thought it symbolized perversion. It was interesting to see how two different cultures saw things so differently because this is still occurring today. The Muslims saw the baths as very religious and the feel of water was referred to as sensual and religious, while the Catholics saw it as homosexual and abnormal. Comparing this older bath to the one I went to last week, although much more modern, los Banos Arabes still represented the same sensuality as the ones years before it.

Although difficult (I should have brought my inhaler), the uphill trek was worth it for the view of the whole city including the Alhambra and the mountains from Mirador de San Nicolas. Again, I just can not believe that these sceneries are real and the pictures do not do it justice. There were two men sitting on the ledge playing a guitar and singing. The whole atmosphere was amazing and I would love to go see a sunset there one day. We ate lunch over looking the view and I enjoyed a glass of wine with a greek dish called moussaka AKA cheesy goodness. Seeing the Alhambra from this view made me very excited for Thursday when we will tour the inside.

                Mirador de San Nicolas (including me)                                          Mousakka

View of the whole city

After a week, my homesickness and culture shock is fading and I am truly beginning to appreciate everything I am seeing and looking forward to everything to come.

What are men to rocks and mountains?

Waking up for a 8 am bus on a Saturday morning seemed like an awful idea as I opened my eyes after only 4 hours of sleep. But it was totally worth it. After a 2 hour bus ride, we arrived in Ronda, Spain AKA one of the most beautiful cities I have laid my eyes on. I stood on a balcony overlooking what seemed like an endless amount of open space and mountains. It reminded me of a quote I once heard, "What are men to rocks and mountains?" As I looked at this vast scenery (and took a million pictures) I reflected on this quote and it changed my perspective on the beauty of nature. We are all so small compared to the mountains and there is so much left to explore in the world.

Next, we went to the Bullfighting Museum at the oldest ring in Spain. I did not know much about the tradition, but I loved learning about the history and being able to explore the ring. Although I do not exactly agree with the practice, learning about the culture was very interesting. It is important in life to understand other cultures and to keep an open mind with different types of people.

To end the day, we ate at a restaurant called Don Miguel where we sat on the edge of a cliff enjoying a glass of sangria with a view. I can't begin to imagine the beauty of the next cities we are going to see (Seville, Cordoba, Barcelona...) after exploring Ronda. I've been to the Caribbean and seen the gorgeous beaches, but I have never seen anything like I am seeing in Spain.