Mi viaje a España

París en la primavera

2006-05-09T03:07:00.000-07:00

A hh yes Paris in the spring. So Meg and I spent a lovely weekend in Paris. It was quite lovely. Friday we took a cab from our house at o5:3o AM and got to Barajas Airport around 6. With about 45 minutes of free time and finding our gate, we sat down had a donught and coffee and got ready for our flight. Fortunately Meg bought a guidebook before hand. It was in Spanish but we could understand most of it. We would later pretend that we were Spanish so it ended up working for the best. Our flight left at o7:2o and we got to París around o9:3o. It was a good flight, short and quick. We arrived in Orly Oest Airport confused and looking for the metro. We found it and apparently it was a special metro that cost us 7€ just to get to the city. We got to station Antony and had noticed that one of the gates were opened so we snuck into the metro for free. We got to out plaza; Placé Italie. I chose our hostel mainly becuase of the name, Kyriad Italie Gobelins. W´ll I figured Italia must be good and Gobelins sounds like goblins so I guess 2 out of 3 ain´t bad. We wandered a little while, found our hostel, which was actually more like a hotel and checked in. We couldn´t check in becuase the room wasn´t clean, so w had an hour to ourselves. We walked through our neighborhood and into the Latin Quarter. It was pretty nice. We saw the Menagerie with was a zoo. We paid to get in and looked at all the animals. It was pretty cool. Saw a marmoset, flamingos and a lot of reptiles.

When we were done we made our way back to the hotel to official check in. The room was nice, and we were all the way on the 6th floor, so we got one of the better views of the city. We could see the Pantheon in the skyline. We sat down, ate lunch in the hotel and prepared for our journey.

We decided that we should get the Tour Eiffel out of the way becuase it was a nice day and we would have a good view. So we hopped the metro (literally, we didn´t have to pay again for our outlawish behavior) and took it to the Tower. It was 3.80€ to get in and a supplemental 3 to get to the top. We decided we had seen enough after nearly 700 stairs.

(Climbing to the top)

(An Eiffel Kiss)

At the top we got a monumental view of the city. We saw everything. We learned the name of the cemetary where Jim Morrison is buried so I knew we had to go there. We had purchased a boat tour at the hotel and also thoght we would do that. So we descended the grand Eiffel Tower and crossed the Seine to the metro. We took it our to Pére Lachaise, the metro of the famous cemetary. We got there, got our bearings and headed towards Mr. Morrison. We got with in 100 yards of the grave when the guard told us it was closing. I was dismayed and broken-hearted. I vowed that I would go and pay my respects to the rock legend one day. Discouraged we went all the way back to the Champs Elysées to where we had started. We thought our boat tour was leaving soon so we literally ran about a half mile to the boat. We made it at just the last second. The tour was cool, got some views and some nice pics. It was a nice enough day so we could see everything. We were going to go to the L´Arc de Triomphe but we were really tired and just headed back to the hotel instead. Following suit with nearly every other trip we had been on, we found a Chinese restaurant for a good price. We hate and went back to the hotel and passed out. We knew we were going to have to get up early the next day.

(Cemetary Pére Lachaise: Access Denied)

(On Our Boat Cruise)

(Seine up Close)

(Apparently the French Have Their Own Statue of Liberty)

Saturday the weather was a little less inviting. Meg and I got off to a late start so we had to get breakfest on the run. We got a crepe and coffee, whichm if you´ve never had a crepe, they´re amazing. We went to the cemetary once again to see Jim and fufill my oath. I paid my respects and we left. Oh buried there are people of other significance as well; Balzac, Oscar Wilde, Delacroix, Chopin and Max Ernst.

(Mmmmmm....crepes....)

(Morrison´s Grave)

After that, since it was close by, we went to Notré Dame. It was very impressive. I had never seen a church like that before in my life. Meg gave me a very detailed tour and we talked about the DaVinci code whcih I am now more determined than ever to read it this summer. We walked around the cathedral and saw the famous gargoyles. The fare to the towers was too much so we just saw them from below. We left the cathedral and took the metro (because we had purchased a 2 day toursit pass we had unlimited access to the metro), to Placé Concorde. Thsi place bore a certain historical significance. There was a large Egyptian obelsik which was given by Egypt to France as a token of appreciation by Napoleón "liberating" Egypt. Also, this plaza was where the famous guillotine was installed to behead Louis XVI. I thought that was pretty cool.

(Notré Dame)

(Inside ND)

We approached the Jardin es Tuiliers and Jarin/Place du Carrosuel. From afar a fantastic view of Le Louvre was provided. We sat down in the park, bought lunch and talked for awhile. We entered the museum and saw the sights. Only some pictures were allowed. I saw the DaVinco, Michelangelo, Davíd, and much much more. Meg was very informative and I learned a lot. We spent three hours in there before being kicked out. It was very impressive and was the best art museum I have been to. We left and it started to rain. Knowing that this was our last night in Paris and that we had to make the most of it, we went back to the hotel, got rain gear and headed back out.

(Meg at the Placé de Concorde)

(Le Louvre)

We went to St. Suplice cathedral to see the DaVinci Code´s infamous Roseline. The Cathedral was closed so we were turned back once again, vowing to visit the literary Mecca. We went to the Arc of Triomphe at last and it really was impressive. A big war monument it was dedicated foe all the French who had served in a French war. We walked around some more and found a cheap restaurant that served a lot of food. We ate, walked around some more and headed back.

(Églesia de St. Suplice)

(Below: L´Arc de Triomphe)

(I...Am....Batman)

O n the way back we saw the Eiffel Tower all lit up with flashing lights. Meg wanted to go and get a picture. So we went underground and stumbled upon the entrnace to under the Arc. Since the Arc is in the middle of the street, it was the only was to get to it. It really was impressive up close. In the middle sit the largest French flag I have ever seen. We checked out, took some photos and wnd headed out. When we got out the lights had stopped flashing and Meg was distraught. At this point she just wanted to go back to the hotel. After mcuh cajolling on my part, we went back to Champs Elysées and saw the tower from across the Seine. We got some cool pictures and saw a Spanish family and offered to take their picture. It was a good time. Meg´s batery ran out so we couldn´t get a shot with us in it. We headed back to the hotel exhausted and passed out.

S unday morning we went to St. Suplice once again, this time successful in in our ventures we viewed the Roseline and the obelsik that sits at the end of it. We left the church hungry. We walked around to get to Le Panteon where more famous people are buried. We stopped at a Crepería on the way and had breakfest. We entered the Pantheon speaking Spanish and fooled the clerk at the desk. We walked around awhile, it was really impressive. We saw the tombs of Voltaire, Rosseau, Curie, Dumás, Hugo and others. Having almost my full share of dead people we left.

(Roseline...At Last)

(Inside the Pantheon)

(Voltaire and I)

W e were going to go to the Museé Orsay but when we arrived the line was too big to get in. Our flight was leaving at 19:oo so at this point we only had about 5 hours left. We walked in front of the National Assembly (another big historic sight because I´m a dork) and ended up at Hôtel des Invaldes and Napoleóns Tomb. We entered after a long pass of a park. We saw the tomb, I was impressed. For such a little man his tomb is very large. We left satisfied and got lunch and searched for souveniers. We made it to the Seine once again, got our stuff and left.

(I happened to stroll by the National Assembly)

(Napoleón´s Tomb and Hôtel des Invaldes)

W e made it to the Airport via the expensive metro once again. We got to the wrong terminal and had to get to the other one. We made it with an hour to spare. The flight was quick and we got to Madrid around 9:oo. We took the bus home and called it a night. Overall, it was an excellent trip. Expensive, yet excellent nevertheless. I´m excited, this weekend I´m going to Alicante with my Señora, her sister and Meg to go to the beach for a weekened. Should be a nice time to kick back and do some relaxing.

Mood: Overjoyed

Music: Doors -- Peacefrog

Bruce was coming to town....too bad I just missed him

Gibraltar. Marbella. Granada.......A Busy Vacation

2006-05-04T06:05:00.000-07:00

I ´ve been everywhere man, or so it seems. This weekend we had a long break. Monday was Labor Day and Tuesday was Madrid Day (In honor of those who gave their lives the 2nd of May in Madrid fighting Napoleon). So with all of this time ahead of us, Meg and I decided that we would go to Gibraltar at the request of her grandmother to see the monkeys. So we took a night bus to Algrecias (The area we thought was closest to Gibraltar). It turns out that it was not the closest. The trip was long, but we made it there at 06:30. We had to wait for some other people. So we waited for an hour and a half to get the bus to La Linea, the crossing point. We made it there after a 45 minute bus ride. We bought tickets for Marbella (The bus would leave in 4 hours time) and crossed the border. We were officially in Gibraltar and bombarded with tourist traps. We agreed to take a taxi tour of the "rock."

(The Rock of Gibraltar)

(Van Tour)

(Monkey See Monkey Do)

O ur tour guide Denis, was good humored and an excellent tour guide. He took us to areas atop the mountain that supposedly Hercules crossed. We saw caves that were used as canon emplacements during the British repulsion of the Spanish and French in the 1780´s. We went to a cave that had previously had been used as a hospital during the Great War but also had impressive stalactities and such fantastic acoustics it was used as a concert hall. We saw monkeys which befriended us a little too much. All in all a good trip. We saw the whole of Gibraltar in 2 and a half hours. I bought a Foster´s in the airport as to take in a little bit of British culture. We ate lunch and waited for the bus to Marbella.

(Inside the Caves)

(Dennis our tourguide the Menace)

(Taking in the British Culture)

A fter a short bus ride of two hours we reached Marbella excited to check out the beaches. We found our hostel and checked in. It was a very clean and convenient hostel. Breakfest was included and they were very kind to us there. Meg and I checked out the beach (which were small strips of sand) and I played guitar for awhile. We went out for food where, while Meg and I were walking, we discovered a hole in the wall bar that had a 7€ menú del día. It was run by a British lady who was very friendly. She conversed with us and was surprised at how much we could eat. But most of the conversing I would do took place with a certain Mr. Mitchell. He was a tall British man, a bit older than my dad. I ended up having a conversation with him after he said I looked like Cat Stevens. Intriguied we discussed politics, his time in the army in Northern Ireland, the Who, the war in Iraq, how I feel being American and so much more. I was a little tipsy (I had a few gin and tonics (courtesy of Meg ;-) and his accent was hard to understand at times. But all in all it was a good time. We ate like kings...well queens ( I was the only boy on the trip). We called it a night becuase were exhausted from the day´s excursions. The next day was all beaching. We got as much sun as we could take in. It was a nice day. I collected a lot of beach glass and shells. We partied again tht night, walked through the town and had montaditos. The eating situation was not as pleasant this night and Meg and I left early. The next day was more beaching. good stuff. Everyone esle was leaving and Meg and I were staying in Marbella for the night. We bought tickets for the Granda bus for 09:00 the next morning. Meg and I spent the rest of the night together, had aRrey del Kebab and ate dinner on the beach. We arose early the next morning, packed up and left.

(Beach Guitar-age)

(Beachlunch)

(Yay! Seashells)

(Oceanshot)

T he bus to Granada took about 3 hours. We arrived at the bus station around noon. It was nearly 30º. We couldn´t believe how hot it was. We caught a bus into town and wandered around awhile trying to find our hostel. We asked some grocery store patrons who were more than happy to help us. After more walking, we final found it. It was in a pretty good location. We settled in and walked around to explore the city because everyone else was at the Alhambra. We explored the lower portions of the city. Meg and I went to the Capilla Real and saw the final resting place of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand. We later met up with everyone and had decided that we would go up to the Mirador de San Nicolas (Look out point). From there we could see the Alhambra in its glory. We walked all the way to the tippy top of the Morrocan quarter. The wa a plaza filled with hippies. It was interesting. I made friends with one of the vendors who was teaching me how to do one of his puzzles that he sold. We got our views and headed back down. We stopped at another look out point that we could see the sunset at. It was beautiful. We took some pictures. We had kebabs for dinner yet again. Being exhausted and having to get up early for buying tickets for Alhambra the next morning we went to bed.

(Where Ferdinand and Isabela are buired)

(Tea Time In Morrocan Quarter)

(Saw this on the way up to Mirador "A thousand machines could never make a flower")

(View from the Mirador of the Alhambra)

(Meg at Sunset)

(Saw This on the Way Down...I Guess Some People Don´t Like Bush Here Either)

M eg and I woke up at 06:00 and made the long walk to Alhambra. We got there at 06:45. We waited in line for two hours. There were 200 people in front of us and about 2,000 people behind us. It was the longest libne I had seen in my entire life. But apparently this is the 8th wonder of the world so getting up that early would be a small price to pay. It was. Meg and I decided to walk through Generalife (The Royal Gardens outside the Alhambra). It was very pretty and we got our fair share of pictures. We went down to the bottom to Granada because our tickets would only permit an entry into the Royal Palace between 13:00 and 14:00. We met up with everyone, checked out of our hostel and made our way to the Morrocan quarter for some last minute shopping. We looked around and Meg bought a nice tea set for three. We trekked back to Alhambra and bought an audioguide. It really was the 8th wonder of the world. Any words I could possibly write would do it injustice. We walked through the Nasirid Palace (Moorish Palace before the Reconquista), the Alacazaba, the Palace of Carlos V and the Gardens. It had a wonderful view of the city as well. We saw a room where Washington Irving stayed to write his Tales of the Alhambra. Very impressive and hated to leave it.

(A Flower of Generalife)

(Mudejar Style in the Alhambra)

W e saw as much as we could. We left and bought some more souveniers. We had Chinese food again because our funds were low. It was 5.25€ for a menú de día. We couldn´t refuse. We walked around some more and with little time to spare, went back to the hostel, collected our stuff and made it to the bus station 15 minutes before our bus was scheduled to leave. The bus ride wasn´t too bad. I had to put my guitaar underneath and I was a little upset about that but I later learned why. The dangerous mountain curves that we drove through nealry knocked off everything people had kept on the top shelves of the bus. When all was said and done we arrived back in Madrid at 01:00 and walked home through the Parque Enrique Galván Tierno to our house. Very exhausted we skipped two classes the next day. This trip left me fascinated but tired. And Meg and I go to Paris on Friday through Sunday. Oh how wonderful it will be to see Paris in the Spring. Next post coming soon....

Mood: Tired

Music: The Wanderer -- Johnny Cash

Un fin de Semana en Madrid

2006-05-04T01:09:00.000-07:00

I t´s been a long time since my last post. But fear not. I will do my best to try and catch you up on what has been happening to me. It´s been very busy and alot of jet setting. I´ll start with two weekends ago. I remained in Madrid for a weekend at last because we were going to a bullfight with Margaret. So Meg and I decided what better way to spend a gloomy weekend, (gloomy because of the weather) than to go to san Lorenzo de Escorial and Valle de los Caídos. Here are a Palace and the tomb of Franco respectively. We jumped a bus at avenida de las Américas and went to San Lorenzo. The Palace was nice, and we saw a lot of old architecture and art. the royak gardens would have been nice to see but at this point the rain had picked up so we were limited to the inside quarters. We also saw the ¨panteo¨which contained the remains of most of the royal family since the 1700s. We also saw a huge bascilica and library. Unfortunately we were kind of rushed so we didn´t get enogh time to really enjoy the Escorial.

(A Little Rain Fun)

S o we left and headed to the bus station to see Valle de los Caídos. We saw the countryside for awhile and entered a park as we ascended to atop the mountain. The tomb, which is also a church, sits inside a mountain. It was built by republican prisoners during the Civil War. We finally got to the top and the rain picked up even more. We scurried into the tomb and got a look around. It was very creepy. My only response to seeing it was "this is no holy place." We walked a good dsitance before seeing the altar and graves. There are two Sacristies. The both say the same thing inside (For those who gave their lives for España and God). So this was built as a tribute for all the facists who fought during the Spanish Civil War. However, the only two people actually buried there are Francisco Franco and Jose Antonio Rivera, the man who started the Falange (Spanish Facist Party). We moved out of the tomb and headed back down to catch our bus. As we descended the mountain the sun came out. It was as though the Heavens opened us and the sun shone specifically for our departure from that eerie place. Regardless of reason, the sun shone for a good while after our departure from Valle de los Caídos. We had some time so we got some time to warm up. Afterwards we caught our bus, headed back down and caught another bus to Madrid.

(Outside and a Look up)

(A Look Inside the Realm of Franco)

(Mateo and I at the Gates)

(The Ceiling of One of the Sacristies)

(Me "Degrading" Franco´s Grave)

S aturday was a little less travel inducive. We went to Reina Sofía the famous art museum. It was very impressive. there we saw more modern works like Picasso, Dalí and Miro. I enjoyed my time there and can understand how people can get lost in there for hours.

(This is Picasso´s Guernica (It was Huge!!!)

(Dalí´s Persistencia del la Memoría)

(Miro´s Blue)

(¡¡Olé!!)

T he next day we had ou bullfight. It was cool. Unfortunately, the first matador messed up and when he stabbed the bull it started vomitting blood. To this, many of our group left in horror. I guess first impressions are everything. All in all it was a wonderful weekend and am glad I finally got to stay here for a change.

Mood: Content
Music: Material Issue -- Renee Remains the Same

Torrevieja: Easter in the Mediterranean

2006-04-27T02:22:00.000-07:00

L ong time no post!! Yes, I know, but as you all can imagine I´ve had what the Spaniards call "un montón de cosas que hacer" (lots of stuff to do.) So, without further ado, here is my Easter blog. Meg and I went to the Mendez Álvaro bus station around 23:00 to catch our bus. Lo and behold we met Sara there, who was also accompanying us to Torrevieja as per Maragaret´s recommendation. We were on the same bus, so that made us feel a little easier. It was to be a 7 hour night bus ride so we figured we´d all get some shut eye on the bus ride. Not so. The driver, who was in a bad mood since we boarded the bus, blasted 80´s music through out the whole ride making sleep for me and Sara impossible. Luckily I had my iPod to drown out whatever loud music was playing. Meg was out like a light so at least she slept. The bus ride was long but we survived. We arrived in Torrevieja at 06:30 discombobulated and clueless. The bus station there was closed so we had no idea where we were in the town. We ended up walking in a huge circle, found the beach, a super market, and after asking a lot of street cleaners, they told us where our hotel was.

(Yay!!! It´s 6:45!!!)

(Tequila Sunrise...Minus the Tequila)

(One of the Many Sand Sculptures We Saw)

(The Boardwalk)

S ara´s hotel was different so she had to take a cab there. We found our soon beloved hotel (Hotel Juan Carlos I) at around 08:00, and watched the sunrise in the process too. The kindly informed us that check in wasn´t until noon but did let us keep our stuff at the front desk until them. So Meg and I had some hours to kill. We walked down to the beach and got some coffee, explored the city and found a church. We went inside and viewed more Semana Santa floats. When we entered we decided that this was the church we had to go to attend Easter Mass. It was huge and no doubt would house a great deal of church-goers. We found a leaflet of the procession´s routes and knew where to go for the night. We walked around a while more, got breakfest at the hotel´s diner, and checked in. We had time to change and then we went to the beach. It took us a while to catch up with Sara because she was in a different town, but we did. The beaches were small but comfortable. We saw sand sculptures too. It was pretty impressive. The beaches would later get packed, but we had enough space to enjoy and relax. We got kebabs for dinner and the rest of the day was a breeze. We stationed ourselves near the middle of the parade.

(Mmmmm.....Kebaps.....)

(Map; Our Lacation in the Blue Box...Front Row Seats!!)

I t was fantastic. Each parrish had their own colors and station of the cross. From 21:00 to 01:00 we sat and enjoyed the culture being presented before us. It was very cool to see, but no Sevilla (also nearly not as many people). We went to bed that night feeling very satisfied

(Keeping Warm Before the Parade)

(Angel Float)

(Angel Float)

(No, this is not the KKK!)

(The Dressed Up Children in the Parade Gave the Other Kids Candy)

(Another Float)

T he next morning we arose somewhat late so we ran to the beach as soon as we could. We caught a lot of sun and explored different beaches. We ran into a medevial market on the way. It was pretty interesting. Everyone was dressed in medevial garb. We walked all the way to another beach and set up camp there. We found a cheap Chinese restaurant which turned out being delicious. Stuffed, we returned to the hotel tired and ready to sleep. We called it a night early and found ourselves with only one day left.

(Help! We´re sinking!!)

(Some Guy was Hanging Around at the Medevial Market)

(I Love Lamp....post)

(Town Fountain)

W e were up somewhat earlier on Sunday, and we had to check out at the front desk by 12. They let us leave our baggage at the desk so we could go to Mass. We just made it to church in time. The mass was long but nice. It was so hot in the church, but, like the processions, everyone seemed happy to be there. We recollected our stuff and met up with Sara. We decided to go to the bus station and find a locker to drop our stuff off. Unfortunately what we didn´t realize was that it was Easter Sunday and the inside of the bus station was closed. So we were stuck lugging our stuff around all day. It wasn´t bad once we found a place to settle down at. We sat on the beach and Meg wasn´t feeling too well so she napped for a while. Sara and I got kebabs...again. We returned tot he beach and Meg wasn´t feeling well so Sara and I went crab hunting. I had purchased a junky net so I was ready to roll. After about an hour or so, it started to rain.

S o we went back to the beach and saved our stuff and found some shelter. The rest of the afternoon dragged on. I played guitar, Sara did homework and Meg called her family.

(Going Tidal 1)

(Going Tidal 2)

(Obligatory Easter Photo)

W e came to a restaurant that served paella (the one thing left to do on our list for Easter) and it was delicious. We hauled back to the bus station and waited for our bus. While waiting, a little girl came up to me and inquired about my guitar (she couldn´t talk much) but I played what little songs I knew for her, she seemed amused. The bus ride back was a lot quicker and when all was said and done we arrived in Madrid about 5:30 or so. For being the first Easter away from my family, it wasn´t as bas as I thought it would be.

Mood: Surprised
Music: Learning to Fly -- Tom Petty

Semana Santa y familia

2006-04-20T01:54:00.000-07:00

I guess I´ll start at the beginning, that´s a logical place to start. My parents arrived with Steven on Thursday before noon. It was hectic getting to the airport to meet them and of course I showed up late so they were looking for me. They were here for a good couple of days and then we went to Toledo. Toledo was pretty impressive, but a typical Spanish medevial town. We looked around, I bought a sword and headed back. Just a side note, I´m not going into that weekend too much in deptbh because I really don´t have any corresponding pictures. All in all my family´s stay in Madrid was pleasant, I just wish they had more time. Monday morning we took the bus to a Sevilla for a 6 HOUR BUS RIDE!! (as my Dad was say). We got into Sevilla around 14:00 and we were tired and confused and boy was it hot. We wandered in search of my hotel and Sevilla was nopthing like the place I remembered visitng a few months earlier. The streets were barricaded off in preparation for the religious processions. Endless rows of seats filled the main streets´sidewalks. It was never a dull moment walking. We decided tio settle down for awhile and get a feel for the town. I took them to the Plaza de Toros and the tour was pretty much the same except the lady had a thick accent so I ended up translating for my parents. We took it easy fopr the rest of the day and watched the religious processions at night. It was packed!! I had never seen so many people in my life!! And yet no one was in a bad mood. It was like they all knew that had to be there, they all knew to be quiet, respectful and cheerful. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in the US and I doubt anything like this will ever transpire in the America. So we watched the floats and went to sleep.

T he next day my parents and steven went to the Alacazar which I had already seen so I had no intention of seeing it again and costing my Dad extra funds. So I did what any other person would do in my situation; I slept for an extra two hours. My family came back to get me and we had decided that a nice park (Parque María Luisa) and Plaza de España would be a good place to go. We walked there, saw some more religious parade in the middle of the hot afternoon and everyone in the parade was definitely hot and miserable but there was no complaining to be heard. We made our way through the monster of a crowd and found ourselves at Plaza de España. It was just as I remembered it. A big fountain in the middle and the outside had a series of tiles dedicated to each province of Spain. There were 50 in all. It was very impressive. We took a pictures and moved on. We got to the park and we wanted to go on a horse and buggy ride. We took it all through the city and took about 40 minutes. We even got really close to the hotel. The tour was all in spanish so yet again I had to translate. It wasn´t a very detailed tour but we got to see a lot. We went through the park, and hung out there for a while. We later headed back to the hotel, only to be mobbed by more religious parades. We were exhausted. Steven and I found some food. We went to a flamenco show that night too. Althogh I don´t have any pictures, I can tell you that it was fantastic. We then proceeded to a bar. While we were in the bar (which was in an alleyway), a religious procession was on its way. It came followed by horns and a band. Everyone stopped talking mid-sentence and went outside to see what float it was. It was the Virgin Mary and it slinked its way through the alleyway. It was carried by at least 30 men underneath and looked heavy. No one made a sound, you could hear a pin drop. So we inched towards the door to see. It was very impressive. The float was impressive but the public reverence was even more so. With that we went our seperate ways, Steven and I to a different bar and my parents did their own thing. Steven got a little tired and so we had to call it a night.

(Float with...whats that? A Roman Emblem? Thats right (Roman presence is still large and in charge)

(Float with Roman and JC)

(Sevillian Memorative Tile)

(Provincia de Mallorca Tile, So Excited I´m Going There)

(Horsedrawn Carriage Ride)

(Parque María Luisa)

(Two Young, Happy Go-Lucky Partygoers)

W e awoke with one thing in mind. The Cathedral. My family was shunned yesterday to see it because it was closed. So today we were ready to see it at last. My dad and I took the luggage and went to the bus station to keep it there. We travelled amidst the hot Sevillian air and deposited our luggage in the lockers. We came back tot he hotel, grabbed my mother and brother and went tot he Cathedral. It was more impressive than I had remembered it. Saw things I did not see the first time around. Now I´m a little more sure that Colombus is buried there. His tomb is carried by the Catholic Kings. One had a cape with bats on it which I thought was pretty cool. I waited in the courtyard/cloister for my parents and Steven to climb the Giralda (the bell tower). 30 stories and a half an hour later they were ready to go. We walked around for a while, took in the sites, and were ready to go home. We saew more religious processions on the way back to the bus station. At one float a lady just jumped out and started singing from the crowd. It was something one had to be there for. We got the bus station and could relax.

(Cathedral from afar)

(Stain Glass Window)

(The Batcape (not worn by Batman but rather a Catholic King bearing Colombus´ tomb)

(Family shot near the Guadilquivir)

(Mary Float)

(Semana Santa dolls (NOT to be confused with KKK members)

T he bus ride was quick and we got there at 5:30 in morning. Unfortunately the metro was NOT OPEN. so we had to wait the hour for them to open and then I could finally go to bed and to sleep. I arose late, got in touch with Meg who had been in Amsterdam, and we planned our travels for the end of the semester. It looks as though we´re going to Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and maybe Italy. Flights and hotels/hostals have been booked. Ready or not here we come. We met with my family and ate the Botín (the oldest restaraunt in the world). It was a nice farwell dinner. We cut through Plaza Mayor and were a little frantic because we had a bus to catch. Meg and I were going to Torrevieja, a small beach town near Alicante for the religious processions and well, the beach. Stay tuned for our next chapter: Torrevieja; Easter on the Mediterranean.

Mood: Happy

Music: It´s a Dream -- Neil Young

Salamanca y Avila

2006-04-03T04:47:00.000-07:00

I t was our last group field trip [tear].... However, it was satisfying. We boarded the bus at 8 AM and we were off to Salamanca. Accompanying us were Fernando (our tour guide from Extemadura), Margaret and her constituents Emilio and Maria. On the way over we passed by El Escorial and the Valle de los Caídos (where Franco is buried). It is a huge cross that is a moseleum embedded into the hill. We arrived in Salamanca, disembarked and got a chance to look at the sights provided by the tour guide(s). We saw a Roman bridge, a statue of Lazarillo de Tormes and made our way to the art museum. Unfortunately cameras were not permitted in the museum so I can´t show you any pictures of that. It was impressive though. there were vases, lamps, dolls, statues, and much more. We didn´t get a lot of time, and I was worried about something else; La celestina. Previously, Margaret had asked if Meg and I if we would act out a scene from La Celestina. Long story short, for those of you unfamiliar with the tale of La Celestina its similar to the romance of Romeo and Juliet. We left the museum and got to see a huge cathedral. It was enormous but we didn´t have a lot of time to look at it becuase we were ushered into a near by park by Maria and Emilio. They gave us our props (a large, plumed, red hat with sword and a purple wig with head band). I recited my lines a million times in my head and almost had them down. I was to play the plotting yet good willed Calisto and MEg was to play the beautiful Melibea. When everyone came into the park and saw us they were more than amused. We began our scene and the pictures went off through out the play. It was really a wonderful thing that Meg and I got to reenact the scene of Calisto and Melibea in the very same location it was supposed to haven taken place.

(Bus Drinking)

(Puente Romano)

(Calisto and Melibea Garden)

("Oh perla perciosa antes quien el mundo es feo...")

W e got a bird´s eye view of the city. We next scaled the cathedral, and saw some interesting things carved into the side of the church. We proceeded to the University of Salamanca (which we went inside much later in the day) and were informed of the legend of the frogs. Apparently if you see a frog in the city and make a wish it will come true. We saw a really small from carved ontop of a skull at the university. It is from there that the legend began. We went to the Plaza Mayor of the city (which I´ve seen in a movie) had lunch, and were left to our own devices. We ended up looking at soem tourist shops and Alex, Meg and myslef went back down to the Roman Bridge to see the river. It was soothing. We headed back to Plaza Mayor, met up with Fernando and the crew and headed back to the cathedral. We got to see inside and were given a fully detailed lecture about everything inside the cathedral and it was impressive. We got to see some of the floats they were going to use for Semana Santa. It was one of the better cathedrals I´ve seen. We eventually came back to the University again except this time we got to go inside. We got to see a classroom that the famed Friar Luís de León taught in. We saw a wedding procession taking place inside the university and we even got the chance to sit in on another one. They were both spectacular. We made our way back to the hotel and got a chance to relax for a lttle bit. Alex and I jammed for awhile, got ready to go receive our funds for dinner and went out to eat. We ate at a Chinese restaurant and it was pretty cheap. Meg and I had a combo for €15 that gave us all we could possibly eat and more. Alex got frog legs which we all sampled. All in all it was a good meal. We got ready to go out because it would be Alex´s birthday tomorrow and we decided that we should party the night away. We got off to a late start...

(The Bird´s Eye View)

(Fray Luís de León and I)

(In Front of the Cathedral with my Own Gospel Carved into the Wall)

(A Singing Gargoyle/Frog and Myself (best picture of whole trip))

(Meg Being Holy)

(Meg and I at the Universitad)

W e headed to the Chupitería (Shot Bar) with was a very interesting bar. A lot of Americans but I didn´t mind. It had Beatle paraphenalia all on the walls and ti was pretty psychadelic. Had some shots, got bored and left. We ended up getting seperated and we didn´t get the chance to celebrate Alex´s party like we should have. Next morning was a little rough. We hopped the bus and headed to the Roman walled city of Avila. We stopped first at a view point that we could see the city across the way. We took some group photos and made our way towards the city. It was there we got to see a plethora of old architecture, the first Gothic Spanish cathedral, the house of SantaTeresa de Jesús, and the top of the city walls. All in all a pretty interesting place. We had lunch and departed Avila feeling a slight sentiment of sadness knowing this was our last group field trip. It was a good one nevertheless. Family comes next weekend. Im psyched. Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada, here I come.

(Avila From Afar)

(And the Band Played On...(view from atop the city walls))

(Trying to Remove the Sword from the Stone)

Mood: Strangely Fine

Music: Fallen -- Franz Ferdinand

Barcelona

2006-03-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

L ast weekend was incredible. We went to Barcelona for only two whole days but it was fun nevertheless. I got on the bus at Avenida de las Americas, popped a couple of benadryls and when I woke up we were there. We got out of the bus disoriented and confused. We knew what street our hostel was on, but none of knew where to go, so after a lot of lolly-gagging around we finally found our hostel. It was nearly nine in the morning now and we were exhausted. We checked in, left our stuff in the hostel, and Alex, Meg and I went to a close by guitar store we had saw on the way. Alex bought himself a nice acoustic for about €80 and I was insanely jealous. Swearing to return to the store when I had the cash, I promised I would by one so we could jam. However, unfortunately, when we arrived the next day it was closed and I would go guitarless. For now. We got everyone together and since it was such a nice day we decided to go out and explore the city. We went down and saw the water and the boardwalk. It was very beautiful, but we didn´t just come to Barcelona to look at the water.

(Meg and I At the Port)

(Hostal-age)

(Puerto)

S o we made our way towards Las Ramblas. It was a big strip with touristy stands to buy souveniers. Alex bought a soccerball which would provide hours of entertainment. I could only take so much of that and eventually we ended up splitting up and going our on ways. We would meet various people along the way, but my feeling is that big groups are too much to handle and that I should avoid them when I can. So yet again our motley crew was Alex, Meg and I. We purused the alleyways of Las Ramblas, so a big cathedral and decided to get some eats. We ate in a courtyard behind the cathedral, I found a book in a window sill on the way, and we had lunch. We then decided that it was time to really see the city. So we finsihed lunch and headed to Plaza de Catalunya to find a tour bus. We bought a day pass for €18, and then kicked ourselves when we wanted a 2 day pass for €22 instead. But we made the best of the day. We saw the Sagrada Familia Cathedral which was one of the biggest cathedrals I have ever seen. It was designed by Antonio Gaudi, a famous artist who´s works are all over the city. It´s like he tagged the entire city with his designs. It was very bug and more importantly different. I had not seen architecture like that before in my life.

(Soccerball Providing Entertainment)

(Sagrada Familia Con La Esposita)

(Parc Güell with a Kiss)

(Gaudi´s Famous Lizard)

(Me Next to some Gaudi Artwork)

W e caught the tourist bus again and went to Parc Güell, a park famous for its Gaudi work. It was impressive. I have never been to a better park. This is no exaggeration. Most impressive park ever. We hung out there for a good hour or so and decided to press on. We got back on the bus, saw some other sights from afar (The Royal Palace, Olimpic Stadium, etc) and took the bus all the way down to near our hostel. The plan was to get some drinks and go on the beach. However, plans seem to get away from us and we decided to just hang out in the hostel, play some guitar, drink, and kick back. We had bought some Pringles and decied to save on dinner and just eat our own containers. On our way down to purchased the Pringles, however, we ran into someone we did not expect. When we were in Seville we ran into some kids from White Plains and we had a long conversation and they borrowed my wine opener. They there were, on the floor as us, waiting for the same elevator, the same night in the same city. It was unsual that are paths crossed again. We all chalked it up as fate and they came in for some drinks and told us about all the hot spots in Salamanca (next weekend´s destination. It´s Alex´s 22nd next weekend so he was more than excited to take down all the information. They left and we had our dinner. It was not a bad meal if I do say so myself. Content with the day we were happily anticipating the next.

(Barcelona from Such Great Heights)

(Gladiator-like Ring in Güell)

(EasyRiding the Bus)

(Me Acting Like Springsteen with Alex´s Guitar)

B reakfest was cheap. It was a stale piece of toast, coffee, and two muffins. But I guess what more could you ask for for free. We checked out of the hostel, and made our way to the train station. We noticed that there were lockers there. So we walked all the way back to the train station, dropped of our stuff and tried to get to the beach. We walked for awhile and ended up cutting through this gorgeous park. It had a fountain and palm trees and it was massive. My navegational skills were amatuer at best, but we found the beach eventually, busted out the botas, some guitar and a soccer ball. The beach was a sight for sore eyes. It was a little windy but we stayed nevertheless. We stayed for a good few hours. We had Carla in tow with us and her and Alex ended up as red as lobsters. Meg and I received a little color but didn´t burn as much as they did. We were a little jealous about that. Meg and I took a romantic walk, found a lot of seaglass, and we decided it was time to go. When leaving we ran into our friends and they were on a bike tour so they didn´t have much time.

(Us Four at the Fuente)

(Quenching Meg´s Thirst)

(Beach Bros)

(Booting a Soccerball in the Sand)

W e left the beach in search of our beloved guitar store but it was to no avail. We ran into our bikers again, split up, and Alex and I had falaffels. We wandered Las Ramblas for awhile, which got less touristy at night, and had dinner. We had a 11:59 bus to catch so we hate hastily and headed to the metro and took it to the bus station. We had some fun at the bus station as we waited for our bus. We got on the bus, leaving Barcelona very satisfied and we were all yearning to come back. I will go back. Someday...

(Locker Fun)

Mood: Satisfied

Music: Poppies -- Marcy Playground (To Those Who Spent the Night In ;)

Huertezuelas de Calátrava

2006-03-27T03:24:00.000-08:00

I was awoken by a telephone call from my señora asking me what I was doing this weekend and that I should go with her, her sister and Meg to her pueblo in Castilla-La Mancha. I couldn´t even pronounce the name of where I was going. This is no joke. Upon learning it, and trying to say it properly, Patricia (my sister)sharply corrected me several times until she got so frustrated she gave up. After typing up my obligatory trip reminder to email to Margaret, we left. The car ride was packed because Pati came too. She accompanied us until her father´s pueblo of Lapices It was a big Cervantes town as it was filled with Quijote crafts. Mauri said we should take photos so we stopped and took a few...

(Meg and I On an Ornate Bench)

(My Spanish Mommy and I)

(Me and Donny Q)

W e got to the town two hours later and it was tiny. I am talking about 100 people max. There was no doctor, a school as big as a class room, no police and no stores. It was a self-sustaining town surrounded by farmland. I met the family whihc consisted of Mauri and Emi´s mom and their brother. We saw Mauri´s own "casita" (little house) and toured the town. The weather was a sort of poor for seeing the countryside but we didn´t care. We were just happy to be there. Mauri´s house was very pretty. Lots of old artifacts made into furniture. We came back to the house, had chestnuts over an open fire. It was then heard the door open and Mauri peered down the hall to see who it was. She said we would recognize him. Seeing how I have never been to Huertezuelas de Calátrava before, I hadn´t the slightest idea who would come through the door. In came Victor, the security guard from our apartment complex. His Spanish was very difficult to understand becuase he spoke in old-school castellano. Emi said we should hit up the town but after seeing all of the town, which took all of 5 minutes, I didn´t know where there was we could go. I was surprised yet again. Apparently there are two bars in town, with in two minutes of each other. So Victor, Emi, Meg and I went out. All we had to do was walk through the town square which was about 20 square feet. The bar was packed and full of campesinos and smoke. We had a couple of beers and talked for a while. Emi was nice enough to speak a little more clearly than everyone else so we could understand her and translated what we didn´t know. Fortunately she spoke a little English. We hopped to the next bar that was a little less crowded and hung out for awhile. Not after long our Grandma (Emi and Mauri´s mother) came to get us and informed us it was time for dinner. So we went home, had dinner and crashed. It was a long day.

(Mauri´s Casita)

(Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)

(Emi, Victor and Myself)

(Meg With a Gin and Tonic To Go)

W e woke up somewhat ealry the next morning to go to church. Mauri knocked on my door and told me that we had 15 minutes to get ready. So we went to the church (which was the biggest building in the town) Church was really nice. It was quick and the priest was very friendly. We waited up after church to talk to him and invited him to the house. He had a couple of cigarettes, conversed with us and wished us the best of luck with out studies. We then went for a hike through the countryside and got an authentic tour. The rain let up a little bit but the weahter was still pretty lame. We saw a lot of mountains and fields. We even saw the ruins of an old wheat mill whcih sheltered the anti-Facists during the Spanish Civil War. It was sort of nice, I just wished we could have had better weather. We came back to the house and made roscillos. Roscillos are sort of like donuts. We put a pot of olive oil over the stove and put the doughy roscillos in. We had some fun with that and then went out to the second bar where we played pool. It was a good night but an early one. We were beat. We went to bed and weren´t quite ready to go back to Madrid.

(Countryside)

(A Fuente)

(Meg and the Spanish Wheat Mill (didn´t show up too well))

(The Tour Group (Meg took the Picture)

(Grandma)

("Time to Make the Donuts")

(Meg Powdering the Donuts)

T he next day we had some roscillos and hung out. Emi showed us some card games, I busted out the iPod speakers and we had our own little fiesta. we cleaned up our respective rooms and headed out. I was very happy to have had that weekend in the country. It was a life I had never been exposed to before. I loved it.

(The Spoils of Our Labor)

Mood: Enlightened

Music: Novacaine For the Soul -- The Eels

Segovia, Eresma y muchisimas más cosas...

2006-03-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

F riday morning we started out with a small field trip. For our Medio Ambeinte class we were going to Segovia and the Castilla-Leon-ian countryside to view different types of climates for class. We got up and headed for our school early in the morning, and left for our destination around 9:30. We got to our desitiation, a huge bridge covered in fog in Castilla Leon. Carlos, our professor, was trying to explain to us the sites we would be seeing but it was to no avail. The fog was too heavy and nothing could be seen. So we packed upand headed elsewhere...to the ski-lodges on a high mountain peak. Never would I have expected to see snow in Spain, especially after a week of nearly 75 degree temperatures. But nevertheless, we saw it. As we ascended the mountain I could not believe the amount of snow that was amassing on the ground as we went up the hill. We got to the middle of the mountain and disembarked. There was snow everywhere. Ill-prepared for the snow, most of us were ready to get back on the bus but some of us were readying and rared to go.

(Mired in Unatural Fog)

(Snow Group Photo)

(Imagine Me and You, I do)

(I´m Ready to Ski)

A t the top of our hill we could see a lot, but it was really cold and windy for us to stay too long. We doubled back to the bus...literally. I skiied in my shoes, it was a lot of fun actually. W e made our way towards more countryside and the River Eresma. There was a nice park-like area that we had lunch at. Meg and I started exploring and fortunately the group moved in our direction. After a long conversation with Carlos about the wildlife of spain, we had some photoshoots. We headed out to our next destination; La Granaja.

(Me Taking a Picture)

(My Little Hiker)

(Waterfall)

L a Granaja is close to Segovia but very small. Its points of attraction are the royal palace and garden. We were given a half an hour to explore the gardens. Meg and I went to the Labirynth. It wasn´t too challenging and most of the hedges were dead anyway so we went to the center and then left. I asked Carlos if we were going to see the aquaduects in Segovia to which he could only reply "Claro." We trekked back to the bus and drove towards Segovia, our last stop.

(Fuente in the Royal Garden)

U pon entering the city we could see very little but soon a large ominous structure drew closer and closer. It was the Aqueducts! We were finally there. They were incredible. We got off the bus and examined them thoroughly. Apperently there is nothing really holding them together (no cement or anything of the sort) and there is a danger of them falling, should they be struck by a car. upon hearing this we all stepped out from under the monument and headed out. We went to the Plaza Mayor of the town and were given 20 minutes for free time. I bought some goodies, Meg got a nice bota. We saw a huge gothic church in the plaza but becuase it was 2€ to enter, we decided to skip it. When telling Carlos and our other professor Augustín this he replied "Es caro para ser un católico." (It´s expensive to be Catholic.) We saw the Alcazar of the city (The fortress once inhabited by the Moors but taken back during the Reconquista. It was impressive. We headed down to where we had to meet the bus and had a brief bus ride home.

(Acueductos)

(Gothic Church)

(Return of the Kin- ....Matt)

(Yea....Our Bus is Down there....)

W e were going to go out and drink in light of Saint Patty´s Day, but we were exhausted from the trip. So Meg and I stayed in and relaxed. We watched Regreso al Futuro at her place. It was interesting. Then, all of a sudden, her host twins came in with a bunch of friends. We all hung out together, I got acquainted with some of them, had some Galician Liquor and then conversed for the rest of the evening. I eventually went to bed around 5. I was going to be surprised about the next days´ adventures.

Mood: Exhausted

Music: Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill -- The Beatles

My Birthday Weekend

2006-03-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

S o here is my last attempt to catch everyone up on what has been happening. For those of you who didn´t know, Friday was my 21st birthday. Unfortunately, it was not as a big deal here as it should have been, because the legal drinking age in Spain is 18. I really don´t want the people reading this to think I am an alcoholic, because I am not by any means. The posts for Carnaval and my birthday are flukes; instances in which mass quantities of alcohol were consumed but are not regular habits. With that out of the way, I present to you, my birthday....

I originally thuoght that being away from friends and family would prove to be a pretty lame birthday. I was proven wrong. My last class ended at 19:00 on Thursday so I could sleep in on my birthday which was nice, because I hadn´t slept in in a long time. Meg decided that she was going to surprise me and I met her in our apartment complex´s courtyard at 12:45 as instructed. She greeted me with two large bags and insisted that she carry them to our destination. Our destination; a surprise of course. We walked for about 10 minutes and came to the park next to our house. We were going to have a picnic. How delightful. We picked out a spot, sat down, and had lunch.

L unch was something I had craved for awhile and Meg knew it. She produced two tuna fish sandwiches form the bag. They were everything I could have dreamed they would be. I thought I would have to wait another 3 months until I got home to have one, I didn´t. To drink I had to open up two of my presents. One was a bottle of wine and another a bottle of fanta. Both of which I´ve come to love since being here. Mixed together they make the scrump-diddly-ump-tious concoction of Tinto de Verano. This brings me to my next present, a photo album. This was no regualr photo album. It was to be a photo/written documentation of the evening´s happenings. Tonight´s happenings? 21 Drinks. Starting with that Tinto I had in my hand while opening my next gifts. One down, twenty to go. I also received some pistachio nuts (a new found passion of mine), Guzmán de Alfarche (a new found novel I was interested in reading), and owl book mark, and two fine point pens. It was more than I could have hoped for. My birthday was off to a great start.

W e went to a movie, Apostando Al Límite (Two for the Money in English) which was OK, and all in Spanish. A little difficult to understnad at times, but with Alex there, we translated most of it. We then decided to continue with the drinks and went to the Casa Labras. The bar where socialism was founded in Spain. It was right up my alley. There we had some drinks and then moved on. We sent out word to everone we knew to met us in Sol at midnight, Meg and I had to hurry home becuase my Spanish family was to have a dinner in honor of my birthday. We headed home and were ready for dinner.

O nce again, I was surprised at what was ahead of me. My señora had made so many tapas and Pati, Jorge and his girlfirend Vanesa had come to eat dinner with us. We cracked open some Cava (Cataluñian Champagne) and had dinner. My señora presented me with gifts (which I was not expecting.) She bought me a scarf and a rugby style polo shirt. I was too happy for words. We ate, conversed and then they presented me with a cake. I blew out my candle, made my wish and then said we had to get going. With much cajoling on my part, Jorge and Vanesa agreed to come out with us. Not only that, Jorge would drive us himself to Sol. We got dressed up, Jorge provided a few fashion tips,and we went. We stopped at one bar on the way and then went to Sol. We were about a half an hour late, but everyone waited obediently and we met in a bar. There was Sara, her Roomate, Alex, Monica, Yvonne, Edguardo and Miguel. They looked like they were ready to party. Sara gave me a book telling me what happened the year I was born. I thought this was ironic becuase now I was making my own book of what was happening on the day of my 21st birthday.

(Cumpleaños Feliz, Cumpleaños Feliz...)

(Cheers)

(Meg and I)

(Me and My Mexicano Friends)

A fter the course of the night we had gone to nearly a dozen bars. Each one better than the last. Some offered free chupitas (shots), and needless to say I did not have to pay for a drink all night. Along the way we met up with two of Miguel´s friends Ronald and Francisco. They were both from Venezuela but both spoke English fairly well (...from what I remember). With perseverance and my sobriety faded, I finally finished what I had set out to do. I had my 21 Shots. We ended up at Atocha, took the 6 AM train home, had churros and crashed. I did not wake up til 430 the next day with a slight hang over. Not bad for a long day of drinking. My birthday was over. But the weekend was not.....

(How Low Can I Go?)

(More Shots)

(Its a Matt Sandwich)

(A Pow Wow Outside a Bar)

(Yes....We Do Have Friends Who Aren´t American... (copyright Meg) )

(Last Shot...Almost..There...)

(Finito)

S aturday night Meg and I had Chinese at a Restaurant called Restaurante Thong. It was pretty good eating. Sunday we were excited about something else, the Jack Johnson concert. Sunday morning we went with Jorge and Vanesa to ExpoOcio, a huge sales pavilion in which we perused awhile, I wen tot he Communist Stand and bought some paraphenelia, and we left early to have lunch and get ready for the show.

T he venue was on the otherside of the city in Leganes. It was actually somewhat close to our university, so some of us were familiar with the area. We got out of the Metro station to see the venue. It was going to take place in the Plaza de Toros (bull ring). We waited a little while outside and were let in. The Plaza was massive and soon was covered in second-hand smoke. The opening bands we ALO and Matt Costa. Both we´re mildly entertaining. The wait was nearly 3 hours but when Jack came on stage and the whole place went wild. All of the classics were played and some new stuff (So I´m told, I was not a fan prior to the show). The show was incredible for an acostic artisit. The night was great and we had a great time. I also found out that concert T-shirts are as crazy expensive over in Spain as they are in the States. Also Chili Peppers tickets are sold out :( . Better luck for me next time. This is Matt signing off and saying that I will return in Aventura a Huertezuelas de Calatrava.

(La Plaza de Toros)

(Meg and I at the Concert)

(Three Musketeers)

(Pyschadelic)

(Jack Doing His Thing)

Mood: Loved

Music: Times Like These – Mr. Jack Johnson

Extremadura: Mérida, Cáceres y Trujillo

2006-03-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

I ts been a while since my last post, and I apologize about that. I´ve been so busy lately, it has been really hard for me to keep up with everything. Anyways, I´ll start with last weekend and work my way forward, I have a long way to go.....

Two weekends ago we went to Extremadura, the Spanish Autonomous Community (AC) that is to the right of Madrid. There´s a lot of history there and I had heard that Mérida, the town we were first going to, and the capital of the Extremadura, was a preservation of the Roman Empire that had once occupied Spain. I was excited to be in all my Ancient Roman Glory. The weather, however, was not what any of us wanted it to be. Margaret did not come with us this trip and so our tour guide would be Fernando, a middle-aged guy who worked at the Prado. He was quite knowledgable about Extremadura and taught us a lot. Accompaning Fernando were two students and workers of Margaret, Emilio and Maria. Both were pretty easy going and very easy to get along with. We arrived at Mérida around noon and got off the bus. The rain was coming down lightly but most of us were ill prepared for the weahter, and my flimsy umbrella would not withstand the gale force winds we would soon face.

(Meg and I Under My Good Old $2 Umbrella)

W e disembarked off the bus and walked for a little while. What I was about to see I could barely contain myself. I felt like I was once again in Pompeii or even Rome. The ruins that had remained were very impressive. There was an ampitheater and a mini-colosseum. The rain started to come down harder but I didn´t care, I was happy to be there. Fernando started going through his schpeel and I was listening intently. I could not believe how well everything was preserved. These ruins had to be at least 1500 years old. Anyway, enough of me blathering about it, here are the pictures...

(The Beginning Wasn´t So Bad....At First)

(Colosseo)

(Antiteatro)

(Rain Wasn´t Going To Stop Me, I Put On My Own Show)

S oon we were all soaked and there was nothing we could do about it. Feeling wet and fed up we did the only thing logical...Call Margaret and tell her what a great dry time we were having. So we did, and Fernando agreed it was best for us to retire early, have lunch and wait for the weather to get better. So he took us to the middle of town and we passed the Temple of Diana. Walking down further down the wet cobblestone streets we came to a familiar sight: Telepizza!!! We were overjoyed and quickly rushed in, we agreed to meet back at 15:45 and we would then proceed to a warm, dry art museum. Most people, myself included, would normally only tell you about the Roman aspects of the city and how wonderful it was. But this Telepizza was divine. We got a chance to dry off, chow down, and converse about life. The pizza was delicious and we even got to dry off (literally) by using the hand dryer on our shoes, socks, and pants. Meg was the first to capitalize off of this as it was her idea. (See the pictures.) We were a little dried off and ready for what else was in store for us. We met back with Fernando, Emilio and Maria and doubled back to the Art Museum.

(Fernando Rained In)

(Us Soaked in Telepizza)

(Meg Being Crafty and Using the Dryer)

(Somehow I Managed the Impossible; Drying My Thighs Off But Nothing Else)

T he Art Museum was impressive. It featured a lot of Roman Art, which was not only Italian. All of this art encompassed all of the areas that were apart of the Roman Empire, including, Greece, Turkey and the Middle East. We saw a lot and by the end I was happy to have gone, regardless of the weather. We left the museum with a couple of souveniers. I bought a Roman Gladius letter opener. I had had my fill of Rome for one day and was content to move on. The bus ride was pleasant and I got a nice treat for the ride to Cáceres, our next destination. The treat was on Meg´s iPod. It was Mitch Hedgberg. Fernando informed us that the walkway that is normally illuminated at night in Cáceres would not be seen by us due to the inclimate weather. I was OK with that, and looked foward to a night relaxing evening. We spent most of the night in the hotel room with a little fun. Alex and I rocked out to “Scotty Doesn´t Know” had some fun with my Sword, and decided to go out for food.

(A Roman Painitng)

(An Original Roman Road)

(A Corinthian Column)

(My Gladius)

(Scotty Doesn´t Know, Scotty Doesn´t Know!!!)

F ood, at midnight, was a little harder for us to encounter than we thought. There were eight of us in all, and we were all very hungry. Both Meg and Alex´s tour books had mentioned something about green lizard being a delicacy of Cáceres. With few restaurants opne, we would take what we could get. After a long while of traveling, inner group discrepancy, and us being lost, Alex and I saw some bright lights that might be identifiable as a place we could get some food. Low and behold it was. It was a Chinese Restaurant. We gorged ourselves full of everything they put in front of us and topped it off with some Sangría. It was funny speaking to Chinese people in Spanish, it was something I did not expect. They were very polite and I made conversation with the waiter. We finished the meal too exhausted to party but we were OK with that. I was ready for bed.

T he next morning we arose early, ate the free breakfest and headed out. We had a lot to do this day. We went to the Plaza Mayor of the town and viewed the large castle and town that was the original settlement of the town. We went down into the guts of the settlement to see the aljibes (wells) that the Arabs had built to supply water to the town. We had tome for a small coffee and headed out. We had a little more to see. Our next destination was Trujillo.

(Plaza de San Mateo)

(Iglesia de San Mateo....It was My Lucky Day)

(My Lovely Meg and I)

(Jesuit Church)

(A Cáceres Catwalk)

N ow I consider my Spanish Geography and History to be a little above that of the average American and I had never even heard of Trujillo before. Trujillo was the birthplace of many famous conquistadores but most importantly that of the Incan Conqueror Francisco Pizzaro. Anyone who knows me know that I have a special hatred for those conquistadors who were made famous by acts of brutal nature (such as Colombus, Cortez and most recently Pizzaro.) I did my best to put my distaste for Pizzaro aside and decided to have a good time. Given the chance to see the home town of this “hero,” my opinion did not change of the lowlife, but I was happy I went. The town was located on a hill and there was a huge castle on top of it. We ascneded the long path and enjoyed what we saw. The view form the top of the castle was breath taking. We later had lunch, and had the local pork which was exquisite. We headed out and got to Madrid in a few hours. I was very happy about this cultural trip and am a little saddened that there is only one more. But thems the brakes. Next post, my birthday weekend and much, much more.

(Trujillo From Above the Castle)

(Me Hitting Pizzaro´s Back)

(Plaza Mayor de Trujillo, with Storks)

(Cutie Pie in the Window

(Trujillo Castle)

(Me Squishing the Evil Pizzaro´s Head)

Mood: Inspired

Music: Knock Yourself Out – Jon Brion

Cádiz, Carnaval, Juergas.....much has happened.

2006-03-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

DISCLAIMER: This is goes for everyone who is older than me, Mom, Dad and anyone else.... If you are afraid of what you might read, wait for the next post. I didn´t do anything God-awful, but this will most likely be an uncensored draft. Well now that I got that out of the way, here it goes....

W e arrived at the bus station at 22:00 and waited for our bus to take off. We knew other people in our group were going to Cádiz, but we didn´t know when. Serendipty, however, had other plans. Upon waiting for our departure, almost everyone had shown up and it put our group, of Me, Meg and Sara, at ease. However when we got on the bus, we realzied that we were not geting any sleep on this overnight trip. The seats would have been great had we been given regular ones. Unfortunaltely, we had a table seat (which is retarded) but it did give us the oppportunity to meet Edguardo, a friend who we would meet once again.

(Monica, Edguardo, Meg and Myself)

A fter the long bus ride on which we actually manage a few winks of sleep, we arrived in Cádiz at 05:45 AM. We orginally thought that we would be let off in the middle of town, you know, how every other bus ride works. Not so. Descending thestairs of the bus we were left at the border of Cádiz and San Fernando. Oh yea, it was also raining and the weather was complete shit. Whenever anyone asked me how ythe trip was, I could only tell them one word; mojado (very wet). Luckily, Yvonne and Annie were there for the past 6 hours and led us to wherer we had to go. The walk was long, but then again most things in life are. After an hour and a half of walking in the damp weather, we found a Churrería. They sell churros with chocolate. Pretty good. But what was more appealing was that (since it was outdoors) there was a huge tent for us to take shelter from the storm. We spent about two hours there and after being miserable and cold, we decided to commence the festivities a little early, i.e. drinking at 9 oclock in the morning...

(Meg and I in the Churrería)

(Me in my Zorro Costume)

(Hey, I was thirsty, why not have Alex´s Rum and Coke....at 9:00 in the morning)

B ack to our adventure. We went to a train station which luckily they had lockers for us to put our stuff in. All of us shared a locker for €3 which isn´t bad for a 24 hour period. I, however, was an idiot. Thinking that the weather would some how miracuously lighten up, left my jacket in the locker and would be very wet for the rest of the day. We pressed onwards and decided to visit the local cathedral and actually be a little cultured. On the way though, we ran into some distractions. Down the cobblestone streets there were souvenior shops everywhere. Amongst said shops was also a liquor store. When we entered the store, something caught our eye. It was somethign we had never seen before in real life. The green bottle glowed in the window. It was Absinthe. Meg had fashioned her costume of Señorita Borracha (which originally was supposed ot be Miss America but Miss Borracha had a better ring to it). Absinthe was purchased, and we arrived at the cathedral. Upon entering the huge structure, we were amazed. The very impressed. The price of admission was less than impressive. €3 to see a house of God, for Meg and I seemed a little ridiculous. So we went down into the main plaza in front of the church and waited. The weather had lightened up a little bit. We entered a T-shirt store and I purchased a novelty t-shirt that said FUMA instead of PUMA. (Fuma means to smoke). At this point it was me, Meg and Alex, who was promptly dressed up for Carnaval as a Viking. Here are some more pictures of our travels...

(Me in a locker, Meg and Monica Featuring their Costumes and Absinthe, the Cathedral, Me and Alex in a Duel of Fates, and Alex, Me, Meg and another friend we will discuss soon....all titles are respective)

S o, remeber Edguardo? He makes his second entrance now. While waiting for people in the Cathedral we saw something familiar. I big, bright yellow wig and a soccer jersey. The costume Edguardo told us he was going to wear. He was wondering the plaza looking for something at the shops. We flagged him down and he was very happy to see us. He introduced us to his other friends, some of which were fom México (like himself) and others who were studying abroad in Madrid but came to Cádiz for Carnaval. We instantly bonded and shared alcohol. We also met William. A man of his late 40s or early 50s. We exchanged back stories and we learned he was from Oregon but travelled the world and paying his fare with money he earned from playing music on the streets of Europe. He shared with me his tambourine and taught me how to play a Brasillian beat. He said he had to go to the grocery store but told us to meet him again. Sitting in front of the cathedral, hanging out and drinking made me realize that I enjoyed the company of people on this trip, the experience, more than anything else. After reunting with these people they informed us that the had to eat lunch. So we split up and began walking again. We went down a small side street and with much absinthe in our bellies we had very poor recognition of time how much had passed.

(Me Being a Sly Zorro)

(Our Newly Acquired Friends)

(A Moderatley Intimidating and Drunken Pose)

(Me Drinking From My First Broken Sword of the Day....I Broke 3)

A strange noise had been coming from that side street. It was the tune of a bag pipe. And low and behold, as we went further and further down the street we encountered a man playing bagpipes with none other than William. Who had promptly changed instruments to an accordian. The rain at this point had lightened up but the ominous clouds above suggested that we would see some again soon. After their music was over we started talking. The man with the bag pipes introduced himself as Devin or Devil with an "n". We started chatting again and Willaim told us where we could find him later on at The Plaza of San Antonio. He showed me on the map and we swore we´d meet at least one more time. I told him I was from New Jersey and to hearing that shared with me a joke.

Why are there more toxic waste dumps per square mile in the state of New Jersey and more lawyers in California?

Because Jersey got first pick.

I was pretty amused but the absinthe made it far more amusing than it should have been. Devin revealled earlier that he was from Canada and it was time for me to shine. I gave him the old how did they choose Canada´s name joke. (They took, letters out of a hat....C-ay-N-ay-D-ay) He thought it was hilarious and said he would share it with his friends when he got back home. We pressed onward. Not getting too much farther down the side street we met up with some Spanish college students. Meg made friends with them really quick and they were ready to share alcohol and us with them instantly. We found out (in all Spanish mind you) that they too were living in Madrid and because of that we had to be friends. So sitting on this street corner, having alcohol and chilling out we shared what kind of music we liked and how our different our cultures were. One asked me if I liked hip-hop and I said of course. Jurassic 5 is one of my favorite groups. They were unacquainted but one stepped up and said "oh J5 of course, they´re awesome." I shared what I knew of Spain´s ´recent music and they were impressed. I told them I loved El Canta del Loco´s "Zapatillas" and they started singing it for me and we sang along together for a chorus or two (I´m not really familiar with the words yet). They gave us all drinks and we swapped numbers and told them we would meet them if we could. At thsi point we were at a tiny plaza and advanced down a little before meeting another character; Robin Hood.

(Alex and I with Our Newly Acquired Drinks)

(William and Devin Jammin´)

(Meg, Alex, Devin, William and I)

(Other Madrileños)

(Me and Two Mardileños....One just happens to look like...Bum Bum Bum!!!! ERIC¡¡¡¡¡¡)

(Me and Ronny)

R onny Hood as I would call him later as Ronny was his first name. He had a pretty cool costume and informed us how he made his makeshift bow and arrows. At the last minute the day before he went intot he park, sawed down some branches and put it together. He said people were gauking at him but he didn´t care. We exchanged numbers and pressed forward. We actually got some walking done. We travelled around the cobblestone streets of Cádiz and disocvered we were close to the Mediterranean. We made our way there and took some photo shoots. Afterwards I got a call from someone in the group and we agreed we would meet in front of the church. So we met there and regrouped.

(Meg and I at the Mediterranean)

(Where Did Those Scotsmen Come From?)

(The Terrible Trio)

M eg, Alex and I met up with everyone and were ready to roll out for more partying. We walked along, intent on being at the Plaza de San Antonio as William had instructed us to. We were soaked but at this point we didn´t care. Pushing our way through the crowds we ran into people we did not expect. It was William and Devin. They were playing a lively tune and I was very inspired to dance. And so Alex, Joe and I dance hardily in the rain. We were trying to seek shelter from the rain and decided that we should eat. We found an Italian restaraunt and ate there. The pizza was good and we got a small chance to dry off. It was almost time to go to the Plaza, so we left. When we got there, it was not what we expected at all. There was a stage but there would be no music due tot he weather. So there were hordes of people who were just doing what were doing; drinking in the streets and having a good time. There´s really not a lot left to tell for a little while. I felt sick becuase of all the absinthe, but managed OK

(a Lively Tune...I´m Inspired to Dance)

(A Catherine Zeta to Zorro)

T he plan was to keep moving and not sleep. Plans change. However, due to the inclimate weather, we were soaked, tired and suffering. Meg, Alex and myself took refuge in the churro tent we were in before but at this point the drunken high was wearing off and we were cold. Meg was shivering and now my goal was to get us inside before we froze to death. I took Meg to the Burger King but it was to no avail. The place was packed and had grease caked to the floor. Not just a little bit of grease, and I´m not exaggerating here. We are talking a good half inch of grease on the floor that if you were not paying attention to you would slip and fall in it. This would forever change our opinion of beloved Burger King. Our recently made friend Adi, who is in our lengua class said he was staying in Cádiz and that we were more than welcome to stay at his place for the night. So I called him and he said he was getting in soon but his place was not in Cádiz but rather San Fernando, the town right next to it.

H ailing a taxi, as we would soon learn, would be the least of our problems. It took us a near half hour to flag one down and when we told him the name of hotel, the driver looked at us funny, shrugged his shoulders and drove us there. The drive was about 20 minutes an d it looked like we were being dropped off in the middle of nowhere. We made it to the hotel with a cab fare of €25. We did not paying that at all, called Adi, found the place, which was a duplex, not a hotel and he had a sheet on the floor for us to sleep on. So the three of us got roughly 3 hours of sleep on the dry wooden floor of Adi´s duplex.

W e arose early as we needed to get to the bus stop at 9:10 for Alex´s bus. We asked the hotel clerk to use his phone but he said it would be more convienent for us to take the train which ran every half an hour. We did not have that much time. We frantically ran to the road but realized it was vacant and would remain that way as it was 8:30 on a Sunday morning. We saw a cab go into the hotel area so we ran to see if we could catch it on its way out, hoping that somehow it would be empty. We waited and when it returned saw that it was not. Profanities raced through my mind. "How was I going to get us back???!!?" We made it back to the hotel and saw a group of dressed up hung over Carnaval celebrants by the entrance. We asked them if they had called a cab. They said yes but they were waiting a long time for it. All of a sudden a cab drive by. We screamed for it and it stopped. We raced as fast as we could toward it and ignored the yells of the real owners of the cab. Hey we had a bus to catch, wouldn´t you do the same? So we stole the cab, the driver sped us to the stop and we made it there 20 minutes before Alex´s bus. We had coffee at a café and hung out antoher hour for our bus. We met up with all of our friends, both from school and fomr the bus. We had told the other half of the Marist-Stetson peoples to grab our stuff from the locker as we would not be able to go there and make it back in time. Thankful our stuff was delivered to us. The bus ride home was long, but at least we got to sit in comfortable seating. We watched Bulletproof Monk and I sat on the bus a very content man. It was the most fun I had in months and it was something I can never forget.

("In Carnval nothing is what is seems")

Mood: Wet, Tired, Content

Music: Me Vale -- Maná

Take me to Portugal...

2006-02-20T05:18:00.000-08:00

L ast week on a whim, six of us decided to go to Lisboa to see what it was like. Over the following days, plans were made, bus tickets were bought, and liked it or not, Thursday night we were on a bus bound for Portugal. Not knowing a lot about the country, we entered with open minds.

···Day 1···

Arriving at 6 o´clock in the morning changed our open minds. Not knowing where we were in the city, and speaking no Portugese, we took a cab to our hostel. We checked into the hostel, put our skeleton keys through our respective doors, and went to sleep for a few hours, as the bus ride offered little to no sleep. We awoke before noon to discover we stil had no bearing on the city, however, we were impressed by our hostel´s location, which seemed to be in the middle of the city.

(The view from my balcony [Take notice of the Italian flag])

W e waited around for awhile at the stop we thought the 28 Trolley was goign to be but apperently we were mistaken. We all then decided to buy sometihng warmer as the weahter had not been what any of us had expected. I bought a psuedo-argyle Mr. Rogers sweater. Afterwards we went to the really 28 stop and took the trolley through the city, scaling the heights of Barrio Alto, only to be rudely made aware that that was the end of the line. We weren´t sure what to do so we walked around, found a Cerveceria and had lunch. I had a bifana which was a small beef sandwich (it was pretty good not knowing what I was going to get). The weather was on and off that day, but it was defineitly our best weather all trip. We travelled down the large hill aways and found a park and a bascilica.

(Trolley 28 View)

(View No. 2 from Barrio Alto)

(The park)

(City View from Top of the Park)

(The Bascilica)

O K, back to the story. We caught the 28 back towards the hostel but were dropped off short of our destination because we were unfamiliar with how the trolleys worked. So we walked about a mile or so back. Lisboa is filled with cobblestone, you can not go very far without finding cobblestone sidewalk. We decided to eat near the hostel and went through a large gauntlet of waiters from different restaurants telling us that we should eat at their places. One waiter however, flagged me down and showed me the menu of the day which included bread, soup, dinner, drink and dessert for only €9. I convinced everyone that we should eat there and so we did. He was very happy wiht our decision. He shook my hand and sat us down immediately and served us as fast as he could. Not everyone was satisfied woith the food, but we were tired and hungry so we ate. We did not know how to get to any of the hot spots, so we bought a few bottles of wine and had our own little soiree. After many a drink and few tales we went to bed.

···Day 2···

W e woke up around 10 but did not get out until noon. Feeling a little disoreinted the next morning we decided to head towards the Oceánario and the Expo of 98 where the World´s Fair was. We walked out and ran into Raoul, our waiter from the night before. His English was a little poorer than I had remembered but sure enough he guided us in the direction of the places we wanted to go and we got on the Metro and went. The tickets were cheap, only about €.70 for a one way ride. We eventually found our way to the coast after a series of asking for directions in Spanish, it was all we could do. We finally found the Oceánario. It was off the land and on this long rickety dock. Here are some more pictures:

(Meg and I on the way to the Oceánario)

(The Dock)

I soon realized that I had no cash and needed to use an ATM. Luckily there was one right before the entrance but apperently Commerce Bank is not such a huge fan of Portugal´s national bank: MultiBanco. So it was now up to Meg to fund the rest of my trip and thankfully her Traveller´s Checks held and we made it out alright, just barely. Anyways, the displays were really impressive and we saw otters, pengiuns, sharks and many different types of fish. The tanks were very close and made you feel as though you were inthe water. After seeing all the characters of Finding Nemo we headed out.

We walked around the boardwalk area for a little bit, git a bite to eat at the Mall and headed home. We checked out various shops and went back to the hostel to find it full of old Portugese men having what seemed like an Elk´s Club meeting. The lobby as filled with smoke and profanity but we were so tired we didn´t mind. We had alld ecided that we were not going to go ut as the rainfall was too heavy, so instead we stayed in again, had some wine, and went to bed.

···Day 3···

We forced oursleves to wake up early and thankfully were out of the hostel by 11. Outside our balcony we could see the Elevador de Santa Justa.

Which is in the distance of this picture. It is a huge brass elevator constructed in 1898 has an impressive view of the city. We paid the €1,50 for a round trip ticket and went to the top. Allow me to explain something right now. The trip as of thus far had not been going exactly to plan. The weather had been a less than inviting, Meg and I had no functioning ATM card, we did not know where we were going, and our group was less than enthusiatic. Yet. Once we ascended the heights of the elevator, the mood, for most of us, changed instantly. The rain that had been falling so hard ceased, and the sun came in through the clouds. The whole city was in view. It was one of those moments in life that makes you think that there are other forces at work. Here are the pictures:

(Lisboa from such great heights)

(La Praça da Dom Pedro)

(Me and My Lovely Esposita)

L isboa was in all its beauty. However, we had other plans. The other night we had decided we were going the Sintra if the weahter held. Sintra is about 45 minutes from Lisboa. There areMoorish castles and royal palaces amongst the gravity defying cliffs that are on the outskirts of the city. So after asking a very friendly vendor atop the elevator he informed us of where we had to go. We jumped on the metro, which was very pretty by the way, and went to the train station to purchase tickets. It was €3 for a round trip ticket. We were pretty happy about that. The train station, named Sete Rios, happened to also be the bus station where we had to leave out of. The train ride was nice and when we came to Sintra, we had no idea where we were supposed to go. Walking along the narrow streets we saw our destination form afar. The Palacio da Peña seemed really far away. We went the only way we knew, up. The winding roads was longer than I cared to remember, and after spending nearly an hour and a half we were notified of a small path that took only 25 minutes. We purchased our tickets and made it to the top of the mountain. It was miraculous. The castle was incredible and the walk was well worth it. Don´t believe me? See for yourself.

And here are some of the palace:

T he Palace was impressive. We had to leave early though, in fear of missing our bus. So we hiked down the 25 minute trail and made our way to the train station. I had to ask for directions in what little Portugese I knew, mainly slurring Spanish words together. On the train ride home we decided that we had time to sit down and eat, check out of the hotel and book to Sete Rios to catch our bus. So on the way to our hostel who did we see? ¡¡RAOUL!! He informed of us of the day´s special and we were sold. We licked our plates clean and could not have been more content. I thanked him and handed him €5. He shook my hand and said his opinion of New York (where I had told him I was from) had been changed indefinitly. Gathering our stuff at the hostel we made it to Sete Rios and boarded the bus. Unable to go to sleep rigth away, I was left awake thinking of what a satisfying excursion this had been. For €200 and a little frustration, the cost had been well worth it. I would certainly go back given the chance. But that´s another day. Next weekend holds a different adventure; CARNAVAL. Bus tickets have been purchased. Bad weather or not, Carnaval here I come!! Will post soon. Adíos amigos, hasta luego.

(Me with the flora of our hike down form Palacio de Peña)

(Me and Raoul after our last supper)

Mood: Awakened

Music: Carolina -- Seu Jorge

Córdoba y Sevilla

2006-02-14T01:40:00.000-08:00

I did a lot this weekend. So much that it would be impossible for me to describe all of it, but here it goes:

Friday morning we met at Conde Causal and took the bus to Córdoba. It was a beautiuful bus ride even though it started at 8 o´clock. The landscape kept changing as we drove. Greens and palms trees and olive groves were the main terrains. Growing up in surbubia I had not really experienced something like that in my life. It was breath taking. We arrived at Córdoba fairly early and got to relax along the river for a while.

(picture of Córdoba)

We went to a museum and got our fair share of history. We examined tools and items created by the Moors that inhabited the peninsula. It was really impressive to see what Muslims had come up with, such as tools to combat catarracts and other ailments. We wnt to the top of the building which looked like a castle and got a good view of the city.

(me in the mezquita patio)

We then went to a huge mosque/cathedral that was across the river. It was in the style called mudejar (which is a mix of Muslim and Christian styles). The area, had a orange grove for a patio and inside was even more interesting. It was a enormous mosque that, as we walked through it, transformed into a cathedral. The story is that during the Reconquistion of the country, the Spainards took back the city and built a cathedral next to the mosque to show the area´s past. We then proceeded to a Jewish barrio to see one of the only original synagogues in the country. It was small but impressive.

(mosaic floor of the small synagouge)

We left feeling amazed and prepared for the long bus ride ahead. It was about 2 and a half hours to Sevilla and we arrived exhausted. We ate dinner at the hotel and we´re left to our own devices. After chowing down we decided that we would go out in honor of our friend Jen´s 21st birthday. Traveling the narrow cobblestone paths of Sevilla we finally found a bar. Of all places, it was an Irish bar called Flaherty´s. When we entered we were shocked to hear English spoken fluently by the bar tenders and the clientele of the pub. We sat down had a few drinks, some dancing and left. It was a good time, and my first bar shot of tequila. It´s not so bad with the lemon and salt...

The next morning we got up early (and were led by our city tour guide who looked like Alfred Molina) to go Parque María Luisa which was beautful. It had been made a state park and was very well kept. We went inside an archeological museum where I was in my hayday. Roman and Visigoth history was abundant and we got to see much. So much mosaic tiling, it was really impressive. We proceeded to another cathedral/mosque bu this one was even bigger. It also supposedly houses the tomb of Christopher Colombus, which upon learning promptly stamped on the insignia in the ground. It was gorgeous but a little excessive. I am beginning to see why people did not enjoy the Catholic spending of money. We were given the rest of the the day (from 15:30 onward) so we went to the Maestranza (Plaza de Toros) or Bull Ring of sEvilla. It was a lot smaller than I expected, however, it houses 14 thousand viewers. There we learned a great deal of history about bullfighting and what goes on there. We spent the rest of the day lounging outside the Guadalquivir and bathed in the sunlight. It was a very pleasant day. We went to a market where Meg bought me a sweet ring. The night was a differnt story. Long story short, don´t go out in large groups to a restaraunt, especially with Americans. The day had exhausted me so I went to bed early.

(Parque María Luisa)

(La Maestranza)

(The Guadalquivir)

The next morning we went to Alcázar where the califato (Muslim leader) took up residence. It was huge and very pretty. Again the mudejar style was visible and as we walked through it the Christian presence was made more and more abundantly clear. At the end of the tour we had lunch, were going to visit the Casa de Pilatos (a replica of Pontius Pilate´s house) but we didn´t have time. Juan, our tour guide, was pretty cool and sai he enjoyed my T-shirt that had a picture of President Bush and said "not my president." He told us the route to teh Cas awas very complicated and we didn´t have enough time. He also sai that when I visit Sevilla again, my parents should also enjoy the site.

(El Alcázar)

We got on the bus and headed back to Madrid. It was a long ride (6 or 7 hours) and we made conversation. All in all it was an extraordinary cultural event in which I got to bond with everyone on the trip. Also I learned on the bus ride it is true what they say about Spain, the rain does fall mainly on the plain.

Mood: Enchanted

Music: Needle in the Hay -- Elliot Smith

Una explanación

2006-02-08T05:01:00.000-08:00

I have been in Madrid for five days and have seen much. Where to begin...

My plane ride from JFK to Barajas was long and I did not get a wink of sleep on the ride over. Getting on the plane as difficult for me, as I began to question why had I signed up to done an entire smester abroad. When the plane ascended into the sky I realized that there was no going back. After arriving and claiming our bags we met Margaret, our "tour guide." I use quotations because her job encompasses much more than that of a simple tour guide. In addition to handling all 17 students form both Marist ands Stetson colleges she also has a job at La Universidad Carlos Tecera de Madrid (UC3M). This is the place I attend school.

I came to my foster house first and enjoy it a lot. It is composed of a single mom, 20 year old son and 14 year old girl. Maurí, the mom, cooks and cleans and has her own job that she works more than 40 hours a week for. Jorge, the son, doesn´t do much and we keep to ourselves for the most part. Patricia, the youngest, is very cute and is an excellent conversationalist and puts up with my poor Spanish. I have pictures of my room in my last post.

It has been a while since I´ve gotten a chance to write in the blog and much has transpired that I may have forgotten. The last chance I got it deleted my blgo so I´m a little irritable about retyping this one. In short I have seen:

-Plaza Mayor
-Puerta de Sol (the "center" of the city, like Times Square but better)
-El Retiro (a huge and gorgeous park)
-El Madroño y el Oso
-el Prado
-Reina Sofía
-and much much more

The language barrier is a little tough to get trough and a lot gets lost in translation. However, its interesting being here and seeing what differences there are. I´ve gone been through a lot already, and now can readily use public transportation to get me anywhere in the city. Ruight now I´m taking Survival Spanish classes and am being placed in an appropriated level of language class. I will return with more stories I´m sure. Everything is so different here and I am begginning to wonder if America really is the "greatest country in the world."

Te entire city está en obras (is under construction) but it is still a very beautful place. I will get more pictures out as soon as I can. Hasta luego.

Mood: Excited

Music: Las Zapatillas -- Canta del loco

(A band I have recently discovered and enjoy)

2006-02-08T04:52:00.000-08:00

The view from my room

My room first shot

My room second shot

As you can see I live in the room of a fourteen year old girl but it is very cozy. I will return with more posts and explanations. But for now I need to go. Hasta luego.

The Beginning

2006-02-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

Hello there. My name is Matt Ragucci and am a student enrolled at Marist College. Recently, my goal has been to study abroad and so with the some inspiration and audacity, I signed up to go to Madrid in the Spring of 2006.These last few months if preparing for my trip to Madrid have left me wondering how I would be able to tell everyone about it. So instead of having to remember every detail, or keep a written journal, I figured I'd follow suit with Meg and make a Blog of my own for those who are interested in my voyages in Spain.
This winter has been filled with anticipation and excitement of the months to come. In the mean time, hhere's what's happening:Right now I'm working at Sickles in the Deli trying to make enough money for my trip.

Each post will explain what I have done recently. Hopefully if I get into the swing of things I will be posting at least twice a week, if not more so. If you have any questions you can AIM me at Ragu781 or e-mail me at Matthew.Ragucci@Marist.edu and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. Along each post will come a livejournal-ish addition of mood and music.
Today's are:

Mood: Chipper

Music: Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers