Granada and a Day in the Park

This weekend we spent two days and one night in Granada, a city about 3 hours South East of Sevilla and tucked among the highest points of the Sierra Nevada. Granada (which means “palmagranite”) was the last Moorish stronghold during the Spanish Reconquista. It was the last city to fall under the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, in 1492 and still retains a lot of Muslim influence.

We arrived Friday afternoon and a group of us went to see La Capilla Real, the royal chapel and burial place of Ferdinand and Isabella. Next to them lies their daughter, Joan la Loca (Joan the Mad), and her husband, Felipe I la Hermoso (Felipe I the Handsome). I actually just learned about Joan in my history class and we watched a movie about her. There are two theories to way she was considered “mad”. 1) She was truly in love with her Felipe and when she discovered his infildelity she went mad with jealously. Legend has it, that when Felipe died they had to take his body to Granada. During the long journey, Joan would open the coffin from time to time and hug her dead husband. Seeing this, the people began to say she was crazy. 2) Who knows if any of this is true, but some say the reason she was pronounced crazy was to keep her from ruling Spain. When her mother Isabella died, Joan should of taken the throne since she was the only living heir, but both her father and husband said she was in no mental condition to rule. Later, her own son would say the same thing and then take the crown for himself. This poor woman was betrayed by all the important men her life. I think I would of gone mad too.

That night the whole group climbed through the oldest barrio in the city, Albayzín, to a lookout point to see the Alhambra and the whole city below. Then we saw a flamenco show in a gypsy cave. I was literally inches from the performers, and could feel the whoosh of the dresses and the rhythm of their heels pounding into the floor. I've seen a few flamenco shows this past week and they have all been very different. This one was definitely more about the dancing and rhythm the dancers were making with their feet. It was incredible. It's such a sensual art form, because you use so many senses to experience it. You hear the music and singer, feel the beat, see the dancers in their colorful dresses (or dark suits, because men dance also), and you feel the passion of the whole performance stirring something in your soul. It's really that moving.

While I'm talking about flamenco, I want to clear up a stereotype I originally had: flamenco is not just a dance, it is a style of music. There is even a form of flamenco sung acapella. It can be happy or sad and usually involves a guitar player, lots of clapping, a singer, and possibly a dancer. There are many different styles and sometimes it's totally improvised. It's a very interesting art form and I'm looking forward to being here during Feria de April (April's Fair) when there's lots of flamenco going on. : )

That night I just chilled with a group of friends in a tapas bar. Tapas are like little appetizers that you buy to have with your drinks and are very popular here in Spain. They can be anything from fried vegetables to slices of ham. The cool thing about Granada is the tapas are free. Yay!

The next morning we went to the Alhambra (which means "red" in Arabic), which was a Moorish palace that was later taken over and added on to by the Catholic kings and queens. The saying goes, “Si mueres sin ver la Alhambra, no ha vivido” (If you die without seeing the Alhambra, you have not lived.) and now I know why. The Muslims are forbidden to decorate with the figures of humans or animals, but they love to decorate, and every inch of this place is covered with detailed cravings of shapes, flowers, and inscriptions that read, “There is no victory except with Alah.” Elaborate arches and ceilings are around every corner. Fountains were also very important to the Moors, because they symbolizes life and purity (as well as high status) and provide the music of the Alhambra. (Our hotel was actually built to mimic the Moorish style and a fountain outside on the patio lulled me to sleep.) We also visited the Generalife, which was the getaway gardens of the royalty. I will put up the pictures but they don't do the place justice. You will just all have to go and see it for yourselves. ; )

Then today, Abby and I spent a relaxing afternoon exploring Sevilla a little bit more. We went to Plaza de America and saw the Customs Museum. Then we walked through a beautiful park, Parque Maria Luisa, and found a sunny bench on which to sit and write in our journals for a bit. We checked out the Plaza de España, another famous site in Sevilla. I apologize for my lack of discriptions, but sometimes (and usually), a photo just says it best. Check them out and enjoy.

Hasta Luego!

Emily

It's Jolly (and Chilly) Holiday in London

Sorry for the late update. My access to internet here is limited and I have a lot to say about London and not enough time.

The experience of traveling and planning a trip with two new friends was an adventure with in itself. Our plan arrived in London around midnight and then we had to take a bus into the city. We were dropped off on an almost vacant Liverpool Street and left to haul down a taxi on the dreary (and rainy) London streets. When we finally were able to hail a cab we piled in and gave the driver the address of our hostel. It took me a minute to get over the surprise of seeing the driver in what I believed to be the “passenger” seat. Then I realized, “Oh yeah! We're in London!”

We drove over the London Bridge (no, it did not fall down) to our hostel. In the morning I woke up wondering if Harry Potter lived on a street like this as I looked out my window. The hostel served breakfast, so we sat down to eat and met a fellow traveler from Munich, Germany. Nice boy. Anyway…our next mission was to figure out the London Underground, aka the Tube, and take it to Westminster. Now let me tell you, the tube is quite the maze, but once you figure it out it is your best tool for getting around the city. It is probably the most efficient and cleanest subway systems I've used (not that I ride the subway often, but I have used New York's and Lisbon's).

As we ascended from the underground at our stop, Big Ben rose above us in all his glory. Attached to Big Ben is the Houses of Parliament and across the street Westminster Abby. We purchased tour bus tickets and road on top of the double decker bus to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. To witness this ceremony we stood for about an hour and a half in the cold and honestly I have no idea when the guard actually changed, but I did get to hear the royal band play a John Williams medley. Apparently Indian Jones and Star Wars suites the British Royalty.

Afterwards we had lunch in Hyde Park and then took the rest of the tour on the bus to get a better feel for the city. Our tour guide, Alan, was lots of fun and had a very sarcastic “British” sense of humor. He gave us nicknames (my was Little Red Ridinghood because of my red hat) and enjoyed bantering with us during our ride. (“See that down there? In America you call that the sidewalk right? Well, we call that the pavement.”) We caught glimpses of St. Paul's Cathedral and got to see a “Waterloo Sunset” as we crossed the Waterloo Bridge (the song playing too to add to the effect). We got off at the Tower of London and then hopped on a boat where we got to see the city from the Thames. That night we got a bird's eye view of the city from the London Eye.

The next morning we started out early and visited the Tower of London. We took a tour conducted by a Yeoman Warder (aka “Beefeater”) and heard the bloody history of the tower. We saw the site where Queen Anne Boleyn was beheaded (as well as many others) and saw “Liz's Bling” (aka the Crown Jewels). After our tour we ate at a Wagamama's which is a Japanese noodle bar where you can get real Ramon (a college kid's dream and it's cheap too!). Then we browsed around the National Gallery where we got to see Van Gogh's famous painting, “Sunflowers”.
That night we took a guided ghost tour of London on which we walked down Fleet Street and saw the Old Curiosity Shop. The tour also included some pub crawling (which I guess is important in Britain) and we ended at a pub where we sat down and ate some fish and chips. Yum!

The next morning we went to church at Westminster Abby (beautiful!) and peeked into St. Paul's Cathedral as well. Afterwards we had real British tea and scones (my favorite food of the trip) and took the tube to Portabello Market. Needless to say when we got on the bus that afternoon we were exhausted, but also very proud of how much we had crammed into two and a half days. I really love London because it's a city that's a little rough around the edges but has plenty sophistication and history to balance it out.

This weekend, Granada.

Thanks for reading! Cherrio mates! I fancy you all mucho.

P.S. Pictures should of been sent out. Contact me if you need the link.

Lisbon (aka Staying In Bruce Springsteen’s Bedroom)

My first week of school went smoothly and this weekend our group went on an excursion to Lisbon, Portugal. I kind of feel bad for Portugal, because at least in my mind the country seems a bit overlooked, sitting in the shadow of Spain and all. But let me tell you, the Portuguese can hold their own.

First of all, Portuguese is spoken in Portugal not Spanish (in case there was any confusion) and although people say the languages are similar, they are not close enough for me to understand Portuguese. When reading advertisements in Portuguese I could pick out some similar words but when I first heard it spoken I thought it was German. (sorry Rosie, I know they are not a like at all.) Furthermore, trying to speak Spanish to someone in Portugal can be somewhat offensive since well, it’s not their language! My first interaction with a native was when I went to buy a postcard and out of habit said, “gracious”.

“Not ‘gracious,’” the salesman corrected kindly, “Now, obrigado(a).” I smiled and explained I had just come from Sevilla.

Lisbon is like the San Francisco of Portugal. It sits on a bay surrounded by seven hills. Trolley cars go up and down the steep streets and there is even a bridge stretching across the water that resembles the Golden Gate Bridge. Our hotel was almost right under this bridge, across from the docks where there were lots of restaurants and discotecas (dance clubs). (More on that later.)

Our first afternoon in the city we climbed through the winding streets to Castile San Jorge, one of the few ancient buildings that survived the massive earthquake of 1755 that destroyed most of the city. We explored the castle for a good 40 minutes of so, taking pictures and enjoying the view of the city. You will have to check out the pictures, a description here won’t do it justice.

That night we went out to eat to celebrate a girl’s birthday. She picked an Irish Pub out of all places to eat (the kids are starting to miss hamburgers), but I did my best to stay true to Portugal and ordered my burger Portuguese style. It came bun less and topped with ham and a fried egg. (They really like their eggs here- both Spain and Portugal.) Then we went dancing at a near by discoteca that was actually playing a lot of American music. We ended up doing the “YMCA” and I sang along to “Summer Nights” (from Grease) with a British guy. haha...Next time maybe we’ll find a place a little more authentic, but I was just glad to finally be out dancing.

The next day we spent the morning touring the city. We saw the Monastery of Los Jeranamos (where Vasco de Gamma, the famous Portuguese navigator is buried. He was the first to find a sea route to India.), the Tower of Belem (it used to defend the harbor and was later used as a prison), and finally we stood on top of a map of the world and learned about the many explorations of the Portuguese.

We had the afternoon free so a group of us girls found a sunny spot along the street to have lunch. I tried some of Lisbon’s well known codfish. When our waiter found out we were Americans he immediately referred to the upcoming elections. Personally he wants Hillary to win. I think it’s interesting this is the first time I’ve got a political opinion from someone. I wonder what other Europeans think.

After lunch we figured out the Lisbon subway and went to the other side of the city to see the aquarium. It was in a very modern area of the city where the world’s fair was hosted in the past. We spent a few hours laughing at the penguins and otters and gazing at the many strange fish. Then we spent another hour in a huge mall which boasted four floors and every sort of store you could want (including a grocery store). By the time we headed back to the hotel it was already after 7 or so and we were exhausted. While the other girls mustered the energy to get ready to go out dancing again, I opted to stay in and get some sleep in order to rest and fight off a cold. No one wants to be sick in Spain (or America, or Portugal).

The next morning we visited a vantage point that reminded me of Disney World’s Tower of Terror, down to the creepy elevator. When we reached the top the ISA staff treated us to cafe con leche and pastries as we enjoyed the view. Then we hoped back on the bus and attempted to get comfortable for our six hour drive back.

Whew! And now I’m back in lovely Sevilla. If you want to view my pictures of the trip so far (including Portugal) you can visit the links below.

Oh, and I almost forgot to explain the Bruce Springstein reference! So the hotel we stayed in had music theme wings and the one we stayed in was rock/pop section and our room was in honor of Bruce. So later when they asked for my room number at the front desk, I shrugged and said sheepishly, “Bruce Springstein?” All hotels should have such clever naming systems.

Ok...that is all for now. London this weekend. : )

I will update then.

Love,

Emily

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Vaya Con Dios

It’s amazing how much humans can communicate despite language barriers. Abby and I make a great team when talking to our family and other natives. I tend to be better at listening and understanding and Abby is a better speaker. Estamos un buen equipo!

Yesterday we took our placement test (I tested into Intermediate II. yay!) and today I begin my classes. I’m taking grammar, communications, and culture in Spanish and Contemporary Spanish History in English. I have classes Monday-Thursday. No hay clases a viernes (There are no clases on Fridays.) Que lastima! haha (What a shame!)

Anyway, last night my host brother, Monolo, and his girlfriend, Isabella, came over for dinner. They were lots of fun to talk with. Isabella is from Italy and knows French, Italian, English, and Spanish. whew! We speak in Spanish though at the dinner table, and everywhere for that matter! Every meal is another Spanish lesson and our host parents are wonderful teachers.

After dinner Monolo and Isabella excused themselves (we kissed good-bye. one kiss on each cheek) and Abby and I presented our family with the gifts we brought. I gave them “typical” American food- gold fish, malano cookies, Girideli chocolates, and peanut butter. This led to a whole conversation about how the Spanish diet and eating schedule differs from that in America. In brief, they have a light breakfast in the morning (ie toast and cafe con leche- coffe with milk). Around 2 or 3 they have a big lunch (this is the biggest meal of the day) and then they take a “siesta”, which doesn’t necessarily mean a nap, but they rest because during the summer it’s very hot in the afternoon. All the shops close from around 2-4 or so and then open again in the evening. So people work later here. Sometimes they have a snack in the evening, well from what I understand the kids do, and then they eat dinner after 9pm (usually around 10pm).

Then Abby gave them here gift which included a card from here family. Her mother is a Spanish teacher and she wrote the phrase, “Vaya con Dios” which literally means, “Go with God”. Amparo (mi madre) said that people don’t usually say that phrase, they say “Hasta luego”, but saying “Vaya con Dios” is a beautiful way to say it (to say good-bye). We continued to have a intense conversation about this and how you say good-bye. I’m soaking this all in and suddenly a light goes on! Adios is a+Dios= adios! Now, if this is something that has already occurred to you please amuse me. So basically adios is a short way of saying “Go with God”. Pretty cool, si? Vale? (They say “vale” all the time here. It means “ok”.)

We continued to talk about Spanish and American customs, which is very interesting because I feel like Americans have lost a lot of “typical” costumes. We all agreed that the U.S. is a mix of many different kind of people but it was hard for me to try to explain one particular costume we all share. Any ideas? What are common things Americans do? What do we value?

Needless to say, I went to bed very tired both mentally and physically but also very satisfied that I had been able to have such an in-depth discussion with my host family and Abby in Spanish. Esta bien.

Mucho amor,

Emily

I´m In Sevilla!

¡Hola todos! I´ve finally arrived in my host city, Sevilla, Spain. Sevilla is the capital of Andulcia, the most southern region of Spain. I live in the barrio (neighborhood) called Triana with my host mother and father and my roommate, Abby (another American student from PA). We arrived late last night, dragged our lugguage off the bus, and were greeted with kisses (one on each cheek) from our host parents. They are such a sweet couple. Our señora, Amparo, is very talkative and animated, while her husband, Fermin, is more reserved and quiet, making them a perfect match. They have a son, Manolo, who lives near by with his Italian girlfriend.

Our room is muy pequeño but cozy. Abby and I share a closet and drawers which only proves we brought too much stuff, but we´re making do.



My first couple days here in Madrid and Toledo were fun and exciting. In Madrid we visited the royal palace which was incredible (over 2,000 rooms, all ornatly decorated). We also saw two museums, El Prado (classic art ie El Greco, Murillo, Goya) and El Reina Sofia (contempry ie Picasso, Dali). We took a day trip to El Escorial, a palace/monestary that was built by the Hapsburgs and got to see the tombs of the kings and queens of Spain.



Using my Spanish has been an adventure. I can understand most of the time, but when I open my mouth to speak it take me awhile to translate my thoughts. I know it will just take time. The most interesting thing Abby and I had to get across so far was calling the front desk to tell them we blew a fuse. The Spanish word for fuse is fusible, just in case you wanted to know. : )



Today I get to tour the Cathedral in Sevilla (the largest in the world after St. Peters in Rome) and then I start classes. It will be nice to get my schedule and get into a routine. I´m just so thankful things have been going so smoothly. Spain is a beautiful country and the students I´m traveling with have been a lot of fun. I can´t wait to really dig into life here in Sevilla.

Love you and miss you all!

Emily

Ready or Not...Here I Go!

At this time next week I'll be in Spain. With only four days to go, you would think that might of hit me already, but with much preparation still looming ahead I really haven't entertained the thought all that much. I'm excited, don't get me wrong, it's just a lot to juggle before I'm actually sitting safe and sound (and probably rather awkwardly) with my host family in Sevilla. I'll have to pinch myself when I get there. Right now it just seems so far away and unreal.

Don't worry, I won't bore you with the list of stuff I have yet to do, but I just wanted to see how this blogging thing will work and if everyone is able to read it. So let me know if you are all able to read and interact with this site. That would be most helpful.

In the meantime, here is what I will be doing for the first few days of my trips so you can all A) Be green with envy B) Pray/hold me in the light as I travel or C) Not even read the rest of this post and get back to your busy lives. Trust me, I understand. : )

Jan. 26- I arrive in Madrid, meet the other students, and take a bus tour of the city.
Jan. 27- Take a day trip to El Escorial which an Augustinian monastery just outside the city.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Escorial
Jan. 28- Visit the El Reina Sofia Museum and Palacio Real (in Madrid) and depart for Toledo
Jan. 29- Tour of Toledo
Jan. 30- Leave for Sevilla and meet host family.

So there you have it, my first five days in Spain.

One last thing. Here's my address in Sevilla if anyone wishes to write, although email is just fine. More importantly though, please send me your address because I would love to send postcards back to the U.S. when I get a chance. ; )

Pelay Correa 16 1a, 2a Puerta
41010 Sevilla
Spain

Well, I better get back to packing. I hope this ends up being a good way to keep everyone updated and in touch. I will write again once I've arrived in Sevilla. In the meantime, keep me in your thoughts and prayers for safe travels.

Ciao!