I don’t even know where to begin with this post. It was a
holiday week for Spaniards and for us as well. With no class, we played
tourists the whole week visiting one town and cathedral after another city and
castle.
Our
group of 36 left Monday morning to head north of Madrid. Along the way we would
stop here and there at these quaint little towns to go exploring. Some of the
buildings, with their little balcony windows, reminded me of the introduction
of
Beauty and the Beast. One of the
stops we went to was in a town called Silos where we listened to the
SantoDomingo Monks. The men sing Gregorian chants at certain times of the day and,
believe or not, have sold a platinum album.
We
spent the night and next day in
Burgos. It is actually a big city with plenty
to see. We got there late so after we had dinner we did not have a lot of time
to explore. A small group of us ate in a restaurant overlooking the plaza. We
also learned there that we are not good at paying a bill together and dividing
out Euros. The next day was a labor day and so everything was closed.
EVERYTHING. You had better not get sick that day or need some extra groceries
because you are not getting anything unless maybe you haggle with your
neighbors. They take their holidays seriously. Fortunately for however, the
Cathedral of Burgos
was open and we
had a tour guide take us through the building. Here is where
El Cid is buried,
a famous military leader from the 11
th century. The place was
beautiful.
Our next
major stop was in
León. Upon arriving in
this city and walking around a bit, it seemed that the area was a little run
down (as in more sketchy neighborhoods, not historically old). I learned,
however, that that was just where our hotel was located. The center of the city
is beautiful with streets aligned with shops, basilicas, old Roman columns, and
the León Cathedral. The cathedral, also known as the House of Lights, has the most
stained glass in proportion to building size in the world. We came back that
night at midnight to see the building lit up from the inside. Although it was
not as bright as I had anticipated, it was still really pretty and worth losing
some extra sleep. Wednesday morning we took a tour through the Basilica of San Isidoro which contained almost
perfectly preserved Romanesque paintings as well as a crypt for the
kings of León.
On the
way back to Alcalá we made a stop at the Castle of Coca. The House of Alba, an
aristocratic family, inhabited this place. So basically it is equivalents to
today’s millionaires’ mansions. Our tour guide seemed a little drunk, but it
was fun climbing on the outside walls and looking out over the city. I also
learned to watch your head. As the tour guide was cautioning us to watch our
heads as we went up stairs, I simultaneously hit my head on something hanging
from the wall. Perfect timing – the guide thought that everyone was laughing at
her words of caution.
This weekend we were free to go
wherever we wanted in Southern Europe. Some people went to Lisbon, others to
Paris, and some even to Morocco. I figured that since I was here to study in Spain,
I would stay in Spain and go to Barcelona! NO REGRETS! It has become one of my
favorite cities. The atmosphere, the culture, the people – it all was
wonderful. I went with eight others from my group and we took an 8 hour bus
ride from Madrid to Barcelona. We stayed at a hotel in the suburb of Sabadell
which was about a 30 minute train ride away from the City. While although it will
be impossible to describe everything I will pick out some of the highlights.
Swimming in the
Mediterranean Sea – Okay so I would say more or less I jumped in and out of
the Mediterranean because that day the water was freezing. It was a beautiful
beach though and was filled with people. We relaxed for an hour or so and built
a sandcastle together. After our early morning ride we decided that such an
activity was paramount. I do not have a bucket list, but if I did, visiting
that sea would be one of them.
Las Ramblas – This is a street almost geared exclusively towards
tourists, I feel, but still really fun to experience. Everywhere you could
smell food such as gofres con helado (waffles and ice cream) and paella
(Spanish dish), which I of course had to try both. The median of the road is
where the majority of people walk. It is filled with people, small shops with
local artisans, and street performers. The Spanish writer Garcia Lorca said
that it was "the only street in the world which I wish would never
end."
While on Las Ramblas in Barcelona,
I learned my lesson on gambling as I lost 20€ (about $26) in gambling. The group I
was with decided to do some shopping among the street vendors, so I decided to look
at a street performer who was moving three boxes and having people choose which
box a small tin ball was hiding under. After mixing the boxes some and flipping
one over that was empty, he looked up at me and asked where the ball was. I
thought I had followed well and proposed it was the on the top one, which it
was. I bent down to show him but he asked for money. I thought well maybe I
have a 1€ just to see what happens, but he saw my 20€ and with the pressure of
the crowd, I am ashamed to say I gave in and handed him my larger currency.
Then the man acted as if he was distracted and turned away, while another man
helped me” cheat” and lifted up the top box to show me the ball – right where I
thought it would be. Well when the distracted host turned back around and I
chose the top box, of course the ball had suddenly moved to the bottom box. He
said something along the lines of “tough luck” and that was that. I was
devastated. How could I have been so stupid?! Honestly this could be on one of
the top 5 dumb things I have ever done. So a little distressed I went off to
the side and started talking to one of my group members who happened to watch it
all unfold. I had figured out what happened and confirmed it with him. The man
who “helped” me had been the one that obviously switched it and I had just not
been as astute and I should have been. There were also people working alongside
the game player as well in the audience who were there to peer pressure me. In
explaining my theory aloud, I think they must have caught on that I had
discovered their snare, because out of no-where a guy comes up and gives me 20€
and another man started to follow me as if to make sure that I stayed away from
the game as to not give the secret away. I cannot express how thankful I was at
that moment and angry with myself for making such an error.
Museo
Picasso – Barcelona was where Pablo Picasso spent much of his youth. In
honor of him, there is a museum entirely dedicated to his earlier work. Because
of the period covered, Picasso’s most famous works are not found in the museum,
but scattered in other museums. It was interesting to see how his styles
developed over the years from realism to impressionism to cubism. He really was
a talented man and it was a neat experience going from room to room looking at
the work of a master artist. My favorite piece there was Picasso’s take on Velasquez’s
Las Meninas.
Sagrada
Familia – This building has to be one of the most beautiful pieces of
architecture that I have ever seen. The
basilica was started in 1882 and is supposed to be finished in 2026. That’s
right over 100 years and counting. The design was by
Gaudí who worked on it
until his death in the 1920s. The work has since been carried on by various
individuals and continues. The building itself takes up a whole city block and
can be seen from just about any hill in the city. Walking inside, I just looked
around and dropped my draw. It is so spacious and so unique. Patterns, colors,
and size excite the mind. It will be hard to go to any cathedral here in Spain
now and be impressed. I keep telling myself that they are from different time
periods and need to appreciate the sacrifice, talent, and history that each
edifice reveals.
La Pedrera –This is
another piece of architecture that Gaudí designed. Meaning “the
quarry,” this building is
so unique in its outside design. The roof was probably my favorite to see with
the chimneys and vents that resembles ice cream cones and other crazy designs.
In a tour through one apartment, it was decorated in the 1920s fashion. The
attic was also uniquely arranged to with arcs that formed a chain, creating a
fun perspective while walking around.
Parc Güell - This is a huge park that
was helped designed but none-other, Gaudí. Scattered throughout are fountains,
statutes, and benches featuring the work of the famous architect. My favorite
is the mosaic lizards and animals.
Barcelona
is honestly full of so much to do and see. I think we could have been there for
over a week and still could have had so much to do and see. I honestly plan to
go back one day and see more of it. Maybe in 2026 with the Sagrada Familia will
be done.
So when I think of knights in
shining armor and the medieval life, my mind automatically goes to old
England...or used to I should say. The Three Musketeers and Robin Hood are
prime examples of films that automatically connect chivalry with the British. Despite
what you see however, where the real action was in Spain. It is said that at
one time Spain had 10,000 castles dotting the country. While I do not know how
much of that is true, I have certainly seen my fair share of some of the
coolest buildings built centuries ago by the Spaniards. 
Thursday,
May 10th, we went to the Monasterio de Uclés. This is building is
currently being used as a monastery for those wanting to work within the
church, but in its past it used be a training ground for the templar knights in
the Order of Santiago. I’m not really sure how to describe these types of
knights , to my knowledge they would be equivalent to the Green Berets in America.
They would have to take certain oaths and live a life dedicated to defending
the Church. Also in the building is buried Jorge Manrique, a famous poet from
the middle ages known for his work Coplas
a la Murete de su Padre (Couplets for the Death of His Father). 
Following
the monastery we went to Cuenca, a town built high up in the hills. The place
is beautiful! Surrounded by two rivers down in the valley, anyone who attacked
this city and conquered it really deserved to have it, since its geographic
location gives the defenders a great advantage. Cuenca is most known for the casas colgadas (hanging houses).
Tourists can walk along this bridge going over the valley and look upon the
cliff to see several houses that are more than dangerously close to the edge.
They really do hang over the edge as if they were actually part of the wall.
One of the homes now hosts an abstract museum from artists of this and last century.
Unfortunately the balcony area is prohibited so I could not look down or out
from one of the “hanging” houses but I can only imagine it would have been a
great view. Also, we went the Our Lady of Grace Cathedral which was built in 1270 but crumbled in 1902
and then rebuilt again. It is unique in that it more reflects architecture from
Britain.
Last
Tuesday we got the chance to go to a corrida de toros, a bullfight. Done in the
Plaza de Los Toros, we were there during Las Ventas, a series of fights that
happen during the festivities of San Isidrio (Spain’s patron saint). During the
event there were three different teams consisting of toreros, and each team got
to fight and kill two bulls. While I will not go into details of all of the
rules and details, I will say that it was really interesting to watch the
structure of the event. The first two teams were terrible and it looked more
like animal cruelty. The first matador kept missing the bull with his sword. In
fact, his performance was so bad that he was “booed” as he was leaving the
arena and people threw their seat cushions at him. The latter team and matador
showed more of the art in bullfighting. He was able to almost dance with the
animal and you could see he was a lot more confident being next to the beast
weighing over 1000kg. I am not sure if I would want to go to another fight but I
am glad to say that I went. Yes, it was bloody and yes, seemed like torture but
I reminded myself that we must kill so many cows on a daily basis to satisfy
our needs for McDonalds and Wendy’s that a few bulls is nothing. Granted we
also do not see the slaughter house where our meet comes from. Interesting fact
though is that more and more Spanish are frowning on the custom and in some autonomous
communities (equivalent to our states), it is even banned. The area itself was
fun, but packed. I cannot complain about seating in the Marriot or LaVell
Edwards stadium after this experience. Also, every other person was smoking a
cigar or cigarette so I inhaled a pack of second smoke while there too. All
part of the adventure.
We had
some free afternoons this past week so a group of us decided to do some walks
around Madrid. We stopped at the Palacio Real (meaning royal palace, not real
palace). King Charles III occupied this palace after the previous castle had
burned down. While the inside of the palace was beautiful and reminiscent of
other palaces, what I really enjoyed was the armory. Across from the actually
palace there was a two story exhibition of armor from several centuries.
Unfortunately pictures were not allowed inside, but just think of every type of
armor you have seen in movies and it was there. Most everything there was armor
and weapons of royalty so they were especially decorated. I even found my armor. I stood in front of one of the
displays and my head, chest, and torso’s reflection fit perfectly in the armor
as to appear if I was wearing it. As we were going out we stopped by the old
pharmacy. If you have ever seen Shrek 2 and remember the fairy godmother’s place,
which is what it reminded me of. There were jars and drawers for just about
every type of herb or vegetable. 
Saturday
we took a day trip to El Escorial and Valle de Los Caídos. Like many other
places I visited recently, photography was not allowed inside both so I can
only show pictures I found online and images from the outside. The Royal Seat
of San Lorenzo de El Escorial served as a summer home for Phillip II (who the Philippines
is named after). The area houses both a basilica/monastery and a palace. Included
in the monastery is one of the most important libraries in the world and to the
Catholic’s the 2nd most important next to the one found in the
Vatican. It was a place of tolerance, however, and books on the Quran and black
magic can be found among its many ancient volumes dating back hundreds of years
ago. Just as impressive are the frescos, or paintings, on the ceilings. The palace was actually a very humble (for a
king at least) abode that resembled the décor of a monk rather than royalty.
This is where Phillip II died living up to 70 some-odd years (which is like
over 100 in our years) after being carried on the shoulders of servants from
Madrid, a journey of about 7 days. The most impressive part of the building was
the pantheon of the Kings. Starting with Emperor and King Carlos V, this is
where all the royalty in Spain is located and where the parents of the current
king will be buried soon. Apparently the bodies rot for 25 years before their
bones are removed and put into this beautiful room made of marble. The room is
directly below the main altar of the basilica to symbolize God being over all
and the power of the resurrection. While I do not agree with all the teachings
of the Catholic Church and I know that the royalty of Spain has had a bloody
past, I must say I am impressed by their dedication to what they felt to be
true and their devotion to God. 
One
such example of this bloody past I am referring to is even as of recent as the
1940s. After the Spanish Civil War, dictator Francisco Franco, built a church
in honor of the Nacionalistas that had fallen against the Repúblicos. El Valle
de los Caídos is as impressive as they come. It is monument and cathedral built
into the mountain. There is the ominous feeling as well as complete awe as you
see huge arc angels and giant hallways that make this place larger than St.
Peters Cathedral in Rome. I could not get over the mosaic art on the ceilings
that must have taken forever to put together. Franco had used the prisoners of
war to build the place and if they died would be put into a mass grave nearby.
This was in contrast to the memorial and final burial place for the fallen Nacionalistas,
Primo de Rivera (the creator of the Falangist party), and Franco. The place is
now recognized by the state of Spain as a place to remember both sides of the war,
but it still has this paradoxical feeling of being a church, but one by which a
dictator left his name (and his body I suppose). Some of the students said the place
felt more like a Jedi temple and whistled Star Wars until they got in trouble
for making noise in the church. 
I could
go on and on about where I have been and what I have been doing but there is
way too much to say and too little time to write it. Other considerations for the
post would include the puppet show we went to, the chocolateía we visited that
was built in 1894 and has since been maintained, visiting El Parque Europa
where I climbed the Eiffel Tower, and going to mass at the Basilica of St. Francisco
of Assisi. 
