Barcelona another coastline another Sea

As of last week I´ve seen three major bodies of water! This is exciting because it just dawned on me now. :) I traveled there by night bus and was very upset w/ Alsa because I bought it for 12:30am Wednesday night the 18 a few weeks prior. But as I was waiting I noticed the date change on my watch slowly to 19! I cursed and walked over to the ventas to ask if it was acceptable since I still considered it Wednesday night. The man behind the glass shrugged his shoulders and told me I couldn't get refunded or change it. I could only buy another. I wanted to cry with frustration as I bought another. It still bothers me just a little b/c of the wasted ticket. But Adrian made it worth it completely. As soon as I got there at 8:30 am on Thursday we trecked with my bag in hand to the most popular sights in Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia and Park Güell. We walked around the Cathedral in process since before the Spanish Civil War and continues today with out the creator Antoni Gaudi. Then we went down into the metro and got some Dunkin Coffee (not Dunkin Donuts) they have their own versions of American cafes and eateries. We exited at a street miles from our destination and Adrian brought me the way that was most tiring but the most scenic. It was a steep incline and a series of escalators bringing us to the top where Park Güell was. From there we could see the whole city and the Mediterranean Sea. I did some hw after that at the apart as he was in studio. Once he came back we went out to eat at a Mexican Restaurant Rosa del Raval which is the place for the architecture students because we met Ali and her friend drinking the happy hour specialties and bumped into Adrian's apartment upon leaving. I had my first Bellini and tried Adrian's Margarita. I liked mine better! I chowed down on nachos and a borrito b/c I was craving my favorite food! From there we went towards the beach for a stroll where a man had all his tools for sculpted master pieces in the sand. We bumped into my friends from Madrid also traveling in BCN and talked about Chipitos later. We parted there to go look at Gaudi's famous houses, Casa Mila and Casa Batlló. In between we walked on Las Ramblas which is a huge outdoor market of goods and gathering of people showing off art work demonstrations or soccerball tricks. A supermarket has entire section to the side of Las Ramblas where I saw foods I'll never see again! I bought half a kilo of Strawberries! And then the prostitutes are around. I saw a naked guy hanging out in a bar by lying in the window.... it's legal here. We went back the Las Ramblas another night to buy a 5 postcards for a euro and I bought a picture frame. Day 2 We went to Monserrat outside of Barcelona. There a ton of pretty pictures of the mountains that inspired Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia. We went with John Pierce and that was a full day of walking or rather climbing. Although the little mountain village had two Funiculars and a Cable Car to help with the steep parts. We got a ticket that included everything but the cable car and lunch. We checked out the Monastery Santa Cova on the edge of a cliff about an hour away from everything then hiked back to view the Basilica that the Virgin Mary of Monserrat appeared at. There was a ridiculous line to view Mary holding a globe that you could touch and would appear to be in mid air apparently. That's what John told me. I wanted to see it, but the line was extreme. We checked out the Museum and watched a video of they offered of their 'town' which has on building of apartments and one hotel. So it's super tiny! We almost attempted walking to the top of the mountain on the approximate 2 hour walk. Luckily John asked and we went back to take the Funicular to the top and walk along the paths to a small chapel and just enjoy the view on top of the world. After a nap from the awesome trip the night started with the Magic Fountains in Monjuic which is french for mountain of the jews due to the cemetery on the other side. I didn't get to see it but I walked to the Olympics Stadium and took pictures of the torch. We walked by a torro stadium and the Park of Joan Miró to go eat a Menu del Día. If there's one thing I'll miss about restaurants in Spain it's their awesome deals on tons of food! You get served your first dish and then your second which comes with bread, and wine, soda, or water and is followed by desert. There are a list of options for the two courses and they are always spectacular. Adrian got a chickpea soap and then Languistinas which was an experience for him, cleaning off all the full shrimps with heads attached. I enjoyed the spaghetti then the chicken and fries. I looked at La Oveja Negra which is the pub that all the arch students hang out at. At the entrance a mime puts his finger to his lips to keep the customers quite to keep the sleeping residents from complaining. We failed at entering the clubs when a group of us went to the beach after 1:30.~ honestly I didn't mind that much~ Instead back at the apartment the guys watched a crazy Japanese Movie online that I watched most of. Battle Royale. If anyone hasn't seen it, it's not a big deal. It is like the crazy story Lord of the Flies. Everyone kills everyone to be the finalist who can leave the island. Only one can survive. Crazy Japanese. Day 3 We went back in the day time to La Sagrada Familia under construction and helped the building of the church with our 9 euro entradas and then an addition 2.50 euros to take the elevator up one of the towers. That was quite a site and I'm thankful it wasn't windy or I might have fallen off. I would like to come back in 2010 to see the completion of the congregation area and their first mass. The inside and outside are covered in works of nature so you feel like you're truly in a work of art created by God. The very columns inside look like trees! From there we entered Casa Mila and walked along the roof which is curvy like something out of hobbiton. From there he has arches and knights decorating the 34 some odd chimeneas of the house. One arch frames his work of La Sagrada Familia! It's perfect. The last night we cooked at the apartment a frozen pizza and broke out the first bottle of wine Adrian bought, which was blush. I enjoyed it and hope he ends up saving it! We went to Chapitos which means shots. That was fun! The pictures with things being lit on fire, that's our shots being engulfed in flames. This was the second time going. My favorites where the Harry Potter, the Marshmallow, and the pop rocks. It made the shots entertaining with the rules you had to follow to drink them. I have a ton of lovely pictures on Monserrat. I'll post those separately!

Patricia´s House, marionettes, and the Egyptian Temple

I hope the video works! Of course I completely forgot to talk about Patricia´s House after having coffee with my Spanish Adviser from CUA. She talked about CUA going in the dumps with all the schedule changes and political guest rejects that leaked out into the news... At Patricia´s the whole study abroad program AYA spent the rest of the day. We cooked the Tortilla Espanola which is potato and egg and not so bad for eggs. Also we made Sangria, a spinach dish, and a blood sausage dish. Then arroz con leche to finish off for dessert. I can´t wait for the next cooking lesson and eating craze b-c that was a feast. Nostalgia was hitting me too being in a house again and petting the 3 Labradors. I don´t think I could live in an apartment for a long term basis, it´s just not the same as owning a house and having a yard! They have an in ground pool and trampoline and Patricia pointed out their Pomegranate and Olive tree. typical in Spain. That was 2 weekends ago? I think. This past weekend after Avila I went over to the Egyptian Temple Dabode which was a gift from the Egyptian government and then I saw the puppet shows that they perform for the kids at the Parque Retiro. My adviser said it was a must see. I went with Luis and I thought he was bored by the puppets because he kept glancing side ways. So I asked and he said that he was watching out for my bag b-c the park was one of the worst spots for pick pockets. It´s sad but true. My neighbors warned me, now with the crisis to be doubly cautious. The Retiro was jam packed on Sunday and not only were there puppet shows, but a jazz band was performing in the middle of the walkway, and everyone was rowing in the boats on the man made lake or el embalse in this case. After a walk around the park in 65 degree F weather. We traveled to the outdoor book fair that is alongside the park almost everyday. I bought my literature book by Juan Rulfo ¨Pedro Páramo¨ for 6 euro. And called it a good sunday morning in Madrid.

Avila in the Extremadura above Madrid

So if anyone is up on there Saints, Saint Teresa of Avila may ring a bell. Avila is known for an exterior wall called Las Murallas that circumference the entire city. My friends and I payed 2.50 euro to climb up the stairs lining the walls in four different sections. The views were amazing! Then we walked to St Teresa´s Convent to get a look at the Carmelites chapel and then at the Relics of St. Teresa. While walking around the chapel we stepped into a side chapel and were followed by a couple of elderly women. They saw us and started explaining in Spanish the significance of the images in the stain glass windows. I was shocked when the women explained that her uncle was in the bottom image riding the horse! wow! And then they followed us to an alcove that looks out into a walled in courtyard that has two children states playing. She explained that as well. They were St. Teresa and her brother as children playing w- a model of a convent... It was cool to have a little tour guide randomly! Then we checked out the side building that had a gift shop and in the back room was a showcase of the relics of St. Teresa. It was my first time to see relics of a St. And a finger at that! ahem... I need to look up the significance behind that. They also had her ten pound rosary, the sole of her sandal, piece of her habit, and the cord she flagellated herself with. If anyone reads her poetry, they´ll understand how serious she was. Just a bit extreme for me. We also passed by the 4 posts that you can see has a cross in the center. There´s a story with it. But we went to see it and to look at the city from the west side because it gives the best view of the walls. The last stretch was peeking into the Cathedral, which was 4 euro so we didn´t go in. And then visiting the pastry shop in the Plaza Mayor! Avila is known for their Yemas or egg yolk that goes through a process of something that makes it sweet and soft in consistency. I associate it with a Japanese sweet that I had that was fruity sweet, round and soft. I don´t remember the name, can you tell? I think I preferred Segovia´s choice of sweet, Marzapan! That´s sweetened almond paste formed into whatever shape. One thing I notice about these small towns is the images of nuns working on making these sweets in all the pastelerias. I also added some pictures of a doorknob with a hand on it! Had to take a picture of that and the lions which are mail slots on the post office. The car was outside the Plaza Mayor getting ready for the bride and groom that were inside the plaza. The procession was brightly dressed from what I saw. And the floor was covered in confetti.

Segovia, Valle de Los Caidos, Madrid

So I just want to write down my two must recent and vivid memories at this moment before going into the sites. This whole week I´ve been keeping up house while Susy has been in Málaga fighting for her other house. I´m not going to go into detail. All you need to know is that I´m here alone. Yesterday, when I was walking back to the apartment it was in the afternoon-evening time. Sometimes there are small gatherings of neighbors outside especially since it´s so beautiful outside. (got a tan today!) And I they said hola as I passed them at the gated area that leads to the street. In the courtyard the kids were playing on the ramp and stairs that lead to the door. A boy and a girl were playing and the girl, who was perhaps 5 or 6 saw me coming up the ramp and she stopped and stretched herself to hold onto both railings so I couldn´t pass her! When I stopped she held out her hand and told me ¨La tarjeta por favor!¨ (the card please) Obviously this was a fun game of crossing the ramp... I laughed and said, ¨La tarjeta?! No la tengo!¨ (i don´t have one) she smiled at me really big and skipped to the side of the ramp so I could pass. The second memory was this afternoon. I already mentioned my neighbors in the previous post and how they talked up a storm with me and insisted that I listen to the radio to utilize my spanish and all. The Señora in particular really thinks I don´t get enough opportunities because Susy and I have different schedules and barely see each other. Anyway, I was leaving and locking up the door to our apartment this afternoon and my neighbor pops her head out the door as if she was waiting for me! She saw me and started jabbering away about whether Susy was around and I was practicing my Spanish. I told her Susy was out in Málaga for the week and I´ve been only practicing in school mainly...which feels like a lot b-c it´s all in Spanish. But she sounded worried! But I was right on time with my hour trip to school so I excused myself and she parted cheerfully and went back into her apartment! Bingo, totally waiting on me! Soo linda. I really love the people here they all greet when passing by and they´re very friendly. As for the past week or so, here are pictures of my trips! I returned to Segovia with my class for like 2 hours out of the day long trip all over the countryside for my Environment class. The weather was horrific to begin with...soaked pants, tiny particles of hail hitting my face, blasting wind...you name it. And my crazy teachers were standing outside along the reservoir that they were showing us at the moment, as if it was any sunny afternoon! I didn´t take notes for that first stop, but the weather mellowed yet remained rainy through the the stops to the Valle Valsaín slash Sierra Guadarrama, La Granja, and Segovia. At Segovia the famous Roman Aqueduct, the tallest in Spain and the famous álcazar or castle that minutely resembles Disney´s Castle is there. Thankfully the first trip to Segovia was beautiful and I climbed the tower of the Alcazar and viewed the rooms where Queen Isabel had her coronation. The following day I went with my Cultural Studies class to a field trip to the Reina Sofía which is a famous art museum that I prefer over the Prado and houses the famous Guernica and other Picasso paintings as well as Salvador Dalí, and Robert Caplan... etc. We had on head sets and the teacher talked on her mic so everyone could hear easily! She was being funny about it too saying ¨tengo la voz de Dios¨ I have the voice of God... It was funny at the time wearing the headphones... From there we got on the bus and went up the same mountain range I saw the day before but a different area and much better weather! We saw El Valle de los Caídos. Beautiful architecture, sad story. It´s the picture with the large cross which can be seen for miles along the highway. This monument was resurrected under order of Franco right after the Civil War, in order to bury only the Nationalists that had died. The part that makes me sad is that, the other party, the Republic was enslaved and forced to make the monument. However, today it contains both parties anonymously and mixed together. I saw the ´tomb´of Franco in the center of the Basilica with a arrangement of red and white carnations resting behind the altar or slab of granite that has a cross made of two pine trees from the outdoors. The infrastructure was immaculate, dark, and oppressive. Couldn´t take any pics inside, which is the norm here. But I´ll just say it´s not the place that I´d want to celebrate mass. Also during the week, Adrian was here visiting to celebrate his bday and we ventured out into Toledo. We got a look at the Tajo River, one of the synagogues Santa Maria de Blanca, and a free historical museum that had a panorama video playing out the history of Columbus and the colonies on the cieling of a very Greek pillared gazebo. We also shopped and I got matching earrings for my necklace and Adrian bought Amy her knife. If you don´t understand the significance of buying a knife in Toledo, it´s time for a visit b-c they´re known for their engraved weaponry! The following day we took a tour of the Royal Palace in Madrid. Saw a room, very random room, that was decked out in oriental wall paper and style... Adrian snapped a pic and I have yet to see it! But the palace was excessive and the rooms were endless. There were some rooms that I want to say were there purely for one single activity for the king... like the fitting room. The entire palace wasn´t open, so I didn´t get to see the bathrooms, which I hear are interesting b-c they liked an audience for everything, nor did I see the bedrooms. But I saw the dining room, billiard room, and the pharmacy and the armory etc. Adrian noted that all the rugs were rolled up to a point beyond the makeshift boundaries for the public... guess our feet aren´t sacred. Beyond all that I had Chinese food for the first time this semester. Rica! The food was pretty good. And the Chinese here actually know Spanish and don´t have funny accents! It´s weird, not gonna lie. Another type of food that I´ve been treating myself to instead of Chinese is the Donner Kebab, which is Turkish and really similar to the Greek gyro. And the US needs to get them before I return because they´re just too good. The first pic is at my 3rd Flamenco Dance. Adrian´s friend Kumar came to visit Spain and Italy. So we hung out with him and company that night. I´m sure more things will pop into my head after I post. I´ve been mentally noting things, which is never good. I apologize for the lack of order in pics! If you can figure out the palace, which is the panorama along with a couple more of the courtyard. The others are the Catedral de Segovia, La Granja which is a yellowish palace with gardens near Segovia, and the Roman aqueduct. The twin leaning towers are called Torres de Kio and they´re for the bank Caja Madrid. The light up at night building is some hotel in Madrid that caught my fancy. !if you watch the building the colors change!