Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have arrived to the beautiful country of España. A ton has happened since I´ve been here, only about a week, including some unfortunate occurrences, which have left me sin maletas, or without my bags. So I have been buying a few necessities here and there, and my host family has been gracious enough to help me out with the situation.
Nonetheless, I´m loving it here - the weather is great, much warmer than I expected, although I still shiver while walking at night, bundled up in my scarf and thick coat (we really are spoiled in sunny CA).
My journey started in Madrid, where the ISA group met and got to know each other a little. We toured the city, went to Museo el Prado, where we saw some of the most famous works from Spain, including Goya, Velazquez, and El Greco. We wandered around the city, had some tapas, and got to know the metro pretty well.
After the full day in Madrid, we moved on to Toledo, about an hour and a half away on bus, the strikingly beautiful ancient city that sits atop a hill. Toledo was the former capital of España, has been in existence since the Romans, 200 BC, so there is un montón de historia. We had a very interesting city tour of the old town, including a monastery, one of the two surviving synagogues from before the inquisition, and a mosque. Seeing the influence of the centuries of Catholic inquisition in this formerly buslting Moorish and Jewish center was absolutely sad. There remained barely anything of the original design and only the basic structure stood. The inside of both the synagogue and mosque were filled with Christian idolitry, altars, tombs next to the religious temples. However, this was the only way to save these religious centers from being destroyed, so in a way, we are still lucky to be able to visit these sites, which the tour guide said are a sort of second pillgriamige for Sephardic Jews after Jerusalem.
The second day in Toledo, we had a full itinerary.
First we visited el valle de los caidos, or Valley of the Fallen, a quite monstrous, gothic, towering, and at the same time awe inspiring monument and chapel with tombs that Generalisimo Francisco Franco commissioned to be built during his reign. It is kind of morbid to think that this man created a monument to prepare for his own burial, as well as the burial of many others who contributed to the side of the Nationalists during the Civil War and dictatorship in Spain. The craziest thing about this place, aside from its size and creepiness, is that it was built inside a mountain, which had to be blown up and hollowed out, many materials had to be trasported to build the monument without any of the sophisticated technology we have today.
After that, we made our way to el Real del Escorial, a former palace of the Austrian and Bourbon kings of Spain, where they have been buried for centuries. There is a magnificent cathedral and one of the oldest collection of books in its library. We took quite a long tour through, as the guide said, not even 10% of the palace. He told us about all the history and legends and traditions as we saw the ornate carved doors, gilded cathedral, and gorgeous marble tombs.
After our long cultural excursions we had free time to eat, and after that we hopped back on our buses and made our way back to Toledo for our last night.
The next day we had our 8.5 hour ride from Toledo to Barcelona. We met our host families right when we were dropped off, so from that point on English was no longer to be the main daily language of communication, but rather Castellano and Catalá. Even though it was challenging for everyone to adjust to the smaller rooms, shorter shower time, lack of personal privacy, and relations with host families, the next morning, everyone was excited to be in the new city and acclamating well.
We had our Spanish placement test that morning, and then had free time to wander and explore the city before our next meeting and walking tour of the Barri Gotic, or Gothic Quarter. I wish I could describe every single street I saw, every adorable alcove, musician, artist, child playing fútbol in the plazas, but I think pictures will do better justice- that´s not until I get my computer, which is in my luggage....
This is my 3rd day in Barca, and I´m getting a better understanding of where everything is located, which metro lines connect to the points of interest, where the more touristy places are, and where we can go to breathe some fresh air next to the sea (my university here is 2 blocks from the beach and the pier!!!!), people watch, or just sit and have some café con leche. I am growing more accustomed to the food schedules, to the cuisine, which has a lot more fried food, olive oil, eggs, jamón to no end, bread, and cheese. I´m not complaining at all, but coming from California, where we have just a little bit different idea of what a salad or sandwich consists of, it´s a little hard adjusting to less vegetables. Having said that, my host mom is very accomodating, and she makes very good food. Last night I had ensalada caprese, fried artichokes, potatoes, and some prawns, followed by mandarin oranges and plantains.
I definitely miss everyone, I miss my room, my car, my food, but I can see myself loving this city and its culture very much.
I hope this gave everyone a flavor of what I´ve been doing for the last week, and I will update HOPEFULLY on my laptop, once I get my maletas!!!
Besos y abrazos,
Valéria
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