Discovering Madrid

At this point of our semester most of us were getting pretty exhausted. With only 3 weeks left of school, we had a lot of school projects and exams. I knew I could not leave Spain having not been to Madrid. Lindsey, Martha and I took a bus from Granada that was 5 hours long Friday morning. Upon arriving we found our hostal close to the street called Gran Via. This is the equivalent of our main streets and there is a street called gran via in every city. Our hostal had three beds with a shower in our room but no toilet. It was the weirdest set up, but the best we could find for the weekend. After getting settled we headed out to see the Plaza de Espana and the Palacio Real de Madrid. The Palacio Real was beautiful and supposed to be Spain's equivalent of Versailles in France. The Palacio Real was created by a Spanish King that grew up in Versailles and wanted to make palace bigger and better then Versailles. I personally still like Versailles in France better.
The next day I separated from the group and went to Segovia for a day by myself. I knew if I didn't go there I would regret it. Segovia has one of the two castles that Walt Disney modeled the Disney World Castle off of. I went all over the city and saw the roman aqueducts, a beautiful cathedral, and of course the castle. It was a great day. On my little trip out there it was amazing to see the difference in the landscape from central Spain from the south. Everything was much greener and it seemed there were actual established suburbs of Madrid. Granada is definitely smaller and a whole other world in Spain compared to the other cities.
Saturday night we went to the Reina Sofia and saw Picasso's Guernica. It was awesome to see that in person because we learned all about it in my art history class. After we went for dinner at a place that offered wine, bread, salad, entree, and dessert all for 12 Euros. I had the best fish I have ever had there. That night we met up with some of Lindsey's family friends where they showed us the night life of the city. By the time that was done, around 4 am, I was exhausted.
Sunday before we left we took a stroll through the parque retiro and saw the Pardo museum. All in all the weekend was great and jam packed.

Week two with Stan and Lana

Rule number one: never rent a car in Europe. It's perfectly fine until you get lost or turned around or miss an exit. However one of those three is guaranteed to happen approximately every 15 minutes. This is what Stan, Lana, and I experienced when we made our trip to Portugal. However, I did enjoy Portugal very much even though a daily pepto bismal was required on days spent driving so that I wouldn't get severe heart burn.

After arriving to our destination in Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal we were pleased to find that the Holiday Inn was up to our standards. We walked around a got a taste of some of the night air before retiring for the evening. We had an early start the next morning. Sunday morning we first saw a little flea market where I found a porcelain bowl for 5 Euros. From there we climbed up to see the Castle of Saint George and see breath taking views over the Atlantic. The Castle wasn't that big, but my mom really enjoyed the guitar player in the middle of the court yard. The entire city was very hilly and a mixture of old and new buildings because there had been an earthquake in the early 20th century. We made our way down and saw a beautiful cathedral. It was Palm Sunday so we got a chance to see their version of a procession into church to celebrate the beginning of holy week. At this point we weren't thrilled yet until we went to restaurant for some traditional Portuguese food with Fado music. The best place to hear this is in the Barrio Alto. We spent a 3 hour meal listening to different music that was beautiful. The women singing had low cut shirts and intense makeup. It is nothing like the Flamenco I have seen in Spain. Our waiter spoke 5 languages and advised us well. However on the taxi ride home we nearly died because the driver thought it would be a funny joke to pretend to run over some locals. We freaked and he advised us they were his friends. Next he asked us where we were from. We said, “Chicago” and he responded with gun gestures and said Al Capone. We laughed because the Capone has been dead for about 70 years, but everywhere you go people still think the same about Chicago.

Monday was our spiritual journey to Fatima, Portugal. This is the location where three Portuguese children saw visions of the Virgin Mary. We thought the sight would be more compelling, but it was a tad bit commercialized with all the chapels and churches built on the sight. The other people around us where from all over the world. Many took the journey on their knees by crawling and praying to the chapel where the visions where scene. It was quite intense to see how others practice their faith, yet awakening for us three all at the same time.

After Fatima we had half a day left and decided to go see the Lisbon summer get away city, Sintra. This city is the real Disney World. Every single engineer of Disney World had to of been to Sintra to copy the natural romance of the city. This town is the home of the old royal family’s summer castle. This castle has views of all of Lisbon as well as the Atlantic Ocean. The castle was placed on top of the mountain and painted with different colors and the rest of the city trickling down the mountain side. Our first day there Stan drove up the mountain to get a view of the castle. We nearly saw our deaths when we tried to make a three point turn and full turn around on a one way road that was parallel to the mountain. The driving over this whole trip had been more than stressful and enough to make anyone need a strong drink. All in all that is one city we decided we have to make it back to, we loved it so much that we went back the next day and left for Spain much later than planned.

It might not have been such a good idea to leave so late cause we did not get into Sevilla, Spain until 8:30 pm. Then there we didn’t get to our hotel until 1:30 am. The whole city was impossible to get around because of the religious processions going on. It also didn’t help that every street was one way too. I spent the whole night going back and forth in English with my parents and Spanish with the locals to get the correct directions since our mapquest was no longer useful with the processions on every street. These religious processions are known to be the best of all of Spain in Sevilla. Brotherhoods from churches all over carry different statues of Jesus, Mary, and different scenes from the Stations of the Cross. Usually 20-30 men carry these statues in a precise choreographed manner. There clothes consist of outfits that have hats that resemble the same style from the klu klux klan

Im assuming now that the kkk has a derivative from this type of religious brotherhood but the two types are not related today. They can’t even see in front of them, but are directed instead. Training is required for months to perform this and the whole city comes out to see it. Along with the procession local orchestras accompany with intense music and drums that put the fear of God in you. When we returned to Granada we saw processions that were almost the same. My parents rented apartment was right next to a church that hosted some of the processions. From our balcony we could see these fabulous processions everyday for the rest of holy week. The bells and drums never got old. For Easter we went to church in Cathedral of Granada where Ferdinand and Isabel are buried. My mother made homemade tomato sauce with pasta to celebrate my parent’s anniversary and Easter all in one day. It was nice for us to celebrate it this way because Good Friday is more celebrated in Spain than Easter Sunday itself. So for us it was one last mommy meal to hold me off until my arrival home.

Week one with Stan and Lana

Well right before my second week off this semester, my parents came to visit for a two week vacation. When the arrived after a long time of traveling both of them were so thankful to be and the apartment that we rented. It had a perfect location in the center of the city and close to my school. The first dinner my mom made chicken legs cooked in olive oil. We made the best dues we could with what we had to cook with, but the meal was truly wonderful. I really needed some American mommy meanls. After they adjusted to the time after a good nights sleep I took them to meet Franciso, my favorite Spaniard, for a wine and tappas tasting with Kelley's family. This was a 4 hour shindig and opened my mother's eyes to the world of cooking with olive oil. We tried 3 different oils along with meats and cheeses, gazpacho, olives, hams, and spanish food galore. Not to mention the 4 different wines too. This really got us into the mood of enjoying Spain and all the wonders it has to offer. My mom's oilve oil tastebuds will never be the same.
That week I also took my parents to the Mirador de San Nicolas so that they could see the best view of the Alhambra. After they made the trek up there they loved it. Both of them kept commenting on how good the air smelled. So for a while we looked at the Alhambra, and listened to the hippie music. On the way back down we took a different route and saw the paseo de los tristes and did some shopping in the Moroccan styled shops. This paseo is a path of the sad because it used to be a place for people to visit a cemetery. However now it shows beautiful ruins on the side of the Alhambra and is no longer a cemetary as it was centuries ago.
On Friday we went to the Alhambra. My mom got some good ideas for her garden and got to look up into the city where we were the day before at the Mirador de San Nicolas. I tried to be the best tour guide, telling them everything I have learned about the Alhambra, considering this was about my 6th time being at the palace. I wore them out that day. On Saturday we started out trip to Portugal, more to come on that part of the trip.

Climbing a mountain on your twenty first birthday: priceless

So this weekend was hectic with the past couple weeks of school just not letting me have a moment to think. Friday at 8:30 in the morning we headed off to the Alpujarras mountains in Spain. These mountains are in the Province of Granada and south of the city of Granada. I truly had no idea what was in store for me. We arrived at our pueblo (town) that was our starting point. We meant our guide who never broke a sweat, and fixed our backpacks to lighten our load. At approximately 10 am we started a vertical hike to the next pueblo in the mountain range. The scenery was beautiful, except I didn't get a chance a see it until we hit horizontal paths (I was too busy counting the seconds until my thys would stop burning). Once on flat land we could take in the aroma of the fresh cherry blossom trees and fresh air. If anything I had allergies that weekend because I had never smelled air that fresh in my life. After going up and down, and up and down some more we stopped and had lunch that consisted of us making little sandwhiches from local meats and cheeses. We stopped right by a great little waterfall and took everything in. After our meal we walked for about another hour and a half. It was so amazing it felt like we were in a Pocahontas movie or something. Around 5 o'clock we were done for the day just waiting for dinner.
I couldn't sleep completely that night because I knew that the next morning was my birthday and also because I knew I had such a day ahead of me. This day the first hour and a half was the most streneous becuase it was our climb to the mountain peak. Some of us girls found ourselves singing "Living on a prayer" by Bon Jovi because the song says that we are oooo we're half way there ooooo living on a prayer....this mind set was so necessary at some points. Once we got there everything faded because we could see the rest of the world below us.
We continued the day down a mountain that was part of the Sierra Nevadas instead of Alpujarras. That was my favorite sight I have ever seen in Spain. I think it was because it was more green and if I looked to my left I could almost touch the clouds. It was absolutely beautiful. For lunch we stopped at a spot where there was natural carbonated water because of so much iron in the water. It tasted carbonated, but not as strong. We followed a path after to see some great lookouts, a shepherd and his sheep, and a 400 year old tree. I honestly could not of asked for a better birthday! More pictures and an update to come.
After I went out to a Italian restaurant and out with my friends. It was definately a night to remember!

¡Un día al campo!

Today was a great Sunday. I feel like it was one of my favorite days in Granada so far. I got to go to the campo or the family farm with my family. This farm was the farm that my host father's mother owns. She has other family that lives on the farm in other houses. The grandmother of the family has an apartment in Granada and this is where they go during the week sometimes in the summer or on the weekends.

The drive was about 20 minutes outside of Granada. We drove though so many olive groves that there was no way I could find my way back if I got lost there. The house itself was pretty cool. It had a standard layout of one great room with a large fire place. This was how it was when it was first built, the "Abuela" or grandma added a new kitchen and extra rooms on the first floor as well as a whole second story. We started the day out as the men did some yard work, of course making the Sunday meal. We cooked a lot of potatoes, and I mean a lot on the hearth fire. It was quite an extravaganza to see another culture work together to make the family meal. After the potatoes they put big slices of bacon on a tool to cook over the fire. The bacon tasted like BBQ and I was quite satisfied to have something American tasting.

After the meal, all of the men took a little nap and the women talked for about an hour. It was nice to be in this family atmosphere listening to Spanish gossip. What I have come to understand about people is that at the end of the day we are actually more alike then we are different.

Also after lunch two of the little grandsons, my little host brother included, wanted to go on an excursion out into the farm. Apparently they do this all the time. Their tradition is to get a backpack of food and go wander for a couple of hours. I seriously thought this was so cool and wished I was 10 again to have the innocent freedom. While the little boys did this, we cleaned up and went for a walk around the property with the grandma. I met two other American girls studying abroad in Granada that were staying with the grandma. So us 4 went in search of wild asparagus. All over her yard is olive trees and some family garden plots. There was also a common water fountain with a basin used for washing. There are actually fish that live in that basin all year round too. It was so nice to get this introduction. I could probably spend the rest of my life in Spain, and never know all that there is too know about Spain.

Watching Spring

So these past two weeks have been filled with slow events. Last Friday I woke up and was almost late for my Cordoba trip in the Southern part of Spain. Cordoba has been significant in all that I have learned here in Spain because it was the capital city when the Islam kings had power before the Spanish Inquisition. While there we saw the famous Mezquita (Mosque) that is insanely old. In the backround of my picture you can see all the arcs and columns that it is famous for. It was a nice little day trip and the driving to get there we saw different scenery then all the olive tree groves that are close to Granada.
Sunday of that weekend, me and my friend Ann went to the beach in Malaga, which is south of Granada. We were afraid of it being topless, but luckily only one women went topless. She just happened to be old, with the saggiest chest anyone ever saw. And her husband was the harriest man to walk the face of the earth too. I guess Europe's topless beaches are gonna have to break our American minds in some how. However, after seeing that we can tuffen out some more beaches. We ended a lovely day of tanning by ordering some calamari and alioli sauce and watching the sun set over the beach.
The past couple of weeks has been busy with tests and projects so it has been good that it has been low key. However yesterday was one of my best friends, Kelley Westerberg's 21st birthday. It was quite a shindig if I do say so myself. It would be a bigger deal to be turning 21 at home, but here the drinking age is 18. So it was legal for everyone to relax and celebrate the birthday girl. We went out Thursday night to a chupiteria. A chupiteria is a place that specializes in shots. Don't worry we were safe about it, but it was fun because they had all different kinds. I'm not gonna lie, one of the most intense shots was called "Chicago". We had to have that one to honor our home city. It had tequila and was actually quite gross. The next one was called "USA" and was cool because the was red, white, and blue. After the festivites of some warm up shots, it was off to the discoteca in the caves, called Camborio. What a great way to spend your birthday in a discoteca overlooking the Alhambra. It was a long and fun night!
Because in Spain when you go out you stay out until 6 in the morning, we pretty much needed all friday to recouperate from being so tired. So it wasn't until about 6pm that we got ourselves together and took a walk to the best spot to enjoy the view of the Alhambra. There we watched the sunset, listened to the gitanos/hippies play their spanish flamenco music, and got Spain's best ice cream later. Everything is in blume on the streets you can smell the flowers and all the citrus scents from the orange trees on the streets too. Besides that relaxed state of mind, yesterday was the first day of spring. This means a celebration obviously for all the youngins of Granada. It was a mad house trying to navigate our way through the city because all the people were walking in an opposite direction to meet and botellon. Botelloning is a concept where you get alcohol and walk around the streets and drink. However there is a meeting point in Granada for people to do this, and this was where they were headed. People had coolers that two people needed to carry! I guess it's just the Spanish way of life to celebrate like this! We did not participate as to some locals it can be controversial because the cops some times get ivolved. But it looked like everybody was having a good time on the streets. It was crazy, seriously what a life!!


Also on a side note, it has come to my attention that a company from England wants to change the name of the Sears Tower. Seriously, first comiskey park, then marshall fields, we can not let this happen to the Sears Tower. Comiskey Park was changed to US Cellular field, and the ironic thing is that my cell phone doesn't receive service there and its outside!! Macy's has the most horrible customer service I have ever delt with and they are no where near as clean as Marshall field's was. A name change can mean serious business for us. Let's not let people take our customs away from us! What's next a change to the name of Giordano's, the John Hancock, or even better Lake Michigan!!!??!?!?!? Please use your power to protest and go to this website and sign a petition to tell those BRITS TO BACK OFF!!
Sign here: http://www.itsthesearstower.com/

More Paris S'il vous Plait!

I can't rank the different trips I have had because each one was at a different time, and gave me a different idea on the world. Paris, France was nothing like I had imagined. Every part was different and a mix between artistic, romantic, classic, strong, and just downright fabulous. I even thought the air smelled better than normal. After a 3 am bus ride and a 9:55 am flight from Sevilla to Paris Kelley, Ann and I finally found our apartment that we rented for the weekend and set out to see the Eiffel Tower. This was the perfect way to start our day. We made sure to stay there until dusk to see the light show that they off every hour. After admiring something I had waited to see my whole life, we took a boat ride down the seine river. The view was beautiful and we saw everything from Notre Dame to the Louvre lit up at night. By the end of this we were exhuasted, went home and slept very well.
Friday was our non-stop day. We woke up went to the Arc de triomphe, down champs elysees, saw the madeline church, a marker of where King Louie and Marie Antoinette were beheaded, special gardens close by, musee de orsay that had many impressionist works, Notre Dame, and ofcourse the Louvre. What a day, I couldn't feel my feet by the end of it. Out of those I really like the musee de Orsay because I got to see some of my favorite impressionist works by Monet, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, and Renoir, and of course Van Gogh! It was so cool to look at their signatures and know that they stood in the same distance from their paintings that I did. Another highlight was Notre Dame because we went to the top of the bell tower. This was our spot to see the whole aerial view of Paris. We also liked to think of the Hunch back of Notre Dame. Some how everywhere we go our thoughts went back to Disney movies we saw as a kid. I know my Auntie Mo would not of liked this because the stairs to get to the top were never ending in twisting tower that we couldn't see the end. But we made it and loved it. Before the Louvre Kelley and I tried crepes on the street made with Nutella. O MY GOSH. Totally necessary to do before you die. Kelley and I were sad when they were done. We made it to the Louvre at 6 for our free student entrance and saw the Venus de Milo and ofcourse the Mona Lisa. Two biggies to check off our list. By this time we were deader than the trip to Paris.
Saturday was more relaxing as we went to Versailles and saw the hall of mirrors where countless balls took place, the wedding of Louie and Marie, and of course the signing of the Treaty of Versailles that ended WWI. I tried to take a picture of myself in the mirror. I mean if mirrors could talk I could be included in history! I know how corny. After this we headed back to Paris to check out the artist's quarter Monmatre. By far this was my favorite part of the trip and Paris. This place had such a great vibe. We saw the Sacre Cour church, Van Gough's house, Paris's last vineyard, and even Moulin Rouge. I did get to try a French quiche!!! The foodie in my was stoked because we cooked all of our own food, so to get some of the culture this was was good. This weekend was so jam packed that I cannot even possibly tell you everything. As a professional traveler I am proud to have done all that in 3 days.
Overall, the people were great. Some were impressed that we spoke Spanish. They also were nicer if we asked if they spoke English before bombarding them with English questions first. All in all Paris is a city that I cannot possibly know all about in 1 visit. I can't wait to go back!