El Fin

Well, after 5 countries and 4 months, I can finally say my abroad journey is over. I cannot believe how fast it went and that I am already back in the USA. It seems like just yesterday I was running through the Charlotte airport with the travel agent (thanks, Neil!) to make my flight to Madrid. Luckily, I have had no more missed flights, and only one missed train in Italy which ended up not even being a big deal.

I haven’t updated in awhile because I have been traveling throughout Europe for the past month! From December 1st though the 8th, I was traveling with my school group through the south of Spain. My parents arrived when I got back to Madrid, and from the 8th through the 17th we traveled to Paris and Barcelona. Then my brother and I traveled to Rome and Munich from the 19th to the 30th. It has definitely been a long and exhausting month, but a great one at that. Here are some of the main things I remember about each city:

1. Paris - crepes, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Mona Lisa

2. Barcelona - Sagrada Familia, Gaudi Park, lots of French and different cultures, Picasso Museum

3. Rome - St. Peter’s = the biggest most beautiful church I have ever seen (and let me tell you, I have seen about a million churches in just the past few months), midnight mass at St. Peters (Josh and I were less than 10 feet from the Pope when he walked down the aisle.)

4. Munich - pretzels, bratwurst, sauerkraut, and beer (mixed with lemonade!) everyday

St. Peter's in the background. We were on the roof of a seminary where Josh's friend lives.

If someone had told me prior to this trip that in the next 4 months, I would have traveled throughout Europe, gone to three Real Madrid fútbol games and 2 bullfights, seen Coldplay perform, seen the Pope, seen Africa (when we went to Gibraltar), and made great friends not only from Furman but also from Spain and from all over the world, I might have believed the part about making some great friends from Furman. I can’t believe this counted as a semester at school! But I can because I learned so much in the classroom and outside of it. My roommate and I used to joke about how sometimes we learned more about the culture of Madrid on our nights out than on our required weekly cultural activities to museums or movies. I remember the first day when I got to Madrid, our Señora was showing me and Lauren around the house and explaining things and I understood probably about 5% of what she said. When my parents came to visit, we all had dinner at Señora’s house. It showed me just how much I had learned because I was able to understand most of what Señora said and then translate it to my parents.

My parents with Señora and the delicious paella she made.

I’m going to miss a lot about Madrid - the metro, my Señora, walking the streets, the parks, the people, the accent, the language, the olive oil, the nightlife, homemade sangria (1 euro bottle of wine + Lemon Fanta), and Cristiano Ronaldo to name a few. But I’m also looking forward to coming home and having all the things that I missed while abroad. I hope to make it back to Madrid someday, although I know it will be a completely different experience. For now, I have tons of pictures and memories of a great experience that I will never forget. Hasta luego, Madrid!

Retiro Park

Well yesterday I had a great day with some friends, and none of it was planned! A few of us met up in Retiro park in the afternoon just to walk around. Retiro is probably one of my favorite places in Madrid. It is just so pretty especially with all of the leaves changing colors. There is so much to see and there are always a bunch of people there. In the middle of the park, there is a lake where you can rent a boat for 45 minutes and go out on the water. So Landri, Joe, Lindsey and I decided to do it. It was a lot of fun. Then after Retiro, we decided to walk around a part of the city that we had never been to. We ended up walking to the Real Madrid's soccer stadium and found out there was a game that night. So I ran to the ATM, got some money, and tried to find the cheapest tickets. We bought some about 15 minutes after the game started for a pretty good price, considering the cheapest that the box office had was 250 euro. Real Madrid was playing Atletico Madrid, the other team from Madrid, so it was a loud and rowdy game. The atmosphere in the stadium is very cool, and I'm glad I got to be there for the game. I'm wearing my Real Madrid jersey to class tomorrow (last day of class!) because my teacher is a huge Atletico Madrid fan. Hopefully, he doesn't get too mad...

On the boat in the Retiro

Joe and Landri at the Real Madrid game

Then after the game, we met up with some more friends and my "amigo," Alberto, from school. We are set up with amigos (friends) who live in Madrid and they plan events with us so we can get some good interaction with Spaniards. It was Alberto's birthday so he invited us to go out to a bar with him. It was funny because Alberto and all of his friends wanted to practice their English, but we wanted to practice our Spanish, so we would talk to them in Spanish and they would respond in English. We stayed there until about 4 am, and then Landri and I decided to go get churros and chocolate from San Gines, a famous chocolatería in the middle of Madrid. We walked there since the metro was closed and it was SO COLD. But SO WORTH IT. I have been there twice at around 4:30 am, and both times it has been packed with people coming back from clubs or bars. After that we decided to skip on a cab, and wait until the metro opened at 6:00 to head home. The metro at 6:00 am is also an experience. It's a lot of kids going home from being out (like me). Usually, people are falling asleep in their chairs, or being loud and obnoxious. So overall, it was a great day/morning!

Churros con Chocolate

On Thanksgiving, our school organized a dinner for all of us, our teachers, and some students from another university. We had Spanish appetizers, but the main meal was turkey, stuffing, and french fries. It was a little weird not being in the states for Thanksgiving, but hey I'll take Madrid!

This will be a busy week for class. We have final exams on Tuesday and Wednesday, and our big theatre performance on Thursday for our Theatre class. So lots of work to do, but then we have a week of traveling in Andalucía in the south of Spain!

The Past Few Weeks

Avila

Wow it's been awhile. Time is flying by - a little over a month left! We had our final Prado visit last Friday. Our art teacher came with us each time and taught a lesson about either Velazquez, Goya, or some other artist as we looked at different paintings. The Prado is huge. After going 5 different times, I still have not seen a good majority of the paintings there.

A few weeks ago, we took a tour of the Spanish Congress. In 1981, there was an attempted coup d'etat and members of the Congress were held hostage there. We could see bullet holes in the walls that they keep there as a reminder.

Two weekends ago, I took a day trip by myself to Avila where Saint Teresa of Avila is from. It is about a 1.5 hour train ride from Madrid. It is a medieval city with a huge 12th century wall surrounding it. They had a small museum with some of Saint Teresa's belongings like her rosary and a crucifix she carried. Oh - and her ring finger. There wasn't much else to see there but it was a neat little town.

Last weekend, our group traveled to Toledo which is about an hour south of Madrid. It was one of my favorite trips we have taken. We saw lots of churches and buildings. They are famous for having some of the best mazapán (marzipan) in Spain and the world. They sold it everywhere and it was so good!

Our school also took us to see an authentic flamenco performance. That was really neat. We also went to see a play for our theatre class last week. It was called "El perro del hortelano." I couldn't understand all of it, but it was still entertaining.

The Spanish elections were on Sunday. Instead of just having two main political parties like in the U.S., they have several different parties. This year, the conservative Popular Party won with President Mariano Rajoy. My Señora freaked out a little. She basically said that all of Spain would change for the worst and that everyone was being ignorant. She has extremely strong opinions over almost everything and especially politics, but I suppose I have learned a lot from her!

I am ashamed to say it, but last weekend was the first time I went to Mass here in Spain. I went to a church that I had seen behind the Prado called Iglesia de San Jerónimo el Real. Here's a picture...

Mass was a lot different than what I expected. First of all, there were not that many people there. The whole time, tourists would come in and walk around, even though there was a sign outside that said not to visit during Mass. There was no singing or music. The priest didn't enter down the main aisle - he just came in through a side door near the altar. The same man read all the readings and the Responsorial Psalm all at once. There was no method to going up for the Eucharist - everyone just kind of walked up at once. And it all lasted about 35 minutes. I guess I was just expecting something a little more grand and exciting, but it was still interesting. I never told my Señora that I went, because she is kind of anti-religion. She has made several negative comments about Catholicism in the past. I have actually gotten this impression from a lot of people in Spain. Probably because of Franco who forced Catholicism on all of Spain from about 1953 - 1978. I don't think she would have been mad if I told her, I just think it would have been a little awkward.

Since I was here by myself last weekend, I did a lot of wandering around the city and hanging out with Señora. We watched a lot of politics because the Spanish elections are coming up on November 20th. Señora is very knowledgable so she explained a lot of things to me. One day, I went to the Temple of Debod, which is an ancient Egyptian temple donated to Spain in 1968. It was really pretty at sunset.

Halloween wasn't really a big deal here. A few kids stopped by our apartment for candy, but nothing like in the U.S. I had to buy candy though, so I went to a little market near my house and bought some Spanish candy! My friend Ryan and I went out to a discoteca (club) at night. Everyone was dressed up in scary costumes like zombies and mummies. I missed America where everyone tries to be funny with their costumes. I still don't understand how the Spaniards do it. We got to the club around 12:30 (because it was free before then), and we left right around when it was getting busy at 3:00! People were still walking in when we left. I think a lot of people just try to stay out until the metro opens at 6:00 (which I may have done once or twice...). Ryan and I went on this long walk looking for the buses because the metro closes at 1:30 and we can ride the buses for free. They call the buses "búhos" which means "owls." I always have a hard time finding them, but it is worth the money saved from not taking a cab!

This past weekend, we had a day trip to Segovia. The main thing to see there is this huge roman aqueduct built in the first or second century. We also visited the Segovia Cathedral and the Alcazar.

This past week has been one of the best. The big event that stands out is when Landri (another girl from my school) and I snuck into a COLDPLAY CONCERT. This sounds bad and is possibly illegal, but in my opinion, it was completely worth it. Here is the story: Coldplay had a concert in Madrid last Wednesday in La Plaza de Toros, which is where they hold the bull fights. Some of my friends and I decided it would be fun to sit outside the arena and just listen to the music. So, Joe, Meredith, Landri and I are sitting there when we see people start to run into a side door to the arena. So, naturally, I follow. Landri and I are together running into the arena. We separate from the other people that also ran in and go up a few flights of stairs. We start walking around, not fully believing that we just walked into a Coldplay concert for free. We were in the hallway on the outside where we couldn't see much of the concert, so we decided to walk into one of the sections pretending like we knew where we were going. So that's what we did and it worked. No one said anything to us, and we got to watch Coldplay sing about 5 songs. Singing along to "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" with 30,000 other people while it is raining in Madrid is a moment I will never forget.

The weekend before this, our group went to a small town about 3 hours northwest of Madrid called Toro in the province of Zamora. We went to a bodega (winery) called Liberalia. I've never toured a vineyard so I don't know if it was anything special, but I thought it was pretty cool. The man who owns the winery is also a painter so we got to see some of his paintings, including the one that is on the label of some of their wines.

This Thursday after class, Lauren, Ryan, and I went to Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen) which is about an hour away in El Escorial. This monument, which was finished in 1958, was built for all those killed in the Spanish Civil War and as a national act of atonement. There is also a basilica there where Francisco Franco (Spain Prime Minister from 1938 - 1973) is buried. Antonio Primo de Rivera (leader of the Fascist party) is also buried there. It was a little weird and eerie seeing the tomb of Franco because he has so much controversy surrounding his dictatorship. Still, the monument was very impressive. There is a plaza outside of the basilica with a great view. The weather that day was foggy and rainy which added to the eeriness of the whole place.

"Caídos por Dios y por España" = "Fallen for God and for Spain"

This weekend, my roommate is in Portugal so it's just me and Señora. We don't have class on Monday or Tuesday (they call the long weekend a "puente" which means bridge), so a lot of people are traveling. I decided to stay here because I'm traveling a lot in December and there is still so much I haven't seen! I'm a little nervous about being here with just Señora because communication is still a little rough, but I'm sure it will be fine. Señora is awesome. She bought me and Lauren scarfs this week, and is always asking me if I'm cold or need anything. Whenever we have day trips, like when we went to Valle de los Caídos, she packs us a lunch to go. She always packs 2 whole baguettes (one for each of us which we never finish), a bunch of cheese and meat, apples, and tortilla española (omelet with potato). The meat always kind of freaks me out. For example, yesterday we got what I think was bologna with random white spots and turkey with fruit in it. It was actually pretty good, but I'm never sure what I'm eating. Anyway, I'm looking forward to my puente in Madrid and some good conversations with Señora!

23/10/11

Big day: It rained in Madrid today for the first time since I've been here.

Barcelona

Inside La Sagrada Família

This past week, we went to Barcelona for five days. It reminded me a lot of Madrid, but with more modern buildings. My favorite part was the church “La Sagrada Família.” It was designed by Gaudí who is this really modern architect that has designed a lot in Barcelona. The church is still under construction though and when it is finished, it will be the tallest in the world. From the outside, it looks like just a normal church, but when you walk inside it is like a work of art. There are windows all around made of different colors of glass. It was the most colorful church I have ever seen and a nice change from all the other ones that we have been seeing.

Another cool thing that we went to was the Boquería, which is a big market on the main street, Las Ramblas. It had tons of fruit, candy, fish, meat, and more. I got a kiwi coconut drink which was delicious. One day, we went to a Monastery at Montserrat which is up on a mountain. It had some really pretty views. A few of us also went to the beach one day. I walked in the Mediterranean so it was a little chilly, but still worth it. It was different than the U.S. People approached us every 5 minutes trying to sell massages, drinks, and food, and I saw more than a few topless people even though it wasn’t a nude beach.

Overall, I’ve been asked if I like Barcelona or Madrid better by multiple people, and I think would have to choose Madrid. I really liked Barcelona, but the Spanish culture wasn’t as strong there. It was very touristy and almost everyone spoke English. I’m still excited to go back there in December when my parents come to visit.

This past Tuesday, I traded in my Titans jersey for a Real Madrid one when some of the group went to a Spanish fútbol (soccer) match. I had always heard that soccer is like a religion here, and it dominates a lot of the news so getting to go to a game was awesome. [Side note: One of the churches we went into in Barcelona had the Barcelona fútbol team’s logo in one of the stained glass windows - that is how big fútbol is here.] Our seats were in the third row from the top, but we still had a great view of the field. They had this section, kind of like the student section at college games, that cheered the whole time. People definitely got into it. Someone told me that they don’t sell any alcohol at the games, because if they did, people would get too rowdy. It was a ton of fun, and I am hopefully going to go to another game before I leave.

Monteserrat

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium