Saturday, August 30, 2008
La Tomatina
August 26th-28th
"La Tomatina" is an annual festival held in the little town of Buñol, Spain about 40km outside of the major metropolis, Valencia. The town's population of 3,000 people swells to 40,000 as thousands of tourists and Spaniards invade Buñol to participate in what I imagine to be the worlds largest food fight. Over 150,000 kilos of tomatoes are dropped into the streets thus ensuing a purely hedonistic, frenzied, tomato-soaked, hour-long fiesta. This is a terribly ostentatious display of waste, but having survived "La Tomatina" I find it safe to say that the hour long tomato fight was the most fun I have ever had. I'll try my best to articulate what occurred but "La Tomatina" is best understood by looking at the photos.
August 26th
After we finished classes in the morning, I went to speak with our ILP professors. In order to attend "La Tomatina" we would have to miss class and ask the professors for permission. Initially, they didn't want to give us permission to go. No absences are allowed from ILP and for them to give us an exception might set a bad precedent. I told them I understood, but emphasized the fact that although I considered my education to be above all else and that I had come to Spain to be a student, I also stressed the importance of traveling and experiencing the culture. I didn't know the next time I'd be able to return to Spain and that I wanted to make the most of this year. We would not miss that much class as one of the professors was absent. After considering it, the professors gave us 1 day (the ILP factors in 1 "free" absence for each student although we are not supposed to know that). No matter what, we had to be back and ready for class Thursday morning.
We had the green light and ran immediately back to our rooms to purchase our tickets. I paid 85 euros for a 9 hour bus ride from Granada to Valencia. 9 hours didn't seem so bad at the time and we planned on sleeping on the bus. Our bus left at 9:30pm and would get to Valencia by 7:00am.
That afternoon we went back out to get our photos taken for our classes with our monitores (we have to turn in photos of ourselves so that the professors know who we are). I received a call from Blake saying that Ryan's ticket had not been processed correctly that he would have to go to the bus station directly in order to buy a ticket for a later bus. We would have to use our time waiting for Ryan to get to Valencia to find a way to get to Buñol.
Back at the Residencia we "packed" what we would be taking. I had brought two Pelican water proof cases which I put my wallet, copy of passport, and cellphone inside. All four of us would share one back pack. We only wore sandals, a swimsuit, and one t-shirt. We planned on going shirtless during the tomato fight. We ate a fast dinner down at the dining hall and called a taxi to take us to the bus station.
At the bus station we met some other young people who were also going to Tomatina. Two kids from England and Whales and a young couple from Canada who were finishing their backpacking tour of Europe with Tomatina.
I had good intentions of sleeping on the bus to Valencia, but the 9 hours were tediously long. A ton of stops, an indirect route, crying baby's and loud people made for a difficult ride.
August 27th
Tired and hungry we got to Valencia at 7:00 in the morning. Even though Ryan's bus had left two hours later, he would only get in to Valencia a 1/2 hour later as he had taken a more direct route. We should have taken his bus. Anyway, we scouted out ways to get to Buñol and found a direct us there for 3 euro. Ryan arrived and we bought our tickets to Buñol. I slept a little on the 1 hour bus ride to Buñol.
We knew we were into something out of the ordinary as at 8:30 in the morning the streets were teeming with thousands of people. Everyone was drinking and hundreds of people were wearing costumes or matching outfits.
Stripping off our shirts, we put the rest of our valuables in the backpack. We would just wear our sandals and bathing suits as we knew everything would get ruined.
We followed the crowd down the ill to the center of the town. Heading through the mass of people on crowded cobblestone city streets, we tried to stick together and find a place to go if we got separated.
At this point I am unable to fully articulate the experience. At the center of the town was a large pole soaked in grease and covered in thick fat. At the top was a ham. I'm not sure what was the significance of this event as the tomato fight would start at 12:00 no matter what. It was basically the most ridiculous thing ever as hundreds of sweaty, stupid people (almost all men, the few girls who went up were groped terribly) tried to climb the pole to get the ham. They would make a pyramid at the base, with other people climbing on their faces to get to the top. No teamwork, just anarchy, as the person on top would try to knock off some fat then would slide down the poll, crushing the base, or being ripped off the poll in the process by the next rabid person.
This kept the crowd entertained for hours and even during the tomato fight, people would try and climb the poll. Our friend Alan tried to climb the poll so we separated for a second as Alan tried to climb and Blake, Ryan, and I went to try and get something to drink at the bar. All of the buildings were covered in plastic and the residents were on their roofs watching the teeming mob. They would spray the mob with hoses and shout encouragements to the pole climbers.
The bar just had a window opened to hand out beer and water. Ryan and Blake each bought a beer and as Ryan was about to drink, a soaking wet rolled up shirt through the air and cut his beer in two soaking me and the surrounding people in beer. This started a mini "alcohol fight" as everyone began throwing their beer and sangria into the air. I was soaked and hadn't even seen a tomato.
At some point along this ridiculous timeline, a man in one of the apartments threw a tomato into the mob, a seriously taboo act before the actual fight begins. The mob through beer and shirts at his apartment, so the drunk man went into his house and started throwing chairs and eventually a full sized table into the crowd. This turned the dumb mob into an angry, dumb mob as some people climbed up the scaffolding and started breaking the windows on this apartment. No one was hurt, but I don't know how much property damage, both self-inflicted and not, the man received. This was the most stupid and violent act I witnessed throughout the day.
We pushed our way back to center and luckily ran into Alan who had been bruised pretty badly in his attempt to get the ham. We made sure that we were holding on to one another as if were to get lost it would be nearly impossible to find each-other.
And then, it started. Driving down the street were 5 dump trucks filled to the brim with Tomatoes. In the back were about 20 people who were chucking tomatoes at the crowd. After the trucks got to a certain point, they would dump the backs and thole load of tomatoes would fall into the street.
Thus ensued a full-fledged hour of tomato ridiculousness as the entire street erupted into one soaking, slimy, red mass. I was hit with tomatoes from all sides. I picked them off the streets and through them at the passing trucks and arbitrary victims. Our group proceeded to unload most of the tomatoes on ourselves as we would squeeze the juice into each other's hair before chucking the rest of the tomatoes at someone else. During this time I was the "combat photographer" as I used Blake's second camera as the sacrificial lamb to take photos during the melee. The lens eventually became so soaked with tomatoes that it stopped functioning but were were able to salvage the memory card which was all that mattered.
In the midst of the fray we met two girls from University of Washington who we helped "protect" from the incoming tomatoes. We really didn't move that much during the course of the hour, but we had to push and brace ourselves just o stand up. soon the floor became a knee high tomato bath. People began scooping up the gloppy mess and hurling it at one another. Ryan and one of the UW girls got down in the street and started making "tomato angels". They were completely covered in the rising tide of gazpacho soup.
And then as spontaneously as it had started, it stopped. A cannon blast signaled the end of the battle. Now came the next bit of insanity as 40,000 sweaty, slimy, tomato-soaked, people shoved, squirmed, and slid to get out of the streets. I was partially blind as my eyes were soaked with tomato juice and I couldn't rub them clean as my hands were even worse. We made sure we were all together and contributed to the mob mentality by pushing as hard as we could.
From the rooftops, people were spraying us with hoses and throwing large buckets of water. Some splashed my face, but it was not enough to get rid of the tomato paste on my face.
We cut down a side street away from the crowd and followed the winding streets and passing clean people down to the river where we jumped in and knocked off a lot of the tomato. Our communal backpack had some how survived, physically, but the inside contents not in my water proof cases were destroyed. The backpack itself was gross as the tomatoes had been ground into the fabric. My lonely planet tour book was part papier mache but seemed salvageable. Our camera wouldn't even turn on.
We made it back up the hill and tried to find a bus or train to Valencia. The buses weren't running and the train was a 3 hour wait. Our bus back to Granada was at 6:15 and it was 2:30. We ended up popping 50 euro for a cab, and with the driver doing some extremely illegal maneuvers, we were able to get back to Valencia by 3:30.
We ate lunch and looked at some of the photos we had taken while we waited for our bus.
August 28th
The bus ride back was long and tiring, but I got to look at the Spanish country side which was nice. We got back to Granada by 4am and took a taxi back with another crazy driver to the residencia.
Recounting the stories and sharing the pictures with the other students made me even more happy that I had done it. The professors were happy we had had a good time and even enjoyed looking at our pictures. I think I did well on my first presentation for my conversation class as well. I had to talk about a film or a novel, so I chose Pedro Almódovar's "Volver" and shared my essay that I had written on the bus.
That afternoon we met up with our monitores for an in depth tour of Sacramonte, the area fully of caves, flamenco bars, and a lot of gypsy history, and then to the Albaycín, Granada's Arab quarter filled with beautiful tea shops and spectacular views of the Alhambra. That night, I slept well as I recharged after such a crazy, spontaneous, fantastic trip.
ILP Begins
August 25th
I didn't yet have an alarm clock (I'm writing these blog entries after they have occurred so now I have one on my cell phone) so I used my "internal clock" to get up on time. Class was at 9:00 but I woke up early to eat breakfast at the dining hall. It was a small breakfast of toasted bread with olive oil and tomato paste. Breakfast is the least important meal of day here in Spain. Lunch is the largest meal.
The ILP classes were great. The first class was a grammar class that turned out to be a history lesson on the development and evolution of the Spanish language. As you would hope, this professor spoke perfectly and I was able to understand everything he said. The next class was a literature one that looks like it will be great. The professor didn't believe that you could have "literature of a country" but rather believed in the literature "within a country." An interesting point and one that will allow us to look at a wide variety of literature written by people of differing social classes, beliefs, etc during the course.
After class I took a siesta (I'm starting to get used to this schedule) and then checked my many happy birthday messages on facebook. Much thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes before and during the trip.
I met with a group of students to go purchase a cell phone. It a ridiculous long time to get it as there was only one person working at the store and many of the phones wouldn't work properly. In the end I purchased an inexpensive but good phone that is on pay as you go plan (most students here in Spain use the pay as you go cards).
Back in the residencia, I spoke to my friend Ryan who was talking about wanting to go to a festival that would be happening tomorrow known as "La Tomatina," in Buñol, Spain. I had heard and read about this event before and I knew I wanted to go. We would have to get permission to miss one day of class and then buy our tickets for a midnight bus ride to Valencia, Spain and from there somehow get to Buñol. Just taking an approximate look at the time span, it would be a 36 hour non-stop trip. We found two other guys, Alan and Blake, who wanted to go and we all agreed to try our best to make this spontaneous trip happen.
More Birthday, More Granada
August 24th
I woke up at 12:30 and after a quick workout and breakfast/lunch I met up with a group of about 5 people to go exploring. We had heard that there was a church across the valley of the Alhambra that had stunning views of the Alhambra and Granada.
Wandering through the streets north of the residencia I began to see why people think Granada is so beautiful. Close apartment buildings lined narrow cobblestone streets. We were semi-lost but by looking at the map, we were able to take a road that wound up the mountain side. As it turned out, we were lost and had not gone to our intended destination but rather wound up in another great place with a fantastic view of the Alhambra and surrounding area. We were walking along a mountainside where there were caves dug into the side of hill. Like little hobbit holes, people lived inside of the caves (at the time I had know idea where we were but upon checking the map back at home, it turned out we were in Sacramonte, the ancient gypsy quarter and now home to numerous flamenco bars).
We came to a large, spanning stone wall whose purpose I was not sure (it turned out they were 14th century or before walls built by the Mores as defensive walls against northern Christian invaders). We climbed up and around it and were given an even better view. After spending a long time on the wall, we kept following the dirt trail up the hill, leading us to a Monastery. We had taken a most indirect route as you could have driven up the hill from the opposite side. There was a cool sculpture by the monastery which also served as a drinking fountain.
Back at the residencia, we watched the closing ceremonies for the Olympics. It was still my birthday and I wanted to something social but it didn't have to be as busy as the night before. Everyone was a little tired, but they were still excited to come. We found a nice tapas bar and had a low key evening.
¡Vente Años en España! or A Birthday to Always Remember!
August 24th
What a birthday!
The night of the 23rd started the birthday festivities. As soon as one person found out that I would be turning 20 everyone was excited to celebrate. My birthday coincided perfectly with the calendar as I turned 20 between Saturday and Sunday. All dressed up with so many places to potentially go, we met up with one of the monitores who took us to a great local tapas bar. I think I may have mentioned this custom before (its certainly worth saying it again) but in Granada whenever you order a drink, alcoholic or not, you receive a free plate of tapas (I have found that tapas can be anything, from bowls of olives and chips to full sized sandwiches or plates of rice). It was a lot of fun and it was great going with someone who knew right where the best places were. From there we went to a "chupitos" shot bar where at 12:00am we rang in my birthday with a toast. There was a group of Spanish kids in the bar who were also celebrating a birthday. I went up and introduced myself to the birthday boy and he invited me to help blow out the candles on his cake and then proceeded in joining our two separate groups together to help finish his large birthday cake.
Saying goodbye to the Spanish group, we headed to toward one of Granada's most popular clubs, Mae West, a two-story American black and white movie themed dance club with 4 rooms playing different music: house, salsa, regaton, and pop. Even though we arrived a little early (before 2:00am) it was already starting to get very crowded. We found a spot on the dance floor and started rocking out to techno-remixed American pop songs that were about 6 years old. The popular Spanish music seemed to alternate between these older American pop songs and contemporary Spanish ones.
By 3:00am the club was so packed that I could barely move (apparently this was a slow night). We left at 5:00am and people were still arriving. The Spanish night life is on a whole different level.
As if it wasn't to late/early already, none of us were really tired, so we extended the birthday celebrations with a couple games of fuse ball which is apparently only second to soccer and bull fighting in Spanish national sport (I'm kidding but in the bars the Spaniards take their fuse ball very seriously). We finally went to bed at about 6:30am.
Overall, it was a fun, exciting, grown-up birthday that I will never forget. We crammed a lot into one night and I know it still would have been memorable even if I had done absolutely nothing. The fact that I'm Spain with other kids my age is an incredible experience in and of itself.
First Days in Granada
August 23rd
We took our placement test at 10:00 in the morning. Consisting of grammar, listening comprehension, and an essay, it turned out to be a test that was meant to monitor our growth over the course of the program as we will take the same test at the end of the ILP program.
Like first week of freshman year, ever one is social and excited to start a conversation. Last night I had joined a large group of the other students and we wandered around the Plaza del Toros and El Centro, two important and vibrant sections of the city. We ended up eating at a restaurant that was a little more touristy than we would have liked but its always to difficult to decide on a place with a large group. I had a good time talking and becoming acquainted with everyone.
After the siesta, we had a brief orientation in which we discussed the weekly class schedule and were given maps of the city along with the University of Granada handbook. We were then introduced to our "monitores," University of Granada students who would show us around Granada and help us buy a cell phone and other things we needed. Their job is basically the same one that I had this summer as the activity leader/camp counselor for a group of 60 students from China. I'm enjoying being on the opposite side of the coin. Our montiores took us around Granada and showed us where the different "facultades" (colleges) are located throughout the city. My political science facultad is right in the center of the city.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Its Official!
August 22nd
My dad left for the airport at around 10 and I stayed in the hotel room until 12:30. I went down stairs and asked the concierge to call a taxi to take me to the "Residencia" where I had to check in before 2:00pm. I thought I would have arrived early, but a lot of students were already there. I met some people and then checked in; receiving my key and internet cable along with a lunch box and instructions on what to do.
My room is great. I definitely didn't expect it to be this nice. I have a single room with a desk, mini-fridge, microwave, lamp, large closet, own bathroom and shower. From my window I have a view overlooking Granada (the residencia is up on hill). There is a 16th century church in my "front yard." I have yet to explore it. I unpacked and got settled in right away. It would have been fun to have a roommate but I think this is a much better set up.
At 2:00 we had a short meeting addressing some generic points of interest. We would have a test the next day for placement into ILP classes. We went back to our rooms and then met up at 4:00 to go explore the city and buy groceries (there is a dining hall but is closed on the weekends).
The majority of the students are from UC Santa Barbara, followed by UC Santa Cruz. There are a few kids from UCLA, UC Davis, UC Irvine, and my own small group from UCSD. No one from Berkeley. There are 54 kids in total but not everyone is staying for a year. Also, some students had gone to a summer program with UC in Cadiz, Spain so they had already met each other. The ratio of girls to guys is 4 to 1. Like first week freshman year, everyone is excited to socialize and meet people.
We went out that night to a restaurant in the center of Granada. There are too many kids to all tag along together, but I went along with a fairly large group. To me, it didn't really matter where we went. The reality that I was in Spain with other kids my age was too much for me to absorb all at once. Wandering around Granada and talking with everyone, I think I made the right choice.
First Day in Granada
August 21st
From the airport to our hotel in the center of Granada was about 40 minutes. Alex and Vanessa had really pulled out all the stops as we only paid 50 euros for our 4 star hotel. The inside of the hotel was amazing; an class ceiling with real vines and chandeliers stretching down. Glass elevators looked out on the lobby and restaurant.
Since my dad only had one day in Granada, the one place that we had to see was the Alhambra, the last Moorish stronghold and palace. We were able to be put on a wait list and would be called later that afternoon to let us know if we could go.
Granada is smaller than Madrid and Barcelona although it seems to have a fairly large area once you leave the center of the city. I had been warned about the heat and saw that the temperature was close to 40 degrees Celcius (100 degrees Farenheit). Luckily, there is a cool breeze that takes away some of the heat. It is very dry and there is no humidity. Like Southern California summers, once the sun sets, the temperature was perfect. I can see why there is such an emphasis on the siesta.
We were accepted for the Alhambra tour and were picked up by a taxi in front of the hotel. Driving over cobble stone streets, we climbed the hill toward the Alhambra. Our cab driver was quite the character and gave us a positive opinion of Granada.
We were greeted by a tour-guide who asked us what language we wanted for our guided tour. We chose Spanish to practice and to get used to the Andalucian accent. When speaking Spanish here in Granada, the locals cut the "S's" off all words in which the "S" follows a vowel. For example, the "you" form of the verb "estar" (meaning "to be") would normally be pronounced es-TAS. Here in Granada, its pronounced es-Ta with the a mumbling of the final vowel and complete elimination of the "S." Its confusing as the removal of the "S" can make many words sound like other words. "Gracias" to "Gracia." It will take a bit to become used to.
Our 3 hour guided tour was fantastic. The Alhambra is basically a fort that was converted to a palace that was more or less a once autonomous city. Although I missed some of the more nuanced and subtle facts about the Alhambra due to the tour being completely in Spanish, I was able to keep up with the tour guide and learn about the basic history.
The Alhambra itself was a beautiful spanning palace, each room exquisitely decorated with fantastical handiwork. Fountains and gardens wound in between the rooms. It felt like we had stepped back into an ancient paradise. Unfortunately, the famous lions surrounding the interior fountain and representing the 12 tribes of Israel, were temporarily removed for preservation. We were able to see one that was put on display. Since the Alhambra is a sight of Muslim holy significance, its important to note that all of the "public" decorations (the exception being the lions which were in the private living quarters) could not have decorations of people, animals, or the prophet Mohammed. Instead, the architects used scripture from the Quaran and the intricacies of the Arabic alphabet to create beautiful designs.
My dad and I had our last dinner together at a tapas bar down the street. Downtown Granada was hopping and the weather was perfect. It will be a good year.
Friday, August 22, 2008
A More Personal Look at Barcelona
August 20th.
Alex and Vanessa picked us up from the hotel and we headed toward the funeral home. We had wanted to go as a sign of support and friendship. Inside, we met the majority of Vanessa's family. Although it was sad to be at a funeral, it was nice that so many people had come to support the family.
The service was short. Sitting in the last row, it was interesting hearing the service in Spanish. We followed the black Mercedes hearse to the cemetary of Barcelona-Manjüic. It was a huge cemetery with vaults built into the mountain side. A beautiful ocean view and peaceful trees surrounded us as the coffin was put into one of the crypts and sealed off. All of Vanessa's relatives had been buried in same crypt, and to her, she was proud of the physical reminder of her family's history.
After saying goodbye to the family, Alex and Vanessa took us to the fanciest restaurant I've ever been too, "El Asador de Arega." A converted palace of Barcelonan antiquity, the exquisite exterior was only matched by its even more glamorous interior. We had a three course meal, starting with bocadillos, salads, soups, and wine from the Ribera region of Spain. The main course was a whole succulent ham. For dessert we had decadent pastries. Joining us for lunch were two more of Alex's students, Paco and Fran. Paco is Catalonia Police and Fran is in veterinary school. I enjoyed talking with them as they were around my age and could provide some personal insight into the Spanish educational system.
Just like the day before, we went straight from the restaurant to a small bar overlooking the entire city. I ordered an iced tea and enjoyed this Spanish relaxation lesson. If I had the time I would love to spend three hours on lunch every day.
Paco and Fran would drop us back off at the hotel so that Alex and Vanessa could get some rest (they had been up for 50+ hours as they received the news of the grandmother's death, they day they got back from California). When we went out to get Paco's car, it wasn't there. It had been towed for a parking violation. All along the street were tow trucks that were towing cars that hadn't parked just correctly. I'm sure it happens all of the time as the parking lot was confusing and it is an excellent source of revenue for the city.
Paco had to go to the impound lot with Alex and Vanessa. Fran offered to take us back to the hotel, which we did by using the Catalonia trains and Barcelona metro. It was an unfortunate but good experience in the end as I got to see a lot more of the city.
Catalan appeared to be the primary language, with Spanish a distinct second. Everyone we were with would speak in Spanish to be polite to us, but you could tell that they wanted to speak in Catalan, their native tongue. When I had been choosing where to study abroad, I had it narrowed down to Barcelona and Granada. The classes at the university in Barcelona are all in Catalan. Having heard how it sounds, I am glad that I chose Granada. I will have a difficult time as it is with Spanish, but to have to learn a distinct regional dialect would be very difficult.
Overall, I loved Barcelona. It is truly is the "jewel of Spain," as it has everything to offer. As a political science major, I enjoyed discussing the extremely complicated politics of Granada and the Catalonia region. A duality of perspectives, as Catalonia and the rest of Spain are integrally combined yet contain distinct differences.
Touring and Training
August 19th
We rode the bus for about an hour but decided to get off and catch a transfer bus to "La Sagrada Familia," the one monument I really wanted to see up close. The line for the transfer bus was ridiculously long, so we decided to walk the five blocks to the cathedral.
About 1 block out, I saw it towering over the surrounding buildings. Like a sandcastle that is made by dripping sand into shapes, La Sagrada Familia's menacing towers and architecture looked like it was melting into the sky. We had to be back to the hotel by 3:30 pm for our martial arts training class with Alex, so we didn't have much time at the cathedral. The line to get in was over 2 hours, so instead I walked around the entire structure and marveled at the change in architecture and design (Gaudí never finished the cathedral during his lifetime. It is still under construction and is not expected to be finished until 2020).
Back at the hotel, we met up with Alex and his brother in law, Jordi. We drove to the dojo and had a quick lunch at the cafe next door.
Inside, the dojo was small but comfortable with white walls, wood trim and green colored pads as the floor. The training was intense as their techniques were harder and more aggressive than what I was used to in California. Everyone was amiable and I learned a lot.
After class, we were introduced to Vanessa's family. We went to a nearby restaurant and I spent the night practicing my Spanish and telling them about my life in the United States and why I was excited to be here in Spain.
¡Bienvenidos a Barcelona!
August 18th.
The signs in Barcelona were all in Catalan, with Spanish and English as secondary languages. We made a wrong turn in the airport as we went to collect our luggage and ended up walking out of the airport. We had to reenter security in order to go to the proper luggage terminal. Luckily, our luggage was still there.
One of Alex Esteve's students, Manuel, was waiting for us in the airport. He recognized us immediately, (I guess we stand out) and we followed him to the parking lot.
As we drove through Barcelona, we gazed at the myriad of famous locations throughout the vibrant city. I really enjoyed the "Plaza de Colón," a statue of Christopher of Columbus in the center of the city.
We drove up a huge hill and turned into the driveway of a private sports club that Manuel belonged to. Outside on the patio, we looked out on a beautiful panoramic view of the Barcelona skyline. I could see "La Sagrada Familia," Gaudís unfinished, architectural wonder, rising above the other buildings, along with the port of Barcelona stretching into the Mediterranean.
We told Manuel that he should take us to his favorite places in the city. For lunch, we went to the Barciloneta, a chain of restaurants, stores, and museums next to the Mediterranean Sea. We sat down at a seafood restaurant right on the water. Manuel made it clear that we were not to pay (under orders from Alex). We started with fresh bread with olive oil, tomato paste, Iberian Ham and Chorizo along with a bottle of white wine. After eating what would have been a good-sized meal, we began the real dish: a huge steaming platter of marisco (seafood) paella. Filled with rice, whole cooked shrimp, calamari, mussels, etc. it was as good to eat as it was to look at.
Our whole conversation was in Spanish, which was great practice for me. Although its difficult for me to articulate in Spanish exactly what I want to say, I felt that I could understand everything Manuel was saying.
We finished our meal with dessert and two shots of a very strong liquor. As if we hadn't just eaten enough, we immediately walked over to a sea side cafe and ordered drinks and tapas. In the next 8 hours, we got an in depth tour of Barcelona as we walked through "La Rambla," and stopped in the central plazas.
Originally we were supposed to be staying with Alex and Vanessa at Vanessa's family beach house. During lunch, Manuel received a phone call saying that Vanessa's grandmother had died that day and that we wouldn't be able to stay with them as they would have to do funeral arrangements. They had made us reservations at a hotel in downtown Barcelona. After we had finished our mini-tour, Manuel drove us to the hotel.
Blog Supplement
I have not been able to figure out how to paste what I have written on Microsoft Word to this blog.
To read about my first few days in Spain touring the capitol city of Madrid, please follow this link to facebook.com to read it under "Facebook Notes:"
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?_id=23210768787&ref=mf
(If that does not work, look under "Notes" in my profile.
If you do not have a facebook account, please email me:
mqjones@ucsd.edu
and I will send you a Word or .PDF file if you would like to read it.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
A Quick Message From Madrid
I arrived in Spain the 15th after 28 hours of travel. I haven´t had a chance to update my blog at all and this short message is just to let you know that I will begin my blog in a few days once I am in Barcelona. My internet access has been sporadic as I am using internet cafes that I stumble across.
In a succint summary, Madrid has been fantastic. My Dad and I have visited dozens of amazing monuments and plazas. Yesterday, August 16th, we wandered through El Prado, the Parque del Buen Retiro, Plaza Mayor, and La Puerta del Sol. Today we went to the Palacio Real and the Thyssen-Bornemisza art museum.
We´ve had an encompassing experience as we have also enjoyed tapas bars and the Madrid night life.
Much more to come.
In a succint summary, Madrid has been fantastic. My Dad and I have visited dozens of amazing monuments and plazas. Yesterday, August 16th, we wandered through El Prado, the Parque del Buen Retiro, Plaza Mayor, and La Puerta del Sol. Today we went to the Palacio Real and the Thyssen-Bornemisza art museum.
We´ve had an encompassing experience as we have also enjoyed tapas bars and the Madrid night life.
Much more to come.
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