A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

In the past few weeks I've been trying slowly but surely to explore different parts of Spain. I really want to leave here with an experience in most of the regions of Spain, and since I was accepted to Teach for America in Chicago for next year I feel the June 12th deadline. I have less than three months left here and I really want to make the most of it. So two weekends ago, I headed to Sevilla (yes think Barber of Seville). It's a gorgeous city but my umbrella was nearly permanently glued to my hand for the weekend. We arrived late Friday, spent Saturday going to the sites, and then came back Sunday. It was a whirlwind of a trip!

First we went to the Alcazar (castle in arabic). It was one the of the most exquisite things I've ever seen in real life. The arabic architecture is so intricate and geometric.

But the gardens were by far my favorite part. Despite the rain I spent nearly an hour wandering around. There were lush patches of palm trees, orange trees everywhere, and beautifully haunting fountains. Every surface was covered in brightly colored tiles. The whole time I just kept imagining what it would be like with a bright blue sky, although there was something beautifully melancholy about seeing the misty, rainy garden.

After seeing the Alcazar we walked to the Cathedral and the sun peeped out for a few wonderful minutes.

The cathedral is in the gothic style, which is one of my favorites. I really loved this huge silver altar, but none of my pictures did it justice. I just thought the use of silver over the more traditional gold was really cool and it had this huge crown with sun rays coming out of it at the top. It was great. The cathedral also holds the tomb of Christopher Columbus.

You can climb to the top of the bell tower and see the city laid out before you.

After this crazy weekend I was exhausted and slept forever on Sunday night!

This weekend, I decided to take a day trip with some friends to Alcalá de Henares, a small pueblo near Madrid where Cervantes was born. We took a quick train ride, 35 minutes, and were in a charming pueblo. First we visited a garden filled with sculptures, but I found the weird mossy waterfall the most interesting.

The happened upon a beautiful plaza in front of a convent. If you look carefully at the top of the building you can see the nests of the storks for which Alcalá is famous.

We tried to visit Cervantes' home, but it was closed. So instead I grabbed a photo of the Don Quixote statue with an oddly fat Sancho.

Finally we made it to the central town plaza. There were family playing games, and strolling everywhere. It's one of the things that I love about Spain. Families hang out around town together on the weekends and really utilize parks, plazas, even streets. One of the most posh streets in Madrid, Fuencarral, gets shut down on Sunday mornings so that families can roller blade, see sidewalk puppet shows, and play games. It's an awesome Spanish tradition.

At the end of the day, my good friend Stephanie, suggested we buy bread and go down to the river to feed the storks. So we bought some snacks and bread to feed the birds. Needless to say, we ate most of the bread for the storks ourselves during the walk. Then we arrived at this "river" to find it was barely a stream. It was hilarious. Steph it's such an optimistic, idealistic person that she just really wanted it to be considered a river, but there's no way!

After a fun day we headed back to Madrid!

Las Islas Canarias

Sorry I haven't been very timely about publishing this post. Two weeks ago I had finals week and it was grueling. Three exams and four papers in one week. So seven friends and I decided to celebrate in style by heading to the Canary Islands. I checked the weather and saw a high of 70 and immediately knew I was in. There ended up being seven girls and one boy so we booked two condos in the same building complete with full kitchens for 14 Euros a night per person. I was stoked! 

Immediately when we stepped out of the plane, I could feel the warm air and knew it was going to be a good weekend. We got a city bus across the island, which only took us 20 minutes, to Playa del Ingles. After settling in to our condos, the first thing we did was head to the beach. It was gorgeous. Little coves were scattered across the open beach filled with beautiful sand and water, and lots of old people, apparently January is "vacay" time for the elderly. 

We spent all day Friday lazing about on the beach, playing cards, swimming, and just hanging out. It was so relaxing. That night we spent sitting on a blanket on the beach drinking wine and relaxing. It was a wonderful way to end finals week. 

The next day we split into two groups. One group headed to the beach for another day of lounging, while Katie O., Catie B., Will, and I headed into the mountains. We rented a car, but I was the only one who could drive it because it was manual. So we were off on an adventure. 

I hadn't driven a stick in 3 years and the roads were windy and steep. It was rough at first, but I got better as I went. The hardest part was focusing on the road because all I wanted to do was stare at the beautiful scenery. We stopped periodically to grab a snack or take in the views, like this valley in Fataga.  

But our main goal was to get to Roque Nublo, the highest point on the island. It was a nice thirty-minute hike to the top and the views were breathtaking. The rock may look tiny, but it was huge (note the size of the people of the second picture). 

The volcano is dormant, but the crater is absolutely beautiful. 

Ironically, this is where I was sitting looking out over the volcanic crater when I got a hold of my dad, and found out that my grandmother had died the day before. Not to get too philosophical, but I think being in that place with such a grand view of god's creation, helped me understand that my grandmother's passing wasn't necessarily an end, but a beginning of a beautiful eternity with the lord. I think this place will always be special to me because of that moment. 

From Roque Nublo we headed to a hill town called Tejeda. As soon as I parked, parallel parked on a hill, I realized that my wallet was gone. It had been inside my camera bag on the hike up to Roque Nublo, but now it was gone. In addition, our daylight was fading, and I really wanted to get out of the mountains before dark. It was action time. We drove 30 minutes back to Roque Nublo. Then Katie O. and I ran back up the mountain. She told me to check where I had made a natural bathroom, but I assured her that I had checked the area before I'd headed back to the path so we continued uphill. At the top when I couldn't find my wallet, I nearly lost it. But we still had to get out of the mountains and we had no idea how long that would take. Almost to the car, Katie O. one more time mentioned that I should check my nature stop area. Needless to say, she was right! I could've saved myself a grueling uphill hike, but we tried to chalk it up to exercise. 

With the daylight fading, we drove out of the mountains. But our map wasn't very clear, so we asked for directions from a fruit vendor at Roque Nublo. The road he wanted us to take was so small we didn't see it the first time. But after turning around, not an easy feat, we found it and trusted him. Dark fell and we were still twisting around mountains passes unsure of whether we were headed the right direction or not. By this time we were all hungry and tired and a little cranky. I had managed to become carsick while driving. In the end, we made it out with my wallet, and a great experience. 

The next morning, we headed to the beach for the last time after finding a Subway sandwich shop, which was way more exciting than it should've been. I swam in the ocean for the last time that weekend and was perfectly relaxed and rejuvenated. Then came the plane ride from hell. 

First there was this baby that would not stop crying for at least a half an hour. She finally wore herself out and I thought all was well. I fell asleep with my headphones in my ears only to wake to being shoved in the arm and vomit flying at my face. A full-grown man, vomited in my hair, face, shoulder, and chest. It was everywhere. He managed to spray at least 5 people. The airplane staff gave us wet wipes and I changed into a friend’s shirt, but the smell would not leave me. What's more, they couldn't move me to another seat. The flight was fully booked. So I sat covered in vomit next to vomit smell for 2 hours. Although they did offer me a complimentary drink and some nuts, I was so nauseous I couldn't eat. Then came to turbulence. Yes there was more. Now I'm covered in vomit, sitting next to vomit, about to vomit form turbulence. It was a rough flight! When I got home my roommates immediately asked me why I smelled so bad!

Ironically I still put this as one of the most fun weekend I've had in Spain. It was crazy and awful and wonderful all at the same time!

i'm dreaming of a WHITE CHRISTMAS!

So this Christmas I got to head back to the US of A! In some ways, I was a little sad when I heard about my friends' plans to galavant around Europe. A weekend in Malta, a fortnight in Rome. But in the end, I was so excited to see my family, eat black beans burritos, and decorate the christmas tree that I couldn't be more amped. I arrived after a long flight, next to a kind of annoying girl, and saw my parents waiting by baggage claim. I was so excited. I ran to my mom and was giving her a big hug when I heard, "Katie, look here!" I looked over and there was my bff, Adrienne, off course taking a picture of me right as I saw her. Needless to say I was shocked and super excited.

Of course, if you know me well, then you know that my first meal back had to be mexican. So we found a Don Pablos near by and I settled in for some veggie fajitas. Back in the car, my bff and mom had not forgotten our road trip tradition. There were Peanut Butter M&Ms ready and waiting! (We think Peanut Butter M&Ms are better than Reeses Pieces because they have more peanut butter in their peanut butter to chocolate ratio). After about an hour (well to be honest maybe a half an hour) of chatting, Adrienne and I were dead asleep in the back of the car. It was a wonderful way to come home.

The next morning I woke up crazy early at 7am (well early for me). As I drank my coffee, my dad informed me that we needed to unload a trailer of stuff from Evansville that morning. I didn't know that trailer would hold the best present of my Christmas (not really mom, no worries, but it was pretty awesome!) I opened the trailer and saw two bright, shining, red, OLD PEOPLE SCOOTERS! Now some people might find what they continue to read offensive. If so I'm very sorry. I love my grandmother whom the scooters belong to and I'm certainly not trying to make fun of those who use them. I'm just trying to find the silver lining in getting older. And to me using those scooters always seemed like fun. So I dragged Adrienne from the kitchen and her coffee (still in her pajamas) for some racing!

We spent our snowy morning racing the scooters in the driveway! It was so much fun!

A few days later, I imposed an obstacle course with the scooters on my other friend Carly! We found out that Carly is a calculated driver who uses low speed when optimal and faster speed when possible. I, however, bolt forward on full speed at all times knocking over the flower pot obstacles. I'm no expert at scooter racing, but man is it fun!

I even got to go sledding with some of my besties! I hadn't flewn down a hill and ran back up completely out of breath in a long time. It was a blast!

Basically I can say that my time at home was characterized by scooter racing and super mario for wii.

No really, I got to see so many wonderful people I can't even name them. I thought that I would be so ready to go back to Madrid, but I was actually pretty sad for the first few days here in Spain. I'm back into the swing of the Spanish life, but I will always remember how grateful I was for my family and friends over the holidays! It really made me appreciate how wonderful they all are!

p.s. - I applied for Teach for America and will be finding out if I get an in-person interview tomorrow AND I'm headed to the Canary Islands this weekend! So there will be another post coming!

Doing the Dubler - Part 2

So we got up early and headed to Galway on the west coast of Ireland. The bus ride was beautiful but I couldn’t stay awake. We got into the town around 3pm and met Jenny’s friend Brett. He studied for the semester in Galway so he took us on a tour of the town after we dropped our luggage off at the hostel. The first thing we saw was the river running through the middle of the town. It’s the fastest running river in Europe! It was definitely no joke, but the picture doesn’t make it look very impressive. There were no rails, so instead there are “ringboys” all along the edge, which is just what they call lifesavers.

It really only took about a half an hour to walk around, but I really loved the small-town feel. People were all incredibly nice. Then we had delicious fish and chips at a tavern. Cian, my Irish friend, also put on my list of tasks “eat fish and chips with brown sauce.” So after getting my steaming hot plate, I told Brett that I wanted some brown sauce for my chips. He was like “ok, but you need to ask her.” I wasn’t really sure why, but I went with it. It took me at least five attempts to get her attention. At IU my friends say I sound like I’m meowing when I say m’am, so needless to say getting waitresses attention can be challenging for me. I finally get her to come over to the table, and I ask, “May I have some brown sauce please?” She looks at me like I’m an idiot. The only response I get is “ok.” Then Brett informs me that it’s really weird to eat brown sauce with fish and chips. Thanks Cian! Apparently you’re the only one who does that, but you know what, I thought it was good. The brown sauce is basically like worcheshire sauce. Not bad on French fries! 

Then we went and met some of Brett’s friends at a coffee shop. We ended up talking to these two girls Katie and Sarah quite a bit and because Brett had to work on papers, they decided to show us the local pubs. They were so picturesque in Galway. There were people playing live traditional Irish music while I sipped a coffee with Bailey’s by the fire! It was so much fun!

The next morning we headed to the coach station with our suitcases to see the Cliffs of Moher. Apparently only Jenny and I had signed up for the tour with our company so they had us join a different tour group. Our guide Peter was witty and so knowledgeable. First he drove us through the Burren and gave us some basic knowledge. The Burren is around 350 square kilometers of exposed limestone hills, but the interesting part is that this area contains 80% of the plant life of Ireland as a result of the high levels of nutrients in the stone, and its ability to hold warmth. It’s absolutely beautiful, raw, and enchanting land.

A part of the tour that we joined was a walking tour through a farm on the Burren. We had to pay another 8 Euros to go, and honestly I was a little skeptical. I’m so glad that I did it. It was lightly raining when we arrived, but John, the attractive, rugged, Irish farmer, took the group to a room full of rain gear and had us suit up. We put pants over our pants, jackets over our jackets, wellies over our shoes, and wollies our hair (wellies= rainboots, wollies = wool sock hats). I thought, “this seems excessive, but ok.” I could not have been more wrong. Once we got to the top of the hill the rain was beating my face and the wind actually knocked me over. But it was still one of the coolest experiences of the trip to get off the bus and experience the terrain. From the bus it looks like it’s just rock but once you’re up there there’s crazy plant life everywhere.

After the walking tour we got back on the bus and headed to a set of small cliffs for a photo stop. I thought they were amazing, but I didn’t even know how much cooler it would get.

Then we got to the Cliffs of Moher. It was such a beautiful, mystical place. It was weird, but there was something almost spiritual about that place. I felt overwhelmed by the nature God created. It was so simple, yet so breathtaking. It just made me think about the intricate artwork, we humans create. Honestly that art will never be adequate in comparison to what God made from the earth. I don’t even know if that makes sense, but that’s how I felt in the moment.

On the tallest cliff there’s a Tower with green grass coming down from it, and I’ve never seen grass look like that. It was long, but blown down by the wind. It looked like velvet and it was so enchanting.

After that overwhelming experience, we went and saw a 5800-year-old dolmen! The wonders of the Burren are never ending! A dolmen is an ancient burial site, in which the people built a hill over the body and then placed stones on top of it. Honestly I had no idea that Art History class at the beginning of my time in Spain would be this useful. But it makes me feel really good whenever I can actually identify and understand things that like.

After the tour we were exhausted so we slept all the way to Dublin and then headed straight to the hostel to go to bed! The next morning was our last day in Dublin so we decided to try and hit the things we had missed before. Our first stop was Merrion Square. You know those Doors of Dublin calendars? Well all those doors from a square around a little park, and that’s Merrion Square.

A ton of literary figures have lived there, like Oscar Wilde and Yeats. There’s even a statue of Oscar in the park so I had to continue my homage to Mr. Wilde and take my picture with his statue (last year I kissed his grave in Paris).

It was another sunny day in Dublin so Jenny couldn’t resist soaking up the sun in the park, and it was the perfect opportunity for a shadow group pic!

That night we continued our Christmas spirit and walked to the other side of the river to see the Christmas lights, and then we went and saw a Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey. It was a nice, relaxing way to end the trip because we had to get up at 4am the next day to head to the airport. Ireland was amazing. I highly recommend it to anyone!

Doing the Dubler - Part 1

I have SSOOOO many fun thoughts about Ireland that I need to split the trip into two parts: Dublin first two days, and Galway and last day in Dublin! It was so amazing that I don't even know where to start so chronologically will have to do. My friend Jenny and I decided to go to Dublin over a long weekend, and I was so amped.

When we got off the plane I immediately realized I wasn't in "Kansas" (aka Madrid) anymore. I kept speaking Spanish to everyone. Saying "perdon" when I was trying to get past someone and "gracias" to shopkeepers. I even asked this guy in Spanish if there was anyone in the bathroom. What's even funnier is that I clearly do not resemble a Spanish person. I look vaguely Irish. So some short, auburn-haired, green-eyed, freckled girl walks up to you in Dublin and starts speaking badly accented Spanish! He looked at me like I was a crazy! Understandably. But I apologized and explained that I've been living in Madrid. Although he didn't really stop looking at me like I was really strange.

That first day, we just tried to get our bearings and battle the culture shock. I was so confused as to why people were eating at 6pm and in bars at 8pm. In Madrid we eat at 10pm and bars don't even open until midnight. To top it off the sun set at 4:30pm. I didn't realize how much I'd adjusted to Spanish life until this moment. I realized that the much more American customs were confusing the heck out of me! So after a long, strange day of traveling, we hit the hay fairly early.

The next morning we got up bright and early, ready to conquer the day! Our first stop was Dublin castle, but it was closed (and not that impressive). So we moved on the Trinity College. The university is surrounded by a wall and there's only one door to enter and exit. It was like the door to Narnia.

The campus is so magical and absolutely gorgeous! I hadn't seen so much green grass in months! We also got lucky with blue skies in Dublin!

In the library at Trinity College, there is an exhibit about the Book of Kells, which is a latin book of the four gospels dating back to the 800's. There was a sweet exhibit with large displays of the beautifully decorated pages and lots of interesting information. Plus in the back room, you could actually view the books. It was really cool to see some of the religious symbols I learned earlier in the semester in Art History in a real life setting.

Then after the exhibit there are stairs that you're led up to leave and a sign for the "Long Room." I honestly had no idea what that meant but I went with it. At the top of the stairs you turn right and laid out before you is the most beautiful library I've ever seen. I gasped and Jenny's jaw fell open. It was unbelievable. It's the library of my dreams (yes I'm that much of an English major that I dream of having a library of my own!). You aren't allowed to take pictures so I've found one so that you can get an idea, but man I've never seen anything like it. It as cool as the Book of Kells.

After the exhibit, we decided to put together a little picnic. My Irish friend Cian, sent me to Ireland with a couple of tasks. One of them involved purchasing the ingrediants for and eating his favorite sandwich. So we thought it was the perfect time to grab some groceries and head to St. Stephen's Green. Cian's sandwich constituted: Brennan's bread (yellow wrapper), Kilmeeden's cheese (mature red cheddar), Irish butter (dairygold preferably), and King crisps (cheese & onion are essential). It sounds a little strange, but we thought why not try it.

It was the best picnic ever! We had Cian's sandwiches (which are fantastic by the way), potato salad, muffins and diet coke. But it was so cold we had to eat with our gloves on!

After the picnic,we headed to Christ's Church Cathedral to hear an evensong service. It was such an amazing experience. A full choir came out and sang songs in both English and Latin. It was a really great way to see the cathedral!

After a little R&R in the hostel we headed out to look at the Christmas lights. Dublin is absolutely all about Christmas. Every shop plays Christmas music and every street is decorated. In Madrid they are just now starting to get into the Christmas spirit but in Dublin it was in full force a few weeks ago. Oh yeah and "Nollaig Shona Ouit" means Merry Christmas in Irish! It was everywhere!

After being filled with the joy of Christmas we headed back to the hostel so that we could catch the early bus to Galway.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .