Additional pictures of San Sebastian - Donostia

Also, at the top of the mountain after the funicular rde, there's a small amusement park. We did the boat ride :)

http://www.la-perla.net/cast/talasoterapia.htm

San Sebastian - Donostia - Pais Vasco - beach, spa, 10 cheeses, croissants, funicular, and Basque!

Hello!

I've just returned from my long weekend in San Sebastian, which is in Pais Vasco (Basque Country) right up north next to France. It was beautiful!! It also is called Donostia, in Basque language.

I took the midnight train Thursday night, about a six hour ride, and arrived early Friday morning. Friday was mostly cloudy, and I enjoyed hanging out on the beach and relaxing. The city is really beautiful - it has 3 beaches! All of the buildings are really pretty, and it seems kinda like a mini-Paris, it has a river that runs through the center of the city and it has a really nice feel to it. It also has a lot of tourists from all of Europe and the world, and you can hear a lot of different languages spoken here. Also, the Basque people speak Spanish, and also, their own Basque language, which is unique and unlike any other language. Many people from Pais Vasco wish to secede from Spain and create their own country. Many people, however, are also content with being part of Spain. Just depends on who you talk to.

Yesterday, we got up, and after our amazing breakfast (eggs!! - I haven't had eggs for breakfast in the whole month we've been here. Spaniards don't eat eggs for breakfast)we went to the spa! It's supposedly a top destination spa, and it was incredible. It's right on the water, and it was unlike anywhere I've ever been to. We did the Circuito talasoterapia, which is basically a water circuit including 13 different possibilities. All of the water was sea water, and my favorite spots were the panoramic jacuzzi which faced the beach and sea, and the relaxation pools. They would have jets that would target specific parts of your body for massage, and it was the single most relaxing two hours of my life. Also, it was only 24 euros! An experience in the US like this would cost hundreds of dollars. I've put the link in here, because I couldn't take pictures there. Check it out, it's worth the trip to San Sebastian just for the spa!!

Then after that, it was nice and warm and sunny, and we went to the beach for a few hours! Perfect beach afternoon. Then we went to the top of Monte Igeldo in the funicular (like a cable car) and seeing the views of 2 of the beaches (Ondarreta and Las Conchas)in addition to the background of the green hills and mountains of Pais Vasco was beautiful.

Then we stopped at the grocery store where we bought 10 different kinds of cheeses! They came in variety packs, and so we wanted to try as many as possible for our pack lunches. They also make a lot of artesanal cheeses in the area, but since they are not pasteurized, I unfortunately did not try them since I try to be really precautious against sickness while I travel.

Then we wandered around the city into some of the shops that were still open, and ended up on the beach (Zurriola)where there was a concert going on. We happened to be here in San Sebastian during the annual music fest, and so that was nice, relaxing, and fun. Also, we had some artesanal ice cream, one of the popular flavors here is made of cheese, membrillo, and nuts.

This morning it was cloudy and a bit drizzly, so we walked over to the sculpture El peine del viento, which is a really famous work by Chillida. After that we walked along the beach and into the city, where we indulged (again) in the best croissants I've ever eaten in my life (no exaggeration). :) Then we took the 1:30 pm train back to Salamanca. Great weekend.

Week 4 in Salamanca - the convents and cookies,music, pizza party and paper writing

Hi all!

I'm finishing up my 4th week here in Spain, and just about ready to start packing to come home. This week's been a relatively quiet one, lots of schoolwork.

One of the tours around the city was of the convents. They were both built about 4-500 years ago, one for monks and one for nuns. They're both still working convents with people living there! They're really beautiful, full of history, art, and chapels, of course. The nuns are known for making cookies, and they were amazing!! My friend and I bought 3 for 1 euro, tried them, and then went back and bought more!! Delicious.

Most of the music that I hear from the radio or out and about is actually American pop - I've heard a lot of Lady Gaga here, primarily, Beyonce, other misc. American pop music, and Nelly Furtado, a bit of Juanes, Diego Torres, David Bisbal, and of course Shakira. I also bought tickets to go see Shakira in September at Mohegan Sun!! Can't wait. :)

Most stores have rebajas for the month of July. Basically they're country-wide sales, which is good. The drawback of them, is when they run out of a product, that's it! Much different from our seemingly endless supply of merchandise back home.

Another thing that's a bit different. The design of most buildings around here are in the shape of a square, with an open area in the middle. It's designed like this to stay cool during hot weather, and originates from the Arab influence here in Spain back 1000 years ago. The windows here are large, without any screens. You might say, huh, that must mean they don't have flies. Well...that'd be wrong. There's no screens, and it's not infrequent to have flies buzzing around.

The weather here cooled down a bit this week and it's been much more comfortable. It's quite cool in the morning (60s or so) and then it warms up and is very sunny, and the sun stays out till 10 pm.

Last night my friends and I were tired of the dining hall food and of eating at 9 pm, and we had a 3-6 page paper about art due today, so we indulged ourselves in ordering Domino's pizza. We ordered 5 medium pizzas for the 7 of us. It was amazing. We ordered 2 pizzas Deluxe, which was meaty with some veggies, 2 pizzas de 4 quesos, which was interesting, because one of those 4 quesos was queso azul...fortunately I enjoy Blue cheese, but even for me it was a bit much of the blue...and una pizza Hawaiana. The people I've met here are great - in my program there's about 49 students of us, and almost everyone is a Spanish teacher, mostly all in the US. We also have another friend from another program who's from Portugal who we hang out with. We try to speak only in Spanish all the time, and we're all at different levels with different backgrounds, and it's really great to learn from each other. Buena gente. Also, last week we went out to una chocolateria, and had chocolate mousse! I have to go back next week and order churros con chocolate also. Mmm. :)

Tonight I'm going up to the North Coast, to Pais Vasco, to San Sebastian. It's supposed to be one of the best city beaches in Europe - can't wait! Unfortunately, the weather forecasts temperatures in the low 70s and cloudy, but that should be completely all right with me. I'm looking forward to seeing the Bay of Biscay. The city is right on the border of France, about 30 minutes or so, I think. I'll update in a few days about my adventures up there. :)

Cáceres y Trujillo, or, when the bus broke down and we left people behind

Hello all!

Yesterday I went on a trip to the cities of Cáceres y Trujillo, which are both located in the region of Extremadura. That's to the south of Salamanca, and it is known for its extreme climate. Hence, it was very hot.

We drove about 3 hours to Caceres first, and it was a very pretty ride. Cáceres is a very old city, which was conquered and reconquered time and again by the Romans, Arabs, Christians, and it switched hands a number of times. It is filled with beautiful old palaces, cathedrals, and what should be a beautiful Plaza Mayor, though it is currently under construction. It is also a very hilly town, and we were going up and down a lot. We ate lunch there, too. It was interesting, because my friend and I scoped out the restaurants around the Plaza Mayor, and they all had pretty much the same things on the menus (10 euros you get an appetizer, a main course, dessert, bread, and water or wine), so we sat at the one that looked the best.

Midway through the meal, at the restaurant to our left, there was lots of yelling going on, and we heard some customers calling the food and restaurant "mierda." The waitress threatened to call the police, and the customers remained there. Five minutes later, the police arrived! Again, lots of yelling, both the police and the customers were smoking cigarettes, and then apparently the police asked one of the guys for his ID. He refused, and they threatened he could go to jail. Then it was quiet again, and the police left. Again, the belligerent customers remained at the restaurants. A few minutes later, the police came back again. It was a very confusing situation, and we asked our waitress what was going on over there, and she said this hardly ever happens, usually only in the bars later at night, and that the police in this town were very mild. At that point, we had to meet back up with our group again to go to Trujillo, so I'm not really sure what was the conclusion, but it was interesting. Also, the food we had that afternoon was delicious. I ate paella, pollo asado con patatas fritas, torta de chocolate, y agua y pan. Mmm. :)

So then we went to Trujillo. It was a really nice, small, tranquil city. If you've ever noticed how many cities of Trujillo there are in Latin America (you probably haven't), it's because this is the hometown of Francisco Pizarro. Again, Spain is very proud of its conquistador past, and in the Plaza Mayor, there's a giant statue of him. Pizarro is remembered for conquering the Inca empire and establishing Lima, Peru.

I was very excited to learn that Trujillo is also known for its giant Cheese Festival!! Unfortunately, it's held in May, so I've missed it again this year, but apparently thousands of people come from all around Spain to showcase and eat their artesanal cheeses. I was very curious to try some of this famous cheese, but it is also not pasteurized, and I don't like to take unnecessary chances when I travel.

Notice the statues on top of the building from the Plaza Mayor. Two of the figures are noteworthy for doing, ahhem, interesting things.

Also, on the way back, our group was about 16 people, and on the way back, only 14. We left behind an older Japanese couple! The husband was very sweet, they were probably in their late 60s, and apparently the woman wasn't happy (she spoke in Japanese, not Spanish) and refused to get on the bus, so we left them! These tours are put on by the Universidad de Salamanca, and they mean business about being punctual and cooperative to keep the tour moving!

So we left, and after only about a half hour, we stopped at a rest stop. Apparently our radiator overheated, and so we were at the rest stop for an hour and a half, and the company sent us a minibus to take us the 3 hours back to Salamanca. Quite a day. :)

La Ruta de los Castillos - Coca, Peñafiel, and Cuellar

Hello all!

Today I went on a tour of three of the most significant castles still in existence here in the region. The region I am in is called Castilla y Leon, and thus, there have historically been many castles here. They were built to protect the wealthy families and towns, and to keep invaders out. Spain had many wars about their territory, and the walls of these castles were very thick (3 meters, or about 10-11 feet, frequently).

First stop was at the Castillo de Coca, which is the name of the town. It was the biggest castle we saw, and it was beautiful. They began to build it in 1453, and is one of the most impressive castles of Spain.

The second castle we went to was the Castillo de Peñafiel, and it was on top of a hill, surrounded by the plains of Spain (sidenote: The rain in Spain does not fall mainly in the plains). From faraway it looked really imposing and if I were an invader, I would not mess with it. Upon arrival up to the top of the hill though, it was very interesting in that it wasn't actually that large. And it was constructed in the shape of a ship. Strange, since it's a castle, and in the middle of land. This was due to the shape of the hill, and provides the best observation of the surrounding lands.

The third castle was the least impressive, of Cuellar, and it was very strange. They didn't let us take pictures inside, and it soon became apparent why. There was a very unusual role-playing reenactment of the times...it was very complicated and really very...strange. It lasted 2 hours, and by the end, I was very happy to hop back on the bus.

That's today's update. 2 more weeks to enjoy Spain and then I'll be home!

Food Scenes

A few pictures of typical food scenes. My favorites to order out are a bocadillo de queso (cheese baguette) or bocadillo de tortilla espanola (Potato Omelette). You will find jamon serrano hanging from many shops and restaurant/bars. I generally eat in the dining hall of the residence hall...usually it's decent, but there are sometimes when I am a bit dissatisfied. I really like to go to the Plaza Mayor and order a zumo de naranja natural (freshly squeezed orange juice) and a couple of tostas.

La Sierra de Francia - La Alberca, La Miranda del Castanar, y La Ciudad Rodrigo

This Sunday, I went on an excursion to la Ciudad Rodrigo, La Alberca, and La Miranda del Castanar. This is also known as La Sierra de Francia (the mountains of France, although it's actually not located on the French border) While in Ciudad Rodrigo, we saw a play taking place in the streets, commemorating the expulsion of the French during the Napoleonic Wars, which were 200 years ago. (There's also a cathedral, though it was closed while we were there.)

One of my favorite spots that I have seen while here was La Alberca. The entire village is designated a National Monument, and it is very reminiscent of The Village of Far Far Away, of Shrek. I really felt like I had just returned to the Middle Ages!! It has very narrow streets, and there is a small plaza in the center. All of the buildings are short (about 3 stories) and very old. You can see the old wooden beams of most of them. It is very much a typical village of the mountains. There are many other villages like this in the area, though La Alberca receives the most tourists, for better or worse. The area was very green and mountainous. There are also fresh water springs in the area, and it felt much different from most of the rest of the region of Castilla. Beautiful, and very peaceful.

La Miranda was very similar to La Alberca, though smaller. It had beautiful views of the area, and many cherry trees all around. Very natural, and though it's only about an hour and a half from Salamanca, it felt like a completely different way of life.

Midterms, Leon, y Zamora

So it's been a very busy week - midterms! I am taking 3 classes here in Salamanca, which will equal 9 graduate credits, which is really good. However...this week kind of reminded me the main purpose of this trip - for my studies! All of my professors kept telling us these weeks, don't worry too much about the exams, they will be fine. Well...they were pretty tough! i just finished my last one today, and I think I've done all right on them. It's kind of crazy the amount of information we have been learning in just the 3 weeks we have been here.

So, I must update about my experiences of this past weekend. On Saturday, I traveled to the cities of Leon and Zamora. Leon is quite a large city, and I was surprised to learn that it is home to a building by Antoni Gaudi, an incredible Catalan architect of the 20th century. It's one of his earlier works, and it's neogothic. They also say that it has one of the most beautiful cathedrals of Spain. Indeed, it was a very impressive and beautiful cathedral, built in the 1500's. What is most memorable about this Catedral is the beautiful stained glass found throughout the interior. It is important to notice the distinctive features of each Catedral, as every city in Spain (and most of Europe, for that matter) has a beautiful Cathedral. Also, there is the Pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela, which is a long walk (a couple of months) across northern Spain towards Santiago, in Galicia, and it passes through here. You will frequently see backpackers and pilgrims (people on a religious journey) passing through Leon.

Leon is also home to the Capilla de San Isidro, a church that was built by the Romans about 1000 years ago. It is really well-preserved and well worth the visit.

Zamora is a significantly smaller city, and unfortunately while we were there, most everything was closed, but we were able to visit the Catedral briefly. While we were in both cities, we were able to see 2 weddings take place! It was special to see brief glimpses of these events, and made for very good people-watching! Both brides we saw were beautiful, and also, it's quite a fashion show to check out the guests. Both the men and women get dressed up very formally, with their hair done, very high heels for the ladies, and very beautiful dresses and suits.

La Copa Mundial!! 11/7/2010

Wow!!! Incredible night with Spain winning the World Cup Championship over the Netherlands. Crazy. Again, I went down to the big screen at Corte Ingles, where I ended up with a pretty decent spot to see the game under a tent. There were actually 3-4 screens, though one large one.

As I traveled a bit over the weekend, everywhere you went you could see the Red/yellow Spanish flag hanging everywhere, and here in Salamanca, everyone was out and about to see the game. At Corte Ingles, it was mostly a younger crowd, but people of all ages. The game, as you already know, was a bit long, and everyone was so excited for it. Towards the end though, we were all really nervous as to how it would end up. When they made the goal, though, is when everything went crazy. It was nuts.

The entire city of Salamanca was out in the streets, cheering "Yo soy español, español, español" and a few other songs. It was thousands of people, all in red, with flags, yelling, throwing firecrackers, and just being nuts. Since I'm here in Salamanca, which is a bit of a smaller city, it definitely wasn't as crazy as Madrid or Barcelona, but it was a really nice night of everyone coming together. The game finished around 11, and all throughout the night, everyone of all ages was all out on the streets, from young kids to older abuelas. I ended up going home around 2:00, and I was amongst the first to call it a night. It was a good night.

It's a bit strange to me, though, that as of today here in Salamanca, all of life has returned back to normal again...all of the trash was picked up and the streets were swept, and there was no more singing.

Salamanca Week 2

Hello all!

I've just finished week 2 of my studies here in Salamanca, and am posting a few pictures of my week here. The university provides a few walking tours of the city, so I went to two of them this week. The first one, on Wednesday, was of the palacios of the city, which, in my opinion, the highlight was the Casa de las Conchas, or, House of the Shells. Built in the 1500s, it is, as you can see from the picture I posted, covered in seashells. You might say, that's a bit unusual, since Salamanca is unfortunately located at least 6 hours away from an ocean or a sea. That would be true, but it was built in honor of a daughter-in-law who came from Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, and that is the symbol of that city.

On Thursday, I went on the tour of Las Catedrales (The Cathedrals). Salamanca has 2 cathedrals - La Catedral Vieja (The Old Cathedral), and La Catedral Nueva (The New Cathedral). La Catedral Vieja was begun in 1120, and is beautiful inside, of course. It has a really beautiful gold-plated altarpiece with 53 scenes of Christ's life, and also features one of the oldest organs in the world. La Catedral Nueva was begun in 1512, and is much larger than the other. Although, they're directly connected together, as the New Cathedral was built to help support the older one from collapsing. It's quite unusual. Also, there was some damage done to these buildings in the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755. Nothing too serious, but you can see some cracks in some of the walls.

My favorite part of the cathedrals is on the outside fachada (facade). As you can see in the photos, it's beautiful and old-looking. However, around the baroque-style details, there is actually an astronaut, and a creature eating an ice-cream cone! These details were added as masons re-did this area in the 20th century, and while keeping to the baroque-style, wanted to make it clear that this was a renovation.

In class this week it's been quite interesting. In history class, we've been learning about the Guerra Civil (Civil War) in Spain (1936-1939). It's really crazy to realize just how recent that is, and the incredible amounts of damage done to this country and how many lives were lost (350,000 were killed). Something that I also hadn't learned before, is how many orphans were sent off to the Soviet Union, and there are actually quite large Spanish enclaves now in Russia. That was an interesting tidbit. Also, in literature class we've been studying Ruben Dario, who I've studied before, but I'm particularly interested in because he's one of the first authors in our Spanish 4 curriculum, and also we've been reading some of Miguel de Unamuno's works. I had a professor in college who was quasi-obsessed with Unamuno, so I feel really excited to hear it again. Also, Unamuno lived here in Salamanca and at one point was the rector of the University here. In my syntaxis class (grammar) we have looked at ser and estar exhaustively, so that's always a good time. :)

A few things that I have noticed this week. It is truly very hot here. While I realize the East Coast has been in the midst of a record-breaking heat wave, I finally understand why Spanish businesses close during the siesta. Most things, for example, the University's offices. They are open from 8:30am - 2:00 pm, and then from 4:30-6:30. These are very typical hours. Most stores will also be shut during the midafternoon, reopening perhaps around 5. Our class finishes at 2:30, and to walk back to the residence hall at that hour is often very difficult. Also, very few places have air conditioning.

Also, I have found a small shop that sells Aquafina water, which is wonderful. Every other bottled water brand that I have found here contains sodium. It's very unusual, but all of the bottles will say that water with sodium content is good for diets poor in sodium. Strangely, the food here is very salty, so I would have a hard time imagining someone with a diet that needs to be augmented with extra sodium. But alas, good old Aquafina is sold here also.

This weekend I am looking forward to a couple of day trips. Tomorrow I will be visiting the cities of Leon and Zamora. Then at night, there is a piano concert in one of the small palaces near my residence hall. Then Sunday I will be taking a day trip to the Sierra de Francia. More about those trips soon. AND we cannot possibly forget. Sunday night - The World Cup FINAL!!! Spain vs the Netherlands. Should be lots of great craziness here.

Avila and Valladolid

So this weekend I took two day trips. Saturday I went to Avila, which is a really beautiful city and it's known for its wall. It has a wonderful wall that was constructed between 1092-1099, and it's in excellent shape and well-preserved, and you can walk on it. It was erected by the Christians to keep out the Muslim invaders. Between 782-1492, Spain and the Iberian peninsula were constantly changing hands between the Christians and the Moors (Muslims). The southern area of Spain (Andalusia) is where you'll see the most Moorish influences, but this history has left its imprint through the whole peninsula as well.

Avila is also well-known for being the home of Santa Teresa de Avila, one of the two patron saints of Spain, and very important and well-known in the Catholic Church. She reformed the Carmelite nuns, and created the Carmelitas Descalzas, and the nuns/monks don't wear any shoes on their feet, as a form of humbling themself. She is said to have created the recipe of Yemas de Santa Teresa (see below post about these sweets).

I really liked the atmosphere of Avila, and the people were really nice (and they let me try a sample of the Yema de Santa Teresa, as they're normally sold in boxes of 6-12....and I really only needed one!). It was a very small little city inside the murrallas (walls), while a lot of the more modern constructions and a lot of daily life takes place outside the walls. There are gorgeous views of the plains, and it's obvious that back in medieval times you would have been able to see invaders coming across the plains from miles away. Beautiful.

Then we got back and watched La Copa Mundial - Spain won against Paraguay, so of course everyone went crazy again! They're in the semifinals now, so the people are really excited.

Then today, we went to Valladolid. While we had gone by bus to Avila yesterday, the bus company is on huelga (strike) today. There are a lot of transportation strikes occurring throughout the country here, as the government is trying to lower salaries (and raise taxes). About half of the months of July and August the bus company will be on strike, and apparently the metro of Madrid is only working 50% of its normal load, as it is striking also. So this raises some concerns about how to get from Salamanca to Madrid-Barajas airport as I fly home on the 31st, and the huelga begins the 30th at noontime. But I will deal with it and figure out the best way.

So we arrived in Valladolid via train, and Valladolid has been a really important city in the history of Spain, and it was at one point the capital. Kings were born here, Ferdinand and Isabel were married here, Cervantes once lived here, Christopher Columbus was here assembling his Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria as he explored the Americas....but alas, it was not as interesting as I would've hoped for. There are some really beautiful buildings, a wonderful Plaza Mayor, a beautiful Cathedral, and wonderful plazas...but it wasn't an outstandingly memorable city. Also, as it was Sunday, many of the attractions were closed all afternoon or day. We ended up touring the house where Cervantes once lived (for 2 years), and the Museum about Columbus, and enjoying a nice relaxing day walking around the plazas and city. We enjoyed a nice meal, and some good helado! And it was really very hot during all of this. Very hot.

Food and Other Tidbits

So I'm posting a few pictures of some of the typical dishes that are eaten here...in fact, so typical, that I will post a picture of my plato combinado, which includes ensalada, tortilla espanola, pollo, and patatas fritas that I ordered at a restaurant this afternoon. Then for dinner tonight in the comedor (dining hall/cafeteria) guess what I ended up having? That's right, the very same.

As for the dining hall food...Well...It's okay. It's pretty typical Spanish food, but mass-produced, of course. In the morning they have very strict rules that you can choose this OR that, etc. so that means that I typically eat cereal with milk, and a yogurt. A very typical Spanish breakfast is a croissant or pastry (there are tons to choose from here!) and cafe con leche. While I don't enjoy the taste of coffee, I really like Cola-Cao, which is a brand of hot chocolate prepared with milk here. Yum!

Also, if you order a tosta, it's kind of like pizza, prepared on a roll. That, and bocadillos (sandwiches prepared on a baguette) are really typical. I should post a picture of that, because they're very typical. And croquetas! Croquetas are kind of like mozzarella sticks, but prepared with meat inside instead of cheese. They're typically made of jamon, but I pretend that they're made with chicken, since I don't really eat pork. :)

Yesterday I was in Avila, a small city, and they're known for the Yemas de Santa Teresa. They're kind of like a cookie/small pastry...and they're said to have been invented by Santa Teresa. They consist of an egg yolk and sugar. Something to be tried while in Avila. Also, typically served in Castilla (this area of Spain) is membrillo with queso served on pan. Membrillo is kind of like a jam (made of figs), and I've actually seen it at Whole Foods back home before, but I hadn't realized how popular it is here, especially in the winter time.

Also, as I enjoyed my croissant and Cola-Cao at the train station yesterday morning, guess what was on the TV (in Spanish!)? Enjoy the pictures!