Last week

The last week in Madrid :(

Its been a weird week for schedule since we don´t meet for one class. Instead we have to interview 3 people from Madrid about the topic we chose (in groups of two). My partner and I decided to do the public opinion of the royal family... 2 interviews done but I'm still trying to peg the last one down. A littel hectic, especially since our professor isnt here to answer questions... no, shes traveling the country.... grrr

On Tuesday, my class with the Spanish professor went on a scavenger hunt around the Puerta del Sol. Really fun actually (despite the heat!). Christina (prof) took us as a surprise to eat patatas bravas (strong potatoes). The purpose was to introduce us to the ¨spicy¨ Spanish food... but it wasnt so spicy for us Texans used to burn-your-butt salsa. Really really enjoy her class and am so sad its over today!!

Yesterday night, our roommate Mike took us three gals to go wine tasting at the local tabernas. Had 4-5 different types at 2 bars... and he tried to tell us what he knows about Spanish wine... and what to look for in a wine.

Just finished the written portion of my second final... and waiting on the oral exam... and then--- the POOL!! Sun, sun, sun alllllll afternoon :)

Revelations of a Busy Weekend

-Food is good, but still odd. After awhile, its hard to not miss "normal" food- Paella, hot ham and cheese sandwiches, pasta.. yummy! Had some jelly thing that we tried in Guanajuato..still weird, and a very Spanish meal of lentejas is good despite the vastly different (and worse tasting) chorizo. Did have a lunch at a Mexican restaurant, which tried to be a little Tex-Mex and a little Mexican. Pretty good for Spain, but would not be able to compete with home!

-Seeing Piratas del Caribe (Pirates of the Caribbean) was wonderful, wonderful. Probably the most semi-American thing I've done here besides Starbucks. Still a little different (assigned seats and butterless popcorn) I can't deny it felt good to just relax and watch a movie in English. And the movie wasn't too shabby either.

-El Rastro is crazy. A huge flea market on Sundays, the Rastro is a place of seeming chaos. I think thousands of people were out and about, crowding the streets and tents, and usually smoking... and it was 95+ degrees. Anything and everything could be found at this place- shoes, shirts, antiques, lingerie, art, frying pans, you name it. Got there early and left when it was turning even more crazy... thank goodness we missed the "big crowd."

- The swimming pool was probably the most surprising thing that has happened to me. Erika, Kas, Mike (who rents a room in our flat), and I decided to escape the blazing heat of the day and go to El Lago, the Lake. Really a huge place of 3 pools, el Lago is popular. During our search for some grass to lay on, one could definitely point out the differences between this place and one from the US. One-- thongs are popular. On guys and girls. Two-- so are speedos, which are better, but not by much. Three-- and even more popular, no tops at all. Really odd to see who opted for that style, and especially since it was a public pool, with people young and old. Whew! Kas and I did make some new friends--- 7 year old Erika and her 4 year old brother Juan, who took it upon themselves to tell us everything about themselves and collect us about 500 little flowers, which they then threw upon us as we sunbathed. Really cute, but one can only take kids patting your head to wake up for so long hahaha

-And now that the weekend is over, it is hitting us all that we only have 1 week left in Madrid. Mixed feelings for everyone (some a little more happy than others). For me, I'm more ready to finish with homework and assignments than actually leaving.

El Lago (last hw blog)

No hay una mejor manera a pasar el día que en la piscina. Es verdad especialmente para los días calientes. Con el tiempo mejor en Madrid, mis compañeros del cuarto y yo fuimos a la piscina. Se llamaba "El Lago" y llegamos a las tres en la tarde. El Lago es grande con la piscina olimpiada y dos más piscinas. Estaba mucha gente allí. También, no había mucho espacio para sentarse. Finalmente nos sentamos en una poquita colina con mucho sol. Fue interesante a ver a la gente. Los trajes del baño estaban extraños. Muchos hombres y mujeres llevaban pequeños trajes del baño. Pero la más sorprendido fue la presencia de gente desnuda. Estaba normal para ellos. Esta presencia y la aceptabilidad de parejas homosexuales es diferente de los Estados Unidos. Aunque estos diferencias fueron una sorpresa, en realidad son buenos. Pienso que los Estados Unidos necesita más pensamientos como estos. Pero tuve una tarde fabulosa y quiero regresar en la próxima semana.

So much to do, so little time

Still have a long list of things to do before I leave Madrid, and time is flying! So to chip away at a few items, we are going to the movies tonight, El Rastro (a huge flea market) tomorrow morning, and the pool in the afternoon. But today... has been incredibly lazy. Glanced at the work waiting for me, but that didnt really happen. And with all the expenses of being sick, I fear walking around the streets--- all the sales are this weekend (half off almost everywhere!!). So our flat will suffice for now!

Some Things Never Change

Yesterday I experienced the glamour of a neighborhood post office in Madrid. The goal: mail a set of forms to the USA in the fastest way possible. Alone. The experience, I shall never forget. Like home, there was of course a huge line. With angry people in it. Two older women behind me complained the entire 30 minute wait. "Tenemos prisa, tenemos prisa, tengo un enfermidad, necesito ir a mi trabajo" (translation: We're in a hurry, we're in a hurry, I'm ill, I have to go to my job) on and on and on and on. And hopefully I got the package sent quickly enough- only 2 options to mail a large envelope to the US... and I didnt want to take more time for fear the old ladies would stab me in the spleen.

And on a more celebratory note, one of m finals is doneeeeee! Only a paper, a project, another final, and two presentations to go. Oh Southwestern, how you spread your influence so well to Spain.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid is the League Champion! Last night we tried to go to a bar in the Puerta del Sol to watch the match... but they were all packed- out the door packed! So we walked over to another area and watched it, crammed in between packs of life fans. Missed the first half, but caught all 3 goals by Real Madrid. Everyone headed to Plaza de Cibeles to see the whole team (including David Beckham) ride in with glory. The entire city was crazy. Fireworks, cars honking, kids on the metro chanting, and flags everywhere for all hours of the night. They've been touring the city all day, with a posse of fans crowding the streets. It was so fun to see so many people out to watch a soccer game in the hubub of the city and so many crazy fans! Loved it! Definately don't have that experience in the US.

Churros con chocolate

Muchas veces durante mi viaje en España, fui a bars y clubs. Pero no bailé durante toda la noche. No me sentía bien porque porque mi enferme la semana anterior. Quise tener una buena noche. Con mis amigos fuimos a tres bars y dos discotecas. Los bars- Pi, Montana y Scruffy- fueron divertidos. Los clubs tenían muchisima gente y había mucho no aire para respirar. Espero que la próximo vez sea mejor y que me sienta mejor de salud porque las condiciones no fueron buenas. Pero, la experiencia fue muy interesante. Mucha gente estaba en las calles, los clubs, y en los chocolaterías a las seis o siete en la mañana. Fue extraño. ¡Fuimos a la chocolatería San Gines y los churros con chocolate fueron deliciosos! Comimos muchos churros. Ojalá mis noches fueran fantásticas como de esta noche, comiendo churros con chocolate y buenos amigos.

Its Feels Good to Eat

I feel tonsss better. My new meds are working away and not making things worse (unlike the others! haha) Ventured out this afternoon- with its own set of problems and comedies- but felt good to get out like a normal person. And I'm able to eat food again, always a plus! Now for all that homework....

Granada's Greatness in 10 Moments

10. Graffitti: Funny, political, meaningful... there was lots!

9. The City itself: A quick overview of the city ended with a beautiful sight. Maybe after 30 minutes of walking up hill (or stairs/ or both?) on cobblestone the rest was what overtook us all... but the amazing view cannot be denied!

8. Tea: Arabic tea is yummmmmmy!

7. Belly Dancing: Our group got a belly dancing show along with our tea. We love Carlos' (ISA) surprises for us!

6. Tombs: The church with the tombs of Isabel, Ferdinand, and Juana the Loca. Couldn't take pictures, so this one outside will suffice.. but it was really amazing to see

5. Hookah: A little flavor of the Arabic world.. interesting!

4. Shopping: Pottery, tapestries, bags, and anything you can imagine... Walking the Arabic district browsing through all the little trinkets was super guay (super cool).

3. Fair: Everyone who was in Granada was here during the evenings and early morning hours. MEGA HUGE! Also goes to prove that the strangest people congregate at fairs in every country.

2. Flamenco: Saw some pro- saw some learners.. but all around neato.

1. La Alhambra: VOTE FOR LA ALHAMBRA FOR THE NEW WONDERS OF THE WORLD!! Dreamlike gardens, gorgeous view, amazing detail... just wish I could see it at its heyday

ick

ill... will write about Granada and such whenever I recover...

but did get an in house call from a doctor- that was pretty cool

Museo de Thyssen

Los museos del arte son mis favoritos lugares durante mis viajes. En Madrid, hay muchisimo posibildades para ver arte más famoso del mundo. Un día, fui a la Thyssen-Bornemisza para tres horas en la tarde. No tuve tiempo para ver todo la arte, pero vi dos pisos del edificio. Había arte de periodos italianos, los periodos impresionistas, modernismo, y de "pop art." Fue muy interestante pero a veces fue demasiado arte de un periodo. No me gusta la arte del medio ambiente-- los árboles, los flores, los montañas, etc. La Thyssen había muchos cuartos de este estilo. Mi favorito tipo fue los retratos. Había un retrato del cocinero de George Washington. Un otro cuadra me guste en el museo fue una cuadra de Georgia O'Keefe. Fue diferente porque no fue de flores pero un ciudad. También, fue muy bonito. En general, la combinación fue buena y la colección del barron Thyssen-Bornemisza y su esposa fue muy grande. ¡Fue una experiencia fabulosa!

Its the Little Things

Its the littlest things that make every day such a delight here. Granted I got to go to the Prado yesterday-- fabulous! Walking around, learning about the paintings of Goya, Veláquez, and El Greco was dreamlike. (Hate to be such a "girl" in this moment, but... made it even better that our guide looked like Diego Luna!!!) "Saturno" was probably my favorite piece, because although it was a little morbid (Saturn eats his children), and one would think he was seriously crazy, the message he was trying to convey about the obsession with power was really interesting. But the best parts, the best parts were discovering the Treasures of Dauphin in the lower levels of the Prado with 2 friends. The best part was walking around the area, talking to street vendors.... taking the metro... not getting lost... listening to little Spanish kids blabber on. And the best part was eating at my favorite cafe talking Spanglish with our waiters about American rock music and Spanish history. They may seem petty to those who have no idea where I´m coming from, but they make every day fantastic.

An American in Paris

I ordered a taxi in Spanish- I was so excited! After a quick ride and short chat with the taxi driver, I arrived at the airport at 3:30am on Friday. As it was very quiet, I quickly checked in, went through security, and boarded with little difficulty. I even got to board first and pick my own seat (a nice little shoutout to RyanAir's policies!). Slept through the entire flight and arrived in the little airport of Beauvais. There I stuttered through ordering a bus ticket into Paris and awaited my arrival (though 2 hours later!!) Serge, my good friend from Paris, and his brother guided me through the complex metro and around the city... good to have someone who actually spoke French!

Paris was, once again, a delight to spend for a weekend. Friday it was very cold and rainy- but not so cold and rainy that I didn't go sightsee around the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, and the Champs-Élysées. So dreamlike to walk around this area!

With Serge!

At the Le Defense station in the metro!

Walking the street to the hotel. One could actually see the Eiffel Tower to the left of that steeple, but it was cloudy that day.

Looking down the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triumph

On Saturday, we went to this HUGE market... must have been 20 x 20 blocks... selling clothes, jewelry, Parisian trinkets, bags, shoes, food, anything and everything. Was actually quite warm this day, which made riding the metro uber fun haha. Hung out with some of Serge's friends that night before leaving for the bus station at 4am. Rode the bus back to Beauvais, slept again through the entire flight, and safely got back to Madrid via metro. I had a fabulous time in Paris, but coming back to Madrid was like coming back home... So relieving. Its cleaner, the people are much friendlier, the metro isn't as confusing, and I speak the language. Lordy, made me realize how much I love Madrid! But at least I can say I spent a wonderful weekend in Paris.