Thursday, December 22, 2011

¡Felices Fiestas!


My flight leaves tomorrow so I am busy packing, but I wanted to take a moment to wish the blogosphere felices fiestas! I can't wait to see family and friends for the holidays!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Toledo

a view of Toledo

A classic day trip from Madrid, many people told me I shouldn't spend more than one day on Toledo, but personally I think it's worth an overnight stay if you have the time. The capital of Castilla la Mancha is a point of cultural intersection between Spanish, Arabic, and Jewish cultures, a history that has earned it a UNESCO world heritage title. Plus, it boasts more museums relative to its size than anywhere else in the world. If those aren't enough reasons to stay, read on.

Toledo is a classic "city on a hill," and that is no small statement; some areas are even equipped with escalators to temper the steep inclines! Even with mechanical assistance, it was difficult for me to imagine the tiny Spanish señoras climbing hills with their daily purchases as I huffed and puffed my way around. On the evening of my first day I decided to stick to flat land and circumnavigate the labyrinth of city streets by following the river around the city.

theTagus River, which surrounds Toledo on three sides

the elevators of Toledo

To enter Toledo, there are several important gates that allow cars and pedestrians inside. La Puerta de Bisagra is definitely the largest. After a full day of walking up and down I returned to the hostel exhausted, only to have the owner inform me that the best time to see the city was at night! So a new friend from Chile and I set out to see the city illuminated. The gate was spectacular, but just as we stopped to "ooh" and "aah" at the cathedral, the lights shut off for the night!

la Puerta Bisagra

inside the Bisagra Gate

la Puerta de Alfonso VI

la Puerta del Sol

la Puerta de Cambrón

Inside the city, Toledo's general charm comes from its narrow streets and pleasant shops. When asking directions and attempting to navigate, I often assumed that the tiny alleyways and callejones were much too small to be the ones mentioned on the map, but, no, that's just a regular street in Toledo! Particularly interesting and sinister names, like la calle del infierno, add some extra character.


Even with a second day, hitting every museum and cathedral in Toledo is a challenge. The aesthetics alone make it an enjoyable effort, and if you're interested in Spanish history and culture there's nowhere better to see it first hand. The Jews, the Christians, and the Moors form the pillars of Spain's cultural heritage, and Toledo hosted them all in relatively tight quarters, as evidenced by the variety of architecture.

Can you guess which culture each of these cathedrals belongs to?



The scenery was stunning and the museums were riveting, but what is the best thing about my first trip to Castilla la Mancha? Manchego cheese, of course! I bought some right from the source in the Plaza de los Reyes. The shop owner was so friendly that some clients had sent her an illustration of their experience.


To conclude, I absolutely loved Madrid and Toledo. There is a long walk between some of the nearby cities that I would like to try, and I hope that I make it back someday to see the rest of the museums and take in more beautiful vistas--and to ride the escalators again, of course!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Madrid


December 6th is Constitution Day in Spain, and the 8th is the day of the Immaculate Conception. Because these holidays are always celebrated on those particular dates, whichever day of the week they may fall on, this year made for a highly irregular schoolweek with Tuesday and Thursday off. Many Spanish people skip an extra day to hacer puente, or make a bridge, so that these holidays create a long weekend. In an effort to assimilate, I took Monday off and went on a quick trip to Madrid and Toledo!

After an overnight bus ride I arrived at the Mendez Alvaro station bright and early on Saturday morning. I intended to go straight to the hostel to make sure I had a warm bed for the night, but got lost almost immediately! It was difficult to get back on track as I continued to be amazed by one monument after another.

el Oso y el Madroño
The Bear with the Strawberry Tree is based on a thirteenth century coat of arms and is considered emblematic of Madrid.

el Ayuntamiento

el Templo de Debod
Egypt donated this UNESCO monument to Spain in thanks for their preservation aid.

Don Quixote

la Plaza Mayor

el Mercado de San Miguel
This market was completely agotado with people enjoying sweet and savory tapas.

Museo del Jamón
The Ham Museum, because Spain. Not a monument, but I was excited for my first encounter with this restaurant!


la Real Academia Española

el Palacio Real

The Spanish have definitely mastered the "off with their heads" look. If anybody around the Royal Palace were to ask me, I was prepared to profess to be a devout Catholic! After a day of wandering, I finally stumbled into my hostel at around eight o'clock, completely exhausted. Thanks, Mom, for emailing a copy of my passport! (Who knew that you needed a passport to travel in a foreign country?)

By Sunday I was better oriented. I spent the morning at the Rastro market—a large flea market known for various districts of wares, including clothing, books, and antiques. One of my favorite sections was a little alley full of pet supplies, and pets! There were a lot of noisy and slightly unconventional critters! I also spent a good half an hour digging through recycled fur hats with a bunch of señoras. It was easy to recognize my fellow shoppers and share a smile as we tipped our furry hats when we bumped into each other in different parts of the city.

canarias
ardillas listadas
From the Rastro I made my way to the Reina Sofia museum, but on my way something curioso happened. I approached an old señora who was feeding the birds to ask for directions, and before I could present my question she started into a sob story about the poor little birds (ugly pigeons and mean sparrows) and their struggle to find food and survive. I began to evaluate this woman. No, she didn't look homeless or crazy. Her clothes were nice. Although, to me, her story wasn't a normal reaction to an approaching stranger poised to ask a question, I tried to sympathize with her feelings and commented how nice it was of her to feed them. She commented how nice it was for me to listen to her, and smiled and parted ways. I continued the search for the museum on my own.

At the Reina Sofía I got to stand before Picasso’s famous Guernica painting. No photos were allowed, so I tried to take a mental picture. I sat with the small children (until a docent told me not to) and contemplated the complex perspective and the faces of the other starstruck onlookers. It was pretty cool.

me and Dalí


el Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
The museum itself is a work of art!

From the Reina Sofía I made my way through Retiro Park. This is the place to be on a weekend or holiday! The park was full of people relaxing, roller blading, and boating. It’s also the locale for some temporary art exhibits, and, I am told, the only statue the features the devil.


My next stop was the Prado museum, which I absolutely loved! In roughly two and a half days in Madrid, I went to the Prado three times! The impressive collection of art seems to include a piece by every classical master, not to mention extensive exhibits by the most renown Spanish painters such as el Greco, Velasquez, and Goya. It is nearly impossible to see everything in one trip. We frequently discussed these paintings in many of my Spanish classes over the years, so it was powerful to finally see them in reality.

By the end of my trip I was completely exhausted, but I felt comfortable in Spain's capital city. I hope that I make it back someday!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Christmas Countdown

Thanksgiving came and went and now the countdown to Christmas is on all over the world! They've put up decorations in the streets here in Cangas, and this weekend I will be heading to Madrid and Toledo to see the sights--and, hopefully, the Christmas lights! Tuesday is a holiday here for Constitution day, so I'm going to do like the Spanish and "hacer puente," or build a bridge, to make a long weekend. And to get in the Spanish holiday spirit, I've purchased my first Christmas lottery ticket. Wish me luck!