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The Cathedral located at the far end of the Royal Palace.

Madrid Part 2 – Prado, Reina Sofia, Palacio Real

May 24, 2012 / / 0 Comments

I thought the best way to cover what I actually did in Madrid would be to make a short list and include some basic information since I did so much there.

The Cathedral located at the far end of the Royal Palace.

Reina Sofia

This is a fairly standard museum and one of the 2 major museums in Madrid. There’s a variety of paintings with a considerable amount of works from both Dalí and Picasso. They were both Spanish painters so naturally the Sofia has several of their respectable masterpieces. By far, the most famous painting in the museum is probably Picasso’s Guernica. This particular painting is famous not just because of who painted it but also because of its subject matter depicting the bombing of the city of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. In any case, the museum is fairly straightforward, free for students, and you could expect to spend maybe 4 to 5 hours there.

Outside the front of the Prado.

The Prado

The Prado is the top-rated museum in Spain and one of the most famous in the world. I enjoyed it but having already went to the Reina Sofia the day before, I was honestly a  little tired of museums at that point so my opinion of it might be a little biased. The two major collections here are from Velázquez and Francisco de Goya. I enjoyed both of those exhibits but I thought the film section was a bit boring. Some people might take a liking to the short, artsy films but I honestly was bored after about 20 minutes. I much prefer the paintings there. Like the Reina Sofia, it’s free for students and just a few euros for everyone else. You could spend a few hours there as well depending on how much of a museum person you are. Even if you never go to the museum, the area surrounding it is definitely worth seeing.

El Palacio Real (The Royal Palace)

The Spanish Royal Palace is absolutely stunning and it’s one of the must-see things in Madrid. I’ve heard people say it’s one of the greatest palaces in Europe and I can’t argue with that. In my previous blog post, I posted a picture of the side of the palace as seen from the royal gardens. On the opposite side is a big church of which I’ll also add a photo somewhere in this post. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go inside because it’s randomly closed certain days of the year but I think it costs around 6 or 7 euros to enter and I’ve heard it’s extremely luxurious so it’s probably worth it.

Me, outside the gates of Palacio Real (Royal Palace).

Other Areas

Two other areas that are must-sees in Madrid (and that I frequently traveled to) are Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor. They’re both very close to each other and basically constitute the center of Madrid. The area is very touristy and there are several restaurants and tapas bars so if you’re planning to eat there like I did, you’ll probably have to search a bit to find a less expensive place. They’re not too difficult to find it’s just a matter of finding something different from everything else. Most of the tapas places and restaurants serve very similar food so they’re almost all indistinguishable from one another next to their respective names. The only real things to see in Puerta del Sol (other than any protests that are going on which are frequent) is the fish-shaped metro station and the famous bear/tree statue. This is the statue that is on the city seal and is most associated with Madrid. One last place that I went to kill some time was the Royal Botanical Gardens. It’s next to the Prado so if you’re into flowers and such, I highly recommend it. They have an extensive garden and it costs around 2 euros to enter. If for nothing else, it’s good to just relax and smell the roses.

That’s it for my blog on Madrid. I hope it didn’t feel too rushed because of my blog limitations so if anyone ever has a question, send me a message or something. I’m always happy to help!

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow me more closely, I have a Twitter account. If you’d like to see ALL of my photos, I also have a Picasa account.

Spanish Royal Palace in Madrid as seen from the Royal Gardens

Madrid Part 1 – Demonstrations & Protests

May 22, 2012 / / 0 Comments

The last week has been a bit hectic so I apologize for having such a large gap in between my posts. I’ll also be posting quite a few this next week.

Spanish Royal Palace in Madrid as seen from the Royal Gardens

As you might know from my Twitter updates, 2 Saturdays ago I finally had the opportunity to do the “touristy thing” in Madrid rather than just going to the airport or Atocha Station like I normally do there. The other Americans from Valpo flew back to Chicago last Monday but I opted to stay longer so I stayed in Madrid until Wednesday when I went directly to Norway to visit a few friends. A Norway blog is forthcoming as well but I thought it would be better to start from the beginning of this extended trip.

Central Madrid

We all stayed in a hostel fairly close to the city center which many consider to be Puerta del Sol which is also fairly close to Plaza Mayor. The first night we were there we noticed that the area surrounding Puerta del Sol wasn’t exactly normal. We learned over the next few days that because of the education cuts ordered by the Spanish government, there have been almost constant protests and demonstrations in the area over the last few days/weeks.

There were a few thousand people there at sporadic periods during the day and since I’m not really informed of their agenda or demonstration times, many times we were forced to cut through the crowd to get where we wanted to go. Even though it was a little intimidating at first, we didn’t have any problems and everything seemed very peaceful for the most part. There were a number of police officers on hand to keep everything under control and even they seemed to be quite relaxed. In addition, this area was crawling with foreign tourists so we never felt alone. In any case I had a great time there and I’m glad I finally got to experience Madrid since, you know, it is the Spanish capitol and all.

Some of the places I visited include the Royal Palace, Royal Gardens, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Reina Sofia, the Prado, and several other locations. In my next blog, I’m hoping to detail some of the more touristy things I experienced in Madrid followed by a post on Norway and a farewell blog. Check back soon for that!

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow me more closely, I have a Twitter account. If you’d like to see ALL of my photos, I also have a Picasa account.

 

(Most) of My Class

The End of Classes

May 11, 2012 / / 0 Comments

I’ve finally completed my university course here and I have to say that it all feels a bit surreal. We had our exams on Wednesday which consisted of a 1 ½ hour written exam and a 20 minute oral exam. I studied quite a bit for it so I thought it was fairly easy overall. I got a 9 on the written exam (out of 10) which is really good because it’s much more difficult to get above an 8 than in the US. I got around a 9.25 on the oral exam and a 9/10 overall in the course (they call it “sobresaliente”) so I’m content with how everything has gone in general.

(Most) of My Class

Yesterday, we reviewed our exams and talked about our mistakes and then today was really just a “fiesta” day. Our professors gave us our certificates and we ate, talked, and took pictures for the rest of the time. I made a lot of really good friends in my classes and at the university and it didn’t really hit me that we are all going our separate ways until the end when we said our goodbyes.

This next week is going to be a bit strange as well. Tomorrow, all 5 of us from Valpo are going to Madrid to spend a few days there and then the other 4 are flying back to Chicago on Monday. Before coming here, I decided to stay about 2 weeks extra so on Wednesday I’m going to Norway to see a few friends. I’m returning to Spain on Sunday, May 20 and then I will either have 1 week left or four days in Spain.

Originally, my ticket to fly back to Chicago were for Monday the 28th but Iberia Airlines has announced a strike every Monday and Friday through July so I might be forced to change my flight (for the second time in Europe). The one thing that I will definitely NOT miss about Europe is the number and frequency of strikes and protests.

In any case, I still have a few blogs left to write but I’m saving a few for Madrid and Norway. I thought I should definitely write 1 or 2 blogs over Madrid since it’s the capitol. I haven’t toured or seen anything there yet so it will be good to stay there a few days.

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow me more closely, I have a Twitter account. If you’d like to see ALL of my photos, I also have a Picasa account.

Spanish Conversational Customs

May 8, 2012 / / 0 Comments

As with any culture, there are a number of different cultural customs, traditions, and expectations. Spain is no different so since I hadn’t covered this topic in depth before, I thought at least one of my blogs should definitely cover this cultural aspect since it’s so important. This is just a brief mini-guide to what I’ve observed regarding how a conversation normally operates here.

The Kiss

Spanish people traditionally do a double kiss when meeting someone even for the first time. This differs depending on what area or country you’re visiting because it’s usually one kiss in France and in the southwestern part of Germany (where I visited), it’s normally three. Usually, it’s the right cheek followed by the left. It depends on the person but some will literally kiss your cheek while with others, you’ll simply touch cheeks. This happens with both sexes in all occasions except between two men. Men typically greet each other like in the US and the formality of the greeting depends on how familiar you are with the other person. Regardless of familiarity, the double kiss seems to be acceptable in every situation that I’ve observed.

Personal Space

Personal space doesn’t really exist to the extent it does in the US so some people might feel uncomfortable in Spain or other places in Europe. Along with the greeting kisses, the Spanish tend to stand or sit very close to other people when speaking and are not afraid to look directly into the other person’s eyes when speaking. I realize this can vary greatly depending on the person and that there are a number of “touchy” people even in the US that seem to break cultural stereotypes but there’s a clear cultural difference when watching a person’s body language while conversing. They also tend to have more physical contact while conversing and may occasionally lightly touch someone’s arm or shoulder, depending on the situation.

Opening Up

Some people might get the impression that the Spanish tend to be a bit more “cold” but this is not true. Many Americans will open up, talk, and think of a person they’ve only known a short while as a great friend. This is not the norm in Spain. People tend to keep each other at a metaphorical (not physical) distance and can take a little while to completely open up. Again, this entirely depends on the person but I’ve been told this before and I’ve observed it as well. It’s sort of a funny coincidence that Americans tend to value personal space as being more private than being open with others while the Spanish value openness as more private than someone’s personal space.

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow more of my daily musings, I have a Twitter account and if you’d like to check up on my photos I also have a Picasa account that has (finally) been completely updated!

L’Hospitalet de L’Infant

May 4, 2012 / / 0 Comments

This last weekend, we all visited a smaller town on the Mediterranean south of Barcelona called L’Hospitalet de L’Infant. If you’re wondering about the name, it’s not actually Spanish. The town is in the Tarragona area which is a bigger city but still not really close to L’Hospitalet. The name is actually Catalan which is sort of a mixture between French and Spanish but not exactly. A friend of mine from the University of Zaragoza from Norway (who incidentally just tackled me while writing this line) has a house one block off the beach so we all came here for yet another four day weekend.

It’s been really nice so far even though the weather yesterday didn’t really cooperate most of the day. We decided to have dinner outside but by the time it was ready, it had begun to rain so we moved it indoors. If there’s one misconception about Spain I’d like to debunk, it’s that the weather is rarely as nice as most people think it is. The whole day was cloudy and cold though so we were cooped up inside all day watching the American Pie marathon on TV. None of the movies were censored in any way even though they were on broadcast TV and all dubbed programs on TV are available in their original language so we were able to watch it in English. This surprised me a bit but I think I’m going to save the whole “European openness vs. American conservatism” topic for another post. Even though we were inside most of the day, it was kind of nice just sitting around on the couch for a change.

Today has been much better, weather-wise. There’s a neighborhood pool just outside of her family’s condo and we spent a few hours out there in the sun. The others swam but I avoided the cold water since it rained yesterday. Elliot threatened to push me in but I told him I had my phone in my pocket (which might not have been true, my memory’s not as good as it once was). Other than sitting around the pool, walking along the beach, going to the supermarket, watching TV, and cooking, we didn’t do much else. That was the plan before we came so I’m perfectly content with having done just that.

I can’t believe I only have 3 weeks left! My classes end in one week and then I’ll still be here for two more weeks. Everything seemed to move so slowly initially and now it seems like I’ve been here just a few weeks. I hate to sound so stereotypical but it’s true!

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow more of my daily musings, I have a Twitter account and if you’d like to check up on my photos I also have a Picasa account that has (finally) been completely updated!

 

The Canary Islands

May 2, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Gran Canaria

Last weekend, I went to the Canary Islands; known for its blue waters, sky, and black sand beaches! We planned this trip to be more of a relaxing than sightseeing trip and that’s exactly what it was. We stayed at a hotel one block away from the beach and that’s also where we spent the majority of our time. Our hotel was great and breakfast and dinner were included in the price. The food was actually decent since it was a buffet and there was always a variety. The majority of the other guests at the hotel were older or retired so the atmosphere was definitely more geared towards them and the older crowd than anyone else.

The Canaries are a part of Spain which I wasn’t aware of until coming to Spain so nearly everyone that works there speaks Spanish. However, it is a very international culture unlike that of Zaragoza and other smaller cities in Spain. The majority of the workers appeared to be foreign-born and the majority of them were multilingual. What really surprised me was the number of German tourists there. Normally, when we travel to a touristy area, English is the preferred second language but not in the Canaries. All of the signs, advertisements, and many of the signs for stores and restaurants were in Spanish, followed by German, followed by English.

Location 

Our hotel near the beach

We stayed in the city of Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria and it was fantastic! The sun shone (most of the time) and I loved being able to relax instead of just sightseeing like we normally do. The weather is nearly perfect and only cools a little during the winter due to its closer proximity to the Equator. I did, however, get a sunburn so lots of sunscreen and aloe are necessities there. The one thing I wish I would have been able to do is travel towards the center of the island since it’s a volcano but we only had a limited amount of time so I guess I have to keep that in mind for a future trip. We talked to a travel agent about a Jeep excursion to the volcano and inner part of the island complete with a personal guide but were unable to do it in such a short amount of time.

In any case, I don’t have much more to write about because we didn’t actually “do” much there other than lay on the beach!

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow more of my daily musings, I have a Twitter account and if you’d like to check up on my photos I also have a Picasa account that has (finally) been completely updated!

Germany and Easter

April 29, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Parents’ Visit

Two weeks before Easter, my parents, brother, and grandpa came to Zaragoza to visit me and go on vacation. This turned out to be a unique experience because my host mother invited them all over for lunch twice and as they don’t speak Spanish and my host mom and sister don’t speak English, I translated everything.

Sure, I’d translated things on the spot before but this was completely different because it was constant for about 2 hours each time. My headaches returned during those few days because I was being forced to think in two languages at the same time. I’m glad I got to do something like that, though, because it forced me to think more quickly in Spanish even though I spoke to the wrong person in the wrong language a few times. I guess that’s one of the perils that come with translating.

Germany

The week of Easter, I traveled with my family from Zaragoza to southwestern Germany to visit some family friends. My senior year of high school, we hosted an exchange student from Germany and we went to visit him and his family. The region we went to is known for its wine and that’s the primary industry there. The whole area is filled with small towns that are so close to each other that many times you can’t tell where one begins and the other ends.

Even though the area isn’t touristy, it has a really nice country atmosphere that’d be good to visit just to relax. I’m so glad I finally got to visit my “other family” as well as have my family visit me in Spain. It was sad to leave everyone in Germany but knowing that I’ll see them soon was comforting. While we were there, we also went to a larger city called Freiburg. It’s a little more touristy than out in the country but not much. It’s an interesting city with lots of typical German architecture and there are also little streams that run along the sides of all the streets that are often associated with Freiburg. I was told there are streams because they have a lot of springs under the ground and the water needs to go somewhere.

After returning to Zaragoza after speaking only English for a week and translating between the two the week before, my Spanish was much worse, needless to say. My host mom even told me that she noticed it was worse than before I left and understandably so. If I had forgotten that much after just 2 weeks, I shudder to think what my Spanish will be like after this next semester as I’m not taking another Spanish class until spring semester 2013.

If you’d like to follow more of my daily musings, I have a Twitter account and if you’d like to check up on my photos I also have a Picasa account.

 

 

El Cierzo and London

April 24, 2012 / / 0 Comments

The North Wind (El Cierzo)

Before I arrived, for some reason I had this idea that Spain was going to be so much warmer than Indiana but today I mentally put that notion to bed and completely gave up on it. The sun is shining today and there’s not a cloud in the sky. You would think with it being mid April it would be a fairly nice day but don’t be fooled: the wind here ruins everything. In reality it’s only in the upper 40s today but without the wind, it’d probably be at least 10 degrees warmer. I was warned about its strength before I  arrived in Spain but I severely underestimated it.

There’s not a hint of a storm brewing but the wind is so strong there are multiple uprooted trees in the parks near my house. I was actually a bit afraid one was going to fall on my way back from school. The only way I can describe it is it feels like you’re on the top of a mountain and the wind is an invisible wall. So be warned, if there’s one thing someone should know about the weather here before arriving it’s that you never know what days the desert wind will come but you should always prepare for the worst and use lots of hairspray!

London

A while ago EB, another study abroad student from Valpo, and I visited London for a few days. We were able to fly out of the airport in Zaragoza which made traveling much easier. Ryanair, the only major carrier operating out of Zaragoza’s airport, threatened to cease operations if the Aragonese government didn’t give them more tax breaks/incentives so I’m glad Aragon did otherwise we would have had to take a 3 1/2 bus ride to Barcelona or Madrid. Anyway, London was fantastic but not quite what I’d exactly imagined.

Of course, we did the “touristy things” like go to Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and The London Eye among others but I also really enjoyed taking time out to just walk around and check out the area. It was lightly raining one day when we were walking along the River Thames and we happened to walk under a large bridge that had an outdoor antiques market. I bought a small tin print made in the 1700s of a destroyed abbey somewhere in England  for a few pounds which I gave to my dad as a birthday present when he visited. That’s something you could only do in a place like London! Photos are forthcoming as soon as I get some sleep. We arrived back in Zaragoza from the Canary Islands this morning at 3 and I’ve barely slept the last two days so that takes priority (for now)!

If you’d like to follow more of my daily musings, I have a Twitter account and if you’d like to check up on my photos I also have a Picasa account.

I’m thinking about doing a typical Spanish food blog later in the week so check back for that!

Spain Update and Lisbon

April 8, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Since I’ve really just been blogging about my various travels around Europe the last few weeks, I thought I was due for a report on things that are happening in Spain because, you know, that’s what I’m supposed to be blogging about.

 

Spanish Life

The way of life in Spain has become so normal for me (for the most part) that things I no longer find interesting or new may still be for others. For the most part, my classes are going well although I’ve thought for awhile now that I may have been placed in a level too low but I’m better at speaking Spanish than filling out bubbles on a test so that may have had something to do with my placement. I’ve definitely learned a lot more Spanish since I’ve been here and have also begun to notice a recurring cycle. Things seem to get easy for a time and slowly increase in difficulty until I reach a wall. Sometime I get a bit frustrated with the language but as soon as I get over the wall, it’s back to being “easy.” The last few days have been a “wall” for me since the most difficult thing about Spanish for me right now is not knowing enough vocabulary and learning common phrases. I discovered I still have a long ways to go in regards to this aspect but knowing that I’m improving everyday has been a motivator.

I think I’ve assimilated into the culture fairly well although a few things still annoy me occasionally. Siestas are everyday from 1:30 (or 2:00) to 5:00 p.m. and almost nothing is open with the exception of some malls. Some banks close at 2:00 and don’t reopen until the next day and the rest reopen for 2 hours from 5:00 to 7:00. In addition, many stores are also closed on Sundays. Most stores are mom-and-pop type stores so there isn’t really any store where you can buy everything cheaply. A store called “El Corte Ingles” is about as close as it gets although it’s more similar to a Macy’s and not really that cheap. For me, this is extremely frustrating because my classes end at 1:30 so if I want to go shopping, I have to go home and wait until after 5:00 even though the university is closer to the shopping than my house. All things considered, I’m probably making this out to be worse than it is but in the very least, it’s inconvenient.

Lisboa, Portual

A while back, I went to Lisboa (the Portuguese name for Lisbon) and I had a fantastic weekend! The city is stunning and I would recommend it to anyone over Barcelona! It’s a hilly city located on the Atlantic coast and it’s so picturesque. I’ve never been to San Francisco but Lisboa reminded me of it. At the top of one of the major “hills” there’s a castle where you can overlook the whole city and the harbor. Many of the buildings are white with reddish-brown tiled roofs and they contrast beautifully with the blue harbor in the background. I took quite a few pictures (especially from the castle) that I think are definitely worth taking a look at so I would highly recommend that.

We also stayed at the best hostel I’ve ever visited (called the “Yes! Hostel”) and even got to go out for tapas with the owner who is a great guy! It wasn’t too expensive, was in a great location, and was rated the #1 hostel in Lisbon two years in a row so if anyone runs across this blog looking for Lisbon travel information, I highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed my time in Lisbon and am also enjoying my time here in Spain. I’ve progressed and experienced so much in the last few months I feel like I’m ready for almost anything!

If you would like to read more of my daily updates, you can follow me or just check my past posts on Twitter. If you’re interested in seeing some of my pictures from my master collection, you can check out my Picasa page. Thanks for reading and keep checking back!

 

The Stone Monastery and Jatiel

March 13, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Recently, I had the opportunity to go to Monesterio de Piedra (named after the surrounding river) in southern Aragon and a small pueblo named Jatiel about an hour outside of Zaragoza.

The monastery is located in southern Aragon in the mountains. The drive to get there was interesting because we were constantly weaving up, around, and through the mountains. Other than the city of Calatayud (21,000 in population), there aren’t really many other signs of life for the 90+ minute bus ride.

Destroyed during the Spanish Civil War and never repaired.

What really attracts tourists to the monastery isn’t so much the building itself, but the national park surrounding it. There are a significant number of waterfalls in the park as well as caves and great views of the Spanish countryside. We took the main trail around the park which took a few hours, ate at a restaurant at the front of the park, and then toured the monastery. This took up all but a half hour of our time before the bus came to pick us up. I’m not really the type to go hiking but I really enjoyed myself and I suspect nature aficionados could spend a few days there.

I also visited a very small pueblo about an hour outside of Zaragoza called “Jatiel.” The town has a population of around 50 people. I learned that the people were encouraged to move from the pueblos to the cities during the Franco regime so there are a number of ghost towns in Spain even smaller than Jatiel. I was able to go because my host sister invited me to go with her boyfriend and their friends and since I’m here to learn more about the Spanish language and culture, I couldn’t say no even if I had wanted to.

The area around the city is extremely dry and I would say a kind of semi-desert. The dirt is a reddish-brown and there are quite a few rock formations on the outskirts of the town. There really wasn’t much to do in the town other than take pictures and take in the fresh air and open space but I really enjoyed myself since I hadn’t had a break from city life since I came here.

With these two trips under my belt, I’ve really begun to take notice of how stunning the Spanish countryside is. Zaragoza is a flat city and you can never really see anything outside of the city because of the tall buildings. Going on these two trips was a good way to experience a different side of Spain that I hadn’t yet had the chance to see.

A farmhouse on the outskirts of the pueblo

If you’d like to hear more about my day-to-day experiences, you can follow me on Twitter.

If you’d like to see more pictures (which I would recommend since I recently uploaded almost 600), check out my Picasa web albums here.

I’ll be writing a blog over Lisbon, Portugal soon which you can view the photos I took (nearly 300) now. Tomorrow I’m heading to London so lots of traveling the last two weeks.

Thanks for reading and until next time!

 

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