Since we came home from all of our traveling, the weeks have flown by. It seems that time has been racing by as we get nearer and nearer to heading home. In less than a week, I'll be back in America. I can't wait to be back, but I thought I'd give at least one more update on my life in Spain before getting back to see everyone I've missed so much.
Getting back into the swing of things after spring break was a little tough. After all that traveling, these last three weeks of school weren't at the top of my priority list. However, we've all put our noses back to the grindstone for the last bit of the semester. This coming week we'll have finals, and we've had a couple papers too, but nothing too rough. My focus has mostly been seeing the sights of Madrid, revisiting all of my favorite spots, and enjoying Spain for all it's worth.
Our friend Ally, on spring break from her semester in London, spent a weekend in Madrid, and it was great to have her around. Nights out, showing her the city, and making sure she experienced things like tapas and sangria were a must. By the time she returned to London, life in Madrid had settled back to normal. In true Spanish fashion, the Wesleyan students here have been making an effort spend as much time out on the town as possible. I even stayed out until 4 am one night, visiting "discotecas" with friends. To be honest, Madrid nightlife isn't really my style, but it's an expected part of the culture, and I thought I should sample it. It's funny how much Madrileños really embrace going out. Even my elderly Señora seems shocked when we get home before 1 am, and encourages us to go out all the time.
I think it's these little things I'll miss the most about Spain. There are so many small quirks I've come to embrace about the culture and the city of Madrid. I thought it might be fun to look back and remember some of them. It's all the little things like:
-the sound of the loudspeakers on the metro saying "El próximo estación..." and the annoying street musicians in the train cars
-Isabel's insistence that we eat second, third, and fourth helpings at dinner
-my church that I've been attending here in Madrid
-the friendly doorman at our apartment building
-the way people in Madrid seem to be constantly walking their dogs, especially in Retiro park
-eating bread with every meal, and fruit for dessert
-the way everything is cooked with olive oil and fresh garlic over here
-people you barely know greeting you with a kiss on each cheek
-people driving motorcycles on the sidewalks, and just driving crazily in general
-terribly grumpy waiters who laugh at you when you try to speak their language
-the way everyone bundles up completely and has umbrellas out at the slightest sign of rain, snow, cool weather, or even fog
-chocolate y churros, café con leche, and milk that comes in boxes and is kept on the cabinet
-the way no one in Spain has dryers and the laundry is always hanging off the balconies
-hearing the Spanish kids speak better than I do, even after four months, about things like Ratoncito Perez (he's a mouse who is the Spanish version of the tooth fairy)
...and so many other things!
So, as I wrap up this last weekend in Spain, I'm looking back and loving the fun and great opportunities I've had. At the same time, I can't wait to be home. I've been missing everyone a lot, and I'll see you all soon! Hasta luego...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Semana Santa- El Viaje Grande
Where do I begin? The past eleven days have been spent in three countries, traveling for our spring break, and I don't know what to write about first. I guess I'll begin by wishing everyone a Blessed Easter. No matter how far apart all my family and friends were scattered this year, it's wonderful to remember that the power of Christ's Resurrection reaches us all.
As far as my family goes, we certainly were all over the world this year. As my sister and brother-in-law headed to Honduras for a missions trip with their church, Emily and I set off for over a week of adventures in Germany, Austria, and Italy. We managed to pack quite a lot into a short time, so don't be surprised if this is a pretty long blog entry. :)
After flying into Frankfurt, we took a train directly to our first stop, Rothenburg. A quaint medieval town, it more than lived up to the recommendations of my family members who have been there. I instantly knew that I loved Germany when I got there, and was glad to have a couple days to explore and enjoy it. The town is surrounded completely by the old town wall, and most of its buildings date back to the 12th-15th centuries. Emily and I stayed in a cool hostel that was in a converted old mill building, and woke up to perfect weather our first real morning of vacation. We explored the wall, and did the major sightseeing. This included going to the town hall, the market square with its fun clock tower, Saint Jakob's church, and the castle gardens. Rothenburg is also a big Christmas town, so we spent lots of time in and out of its many Christmas-themed stores. The most incredible one was the Kathe Wolfhart store, which seemed more like a forest or a Christmas village because of all the decorations. We got our fair share of souvenirs in all of Rothenburg's cute little stores. One night in Rothenburg, we also took the Night Watchman's Tour, a fun walk around the city narrated by one of Rothenburg's "medieval" watchmen.
Throughout our time in Germany, we also tried to take advantage of all the delicious food. We ate and drank tons of bratwurst, sauerkraut, pretzels, and great beer. Although Spanish food is delicious, I felt as though I could eat German food forever. Maybe because of my heritage, Germany seemed to really click with everything I enjoy and am interested in. I'd really like to spend more time there soon, and get a chance to see more of the country.
Our next stop during our all-too-short time in Germany was Munich. The Marienplatz, it's main square, the Frauenkirche, a big, beautiful church, and the Residenz, its imperial palace, were some of the highlights we hit. We also went to the famous Hofbrauhaus, a beer garden, for liters of great beer. It was a ton of fun to sit in that atmosphere with a polka band playing, listening to Germans singing, and laughing at the antics of our waiter. Definitely a great night.
While staying in Munich, we took a day trip to Salzburg, just over the border into Austria. Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart, as well as the setting for "The Sound of Music," so there were lots of great things to see. We went to see Mozart's birth house and another house he lived in later, and walked around the city, checking out the sights. Some of them were familiar from the movie, and we got a chance to really hear about the behind-the-scenes parts of it by taking the Sound of Music Tour. The tour took us to the various houses used in filming, the gazebo, the wedding church, and on a long drive through the mountains... gorgeous. After a wonderful day in Salzburg, we went back for the evening in Munich.
The next morning, we headed by train to Italy. The train ride cut through the beautiful Austrian countryside, and I really enjoyed it. We arrived in Rome in the early evening, with plenty of time to check into our hostel and meet our friend Ally, who's currently studying in London. She was just getting started on her travels, and we really enjoyed the chance to spend some time with a friend from home. We grabbed some delicious pizza and turned in for the night, because the next morning we woke up bright and early (I mean REALLY early) to go wait for the Vatican to open. It paid off, as we avoided most of the lines, and got to see all the fantastic artwork in the Vatican Museum. The Sistine Chapel was definitely a favorite of mine, and I was very much in awe of the talent mankind has been given by the Creator. As it was Easter weekend, St. Peter's was closed in the morning, and ridiculously crowded in the afternoon, so we just viewed the outside. We also went to the Spanish steps, the Trevi fountain, and the Pantheon that day, all of which were lovely. The weather in Rome was warm and beautiful, so we also spent lots of time eating gelato. I've never tasted such good ice cream in my life. We also had a nice dinner that night, some delicious pasta and Italian wine. At this point, I think I'm getting a bit to used to delicious foods from other cultures... now worries though, seventeen days from now, I know I'll be thrilled to sink my teeth into a good old American burger.
The next day was devoted to Ancient Rome. It was amazing to walk around the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Palatine, and the entire ancient city. It was another great testament to the achievements of humankind throughout the ages, and the history major in me loved seeing all of the ancient ruins, some of which were incredibly well-preserved. Caesar's house and the original Senate building were fantastic. Walking around all day took a lot of energy out of us, so we grabbed some food and headed back to our hostel that evening to relax.
Our original plan had been to travel across Italy and spend time with a friend of Emily's dad's who lives in Silvi, a small harbor town on Italy's east coast. However, after issues with getting in touch with our host, as well as the fact that the earthquakes Italy had been experiencing were very near to our destination, we decided to change our plans. With our Eurail passes, we had the flexibility to instead take a train to Florence. This meant we got to spend more time with our friend Ally as well. We stayed in a town called Prato, in a nicer hotel (thanks to Emily's dad), which was right along the edge of a pretty river with a trail along the edge. For these last few days, it was nice to stay in one place and then take day trips to other nearby Tuscan towns.
We started with Florence, were we saw the major sights like Michelangelo's David, the Duomo, a beautiful church, and the other famous churches, plazas, and buildings. The next day, we took a day trip to Siena. After our busy days in Rome and Florence, we took a slower pace in Siena. The town is a smaller, walled city, with a great atmosphere. We saw its major town hall and a few sights like churches. Most of the day, though, was spent relaxing on Il Campo, the large central square. The weather was gorgeous, as it was throughout the trip, so we worked on some homework, ate gelato (I know, it's a common theme...), and people-watched. It seemed as though the entire town turned out on the square to enjoy the day. Another nice thing about our Siena day was finding an internet cafe that had skype. We were able to call our parents and wish family a Happy Easter, as well as catch up and share our travels with them.
Easter day was spent with a day trip to Volterra, another great town. Due to train schedules, we didn't end up making it to any of the scheduled masses at its couple of churches, but Em and I spent some time reading the Easter Gospels and celebrating all the same. Volterra was one of my favorite cities. Emily had been very interested in going there because one of her favorite book series takes place there, and a movie is being filmed about it. After working in those locations we've read about, we walked around basically the entire town. Another gorgeous little town surrounded by a city wall, Volterra is at the top of the hill, and the countryside of Tuscany spreads out at its feet, creating tons of great views. Additionally, Volterra has some Roman remains, such as a half-crumbled theater. It is a huge producer of alabaster, so we went from shop to shop and found some great souvenirs and gifts. Top that off with a mini "train" ride around the town, an awesome castle or two, and one last chance to enjoy Italian food, and it was a great day.
The next day, we headed to Milan and caught a plane back to Madrid. It was nice to come back to a delicious home-cooked meal and Isabel's two-year-old granddaughters to play with. Now, the realization that these are my last seventeen days in Madrid is sinking in, and I'm both sad and thrilled to be coming home so soon. I've loved being here in Spain, and I'm hoping to soak everything up as much as possible before I leave, in spite of finals and papers looming just around the corner. What amazing experiences I've had here in Spain! Now more than ever, I'm thankful for the many, many wonderful things I've been able to see during my time in Europe. I look forward to seeing and talking to everyone back in America soon! Til then...
As far as my family goes, we certainly were all over the world this year. As my sister and brother-in-law headed to Honduras for a missions trip with their church, Emily and I set off for over a week of adventures in Germany, Austria, and Italy. We managed to pack quite a lot into a short time, so don't be surprised if this is a pretty long blog entry. :)
After flying into Frankfurt, we took a train directly to our first stop, Rothenburg. A quaint medieval town, it more than lived up to the recommendations of my family members who have been there. I instantly knew that I loved Germany when I got there, and was glad to have a couple days to explore and enjoy it. The town is surrounded completely by the old town wall, and most of its buildings date back to the 12th-15th centuries. Emily and I stayed in a cool hostel that was in a converted old mill building, and woke up to perfect weather our first real morning of vacation. We explored the wall, and did the major sightseeing. This included going to the town hall, the market square with its fun clock tower, Saint Jakob's church, and the castle gardens. Rothenburg is also a big Christmas town, so we spent lots of time in and out of its many Christmas-themed stores. The most incredible one was the Kathe Wolfhart store, which seemed more like a forest or a Christmas village because of all the decorations. We got our fair share of souvenirs in all of Rothenburg's cute little stores. One night in Rothenburg, we also took the Night Watchman's Tour, a fun walk around the city narrated by one of Rothenburg's "medieval" watchmen.
Throughout our time in Germany, we also tried to take advantage of all the delicious food. We ate and drank tons of bratwurst, sauerkraut, pretzels, and great beer. Although Spanish food is delicious, I felt as though I could eat German food forever. Maybe because of my heritage, Germany seemed to really click with everything I enjoy and am interested in. I'd really like to spend more time there soon, and get a chance to see more of the country.
Our next stop during our all-too-short time in Germany was Munich. The Marienplatz, it's main square, the Frauenkirche, a big, beautiful church, and the Residenz, its imperial palace, were some of the highlights we hit. We also went to the famous Hofbrauhaus, a beer garden, for liters of great beer. It was a ton of fun to sit in that atmosphere with a polka band playing, listening to Germans singing, and laughing at the antics of our waiter. Definitely a great night.
While staying in Munich, we took a day trip to Salzburg, just over the border into Austria. Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart, as well as the setting for "The Sound of Music," so there were lots of great things to see. We went to see Mozart's birth house and another house he lived in later, and walked around the city, checking out the sights. Some of them were familiar from the movie, and we got a chance to really hear about the behind-the-scenes parts of it by taking the Sound of Music Tour. The tour took us to the various houses used in filming, the gazebo, the wedding church, and on a long drive through the mountains... gorgeous. After a wonderful day in Salzburg, we went back for the evening in Munich.
The next morning, we headed by train to Italy. The train ride cut through the beautiful Austrian countryside, and I really enjoyed it. We arrived in Rome in the early evening, with plenty of time to check into our hostel and meet our friend Ally, who's currently studying in London. She was just getting started on her travels, and we really enjoyed the chance to spend some time with a friend from home. We grabbed some delicious pizza and turned in for the night, because the next morning we woke up bright and early (I mean REALLY early) to go wait for the Vatican to open. It paid off, as we avoided most of the lines, and got to see all the fantastic artwork in the Vatican Museum. The Sistine Chapel was definitely a favorite of mine, and I was very much in awe of the talent mankind has been given by the Creator. As it was Easter weekend, St. Peter's was closed in the morning, and ridiculously crowded in the afternoon, so we just viewed the outside. We also went to the Spanish steps, the Trevi fountain, and the Pantheon that day, all of which were lovely. The weather in Rome was warm and beautiful, so we also spent lots of time eating gelato. I've never tasted such good ice cream in my life. We also had a nice dinner that night, some delicious pasta and Italian wine. At this point, I think I'm getting a bit to used to delicious foods from other cultures... now worries though, seventeen days from now, I know I'll be thrilled to sink my teeth into a good old American burger.
The next day was devoted to Ancient Rome. It was amazing to walk around the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Palatine, and the entire ancient city. It was another great testament to the achievements of humankind throughout the ages, and the history major in me loved seeing all of the ancient ruins, some of which were incredibly well-preserved. Caesar's house and the original Senate building were fantastic. Walking around all day took a lot of energy out of us, so we grabbed some food and headed back to our hostel that evening to relax.
Our original plan had been to travel across Italy and spend time with a friend of Emily's dad's who lives in Silvi, a small harbor town on Italy's east coast. However, after issues with getting in touch with our host, as well as the fact that the earthquakes Italy had been experiencing were very near to our destination, we decided to change our plans. With our Eurail passes, we had the flexibility to instead take a train to Florence. This meant we got to spend more time with our friend Ally as well. We stayed in a town called Prato, in a nicer hotel (thanks to Emily's dad), which was right along the edge of a pretty river with a trail along the edge. For these last few days, it was nice to stay in one place and then take day trips to other nearby Tuscan towns.
We started with Florence, were we saw the major sights like Michelangelo's David, the Duomo, a beautiful church, and the other famous churches, plazas, and buildings. The next day, we took a day trip to Siena. After our busy days in Rome and Florence, we took a slower pace in Siena. The town is a smaller, walled city, with a great atmosphere. We saw its major town hall and a few sights like churches. Most of the day, though, was spent relaxing on Il Campo, the large central square. The weather was gorgeous, as it was throughout the trip, so we worked on some homework, ate gelato (I know, it's a common theme...), and people-watched. It seemed as though the entire town turned out on the square to enjoy the day. Another nice thing about our Siena day was finding an internet cafe that had skype. We were able to call our parents and wish family a Happy Easter, as well as catch up and share our travels with them.
Easter day was spent with a day trip to Volterra, another great town. Due to train schedules, we didn't end up making it to any of the scheduled masses at its couple of churches, but Em and I spent some time reading the Easter Gospels and celebrating all the same. Volterra was one of my favorite cities. Emily had been very interested in going there because one of her favorite book series takes place there, and a movie is being filmed about it. After working in those locations we've read about, we walked around basically the entire town. Another gorgeous little town surrounded by a city wall, Volterra is at the top of the hill, and the countryside of Tuscany spreads out at its feet, creating tons of great views. Additionally, Volterra has some Roman remains, such as a half-crumbled theater. It is a huge producer of alabaster, so we went from shop to shop and found some great souvenirs and gifts. Top that off with a mini "train" ride around the town, an awesome castle or two, and one last chance to enjoy Italian food, and it was a great day.
The next day, we headed to Milan and caught a plane back to Madrid. It was nice to come back to a delicious home-cooked meal and Isabel's two-year-old granddaughters to play with. Now, the realization that these are my last seventeen days in Madrid is sinking in, and I'm both sad and thrilled to be coming home so soon. I've loved being here in Spain, and I'm hoping to soak everything up as much as possible before I leave, in spite of finals and papers looming just around the corner. What amazing experiences I've had here in Spain! Now more than ever, I'm thankful for the many, many wonderful things I've been able to see during my time in Europe. I look forward to seeing and talking to everyone back in America soon! Til then...
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