Tanto que decir, tan poco tiempo

"So Much to Say, So Little Time"

I swear the world has been against me updating my blog the past few days. First, as you know, I got sick. Then, the internet stopped working. Then, my computer wasn't working properly. Finally, I think everything (me, the internet and my computer) is in proper working order and I can finally update you on the past three weeks. I'm pretty sure Dorothy was about to start a mutiny or something.

So, let's travel back three weekends ago to my trip to Córdoba where we visted the old "mesquita" or mosque that is now a catholic cathedral. Like many buildings in Spain, or at least in Andalucía, the mesquita was built by the Arabs using Roman materials. Most of the columns you will see in the following pictures are marble Roman columns. Then, once the Christians took over, the buildings were converted or altered. In this case it looks like someone dropped a cathedral in the middle of the mosque. It is somewhat strange to see but the mixing of cultures is really beautiful. In these first three pictures you can see the Arab characteristics of the architecture.



And then in the center of the building you find this cathedral that seems very out of place. This picture is of the outside of the cathedral area.

This is a view of the altar made out of rose marble which is very typical of the area.

Here is a huge organ that is still used during mass today.

After touring the mesquita we had some free time to wander around the city. It is really beautiful with its small winding streets and lots of little shops. Apparently, Córdoba is well known for its leather work and for silver filigree. So there were lots of beautiful hand made items to look at like wallets, jewelry, rosaries, sandals, purses, etc. Here is a picture of me on one of the streets in the city; I believe its name was "Paseo de las flores" which translates to Flower Walk or maybe Flower Way.

So the next weekend included a holiday on Monday so I went to Mardid with my friends Ryan and Marybelle. Friday morning we took a 7 hour bus ride (it was supposed to be only 6 hours) for the low price of 33 euro, round trip. When we arrived in Mardid, we realized we had no idea where our hotel was located in relation to the bus station. So we went to the information booth and asked where we could find a map. The only maps they had were of the Metro or were hanging on the wall. Neither of these were of much help at this point so we called the hotel and they told us we should take the Metro and gave us the name of the stop near the hotel. This turned out to be pretty easy. We only had to make one transfer and then walked about a block to our hotel. Finally, after a day's worth of traveling we had made it to Madrid.

After having a bite to eat and resting for a bit we decided to head out and see the city. Ryan took charge and lead the way saying that Plaza Mayor (the major plaza) wasn't too far and we could definitely walk there. After we walked for a little bit I could tell we weren't going in the right direction so we stopped and asked for directions from this nice older couple. At first, when we asked where Plaza Mayor was they just said "Muy lejos. Muy lejos." (Very far. Very far.) But they pointed us in the right direction and we went on our merry way. After walking a good distance more we decided to stop and ask for directions again to make sure we were on the right track. And again we got the same reaction. "Muy lejos." This time, we were right near a Metro station and this man showed us where we were on the map and told us how to get to the plaza on the Metro.

So, finally we were at our destination! It turns out Ryan had us walking as if we were leaving from the bus station which is in the southern part of the city rather than from our hotel which is in the northern part of the city. As we walked up the stairs from the Metro station I could hear the crowd. There were tons of people everywhere! This turned out to be a theme in Madrid. Everywhere I went I was surrounded by hordes of people. From the station we had to walk a short distance to Plaza Mayor which was filled with street performers. There were people pretending to be statues, magic shows, flamenco dancers and small musical groups. This video gives you a feeling for what it was like. My camera died while I was taking it so there are no other pictures from the first night but all we did was wander around anyway.

On Saturday, we started our explorations at "El Parque de Buen Retiro" (The Good Retirement Park). Here is a picture of me in front of the monument dedicated to King Alfonso XIII and the reflecting pool.

One of the first thins I wanted to see was the "Palacio de Cristal" (Crystal Palace). It wasn't as neat as I had imagined it but it was still pretty cool.

Then Marybelle and Ryan went to ride in a rowboat on the reflecting pool while I explored the park some more. Riding in a rowboat on a relfecting pool just doesn't sound that exciting when I can do it on a real lake at camp. While I was on my own I found this beautiful rose garden.

Once Ryan and Marybelle were done we reunited and walked to "El Museo de Reina Sofía" (The Queen Sofia Museum) which is a modern art museum. This museum has lots of Picasso's work and I got to see "La Guernica" in person. I've studied it in Spanish classes before but I never realized just how big it is. Here is a picture to show you my point.

This was a nice museum but I can only spend so much time in museums before I get bored. We went back to our hotel for a break and some food after Reina Sofía. After resting up we went to a bar for a drink or two where we met some nice Spaniards. It was nice to just sit and hang out for a while.

Sunday began with "El Rastro" (flea market). It was so huge it seriously felt like it was never going to end. There were lots of cool things to look at; a few booths had some nice handmade jewelry but it was also very stressful for me. I like to have my own personal space and it was just far to crowded for that. I was literally surrounded on all sides for a couple hours. It just made me feel very anxious after a while.

Then Marybelle and I headed to the Prado Museum to meet up with Ryan. We got in the museum for free but couldn't stay very long because we had a reservation at the oldest restauraunt in the world (according to the Guiness Book of World Records). I was exhuasted from the crowd earlier so I didn't mind not having much time at the museum. So this restaurant is named "Botín" and apparently Ernest Hemingway used to spend time there. It was a little expensive but worth it for the experience I think. Marybelle got roast suckling pig, Ryan had roast baby lamb and I had a steak. I'm not big on eating baby animals.

After dinner we went back to the hotel and watched a movie on TV. I fell asleep right away. I was so exhausted. Then we woke up Monday for our last day in Madrid. Ryan wanted to go see the military parade (I wasn't too excited about the crowd) but it turns out we were too late missed it. So we hopped on the Metro to check out El Palacio Real (The Royal Palace). As we approached we notice there was a crowd gathering and we weren't sure why. So, of course we joined them to try and figure out what was going on. There were police, guards on foot and guards on horseback. Eventually we overheard that the King was supposed to come out but it wouldn't be for at least another hour, if not more. So we decided to move on and go visit the cathedral nearby. Here are some pictures of the palace though.

Here are a couple views of the Santa María la Real de La Almudena Cathedral in Madrid. It is actually a relatively new cathedral, especially in European terms, but it is very pretty and colorful.

Here are some pictures of the inside. I enjoyed this cathedral a lot since it has so many beatiful colors inside. It was pretty small but there was a lot to look at.

After the cathedral we wadered around a little while longer, got our luggage from the hotel and hopped on the Metro back to the bus station. As we were transferring from one Metro line to the other some excitement ocurred, and not the good kind. We were standing on the platform waiting for the train to stop and three guys joined us at the door, one on either side of us and one behind. Once the train stopped the two guys on either side of us pressed the button to open the doors. One of the guys stepped on the train in front of Ryan as Marybelle and I stepped on. As I walk to the other side of the train to get out of other people's way I hear a little commotion from Ryan's area. The guy who had stepped in front of him had dropped his phone by Ryan's feet and was trying to pick it up. He kept shouting "teléfono! teléfono!" as he was pushing Ryan back into the other two guys who were behind him. Ryan had dropped the bags he was holding in his hands and kicked the guy's telephone. The whistle blew to signal that the train was going to leave, the guy picked up his phone and the three of them ran off the train. I didn't realize what had actually happened until Ryan filled in all the details. It turns out there were four guys following us through the Metro station. When it came time for us to pick between platform 1 or 2 we stopped to figure out which was the correct one. The four guys were about to go to platform 1 until we decided to go to platform 2 at which point they decided to follow us. Ryan noticed this (Marybelle and I did not) and knew something strange was going on. So as we were waiting for the doors of the train to open he was aware of everything going on. He noticed that three of the four guys had surrounded us. It turns out the first guy dropped his phone to distract Ryan so the other two could pickpocket him. Since Ryan was on his guard he dropped his bags and immediately placed his hands on his back pockets. He could even feel their hands in his pockets but he was able to prevent them from getting anything. Everyone else on the train knew what was going on and were appalled which is why those guys ran away as fast as possible. I guess we did look like perfect targets with all our luggage but it sure did make us mad for a long time. Then we got on the bus for a 7 hour bus ride home.

Last weekend my program took us on a trip to Ronda. When we got there Judy, one of the professors at the international college, taught us all about bullfighting. She was in a relationship with the only American bullfighter to ever truly make it in bullfighting. She loves bullfighting even though she's practically a vegetarian and a huge animal lover. She had some good points about it but I'm still not a huge fan. After her talk we visited the bullring there which is the oldest one in Spain. Then we had free time and my friends and I decided to go explore the gorge. It was so beautiful. I didn't see much of the town so Drew and I are planning to go back in December. I definitely didn't get to spend enough time there. The whole town is surrounded by beautiful mountains and divided by a deep gorge. Years ago Judy had a student fall off the top of the gorge all the way to the bottom. And he survived! He only had external injuries. I think he's the only person to survive that fall. During the Civil War I believe they threw people off the bridge to kill them. Surviving it is unheard of. Here are some pictures from the visit.

This was out of the bus window on the way to Ronda.

Inside the oldest bullring in Spain.