good feeling 10

you've missed me talking about spain. i know it.
a couple of weeks ago i was sleeping on the floor at my aunt's house having final hoorah sleep over in celebration of the last day of single-dom for alexis. that morning, my phone alarm went off. i sleepishly rummaged around for it, turned the alarm off, and checked my email like i do each and every day before breakfast. amid the groupons and citydeals there was one that caught my groggy eye. a message from fernando poveda... the guy i'd lived with in spain! it read:

Este mensaje tiene como objetivo, darte la posibilidad de ponerte en contacto con Pilar y conmigo sin pasar por Roberto que siempre anda ocupado.Un abrazo de Pilar y Fernando.

i seriously had to read through it 4 or 5 times before i even half understood what it said. really it's not that difficult. he basically just told me to email him, but evidently when you are half asleep spanish doesn't make all that much sense, and that led me to forgetting all about the message, then accidentally deleting it, then accidentally forgetting i'd accidentally deleted the message. whoops.
anyways, the other day i remembered this email. i facebooked roberto for his parents address and in a matter of hours the email was sitting in my inbox. this time i didn't delete it, but instead just forgot to respond at all. i'm a really great american.

day ten- today i redeemed myself and emailed my spain family. it was so good to type spanish (of which i am sure they will laugh at). so thankful am i to have lived with such a great group of spainards, to have had the opportunity to eat their food, listen to their rants, smell their cigarettes, and learn their ways. i miss them a lot, but i'm really glad we are good friends and they still think i'm cool. anybody want to go for a visit? obviously i've got the hook ups... i mean, they own a churros shop for crying out loud.

the man and his masterpiece.

hoy

emily[rummaging for scissors]: i'm going to go steal some flowers. be right back!

"how do i guess the future? based on the omens of the present. the secret here is in the present. if you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. and, if you improve upon the present, what comes later will also be better. forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that god loves his children. each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity!"
                                                         - the alchemist

i just finished this book last night, part of my summer reading list. it was so great, so weird, so unlike anything else i've read lately.  (and contrasts quite well with the ellen degeneres book on tape in my car right now... books on tape. life doesn't get much better.) next up on the list: joy luck club. then east of eden. emily tells me it's the best book ever. i trust her judgement.

i sat at work today dreaming of sunny weather. it has been raining here for about, oh, a good two weeks now. i am feeling like i'm living on the western seaboard, not provo utah. everything is green though! and i'm sure everyone with a lawn likes it.

after work i went to winco and only bought vegetables. and cottage cheese and gum. and kashi tlc granola bars, the best granola bars on this planet. seriously, try them. (but be prepared for a MAJOR jaw workout.) anyways, i bought some basil because this week i am making caprese salad and i am going to slow roast tomatoes and sit in my kitchen and savor every bite. that's what my calling is this summer. anyways, the whole way home from the grocery store i smelled my hands (but not in a weird way) because they smelled like basil and that is my favorite smell. it reminds me of the days of high school when we'd ride bikes to pie hole downtown and buy huge slices of red pepper basil pizza. man, we thought we were cool.

tonight i fried up some aubergine, which is a fancy word for eggplant. aubergine is just a better word. it reminded me of spain and how pili would always fry it up for me because she didn't know what else a vegetarian from the states ate. little did she know my first encounters with those beloved berenjenas was in spain. that blast from the past was definitely worth the 1.73 i paid for it. fresh produce= made of gold. i need to learn to garden.

time for the gym. did i mention i sold my soul for another three years at gold's? looks like i'm not moving any time soon... good thing i like that place.

mi ciudad

one of my spain friends posted this on facebook tonight.
i don't expect you to watch it, i only want it here for my own selfish reasons.
so that i can find it and watch whenever i want to see the best city in the world. this video makes me miss it with just about every fiber of my being. i can't believe it was almost a year ago that i walked down those roads and shopped in those stores and almost got run over by the cars crossing those intersections.
it makes me so terribly happy. and nostalgic. and almost sick to my stomach.

i am now accepting donations for my next trip... tba.
viva madrid

campeones del mundo

Pues, la historia ha sido hecho- ¡Que viva Casillas! ¡Que viva Iniesta! ¡Que viva España!

If anyone would have told me Spain would win the World Cup while I was sitting in La Media Pinta that one day in June watching them lose their first game to Switzerland, I would have laughed. Hard.

Well, they pulled through and once again, I was happy to say I've lived there. And why, oh why, did I have to come home a week and half ago? Bitter? Nope. I just wish America liked soccer and more than 2 people would have honked as I flew my Spanish flag out my car window as I drove home from Casey's house. How I am gonna miss mi equipo español!

As for Brazil 2014- I will be there. No ifs, ands, or buts. and Miguel- quizás tendré que cambiar mi equipo favorito a Barca... ahora les amo a todos los jugadores de la furia roja... y ¡todos son jugadores de Barca! jeje Estás feliz? :)

Maybe one day I will stop being so obsessed with Spain and write about something else. But in the meantime, go look at some fotos of the game.

we're going to the 'ship!

Some serious Spain sickness settled upon me today as I hid my cellphone, sat in my grandma's living room, and cheered Spain on to victory.... only about 4 hours after the win actually happened, and I successfully made it through work without any spoilers. Thank you, DVR!

All I know is that I'm thankful for Puyol's ginormous head, and that I would give anything to be in Madrid on Sunday for the game... so if you love me a lot and want to buy me something, well tickets on priceline are running at about 1800 USD. Not that I checked or anything.

¡Viva España!

Day Fifty One

Mi tiempo aquí está terminado. No puedo creelo.

Where does time go? It feels like just yesterday I was getting dropped off at the airport, Grandma was telling me to not come home with a Spaniard, and I was freaking out about losing my passport. Just yesterday we were pulling into Alcalá, I was forcing down meatballs, and the trees in the Plaza were nearly leafless. It seems like such a short time ago that we were awestruck in Toledo, I was flashing people on the streets of Madrid, and Brittany was soaking us at Retiro Pond. Was it really almost two months ago that I tasted my first Neopolitana, learned the ins and outs of public transportation, and made 28 new friends? It's surreal. It's confusing. It's really sad. Don't worry- I am coping by eating another Magnum.

Spain is a place I will not and could not ever forget. I've had so many memorable times, met so many amazing people, and could not forget anything about my time in Spain even if I wanted.

ya te echo de menos, España

With that said, we lived it up today. This morning I woke up with a little over 5 hours of sleep under my belt, and hurriedly got ready for graduation. Yes, that is right I graduated from Alcalingua University and everything! And don't worry, it is legit because I've got a certificate. And it's signed. Nothing of great importance happened during the ceremony... besides the fact that ya'll can rest assured that I passed my classes, so all this Spain travel wasn't for nothing!

When I got home from graduation we had a little time before going to Madrid, so I spent that time printing and printing and printing things for our trip which starts TOMORROW. Map after map, confirmation after confirmation... it was great, and I still can't even believe tomorrow I will be sitting in Marseille. It's crazy!

For lunch, it was Madrid time one last time. We all met and went to a paella place right off of Gran Vía, where I ate my last dinosaur egg, vegetarian paella (I didn't even have to pick out all the seafood for once!!) and a nice little rendition of Spanish cheesecake. Mmmmm my last Spanish meal was a memorable one.

After lunch we had free time awhile, so we did what we do best in Madrid- shop. I have no concept of money in these parts. Maybe it's the fact that I am in denial about returning to the Marriot, or perhaps it's the fact that the money looks like it belongs to a board game. All I know is that I tend to align my life with what has become our group's mantra: When In Spain.

As a final Spanish hoorah tonight, we went to, "Carmen", which is a flamenco ballet. Boy oh boy I love flamenco dancing. The story was a little hard to follow.... basically all I got out of it was that Carmen had a lot of lovers, and in the end one of them killed her. Moral of the story? Avoid being a whore at all costs. But really- the dancing was amazing, and all the tapping, clapping, shouting, flute playing, and guitar strumming made me really really happy. In my next life I wouldn't really mind being a gypsy as long as I get to wear cool flowers in my hair, twirl castanets seductively, and hang out with guys who wear their pants just a tad bit too tight.

After Carmen reality set in as we all began to go our own ways. It was our last time together as our little family of 29, and people passing by probably wondered why in the world there were so many loud Americans hugging and carrying on right in the middle of the street. We just couldn't help it! I really hate goodbyes.

Leaving Madrid and walking down to the Tirso de Molina metro stop for the last time was a very strange experience. Like I said in previous posts, I feel like Madrid has become my home- I've gotten to the point where I know how to work the metro, I know where to get the best pastries, and loud American tourists bother me. Leaving it all for the last time was sad, but all I know is that Spain better be ready, because this is not the last it has seen of me!

Our train ride back to Alcalá was one of the best ones thus far. We were all a little giddy from lack of good sleep, nerves, and flamenco high, so when I spotted Tall, Dark, and Handsome across the way, folding his newspaper into some sort of tube looking thing, and staring right at us. All Jenessa and I could do was laugh. "What is he doing, making a flower?!" I said. "Oh yeah, I bet it's for you, Alyssa!" She joked, as we continued to tell stories, laugh, and make the metro bars into our own personal jungle gym. Don't worry, the train was basically empty, all except for Mr. Spaniard, who kept looking right at us! Our stop came, we waited for the doors to open, he got a little closer to me, and that's when it happened. "Tengo algo para ti," he said. I looked up, his words catching me off guard a little. There in his hand and coming towards my face was the most ginormous paper flower I'd ever seen! I tried to stifle my laughter a little, praised the man with many thanks, and told him I needed a picture with my new Spanish friend. He quickly corrected me, told me he was Argentinian, we snapped a pic, and as fast as he'd come, he was gone, and I was left with a paper flower the size of a table fan.

As he walked away we all broke into fits of laughter, as I declared that night the best day ever. I was completely flattered, and I have come to the conclusion that I live in the wrong country.

When we finally got home from the train station I tried to pack- I really did, but we ended up eating dinner shortly after our return, and then after our meal together I went off with Miguel.

Oh Miguel, if you're reading this, ¡¡pues estoy escribiendo este para ti!!

This boy is my favorite Spaniard. He was in my ward, we played lots and lots of fútbol together, he is muy guapo, tan excelente, and we've got a funny story I will never forget. Anyways, we spent the night at Cafe Renacimiento talking, laughing, and saying our last goodbyes. It's times like these I wish the Atlantic wasn't quite so big :/ ¡Todavía te echo de menos mucho, chico!

And now it is almost 3:30 AM, and I am supposed to get up in less than 2 hours to start packing/get to the airport where it will be hasta la vista España y bonjour France. It's going to be really weird not having any idea what people are saying... that is for certain. I downloaded a nice little French tutor on my ipod though... so I'm hoping that'll help me out somewhat.

Well, now I am out. It's been quite the pleasure blogging my way through Spain, writing up a storm, and having random people tell me they enjoy reading what I write. I'm not taking my computer to the rest of Europe, so unless I find myself with free WiFi and a lot of patience to type an entry from my itouch.... well, I'll be home by July 1.

Ahora, adiós España. He disfrutado mucho mi tiempo aquí, y he dejado un parte de mi corazón contigo: con sus ciudades, su comida, su gente y un chico especial. Guardalo hasta la próxima vez estoy aquí porque no es la última vez que me has visto. ¿Vale?

Day Fifty

Done and DONE.

Classes are over and I will never have to go to Alcalingua again!! Thursday was like a breath of fresh air. After a looong day of testing and studying I was happy to know I would never have to think about the Visigoths again!

After our tests it was the Spain vs Switzerland game for the World Cup. All the real Spaniards told us the only way to truly experience the World Cup atmosphere is to watch the games in your favorite bar with your favorite people, so we went to the Media Pinta to hopefully see a win. There really is nothing better than a bunch of drunken Spaniards singing "we are the champions" during halftime, ordering enough pints to last them the rest of their lives, and cat calling the "chicas americanas", but there IS something worse. And that is losing. Pretty sure Spain didn't rise to the occasion, block shots, or know how to make it in the big ol' net, because they lost 1-0 and it was pretty heartbreaking... so heartbreaking the sun didn't even come out all day long. (Dear France. You better be warm or else)

After the game it was time to go to Madrid to see Muse. Muse! Oh, it was amazing. I've seen some good shows, but this one was one of the best. We didn't have superb seats by any means, but they were good enough, we had front row on our level, and Kelly and I were able to belt our little hearts out for the duration of the show. I've never seen so many young Spaniards all together at once! It was really fun! The adventure home afterwards, however, was not so much. When we got out of the show it was a sea of bodies down into the Metro, which was cramped, crowded, and almost closed. We got off at Sol and hailed a taxi for the rest of the trip. While the 20 minute ride was probably one of the most expensive forms of transportation I will ever buy, it was probably the best. The sensation of riding in an actual car was surreal! No jerking turns, no jolting around corners, just smoothness. Ahhh I could have sat in that little Volkswagen for hours.

And that was the night. Didn't sleep much... but then again, what else is new? When in Spain, right?

Day Fourty Nine

all this studying today better make me a Spanish Civil War expert!

From the moment I looked at the study abroad syllabus, I knew the last week of Spain would be the most chaotic. Yep, it's lived up to that little prediction.

At least I felt semi productive today- woke up, did homework, did a little writing catch up, went to class, got some retail therapy in and found the perfect dress, and then hit the books. (after a nice little nap)

Studying/nap time was pleasantly broken up with lunch. Today Pili made "berenjenas rellenas". Stuffed eggplant. I'm not really sure what was stuffed in the purpleish skin thing, but it was pretty good once it stopped burning my tongue. (These people have to have everything piping hot... and if it's not, well, they throw it right back in the microwave.) We also had fried cauliflower and fried eggplant. Like i've said before, Pili is turning out to be quite the vegetable cocinera!

When I was full it was time to read up on modernism and all the Carloses and Felipes yet again. Jenessa and I studied for 3 hours. That might not sound that bad, but hey... we are in Spain, and studying is not really our forté at this time! I think we only made it through because we knew that once we'd studied all our packets of notes and obscure drawings there would be a pastry waiting. What motivation!

The rest of tonight's been spent trying to study/facebook/watch World Cup games/prep myself for Muse tomorrow night. We also made the ambrosia chocolate flan cake thing for Natalie's birthday extravaganza tomorrow... I cannot even wait to make this cake at home. It is the epitome of delicious!

Well, that is where today's story ends. Come back tomorrow... I promise life will be more exciting!

Day Fourty Eight

You know it's a good day when:

You go play soccer at 7:30, wear your favorite jersey, your team dominates, it gets dark and so you play under the lights, and the only reason you stop playing is because you've already lost 2 soccer balls- one kicked over the 20 foot fence into the neighbor's yard, and one kicked into the 20 ft tall trees lining that big ol' fence, the night ends at McDonald's for a cono kitkat, and you don't even realize it's almost 11 until they're locking you inside the restaurant.

That is kind of how today went. I loved every single millisecond.

Class today wasn't that bad- or the first part, at least. I can handle art history, I just can't handle the history history. Once we switched from Picasso to Carlos III my brain just powered down. Finals on Wednesday. Bring it on.

After class Brittany and I did shopped around Alcalá, then I went home and ate lunch with the family. Cous cous and tomato sauce with delicious asparagus. Yeah... I think Pili's been making up recipes. It was pretty good, though! I spent the rest of the day outside writing, then headed out to soccer when 7:30 hit. Like I said before, it was awesome. Our ward friends came out to play with us, so that was exciting, too.

The rest of the week is looking like this:

martes- class. study. get a feel for real Spanish nightlife (shhhh)

miercoles- tests. Natalie's birthday extravaganza. Spain world cup game with the Spainiards. MUSE.

jueves- "graduation" from Alcalingua. swanky lunch in Madrid. Carmen, the flamenco ballet. cry a lot.

viernes- let's not talk about it, besides the fact that i will be hopping a plane to France.

I love you, Spain.

Day Fourty Seven

Today was my first last.

Today was the last Sunday I will ever be a member of the Alcalá de Henares ward. I tried to make it all last as long as possible during our meetings today, even if that meant me holding the last note of the closing song "Cuando Hay Amor" a little too long. I'm so sad to see it all go. I can't help but to wonder when the next time will be that I will I be in a place where meetings don't start until at least 15 minutes after they're supposed to, where a grown man can walk up and kiss his buddy on the forehead and act like it's the most normal thing they could do, where women belt out the words to their favorite hymns as passionately... and off key, where the organist is actually a concert pianist who sounds like he could have arranged Fantasia, and where a whole ward can put up with almost 30 new members every couple of months.

I'm going to miss them!

Lunch must have been a special occasion today, because when we got home we were greeted by Fransisco Jr, his wife, and little ball of energy Natalia herself getting ready to eat with us in the dining room! Yep, the dining room! I've been her for almost 2 months and I've only gone into this room a handful of times. It seems Pili had been experimenting with more eggs and potatoes, because every dish we had today had them all over. Boiled potatoes with green beans, an egg quiche with some kind of squash inside, potato salad with apples and fishy things, and rice with more squash and pickle looking green things, all finished off with the moussey/flan chocolate cake from the other weekend. Ah, it was great. Nothing like stuffing yourself full after a long hard day at church!

The remainder of the afternoon was spent at McDonald's doing homework and stealing WiFi, and it seems that all the American students in Alcalá had the same idea, because there were tons of Americans there. Bleh- I walked out smelling like a french fry and wishing we had somewhere more classy to steal internet. Sometimes Spain is just too smart for it's own good!

Oh, and in honor of my last Sunday in Alcalá, I made it a point to take a plethora of pictures so that I never forget the little kids, old people, roses, and good times that happen in the plaza at night, especially on weekends.

So I couldn't handle it any longer. I thought I was strong, but it was just too hard to fight the urge. Tonight I cooked pancakes for the family. Last week we got on the subject of "tortitas" somehow, and I knew I had to make Pili some of the best pancakes in the land. She was pretty excited to see me exhibit my cooking skills, and we finally settled on tonight. After a lot of talking around "baking powder" and "cooking oil" we finally understood each other, and all the necessary ingredients were found. Tonight was one to remember in the Poveda household! :) Let me just say that Pili and Fernando are so cute! When Fernando saw that I was getting ready to cook in the kitchen he automatically asked me if I needed anything, and when I told him about the "special oil" I couldn't find, he quick as lightning put on his coat, told me to hang on, and headed down to the Churreria to get some of the oil. When Pili came into the kitchen to see how it was all going, she automatically began praising me and wanting to know exactly how I'd made these "tortitas tan ricas". Let's just say it was love at first bite! And even though I basically had to make up a recipe due to the lack of measuring cups in American measures, substitute cake flour for real flour (which makes a difference I think...) and top them all with chocolate syrup and whipped cream or mermelada instead of my customary peanut butter and syrup, they worked out just fine, and Pili has been begging me for the recipe/ wanting to have a tutorial soon, and Fernando talked about selling them in the Churreria and making sandwiches with them instead of Bimbo bread (like Wonderbread). Mom, your recipe is now an international sensation. Congrats :)

Well, that is the word for the day. 4 full days left in this Spain dream. Time to make them good!

Day Fourty Six

Today we came home to Alcalá after a long weekend of play.

The higher the title numbers become, the more I begin to master the menacing front door, the greater conversation becomes with Pili the sadder I get to think that next week it'll be done. What a funny concept "home" is to a young adult of 19. Usually "home" connotes somewhere concrete- somewhere familiar, somewhere cozy. How loosely I've grown to use such a word! As of now, I feel just like a vagabond in limbo all the time. It's not a bad thing, and I've grown accustomed to change pretty well- it's just really funny! I've adapted to my Spain "home" quite nicely, and as time goes, I realize I would be happy as a clam staying here. However, I know I must return to my Utah "home", and maybe some day I'll get to go to my Boise "home", which seems more and more foreign to me as the days go, seeing as it's been a little shy of six months since I've seen Silverwood Place. But like they say in Spain: Es la vida! And I will return.

A lot of Saturday was eaten up by driving in a bus and trying to get comfortable and sleep on the rock hard seats only to wake up to find the seatbelt and armrests impaling me uncomfortably. I'm not so sad to know that the bus rides are now over :) We made pretty good time getting back from Salou though, only stopping once for lunch at some random truck stop/restaurant. We were supposed to stop again at some national park on our way back, but again, the rain ruined that for us. Meh, oh well. I got to get home, settled, and my laundry even got halfway done!

Saturday night Britt, Natalie, and I went to our ward's Spring Concert to listen to all the talent that is the Alcalá ward, and then we came home to a good night of Pili's cooking and lots of descanso (and lots of blogging... the more I think about it, the more I realize I don't sleep because I'm always writing! Oh, sacrifices :))

Speaking of sacrifice... I guess Barcelona wanted some kind of payment for all the good memories it gave me, because one of her hotel rooms definitely stole my favorite jacket AND my converter this weekend. Sigh. Oh well, small price to pay for such enjoyment. (But if anyone wants to run over to Urban Outfitters and pick me up a new white hoodie... well, be my guest!)

Day Fourty Five

Friday was the day we’d all been anticipating the whole trip: Salou.

I woke up ready to take on the beach, sun, and Mediterranean. The weather was looking a little ominous, but I didn’t care- I was going to be on that dang sand even if it was raining sideways! The day before Professor Williams had told us we were going to have a surprise, and it turns out the surprise was a theme park trip in the morning before going to the beach. Port Aventura is the park’s name. Ever heard of it? Me neither. The mascots of the park? Woody the Woodpecker, Ernie, Bert, Elmo, and Betty Boop. I love Spain. After breakfast we drove an hour or so out of Barcelona to another costal town near Salou to ride rollercoasters for 4 hours, hoping the clouds would leave, and we could get rid of some of our hilarious tan lines.

Port Aventura was really fun! Since we only had a limited amount of time and I have a feeling it was “take your favorite middle school to the theme park” day, the park was pretty packed, and the lines pretty long. We only rode 3 rides, but it was not in vain! Those three roller coasters were like none I’d ever been on. The first one went faster than… well it was fast. Like crying out the sides of your eyes and drooling fast. Like losing your headband fast. Like your hair looking like you’d just been electrocuted fast. … and kind of like “wow did I really wait 1 ½ hours for that?” fast. Ha it was fun. And people watching in line helped put the “amusement” in amusement park pretty well.

After the fisrt coaster we only had about 2 hours left, so we got some food quickly, and then went to wait in another line. This one was really fun, but I think I might be getting old, seeing as my head felt all out of sorts when we got off. So much flipping and twisting… my brain was joggled. It was about this time that the clouds which had graced us with their presence all day strted giving gifts from the heavens above. Yeah, it was starting to rain and I was not happy. Beach time was so close! With our remaining time in the park we went to one last coaster- Europe’s version of the “white roller coaster” When we got off the rain began to pick up. It rained all the way to Salou. There was not a blue patch of sky in sight, but still seeing the beach was exhillerating, and right when we got to our nearly beachfront hotel, Brittany, Hannah, and I were suited up and headed to the water in about 10 minutes time. The little beach was dark and a literal ghost town. The grey sky, chained and covered beach chairs, and closed ice cream stands all made for a pretty depressing scene, but that did NOT stop us! We threw our stuff down in the sand, whipped off our cover ups, and ran right into the ocean… and don’t worry that I fell right into a pot hole and faceplanted into the ocean not as gracefully as I’d imagined myself running into the Mediterranean, but no matter- it was so great to be in the sea! There was not one soul on the beach, so we took full advantage of our time, doing a little bit of European swimming (heh heh) and watching the rest of our group members slowly file onto the shore. It was warmer in the water than out of it, so we tried to stay hunkered down in the waves as long as possible, not shivering too much. I guess Mother Nature took pity on us, because as fast as the rain and wind had come, it was gone, the sun started shining, and within about 15 minutes time the beach was bumpin’! Suddenly there were all kind laying down towels, taking off tops (it was… great) and diving right into the water. The weather all of a sudden became all kind of beautiful, and life was great! We spent 4 hours out there tanning (or burining) exploring the coast line, and people watching, of course. We could not get enough of the old men in Speedos, confident ladies wearing, well, nothing, and just a good ol’ day on the Mediterranean. I never wanted to leave! It’s a good thing I’m going to the French Riviera next week, because I think I’d cry a little if I knew I didn’t have more time out there getting sand in my scalp!

Dinner was a “buffet” in the restaurant and it was NASTY. The only edible things there were ministrone soup and bread, so I ate as much of that as I could, then washed it all down with at least 6 desserts. Not even lying. It was 9, I hadn’t eaten since peeling an orange at 3, and the arroz con leche was calling my name (along with a host of other little treats) Call me the ravenous caterpillar!

After “dinner” we went back to the beach to walk around and sit in the sand one more time. We’d wanted to get there in time for the sunset, but sadly we encountered a couple of problems: one being the fact that we were in the East, so the sun didn’t set over the water, and we were too late anyways. However, even at night the water was pretty, and we enjoyed laughing and walking (and running) through the tide. Ah I have not had enough time at the ocean in my lifetime.

Back at the hotel I did the best to rid myself of all the sand covering my body, but I am sure I’ve still got it in my hair and left a lot in my bed. (Note to self: never work at as a maid at a beachfront resort) I slept wonderfully thanks to a full day of fun and relaxation. Thanks for cooperating, weather! I’m grateful.

Day Fourty Four

So you’ve got to go to Barcelona.

It’s just kind of something everyone needs to do in this life, so make it a high priority. This city is NOTHING like the rest of Spain. It’s so… funky, colorful, and flamboyant. All this excitement is demonstrated in the cities’ architecture and art, mostly, but I could just tell it was different by the way locals carried themselves and the feelings in the air. It was electric! Well, when the rain stopped.

Before the rain stopped I was hating life. Professor Williams had told us that the forecast called for rain, so plan accordingly. Well, it’s hard to plan for a rain trip when initially I’d underpacked for two months…. So I brought 2 pairs of sandals, dresses, and crossed my fingers with a lot of force. Yeah, let’s just say that when I walked downstairs to eat breakfast in a little black sundress and saw people walking outside dressed in jeans, coats, and scarves all taking cover under umbrellas, well, I ran right back upstairs to try to find SOMETHING that would cover a little more. Good thing I’d bought a cardigan this week… that thing has saved me, hence the reason I wore it two days in a row.

On the other hand, breakfast ROCKED. Maybe it was the fact that they had Coco Rice Crispies, maybe it was the fact that I could choose something other than a dinosaur egg, or perhaps it was the abundance of fruit. Who knows- all I know is that I was finally satisfied!

After breakfast we met our tour guide and drove up to the top of Barcelona to go see a park called El Parque Guell, designed by Antonio Gaudi .Oh, I’d better talk about Gaudi first. Oh Gaudi. This man is a genius architect who Barcelona basically owes their life to. He designed EVERYTHING in this modernista style city. His style is, like I said before, funky, and it gives Barcelona the break from the mold mentality. Gaudi designed with no straight lines, there are no straight lines in nature he thought, and he used an abundance of color, texture, and detail in everything. Wow it was great! Our first dose of Gaudi was in this park, where he designed five houses. I’m not sure of the who, when, or why behind it all, but it was beautiful, besides the fact that I had to take it all in underneath my pretty sweet bulldog handled umbrella, dodging lake-like puddles, and trying to keep my frizzed out hair under control! Anyways, lesson learned at this park? Gaudi is a god.

After we walked through the park, we boarded the bus and went to La Sagrada Familia. Wow. You will not appreciate this cathedral until you go there and partake. Don’t worry though- there is time. It’s been under construction since 1882, and it’s not going to be done until 2026. Yep, that is right this place is a modern day cathedral, again, co-designed by Gaudi and has generations and generations of workers who will not live to see completion. It’s amazing. I am going back to see it 2026, so if you’re with me, mark your calendars. When we went there with the group we only saw the outside, got some history on it, and took lots of pictures, but it made me want to go inside so bad! Again, funky detail is the only word I can think of the describe what was on the fascade, right down to the turtles at the bases of the pillars, symbolizing how religion is a non-changing base for people, and the pelican at the very top, demonstrating Christ’s sacrifice for us. AH go to Barcelona.

Next up, we went to El Barrio Viejo to check out the cathedral of Barcelona, some 1st century pillars (yes, first century!) and walked down Las Ramblas, which is a huge tourist trap road with all the good souvenier shops I just love to despise. Sorry friends and family, you won’t be getting any I heart Spain bottle opener/fingernail clipper key chains! It was while walking down Las Ramblas that I saw my first little patch of blue sky. As we walked, the blanket of clouds started moving slowly, but surely, and soon enough the SUN WAS OUT AND MY LIFE WAS WORTH LIVING AGAIN! It felt so good to ditch the umbrella and let me shoes dry out! Oh, and Barcelona was suddenly tenfold better and more beautiful.

For lunch we went to a Basque Tapas Bar. Again, I took many a picture, so you can just feast your eyes (ha). I got my own little vegetarian tapas sans the salchicha and tuna, and they were pretty much the best tapas I’ve eaten in Spain. The best one was toast with cheese and asparagus all sandwiched in. I also had some little potatoes, a skewer of mixed vegetables, a tortilla tomato number, a pesto/mozzarella/tomato dish, with some kind of ritzy chocolate thing for dessert and pina juice Yes, it was delicious, and yes, I all of a sudden love asparagus and mushrooms. Thanks, Spain.

After lunch it was “go play in the city!” time. Barcelona FC Stadium, Gaudi house, Sagrada Familia, and food is what our time entailed. The Stadium, Camp Nou, was our first stop after a very confusing time trying to decipher the very foreign metro. It was pretty neat, though! We didn’t go in the stadium, only outside, because like in Madrid, we were afraid they were planning on charging their 16 euro fee to see a patch of grass. We instead found the players inside the “megastore” and snapped a couple pics there.

We next went to La Casa Milá designed by Gaudi, and finished in 1912. The best part was the terrace on the roof- the view was breathtaking, and the sculptures all over were really neat! Again, that man was a genius.

All the museums close at 8 and we had time for one more, so we booked it over to La Sagrada Familia for the second round where we actually went inside and it was amazing. I already talked about Sagrada Familia, but I just can’t get over it! The fact that construction has yet to be completed and the fact that they were sandblasting while we were actually inside was mindblowing! The cathedral is ridiculous! There is so much detail and form… it just reminded me a lot of Dr. Seuss. Go there one day- 2 times, actually, once to say you saw it under construction and your ticket helped paid for it’s completion, and once when it gets finished. That’s my plan! Can’t wait to tell my children all about it. J

We spent the rest of the night wandering around Las Ramblas, seeing the Plaza Real, and searching out food. I was so hungry the whole day- my tapas had not stuck to my ribs very well. We didn’t eat until about 10 PM again, when I finally had to just take the initiative and go into Wok and Walk and get myself the hands down best meal of Spain- wheat noodles with loads of vegetables and pineapple and sweet and sour sauce. I don’t think I looked up from that little cardboard box of delicious once. It was ambrosia!

After eating that and a little ice cream, we set out to find the beach. I just wanted to see the water! However, we were walking around a sketchy part of town, it was getting late, and my group was “tired” so we got on the metro and went back to the hotel. They told me I could see the water “tomorrow”. Tomorow was so worth it.

Day Fourty Three

We may or may not have to have a “PLEASE DON’T RAIN IN BARCELONA” fast for this weekend. Things are not looking good.

Because it’s so hot in our room at home, we generally sleep with our balcony doors open. Last night was no different, but this morning I was awoken to the downpour of rain in the streets below… just in time for traveling. Yay.

The rain and clouds have followed us all day long. Our first stop this morning was in Zaragoza, (pronounced Tharagotha) which I really don’t know hardly anything about because we just stopped for about an hour, ate our bocadillos, and went to the cathedral there. It was a really gorgeous town though- my next time in Spain it will certainly be on the “must see” list. The really pretty picture below is the Basillica,. We didn’t go inside because Mabel said it’s only cool from the outside. Fine with me! The cathedral was really cool, though… maybe I liked it so much because there was no guided tour, and we just wandered ourselves. Oh, and we found this Narnia wardrobe, too. Mabel said it’s another set of doors into the cathedral. We think it’s a place to store a plethora of fur coats.

We got back on the bus after our time in Zaragoza and drove a couple more hours in the most beautiful landscapes ever- seriously I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were so many trees and hills and cute little towns which looked like they’d been frozen in time from the 18^th century. We started climbing higher and higher into the Pyranees mountains, and stopped at Monserrat, a smallish town and basilica. I’m sure the views were all breathtaking… however, we couldn’t really see much as we got higher and higher because there was a thick blanket of fog which followed us, accompanied by a lot of rain and cold. It was kind of funny, the fact that we were at what is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in Spain, and we couldn’t see 5 feet in front of us! We made the best of it, though… so just imagine that through this white canvas there is actually something breathtaking! We saw the Basillica, I smuggled out a worshipping candle for a souvenir, got hot chocolate and a little snack at the cafeteria, and then took a hike up El Camino de Cruz… which, again, would have been a beautiful view if we could have seen past all the whipped cream in the sky! Haha but really it was fun… I will definitely be going back to Monserrat in better weather.

We stopped again in the middle of nowhere for dinner at a random hotel/restaurant joint. I got a salad (bleh) and fried vegetables, accompanied by lots and lots of bread. Dessert was some kind of ice cream chocolate cake thing. I've had better... but hey at least I've got some vegetables in me to accompany the plethora of tortilla sandwich from lunch!

So, now we're in Barcelona! Sidenote, Spanish is not the official first language in Cataluña... Catalan AND Spanish are. Catalan is sort of like Spanish, but then again sometimes it's really different. I guess lots of people speak both languages here, though so I think we'll all get along just fine. I've been getting really thrown off when trying to read signs, though! Anyways, exploring Barcelona tomorrow! Now it is time for some Bachelorette, relaxation, and a lot of sleeping. Pray for sun!

Day Fourty Two

I am sooooo giddy right now.

All trip I've been looking for good Spanish music, but to no avail because all I hear around here is an unholy amount of Lady Gaga and an overdose of Brittney. It's been a little disheartening, and lately I've felt kind of hopeless about my musical endeavors. If there is one thing I don't like about discovering music, well, it's kind of like a second job, and when it's all in Spanish things get a little stickier.

However, while sitting at dinner tonight I had an "ah HAH!" moment sent straight from the clouds above. Roberto is a music fiend. The guy has crates and crates of CDs at my disposal, and tonight I am taking full advantage. Maybe the 8 hour ride to Barcelona tomorrow won't be so bad after all :)

Today was great! Class was pretty much slower than mud, but after that was done and I was free from all things subjunctive worksheets, life got good. I spent the afternoon packing for Barcelona, planning life after Spain (getting SO stoked for my European excursion!!) and just passing the time until it was time to go to Madrid to do a little shopping and a LOT of eating.

Last week while we were at the bullfight, our director took a group of students out to get tapas, and then tonight it was our turn. After wandering around Madrid in the midst of a Spanish rainstorm awhile, we finally found our restaurant, and completely stuffed ourselves.

Estay: This place was five star status in every way, and the food was delish. (can't really speak for Emily's ox tail or Kelly's lamb neck, but they both looked like they were enjoying it!)

We ate lots of different tapas (the mushrooms on toast were my favorite) along with fried berenjena (can't think of the word in English... ahh! Eggplant!!) and artichoke. We then had main dishes, but all the mains were full of meat (and scary ones at that...), so I just ate some plain ol' tortilla... let's just say I'm getting real comfy with my egg and potato dish :) It was all washed down with the most delicious Coke in the world and then sparkling water. We felt so classy! For dessert we all got different foods, but I only had one thing on my mind.... crepes and ice cream. Okay, well actually I wanted tiramisu first. But I didn't want anyone to judge me.... so I stuck with the ice cream. Good choice on my part. It was BOMB. Almost 200 euros later we were rolling out of the quaint little establishment and back to the train... but not before witnessing our waiter pouring drinks over his head for the table next to us... shnazzy!!!

When I got home tonight I was just sitting in my room when I heard the clinking of silverware in the dining room. That could only mean one thing. Dinner. Yep, Roberto had definitely brought home Argentinian pizza for dinner, and no matter how unhungry I was, I needed that pizza. Let me tell you.. this pizza rocks. We've had it twice, and I don't know what makes it so good, but it's covered completely in sauteed onions, and the cheese is so smooth and creamy... AH I love it.

Well, now that I am satisfied, stuffed to the brim with good food, skyped with my mother, and had my musical needs fulfilled, I guess it's time to head to bed a couple hours so I can be semi functional tomorrow. :) PS I think I died and went to flamenco music heaven. Roberto, you are a saint. And now, goodbye Alcalá hello MEDITERRANEAN.

Day Fourty One

it came it came it came!

Today was a great day, but finally getting this treasure was definitely one of the higher points, I would say.

I am not sure that Ronaldo and I can ever part again.

This morning I got up early so that I could get in some skyping and go rent a bike before class started. What a great idea that was! Alcalá has a program where you can borrow city bikes every day, so since that is one of my very favorite pastimes, I got a bike renting card last week. However, I hadn't rented anything until today. Look at this sweet little number!

Not gonna lie.... not being on a bike for a couple months had me a little shaky at first, trying to juggle bag, computer, notebook, myself, etc, but I figured it out! When I got to class I didn't really know where to park it, so I just threw it over by a motor cycle, locked it to a railing, and hoped my little green friend wouldn't be impounded during class. I checked every time we had a break. No worries, at 11 it was still there, safe and sound.

After class I went to the Alcalá Flea Market. Oh boy.... when I think about that little experience I just hear "TRES EUROS TRES EUROS CADA VESTIDO TRES EUROS! VENGA VENGA VENGA!" Oh man. Those little shop owners wanted some business. I got some gifts for a couple people, meandered through the little stands, and decided one time at the flea market was enough for me.

Next on the list of to do was to take a ride through Alcalá... or at least the streets I know. I didn't get very far because, well, I don't know very many streets, and dodging people and cars here in a little bit of a pain. However, it was still good to be back in the saddle! My front tire was a dud, so on my way home I had to go get it pumped, then made my way to Telefonica to get a new cellphone since ours bit the dust a couple of weeks ago. I made it there just in time, too becuase right as I walked in they were closing for the siesta. Oh the siesta... I'm not sure if I've ever really talked about this Spanish phenomenon, but basically it means that all the stores in Spain are closed from around 2-5. Sometimes it's nice... sometimes it's annoying.

After running all my "errands" we ate lunch. Lentils and salad. I was satisfied.

Tonight we (Ronaldo and I) played soccer for FHE, and like all the other fútbol encounters, it was great! The rest of the night I spent outside on the porch because it is so hot in this house! I'm not sure if there just isn't air conditioning or if it doesn't work... but any way, it's much cooler outside! Good think the porch is probably my favorite place to be in the house.

And that's all for now. It's almost 1:30 AM and I still haven't even cracked open my textbook for homework. Hasta manana

Day Fourty

didn't write last night. oops.

I was too busy catching up in the journal, and all this double duty writing is harder than I'd thought!

Sunday was good, I really like going to church here. Maybe if we can just get some working air conditioning in the building it would even be more appealing to just stay here forever. I mean, I love fanning myself with Miguel's seminary scripture mastery cards, but let's get real here, Spain. Air conditioning is kind of a given! When the air conditioning doesn't work in the building they turn on these fans that are just normal tabletop fans, but have been mounted to the wall. It's really funny.

After church it was fiesta time once again. It was Pili and Roberto's granddaughter's birthday, so we had a party in the backyard again. We had lots of rice, mushrooms, and the tortilla with tomato sauce and spinach. For dessert we had some bready thing like french toast, only not cooked... so I'm hoping the egg was left out, too. It was actually really good and I think Pili should make me a cookbook before I go home so I can enjoy her "not so scary" Spanish cooking in the comfort of my own mayonnaise-less kitchen.

Later Sunday night we had a fireside at the church where we all shared our favorite hymn, scriptures, etc. It was good, but the best part was the fact that a drunk guy wandered into the chapel and sat in on our meeting awhile. Every once in a while he'd shout out strange comments, but for the most part he just muttered things under his breath and clapped really loudly. When he left, Professor Williams followed him out and I'm pretty sure locked the chapel door so no more riff-raff would come in. Oh, Spain.

After the fireside I spent some time with my Spanish friend, Miguel, and then went to the plaza, because that is basically my favorite thing to do on Sunday. There was a show going on with some dance group, so I watched that awhile, caught up in the good ol journal, and spent the rest of the night trying to do homework/just chatting away on facebook. Yeah remember how I had my facebook once a day goal during last semester? Well... it's kind of tanked :/

That is all for now... I rented a bike today, I'll write about it more later because now my computer is on reserve power and I should pay more attention in class to the reign of Carlos V. Whoever he is?

Day Thirty Eight and Nine

I knew that my Spanish adventure would go fast, but this is crazy.

I’ve got less than two weeks- and it makes me really sad… that is until Casey brought it to my attention today that in two weeks I’ll be on a beach in southern France.

I can live with that.

This weekend was basically a weekend full of Monks, El Cid, and the city of Burgos. Yesterday morning we drove to northern Spain with a stop in Lerma, a city with a view, and then around noonish we got to Burgos. You might remember me talking about how Spain is obsessed with Don Quixote in my last post…. Well, they are. However in Northern France they’re also obsessed with El Cid- Rodrigo Diaz deVivar... basically he was a great war hero in early Spanish history who ended up being exiled by bad guy king when he called him out on killing his brother... yeah there is a bigger history about him so if you're interested try wikipedia. Anyways, this guy is everywhere. There’s statues and plaques showcasing his life events, and tons of restaurants, stores, and hotels bear his name. They are in love with El Cid.

First stop when we got to the city was to throw our stuff in our hotel rooms and then explore the city. We did some shopping during free time- Zara, Blanco, Sfera…. We hit all the important Spanish stores on the street. At three our group met up and got back on the bus to head to Santo Domingo del Silos- a small Monastery town near Burgos. Our most random stop happened on the way to the city, when our bus driver just stopped right in front of this long tunnel and Professor told us to get out- we were hiking. Everyone was pretty confused… but as we started walking the spouts of confusion and complaining stopped. We descended down some stairs off the highway into a ravine, and the next thing I knew we were in the Narrows of Castilla de la Mancha!! This place was awesome, and the best part was all the águilas (eagles) circling overhead! For some reason this particular place has tons of owls, and as we walked they just circled overhead and perched on the cliffs up above. The path along which we walked was a manmade bridge over a river, and after maybe 10 minutes of walking, there suddenly was another set of stairs which led up to the highway yet again… only at the other side of the tunnel. It was so random, so picturesque, and very refreshing to be back in the naturaleza.

Again we boarded the bus, when reaching Santo Domingo we made another surprise attack on an unsuspecting bar for all their ice cream and Coke, and then we went to the Monastery and cathedral in the town. The guided visit was a bit… well I think I’ve exhausted the topic of guided tours, so I’ll just talk about the monks instead. We got to listen to their Gregorian Chants in some Mass-like service, and it was so cool! Silence was a must in the chapel, but it was the type of building you just wanted to yell in at the top of your lungs because you just knew how great the acoustics would be… oh, and it was freezing cold. The monks don’t want you getting too comfy! At exactly 7 about 25-30 monks clad in black robes came into the chapel and began their Latin singing, scripture reciting, and confusing me with their standing, sitting, standing, sitting ritual we were all supposed to follow. There was no chorister leading them, yet the monks all managed to stay together impeccably, reciting their Latin with hardly any breaths in between- I was pretty impressed… but not so impressed that I want to join them. No thanks.

At night we went back to our hotel for dinner, and as always, my expectations were not very high. When we arrived there was a crusty bread/dinosaur egg at each place setting, and even though I’m pretty sure that thing could have chipped teeth I was starving and I downed that thing! Our next course was paella with all the freaky seafood. “Más arroz, menos mariscos, por favor” was my request, and the server delivered… I had to pick out minimal pieces of chicken, shellfish, and shrimp antennae. Our last course was supposed to be a big hunk of chicken with fries, but Mabel took pity on the vegetarian and I got tortilla and a “salad” too. All I could think of was Hard Rock Café.

Last, our server brought us a scoop of ice cream for dessert. One scoop. Thanks Spain!

This morning began in the same restaurant for breakfast. I had a smaller dinosaur egg, hot chocolate with crackers to dip, orange juice, and a pastry. I always feel like I’ve go to eat as much as I can in the morning on trips because I never know when exactly the next time food will be available is…. So bring on the dinosaur eggs.

After breakfast we met our guide and had a tour of the city. Oh man. This guy was definitely the best thus far. The best part about his was how he dressed- so European! Just look at him: man purse, perfect facial hair, racing shirt, shiny silver racing shoes, grey skinny jeans, huge shiny watch, and the best part... which I don’t think you can even see in the picture- his Dolce and Gabanna diamond encrusted belt buckle.

Our first stop was this little building. Yeah.. the Burgos Cathedral is kind of a big deal. I suggest stopping by there if you're ever passing through Burgos. The best part about the cathedral was this the fact that El Cid is buried deep in the ground here... and man, our guide was proud of that guy. He made a point to show us this pedigree chart, assuring us that all Spanish royalty can be traced back to him. Talk about some Spanish pride right there! After touring the cathedral we went to another monastery. Still don't wanna be a monk. Think you might be cut out for the job? Here is la vida de un monje: bed time is at 11, and then you wake up and pray in the middle of the night, then go back to bed at 3 AM and wake up at 6 AM, eat at 11:30, and then sit in your room and study alone all day long. Dinner is at 6.... except for 7 months out of the year dinner is not served. Sorry! On Mondays (only sometimes) it's free day, so that means you get to leave your room and take a 2-3 hour walk around the monastery grounds and talk. You might right a book or something, but you're not allowed to sign your name. You can only write "written by a monk" on the cover. Sorry, don't want you getting too prideful! Think this is the job for you? You must also be 25-45, have studied theology, know Latin, and have a doctor's note saying that you won't die from hardly eating anything. Don't worry, I got enough applications for all of you! :)

After our tour it was free time yet again. We hiked up to a park high above the city next to some castle ruins, snapped some pics, and walked around the "cinturon verde" (green belt) Around 1:30 we went searching for food and found a little cafe with a 10 euro menu. Sold. This was what I ate.

Garlic soup, vegetables, and flan. Again, another meal with low expectations. First thing I do back in the US is hit up Costa Vida!

After free time we got back on the bus and headed back towards Madrid with a small stop at a monastery in San Pedro de Cardeña. This was the place where El Cid left his family when we was exiled, so we stopped to read a poem about that when this random lady came up and started talking about how she wanted to listen and whatnot... anyways, she ended up reading us the poem and it was great. Love those passionate Spaniards!

And now it is back to Alcalá for three days, then to Barcelona. Oh, and Barcelona means the MEDITERRANEAN. I can't wait. And everyone is going to be jealous of my farmer's tan.

Day Thirty Seven

Let the weekend of travel begin!

This morning we were up early to head off to Camuñas for Corpus Christi, and then to Consuegra to see Don Quijote's windmills.

Corpus Christi is a Catholic holiday celebrated all over the world, but it has it's roots here in Camuñas, a quaint little town in Castilla de la Mancha. When we pulled in at 10 AM, the place was dead. No one was out in the streets, and they all looked like this:

Not one soul was in the city, yet it was quaintly decorated with flowers, banners, and little relics of Christ in church doorways. The streets were all roped off, and were intricately painted, as shown in the above pictures. It was so surreal... looking back I kind of felt like it was Duloc from Shrek or something. (shine your shoes wipe your... face. hahaha)

Finally we made it to the main square where Mass was going on in a church, and people were beginning to gather for the dancing. It was so cool to be in this city, because I am pretty sure we were the only tourist really around. Everyone else were residents of the city. Here are some of my favorite residents.

Yes, yes that is underwear on these childrens' heads, and the lady behind them was adamant that they keep it on! One thing I have learned about the Spaniards is that while they could care less about lung cancer from smoking, skin cancer is one thing they will not put up with, especially when it comes to their children. Strollers have built in umbrellas, and children wear hats, or in this case, anything that will semi cover their heads. Oh boy... this sight definitely made my day!

We had no idea when the procession would start, so we just waited around sweating profusely in the sun, our nostrils filled with the strong scent of dried rosemary which was sprinkled all around the street until the drums began to beat. I am not exactly sure of the whole significance of the day, but I know it is a festival to celebrate Christ's life, but not really any particular event in it. The festival started out with men wearing devil masks dancing around for about half an hour, doing a symbolic jig about overcoming sin. It was pretty catchy... I wanted to get right in there and dance around with them! After the dancing there was a processional through the streets, where the dancing continued, a Christ relic was carried through the streets for about 2 hours, little kids dressed up sprinkled flower pedals all along the colorful streets, and the procession stopped at every church on the way and fired guns. Yeah, I don't know for sure what was going on, but it was really interesting and really fun!

The only downside of it being Corpus Christi is the fact that everything was closed, so free time was cut short. We only stayed in Camuñas until 1:30, and then it was all aboard and to the next destination. Don Quixote's windmills.

So basically everyone here is in love with Don Quixote and Miguel de Cervantes, who is the author of the classic. Everywhere you go in Spain they've got statues, pins, landmarks, etc all claiming that Cervantes lived here, or studied here, or died here, or whatnot. Alcalá boasts to be his birthplace, and even has his "house" which is now a museum. However, our tour guide told us he wasn't even born there. Love it. Anyways, I've always wanted to see the windmills that inspired Cervantes to write about crazy Don Quixote, and today was my chance!

All I've got to say is that they're called "WIND"mills for a reason. It was pretty blustery up there, and my outfit choice was not conducive to gusts of wind. Basically I walked around like a toy solider trying to keep myself from having another wardrobe malfunction the whole time we were walking around. In the end things went just fine with only a few minor close calls. Anyways, those windmills are very neat, but the sky and the scenery were even better. The clouds didn't even look real, and the scenery looked so much like Eastern Idaho that I had a spot of deja vu. I now understand why Don Quixote mistook the mills for giants, though.. those babies were huge! My favorite part was that there was that one of the "molinas" was converted into a store owned by a Spaniard who called everyone "bootiful". It was great. Oh, and I bought some Castilla de la Mancha saffron, so when I make my paella or Indian food at home I can put a little bit of Authentic Spain in there, too. I'm pretty excited!

Our trip was short and sweet. After seeing the molinas we headed back to Alcalá, played a little soccer, and now it is off to eat dinner and hit the sack. Pili told me we're having crepes tonight! The other day we told her we liked chocolate, and what do you know... today we came home to find about 9 Lindt chocolate bars in the fridge, the bowl on the table full of mini candy bars, and crepes filled with chocolate. Oh, and I can't forget that there were 2 huge bottles of chocolate syrup and caramel syrup on the counter. Pili and Fernando aim to please... and I like it.

Tomorrow it's off to Burgos! Hasta ahora

Day Thirty Six

You think you know Spanish.

And then you are taken to a theatre performance where you don't know what the heck is going on.

That was my experience today in good ol' Madrid when we went to see "La Moza de Cántaro" tonight after we went to the Prado and class. Actually, let's start there.

Today was test day... and needless to say, the whole group was a little more stressed than we've been in, oh, like 4 weeks. Class ended at 11 and the test wasn't til 1:30, so a bunch of us stuck around to try to make heads or tails of a lot of information about Romanization and the whole 9 yards, only stopping to get a Neopolitana as a little pick me up. Whew. The studying paid off though, because I think I passed. Now I can forget EVERYTHING about rosetones, absides, and the floor plan of a mosque.

After the test Natalie and I ran home for a quick lunch. Since Pili is a saint and knew we'd be in a hurry to catch the 3:30 train, she had lunch all ready for us when we got home- lentils with various vegetables and a potato/carrot gratin. It was really good- this woman is really getting the hang of her vegetables!

After eating I ran to the post office really fast to get my package, but 1. I went the first time without any form of identification so I had to 2. run back to the house and then 3. go back to the post office where the line was long, and 4. all on a very large time crunch. Yeah.... didn't get it today. Boo. Tomorrow is a new day!

At 3:30 we had to go back to El Prado. More Art History with Rebeca. Yay. No, it's really not that bad, I would much rather look at "the 2nd of May" first hand and learn about Goya than read it out of a textbook! It's just that every time I walk into El Prado, suddenly my feet kill me and waves of tiredness begin. Oh well! It was the last time at El Prado.... so I guess I can now tell my children I went to El Prado 4 times.

After Prado we had an hour to spare before it was time to go to our performance. Mabel organized food for us at this place called "Rodilla" which is basically Spain's version of Subway- these places are all over. I was pretty excited about my three little sandwiches- vegetal, ensaladilla, and crema de cacao- when I'd ordered them, but when I actually got them.... well that was a whole different story. The sandwiches were little triangles of white bread with the crusts cut off, and a shady filling in the middle. The crema de cacao was just chocolate, so I managed to eat that one just fine, but the other two were full of tuna and mayo. No thanks. I downed my Limón Fanta and said buen provecho.

The teatro was interesting. Like stated before, I didn't really follow it, but there were a couple funny parts you would have had to have been deaf and blind to not understand, so that was good. But besides that, I was just fidgety, hungry, and not following whatsoever. In a couple weeks we are going to "Carmen", a Flamenco Ballet, and I'm hoping that one is better- well, I know it'll be better because it's flamenco, and flamenco is turning out to be my cup of tea. OH, but you know what I am really excited for is MUSE. Yes, that is right. As a goodbye to Spain present, me and some friends are going to see THE band in Madrid. Outside. Live. My heart pounds harder as I write about it!!

So yes, that was basically the day as it went... oh, and something funny to end on. You know how when girls spend lots of time together their cycles start matching up? Well..... I think something of the sort is happening to our group. NO we are not all on the rag at the same time, though. Instead, we all wear the same colors on the same day. Saturday was purple day. Today, seafoam green. You probably don't find this very humorous, but please just bear with me and try to imagine walking into class in the morning and finding yourself surrounded with people all wearing the same color. It's funny... or maybe I am just not getting the necessary amounts of sleep? Anyways, that is all for today. Tomorrow starts bright and early with a trip to Camuñus for Corpus Christi. Til then!