Cuenca, Spain

Just got back from Cuenca today! It's a really small town about 2 hours southeast of Madrid. There wasn't really a lot to do there but it was definitely a beautiful town. The first thing we did was walked through a big park with crazy shaped rocks. Sounds kind of lame but it was really interesting. There was a path that lead you in a big circle so you could see the whole park. I guess it used to be some sort of body of water some centuries ago which is why there were a bunch of little caves and the rocks were shaped so cool. A lot of them were small and skinny at the bottom and then huge on top like a tornado shape. After the park we went and checked into our hotel, Cueva de Fraile, which was monastery in the 16th century. It was really nice we had a four bed room and there was a living room and then a downstairs with 2 more beds and a desk.

Casas Colgadas

Later we went on a walking tour from the top of one of the mountains to the bottom. It was so interesting because we were basically walking through a neighborhood but the streets were as small as sidewalks, and barely anyone was driving. On the tour we saw the famous "Casas Colgadas" (Hanging Houses), Cathedral of Cuenca, and the Museum of abstract are. Hanging houses are buildings that were built at the very edge of the mountains, if you open the window and look out you'll be looking into the valley. One of the buildings, actually, is the museum of abstract are. It was really interesting but not my favorite type of art. The Cathedral was so beautiful. It look kind of small on the outside but turned out to be pretty big inside. One really interesting thing inside was there was a figure of an angel in sculpture work near the ceiling and it is smiling. Well there are only 3 of these angels in the world and they say that if when the Apocalypse happens if you go to any of those three places you will be saved. 

Angel in Cathedral of Cuenca

Today we went to a place called Cuencaventura where they have numerous outdoor activies such as horseback riding, cliff jumping, ATVing, etc. Unfortunately, it was extremely cold this morning in Cuenca so I wasn't really up for jumping off cliffs into water. I went horseback riding instead and it was great! Saw some great landscapes, rode across a river, and through some woods. After we went to lunch in this little area with about 15 houses and one restaurant. Looked like a campground where all the cabins are, and so pretty with the mountains in the background.
Overall, Cuenca was a really beautiful town. Didn't spend much money, but this excursion was included in my program. I really can't imagine it being too expensive though. Definitely glad I got to spend the weekend in such a beautiful little town with so much history.

Spanish Bull Fight

I went to a bull fight the other day! The arena is really close to our apartment and the season ends in a couple weeks so we had to go. It was....an experience. I was kind of shocked when the first bull was killed but I kind of got used to it. I know that sounds horrible but I just kept thinking that we eat these things anyways. It might sound really insensitive but it made me feel better and I would just not watch at some points. I still can't believe that this is like a sport to these people. I understand that it takes courage to get in front of a bull....obviously, so I understand that the Matadores are highly respected but it just seems so horrible to me. I knew before I went that I would be thinking all of this but I can't say that I lived in Spain for 4 months and didn't see a bull fight. Especially since the arena is like 4 blocks away. It was pretty cool, after, the matadores paraded out of the arena and signed things for people on there way out and we got a picture with 2 of them. I can now say I have definitely experienced more of the Spanish culture, right? I probably won't be going to one again though.  

Barcelona

Sagrada Famili

This past weekend I went to Barcelona with a classmate, Arianna. We flew out of Madrid and it was probably the shortest flight of my life so that was nice. Ari has a friend in Barcelona so we were supposed to stay with her but her apartment situation fell through so we were stuck walking around Barcelona with our suitcases for the majority of the first day. Luckily we met up with another friend from class who was visiting the city with 3 of her girlfriends so we ended up going to their hostel and staying there. The first night was a lot of fun. At the youth hostels there are events that they set up every night for a good deal so we went out with them for the first night to a club on the beach. It was a lot of fun and it was really cool to be on the beach at the same time. The second day we walked around and went to the Park Guell which is a park with a lot of art by Gaudi. It is at the very top of a huge hill so you have to climb up the street and there are actually escalators to help you up because it is so high and steep. Once you are at the top you gradually walk down seeing all different kinds of art on the way down. There is a spot with a famous bench that I guess is the longest bench in the world and it is completely mosaic, really neat. Under neath a part of the park is this walkway/ cave where they filmed one of the seasons of America's Next Top Model. Later we walked around Las Ramblas which is one of the main streets in Madrid with lots of little venders and shops on it. There were a bunch of human statues that were pretty funny. (People that paint themselves and dress up like something and stand completely still until you put money in there little jar and they'll move) One was of Edward Scissorhands and i was interested to see what he did if you put money in his jar so I put like 10 cents in and he started snipping my hair like crazy (with his fake scissorhands) it was really funny. We also went to an outdoor market that had everything from Squid to boob shaped chocolate. It was really interesting and felt very European. The next day we went to Sagrada Familia, a huge cathedral designed by Gaudi. It was really amazing on the outside but definitely not worth going inside. We payed 12 euro to basically walk in the door and take some pictures. It has been under construction since 1909 so there really isn't anything to do inside because it is all blocked off by construction. Still pretty cool to say I was inside, I guess. On the last night I met up with my roommate from school because she was visiting from her studying abroad in France so that was really nice. Finally we went to our hostel and met an Australian lady who had basically the same life as the lady from "Eat Pray Love" which was so interesting. She was in a really bad marriage for a long time and finally got divorced and decided to go travel the world. She just broke up with her boyfriend of 2 years and has been traveling for 3 months throughout Europe and she plans on continuing her travels for at least 3 more months. Not exactly my lifestyle but pretty inspirational. Anyways, Barcelona was pretty amazing and I would definitely suggest it to any traveler. There was a lot to see and plenty to do.

New Experiences

Well last night we decided to go out for my roommate's birthday. Didn't really know where to go so we walked around the busy part of Madrid where there are a lot of small bars, shopping, and other touristy attractions. We saw a bar that looked interesting, small, dark, crowded, and there was a specials menu outside so we decided to go in. When we walked in we found out how small it really was, probably about 15' x 9'. We noticed there was a little hallway on the right so we squeezed between the bar and people and walked to the back finding no chairs or tables, but little circular cushions on the floor. We realized it was a hookah bar and felt too weird to just turn around and leave so we awkwardly sat down and looked at the menu. It was such a weird experience. I swear everyone there was a hippy or some sort of witch person, especially since a worker walked into the back room at one point and lit incense and said something in some weird language while shaking the incense in the air.  So we had a glass of sangria, got the bill, and left as quickly as possible. I think my hair still smells like smoke...
After that wonderful hookah bar we found a nice big Irish pub that felt so much more comfortable. It was a very interesting night and I'm sure there will be many more to come.

First trip and More

This past weekend we took a bus trip to Valencia. It was quite the experience because it was my first time staying in a hostel. One person in my program booked the hostels and it turned out that when we got there....the cab driver had never heard of the place and it didn't seem to be where the address said it was. Anyways, we went to another hostel which seemed very old which made it kind of creepy. Although it was old and creepy, it was very clean, which is all that matters. Well, I found out later hot water really matters too. Nope, no hot water at my first hostel. (cold showers are no bueno) After being woken up by a shocking cold shower we went to La ciudad de artes y ciencias (City of arts and sciences). There were four main parts to the "city" the opera house or theater for shows, the science museam, the cinema, and the aquarium. It was kind of expensive so we decided to only visit the aquarium since that seemed the most interesting. We saw many fish, seals, penguins, beluga whales, walruses, sharks, and finally a dolphin show. It was very interesting to go to a dolphin show in all Spanish, sometimes I didn't know if I should clap, laugh, not do anything, etc. We didn't really do anything else in Valencia because we got there really late on Friday night and left pretty early on Sunday. It was a very pretty city, however. It was very touristy so I'm sure there is a lot more to do there. I know now that I should probably research a little bit more of what there is to do before I just pick up and leave.

Today I found out about an ESL (English as a Second Language) workshop and signed up right away. It is a workshop to teach you how to teach English to Spanish speaking adults and or children. I'm very excited about that and will be sure to post more info soon.

Hasta Luego

A walk through Madrid

Plaza Mayor

Egyptian Temple

Group at Plaza Mayor

Yesterday we  went on a tour of historic Madrid. It was so exciting for me because I have been learning about this stuff since freshman year of high school and I finally saw it in person. First we met with our tour guide at La Plaza del Sol which is what they also call el kilometro cero (the zero kilometer mark) because it is the exact center of Spain. From there, we walked around and saw the house where La Plaza Mayor, an interesting monastery, the oldest bar in the world, the Royal Palace, and so much more. La Plaza Mayor is a huge court that was once a place where they held bull fights for the king and public executions of criminals. Today people walk through, there are some shops and cafes where people can eat and drink. The monastery is really interesting because the nuns have taken a vow to never see anyone or be seen so they stay there and raise money by making amazing dulces (sweets) and you press the doorbell and say "quiro dulces"...they let you in and the nuns are behind this window that you can't see through.. you drop your money and they give you these famous dulces they make.

I have to go to the "oldest bar in the world" in the world again too! It's called Botín and it closes down on Thanksgiving day every year and serves Thanksgiving dinner! Not exactly my tradition but close enough and I'm excited to see what it's like.

Today we saw an Egyptian temple. Didn't really get the story behind it but it was definitely interesting to see. Tomorrow we are going to check out the market, like a flea market.
More exciting stories to come! Hasta Luego!

Primeros Dias

Arrived in Madrid yesterday! When I got off the plane there was a person there to pick me up and take me to the hotel that I stayed at for the first night. The hotel was a really nice and modern place. We went out and walked around to explore our new hometown, sat down for some dinner outside and got to know each other. Today we woke up, bright and early, and got a mini tour of the city on our way to the CEA (study abroad program) building where we had our first day of orientation. Right now there are 9 people in my program and we all moved into our housing today, 5 of us are in one apartment building and 4 are in another, sort of across the city. The two boys in our apartment building are at the very top floor in a "quaint" little apartment. Me and the other 2 girls are in the basement apartment and is the best flat in the building. Don't worry family and friends, there are bars covering the windows. We have a landlady that acts as our house mom during our stay. She made us dinner tonight and it was amazing! Pasta, potatoes chicken, and bread. (Pretty good carb to meat ratio) That's all for tonight, getting up at 6:30 for my second day of orientation.
Besos!