Una Semana Fantastica

06/02/08
Bueno, I’m sitting on the bus headed to Cordoba, the past two days in Seville have been amazing! We left Alcalá at eight, and rode about two hours to Mérida, which was once a very Romanized city around 20 B.C. It was so neat being in a city that was so ancient! Spain was home to the second greatest number of Roman citizens behind Italy, so there influence was very strong in certain parts of Spain. My favorite part about the city was visiting the Roman Amphitheatre. The Roman pillars and stage have all been well preserved, which helped me to be able to visualize the plays and performances held there. I just could not get over how old everything was that where I was sitting was built before the time of Christ’s birth. After several hours of exploring the Roman ruins we got back on the bus headed towards Seville. We arrived around ten, checked into the hotel and then walked around the city a little bit. The next morning Sarah, Suzy, Dani, and I went for a run around eight- we didn’t go off the main road too much because we had no idea if we’d be able to get back to our hotel. We came back, got ready for the day, and then enjoyed the amazing continental breakfast! I was so grateful for the yummy food because the hotel in Toledo gave us two sugary muffins. Hotel America definitely delivered for us. Then we headed off to the cathedral, which was beautiful. We were able to climb 35 floors to the top of the church and look out over the whole city, it was breathtaking! After the cathedral we went to the Alcazar, which is my favorite place ever! Some of the walls were the prettiest yellow, contrasting with others that were bleached white. With almost every street lined in orange trees there was the most amazing scent of oranges in the air. Everything about Seville reminded me of being close to the beach, the air, the colors, the palm trees, yet we weren’t, but the Guadalquivir River did run around it. The Alcazar was the royal palace of Seville built in 913, and King Pedro the Cruel was responsible for most of the renovations. Although Christians built the palace, the architecture was Moorish and it was so intricate and fabulous. They used a lot of tile, which made everything more beautiful. Everything was gorgeous, the ceilings, floors, windows, you get the picture. The endless gardens were my favorite, full of fountains, oranges, and the loud chatter of birds. This was definitely my favorite palace so far, everything about it made me smile. I can see why many of the royal families would live there during the summer months. It felt like mid-May in Seville, like 70 degrees beautiful. The sun felt amazing on my skin; I could have laid in one spot all day and been content, well not really, but yes maybe. Underneath the palace Pedro had a gigantic bath built solely filled with rainwater for one of his favorite wives, don’t worry he had about 800 women in his harem! I hung out with mostly Sarah, Rachel, John-Charles, and Erica and we had a great time. During each of the trips the big group somehow splits into smaller ones and then you pretty much hang out with them the whole day. After walking around the palace for a few hours, we ate our sandwich we had made from the food at breakfast- best idea ever. Then we walked along the river, enjoying the brilliant sunshine. I talked to one older Spanish man for awhile about the elections going on in the U.S., it was great being able to talk in Spanish; unfortunately, when we are in a big group it seems like we always talk in English and I don’t like it. We went to a few museums, one full of mudejar artifacts. Mudejars were the Muslims who remained in Seville when they were ordered to leave. The tension between Muslims and Christians was an endless battle in the history of Spain; the two groups found it very difficult to convivencia, or live together. That night we grabbed some dinner and then headed back to the hotel to meet up with the big group going to a flamenco show. The flamenco was amazing! I loved the castanets, the giant flower on top of the women’s heads, the dresses, the clapping, ‘olays’ and the passion of the dancers. It was almost two hours long and we all came out as flamenco wannabes, stomping our feet and clapping our hands, it was great. This morning four of us went for the best run along the river as the sun was rising and then back through the city. The weather is so amazing in Southern Spain! Then we packed up, ate some breakfast, and then shopped around a little bit before the bus arrived.
07/02/08
We arrived in Cordoba, checked into the hotel and then headed off to the Mezquita. It was so beautiful and warm outside as we were walking to the once Islamic mosque built in the 700s, but as we walked in the temperature dropped and the lights went dim. As my eyes adjusted to the lighting I saw the endless red and white arches, they seemed to go on forever! It was absolutely incredible; I could not get over how massive and empty the building was, 85,000 square feet! It was a place of worship for Muslims until the 1200s when Cordoba was taken over by the Christians, and unfortunately during their reign they built a Roman Catholic cathedral right in the middle of the mosque and it looks somewhat random because of the extreme contrast in styles of architecture. Although it was pretty strange to see the cathedral, I thought it was a great representation of the mixing of cultures that occurred as Christianity began to spread throughout Spain. I walked around for quite awhile admiring the architectural feats of the building and then we left to walk the streets of ancient Cordoba. The buildings are all white and most of them have beautiful hanging pots of flowers randomly placed all along the walls. The streets are all cobblestone, like every city in Spain, and oh so narrow! I just love walking around with no destination in mind. We crossed the Roman bridge as the sun was setting and I swear at that moment I could not have been happier. I swear that is like every moment here in Spain though; everyday is the best day ever. For some reason the question came into my head that sometimes people ask, “If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would you be?” and let me tell you that it is the most incredible feeling to say “Right here!” A small group of us walked around all afternoon and evening and around eight we walked into a plaza where there was a group of gypsies dancing around in a circle, one was playing the guitar, another the violin, and a woman was singing along, surprisingly very well. Of course we quickly joined in and they invited us into their group instantly- it was so sweet, I mean you can not beat dancing with gypsies. At this time it was Brock, John-Charles, Rachel, Sarah, and I and we walked to a park and sat down by this pretty fountain and were telling funny instances involving our host families- we were laughing so much, and talking in Spanish, it was great. On the way back to the hotel we saw Professor Shumway and his wife Cathy holding hands going out to dinner, and it made me so happy that they are having some time to themselves here in Spain, I can’t imagine bringing seven kids here! I roomed with Sarah last night, wow I love that girl. She is so funny and we have the best time together. This morning we caught the sunrise again and ran around the city a little bit and then headed back to the hotel for breakfast, yummy bread and hot chocolate. After that we got ready and then went to the Alcazar. Cordoba was one of the chief cities of the inquisition and we actually walked up to the tower of the Inquisition and it felt a bit scary and sad knowing that so many people were tortured and killed in that exact location. I am so grateful that I am able to practice my religion freely. The castle was amazing; I loved exploring through it and the gardens surrounding it- so beautiful! I love all of the fountains here in Spain. After our exploration we found a market, bought some pan, meat, and cheese and made ourselves a bocadillo for the trip to Granada. I am so excited to get there and see the Alhambra, but we still have about another two hours on the bus! Adios.
09/02/08 1:00 PM
We are on the road back home and I’m somewhat sad that I have to get back to classes and studying. I loved my time in Granada, the Alhambra was absolutely gorgeous. We entered around four and spent two glorious hours looking at the palace, the Alcazaba, and my favorite the Generalife gardens. The Moorish architecture in the palace was so intricate; I could not believe the detail! Every wall, ceiling, and archway was so ornate and fabulous. The Alcazaba is another part of the Alhambra. It was the strongest Muslim fortress, until it fell to the Christians in January of 1492. As I was climbing through the castle I tried to imagine what life would have been like for the Moors trying to defend themselves against the powerful Ferdinand and Isabella. I imagine there was a lot of fear amongst the people because their odds of winning were very small, seeing that every other Muslim fortress in Spain had been conquered. As Sarah and I were walking through the gardens outside of the castle we were also trying to imagine the life of the young people during this time. The Alhambra was full of Muslims because when each city was conquered, many would flee to Granada for safety. The city is so beautiful and the gardens and fountains in the Alhambra are enchanting and romantic in every way. I bet there were some great love stories that came out of this city! It is hard to fully capture the magnificence of the gardens in words or pictures. Every time I would take a picture I always felt that the photo did not do justice to what my eyes were seeing. We were walking through the gardens as the sun was setting, the sun was shining on the flowers and shimmering on the water of the ponds and in the distance I could see the outline of the castle walls and towers. Every part of me was smiling! The Alhambra closed at six, so we left and hiked up the steepest street in history for about twenty minutes to watch the sunset over the city. I was sitting up on this very high wall with a guitarist, playing songs with the rhythm of Jack Johnson but in Spanish, to my left and people from the group to my right overlooking the lights of Granada and the glowing Alhambra. I love my life. We walked down the steep hill awhile later and we all stopped in at a Kebab restaurant, which changed my life. I had never had a kebab before. It is a type of sandwich/hamburger/amazing type thing. They have this huge thing of meat rotating on this machine and they cut it off the bone and put it in the yummy bread with lettuce and salsa. Wow, my mouth was so happy! We went back to the hotel after walking around for a bit and we found out that Caitlin had bought a guitar that day so Brock started playing it and we were all singing. It was the perfect ending to the great day. This morning we woke up and had an amazing breakfast at the hotel and then walked around in the city. I bought an awesome bag and some cool head band type things that make me feel like a Moorish princess. I absolutely loved Granada, it is so beautiful and full of history, and every minute was amazing.
09/02/08 10:30 PM
Amy and I are home! Wow what an incredible viaje, it could not have been any better. On the six hour drive home we stopped at the windmills that inspired Cervantes to write Don Quijote. It was so windy, but it felt great to stretch our legs and run around a little bit. We got home about an hour ago and we met the other student who will be here for a month who is from Japan. She is darling, but the poor thing hardly knows any Spanish at all. Ana had an amazing dinner ready for us; it felt so good to see her! I really do love her so much. After dinner she brought out a huge plate of crepes that she and her sister had made earlier today, wow I was in heaven! It feels good to be home!

This week has been so great! School went well; I go to class Monday through Thursday at nine and am done by two. I am really enjoying my classes, but what I really need to do is sit down and really study Spanish! It is hard for me to read so much in English because I feel like with each page my Spanish is getting worse. Que lastima! Wednesday a group of us went to the temple in Madrid and it was amazing! The temple is so beautiful and it was a great experience to do baptisms in Spanish. We met the most amazing woman there, she is currently serving her fourth mission here in Madrid and I had the best time talking with her. She and her husband have served in Argentina, Southern California, Chile, and now Spain- all Spanish speaking and she knew nothing was she was first called to Argentina! I hope to be able to serve as a missionary some day. Monday before History 202 started I found out that President Hinckley had passed away Sunday evening. I could not believe what I heard, my heart hurt all day. I felt so selfish because I should be happy that he is now with his wife whom he missed so much, but I was just so sad that I would not be hearing from him anymore. Even though I do not know him personally, I feel that he knows me and loves me. I know that he was a prophet of God and I am so grateful for all that he has done for the church in his lifetime, especially his zeal for temple work, never ending optimism, and love of learning. The other day as I was walking home from class a couple stopped me and asked me for directions to somewhere I had not heard of. I was so excited that they were asking me for directions because that must mean that I look like I could belong here. Well I did not know what they were looking for, but for some reason a list of directions came out of my mouth, I didn’t want to simply say no sé! Unfortunately this week the wireless network that we had been using here in the apartment became locked. I tried to guess the password, but failed and so now the luxury of having the internet whenever I want no longer exists- que triste. Friday we went to Madrid and visited the Palacio Real. The king still works there and it is only open to the public on certain days. The rooms were so extravagant and massive. I couldn’t help but picture myself in a gorgeous gown entering the royal ball when I was walking down the staircase. The other day Amy and I discovered this park close to our house that has outside exercise machines. They aren’t fancy or anything, the resistance is your body weight, but nonetheless we were quite happy with our find. I went the other day and a man came over and gave me pointers on how to make this one machine a more effective workout. I love the old men here, they are honestly my favorite! Last night we went into Madrid in the evening, we walked through the gardens behind the Royal Palace and also Parque Oeste which was fantastic. The parks here are so beautiful. Then we caught the metro, along with the rest of Spain, to the plaza to watch the parade. This weekend is El Carnaval in Spain and so there are lots of things going on, everyone is in costume and having a good time. The parade was great, from gothic looking people on stilts to older men dressed as cheerleaders; there was so much to see! It seems like the Spanish are always celebrating something and I love it. I got back pretty late, but Ana had just gotten home and Amy as well so we all had dinner together and then watched a movie in Spanish afterwards. Church was especially great today because I understood so much! There were great lessons in Relief Society and Sunday school and then fast and testimony meeting. I bore my testimony, which was very nerve racking because it was my first time ever doing that in Spanish, but I felt the spirit so strong and that gave me comfort. We leave on a week long trip Tuesday morning and I can’t wait!

Toledo

Oh my goodness I haven't written in so long! Not good... well last weekend I visited one of the most enchanting cities. I absolutely loved the narrow cobblestone streets, giant castle, and beautiful cathedral of Toledo. Toledo welcomes each visitor with an enchanting view of a city built upon a hill, with a castle at the highest point. The city took my breath away; it was so beautiful, old, and full of history. I imagined the Moors walking up the same street as I was to begin their battle against the Visigoths. We arrived Friday morning and our first stop was the cathedral. The architecture is phenomenal and there is so much detail in the doorways and throughout the entire cathedral that it could occupy one’s entire day admiring all of the work. We spent a few hours there and I could have stayed longer if it had not been so terribly cold inside. My favorite part of the cathedral was the room for the choir; I loved the detailed wooden seats, the beautiful organ, and the marble statue of the Virgin Mary that stood at the entrance. I especially like the statue because Mary was holding baby Jesus and she had the most humble and sincere smile on her face. I had never seen a statue like that and I loved how the artist portrayed Mary’s happiness and love for her new son, Jesus Christ. Saturday morning, I went with a small group to the mass held in the chapel at the cathedral. I am so glad I went because it was such a neat experience! Christianity played a major role in the formation of Spain and I felt like I had been transported back in time when I heard the priest begin to sing in Spanish. This Catholic mass was composed mostly of song, the Priest only spoke for about five or so minutes and most of it was verses from the New Testament. There were several men in robes besides the priest and I am not quite sure what their titles are in the organization of the church, but they all participated in the songs and sacrament. Although I did not feel the strong influence of the Holy Ghost during mass, I did feel peace as I listened to the music and words of the priest. I know that the Catholic faith has part of the truth and it seems to me that the Priest and his other counselors truly love God and try to live their lives in a righteous manner. Friday night eight other students and I decided to go on a guided tour concerning the mysteries of Toledo. We met our two guides, who were both dressed in all black with leather jackets and matching arm bands, above a restaurant in the plaza and after some explanation and a free drink we began our mysterious journey through the dark streets of Toledo. The two men told us about secret cults, ghost stories, haunted houses, witches, and mummies. Many of the ghost stories came about because of the deaths in the Guerra Civil. They told us that many ghosts returned to their families to finish business that they were unable to complete before their unexpected death. I loved every minute I was in Toledo, although we talked about not romanticizing cities, I truly was enchanted by this beautiful city in Spain. I loved the small streets, antique buildings, beautiful vistas, and the strong presence of history that the city continues to hold.

Museos

I've decided to take a break from my reading for World Civilizations and document some of what I have been doing. School has been going great, I like all of my classes- especially Spanish. I have an amazing teacher who really wants to help us learn the language. For example, today she spent almost the whole two hours of class reviewing and giving several examples of a few confusing concepts that I've been struggling with for so long! I am definitely going to learn so much this semester. Yesterday after lunch a group of us went to Madrid to visit Reina Sofia Museum of Modern Art. It was such a neat place, so abstract, but so awesome. My favorite by far was Picasso's Guernica, it is massive and so expressive. I also loved Picasso's statue of Mujer en el Jardin because it reminded me of my mom out in the garden during the summer. Salvador Dali's paintings were also some of my favorites, I've never seen such abstract art in my life, but I loved it. The museum containes some interesting pieces of art such as a canvas with a huge smear of blue paint and one black dot, or a white canvas with thirteen black dots and one red one. A group of friends and I had a fun time analyzing what the artists' intents were. Today after school a group of us went to Madrid to visit the Museo de las Americas museum. It was pretty neat seeing ancient artifacts from the Aztecs and Incas. The museum helped bring some of the reading I've been doing for class to life. I talked with Ana quite a bit yesterday and I just love talking with her, well I just love talking in Spanish. I asked her about her thoughts on Franco and that itself was a good thirty minute conversation. We leave for Toledo tomorrow on the bullet train at 9:00am, I'm excited!

El Prado

Yesterday we met at the train station at 10:00am to go to the Museo del Prado. It was the most amazing art museum I've ever seen! We admired the art for several hours and only saw a few main artists like Velazquez and Goya, so we will definitely be returning soon. It was incredible to see the paintings that I've heard so much about, like Las Meninas and Goya's dark works, I enjoyed every painting. Amy, Erica, Sarah, and I sat outside in the sun afterwards and ate our lunches that our madres had packed for us. It was such a beautiful warm day! Then we decided to do a little shopping downtown by the Puerta del Sol and we topped off the perfect day with delicious gelato ice cream. Church was great today, the members of the ward are friendly and from what I can understand the lessons and talks are great. The ward pianist is my favorite, he plays as if he is in concert. The prelude music and every hymn we sing is a work of art, I love how music brings the Spirit so quickly into the room. We just had a yummy lunch, and talked for about an hour afterwards with Ana. I just love her! I feel like I've known her for so long, but it has only been una semana, que loco.

I love Madrid

Last night a big group of us went to La Cabana, a discoteca here in Alcala. Wow, it was so much fun! There was a mix of Spanish and English music and we all got our groove on for a few hours. After La Cabana we went to another discoteca called the Cancan and stayed there until about 2:30am, returning to our apartment with sore legs and a strong smell of smoke lingering in our clothing and hair. It felt so good to just let go and dance like crazy and it was pretty obvious that the Spanish guys were glad we were there! This morning we woke up and met up with a group to play futbol at the sports facilities at the university. It was about a 15 minute bus ride to get there, but it was so worth it because when we got there I saw the track! I had a great run with Amy and a fun soccer game afterwards. After a delicious lunch of soup and spanish tortilla we met up with a group to go to Madrid. We walked around for about four hours admiring all of the amazing buildings and taking lots of pictures. The city is so beautiful, the ambiance of the city is like no other.

Last night was amazing! A group of us went to Madrid for the first time and I fell in love. It reminded me of New York City, but 100x more romantic and antique looking. We walked around, visited the Plaza Mayor and La Puerta del Sol. The architecture is the most beautiful I've ever seen. The streets are full of action, from bands to a man on stilts doing an interpretive dance of a tree in the wind. I could have walked around all night and never have been bored. We were there for four or five hours and hardly saw a glimpse of what is in Madrid, I can't wait to see more!






Classes have started and they are going to be great. I really like my Spanish teacher Angelica, I know I am going to learn a lot this semester from her, she seems like a great teacher. There is going to be quite a bit of reading for my history 2o2 and hist 390 classes, but they both are going to be really interesting. Ana has been cooking delicious food for Amy and me and it has been great getting to know her better. I've been trying to talk with her as much as I can and I hope I start improving soon! Tonight Amy and I held our own exercise class in the living room, Ana got a good laugh when she walked out and saw us doing squats in our gym clothes to Amy's mini ihome.



These are the windows in front of the Opera House in Madrid, they looked pretty sweet so yes we took a picture.



This is a church we walked into while in Madrid, it was so beautiful inside and felt sacred. It was crazy to me that it was right there in the middle of all the stores and cafes.

This is the tree man that we saw in the Plaza Mayor, he was quite the sight!