Huelga General

After finishing my weekend update ... I still have the blogging bug. So, as I sit here in a meditative mood (smelling the lovely incense that Elena has just lit) I'm going to blog a bit more. Hopefully you're not tired of listening to me by now ...

So, you might be wondering why I've had so much time to write today (when I would normally be in class) - Today all over Spain was was a Huelga General (general strike). Here's the website organizing the strike. This strike encompassed workers across all lines of work and (as far as I've gathered) was basically a way to communicate the people's displeasure at the government's financial/economic decisions over the past few years. Specifically, the government was planning to instate some kind of new tax or fee that was going to impact working class jobs. So today, people all over the country stopped working and protested. UC3M didn't cancel classes but Stetson cancelled ours and asked us not to use public transportation today (many of the transport workers were striking and delays were anticipated). So I've had the day free to explore what I could in my neighborhood. Lindsay and I tried a little geocaching (unsuccessful) and had a nice walk along the river. It was weird walking around ... I didn't see any signs of protest of violence. Actually, the streets felt kind of empty. Lindsay's senora had told her than many businesses would remain closed today because business would be light or non-existent. Daily shopping (for bread and produce) is very big in Spain but many people shopped yesterday to avoid having to go out during the strike. Out on the streets, it felt like a lazy Sunday (not the usual hump day Wednesday) and it was strange ... but that is the only signs I saw of any strike.

I have since heard that there were protests and even some confrontations between picketers and police in other parts of Madrid and Spain. Elena went to work today anticipating problems - but said that the day was actually very normal. She left early (cause she takes the metro to work) and arrive to work with time to spare. I found this quote that seems to sum up what I sensed today:

"The strike's impact has depended on particular sectors. While Spanish industry has been significantly affected, commercial operations have continued to operate, largely without incident. Although there were tense moments during the earlier half of the day, most of the country's transportation have remained active, although offering limited service; it was of particular note that the capital's Metro system continued to function, given the massive impact of its full scale shut down during a company-wide strike this past summer." (Read the full article)

Essentially the day was pretty relaxing for me. In all honesty, I probably could have gotten to school and back without problems. But hindsight's 20/20 and all that ... It was probably a good call for Stetson to let us stay home, cause in the tense environment of a strike you never know what might break out. In general, a lazy day for me ... but a definite sign of general unrest in Spain. Today's strike might make the history books some day - who knows. It will be interesting to see what Spain's future holds.

Barcelona 3: Picasso and Human Towers

Todays agenda began with the final sight that we just had to see in Barcelona: The Picasso Museum. This museum is a really neat look at the artists work because it begins with his earliest childhood works (when he was about 14) and progresses through his developments in style until he finally reaches the cubist style that the word "Picasso"brings to mind today. Interesting tidbit: Picasso was his mothers last name. His earliest works are signed Ruiz-Picasso but later in his life (while studying in Paris) Picasso dropped his father's last name and kept only his mother's last name (he was closer to her) Some interesting moments in the museum include a sad phase when Picasso painted paintings almost entirely in blue tones. He also has some paintings that are impressionist in quality when Picasso begins

to break from a realist depiction. Finally, my favorite section of the museum was the room of "Las Meninas" paintings. Remember this painting by Velazquez (top left). Well, one whole room of the museum was devoted to Picasso's copies of this painting. He painted many of them. Some paintings isolated only one character and experimented with interpretations of that person'd face. In others he painted 2 or 3 of the characters - and in others he reproduced the entire painting. It was a fascinating look into the artistic process. For example, in this black and white representation the image of Velazques

(the painter on the left) is gigantic while the images of the king and queen reflected in the back wall's mirror have been reduced to white smudges. Similar changes and experimentation occur when Picasso paints this image in color. The crazy Crayola colors he uses are fun and encourage this idea of playing with the work of another artist. I read a quote from my guide book that I loved. "As a child, he was taught to paint as an adult. Now, as an old man (with little kids of his own) he paints like a child." This museum was most interesting because it allowed us to follow Picasso through that backward feeling development from "adult" to "child" in his works. It was a beautiful journey and this museum was a special peak into the mind of one of the world's greatest artists. I am so glad we were able to see it during our short time in Barcelona!

The next item on our agenda was another Merce event - the human towers competition. This competition is exactly what it sounds like. Different groups come together and build themselves into towers made completely by people, without any kind of air or support. This exhibition was truly impressive. I was speaking with Kristine

(another girl in our group) about it afterward about the almost primitive beauty of this event. A kind of strength and power that lies the human body - natural and unaided. These people built themselves up to towering heights using only the body - the human body that we all share - and triumphed. It was neat to see the triumph - in a world of steroids and enhancement drugs. This competition lacked the "win or nothing" atmosphere that often lingers around competitions in America. This seemed more like a challenge against nature and a triumph for all humans - that our bodies can accomplish tremendous feats and we shouldn't forget that. Altogether - this was an impressive event and I am so glad we were able to see it. However, this was the last item we had

planned for the day before our evening flight back to Madrid. We walked back through Las Ramblas again for some last minute shopping. We lunched at the Opera Cafe (across the street from the Opera) which boast a opening date of 1929 and was quaint and cute inside (with a surprisingly local feel and cheap prices to boot). Along the Ramblas we saw another display in a building that said Merce at the top and walked in to find Giants! These beautiful, big people were the one traditional "event" of La Merce that we missed. These large creatures were walking around the plaza by the Cathedral during our first day here but (still in an unfamiliar city) we didn't make it over to see them on Friday. However, it was still really neat to be able to see them on display and imagine them gracefully strolling around the plaza. After this though, we walked back up the street to Plaza Catalunya for a rest and then headed back to the hostel for our bags (that we'd left there after checking out that morning). Then it was off to the airport and home to Madrid (our flight only an hour delayed this time). Exhausted doesn't even begin to cover how I was feeling Sunday night (before a Monday full of classes) but I left Barcelona with no regrets.

Hope you're made it through these enormous posts ... and hopefully I'm not exhausting you with my detailed accounts. Sorry - there's just lots that I want to share. Miss you all. Besos.

Barcelona 2: Rambling and Running with Fire

Saturday we got up early and Rick Steves (our guidebook guide) led John, Lindsay and I down Las Ramblas. This street is a bustling thoroughfare for shopping and people-watching. The name literally means the ramblings ... so we stayed true to name and enjoyed a morning ramble down the road. There's a fountain in the Ramblas, legend claims, that promises those who drink from it will return to Barcelona - so drink we did. We continued down the street past living statues, booth selling birds, flowers (even pet chipmunks). There was a food market off to the side and we wandered (I mean rambled) into it next. There were towers of beautiful fruits and candies. There were also piles of fish on ice. I got a bit of a scare when a lobster moved - the live crustaceans thenmade me a little sad ... especially the poor crab squirming on its back. We left that section quickly and headed into the meats. Here we found something else interesting - a meat package bearing the label "Huevos." According to my guide book this is quite a delicacy in Spain. What is itdo you ask? Are you sure you want to know? Very well... this package contained "huevos de toro," which I am sorry to define, means bull testicles. Ughh. Needless to say, this is a purchase I did not make. Lindsay did buy a pack of coconut to share for a light, lovely morning snack. As we continued out Ramble, we saw another Gaudi house - one of his earlier,less dramatic modernist exploits. We also walked through a long line of tents filled with jewelry and artisan crafts for sale. Lindsay and I thoroughly enjoyed this ... and John was a good sport. At the end of Las Ramblas we arrived at the Colombus monument where weate our coconut by a lion and rested our feet. Interesting fun fact: the Colombus on the statue is pointing in the wrong direction. He is supposed to point to the New World ... but instead is pointing toward the sea (here the Mediterranean Sea not the Atlantic). We then made our way back north to see the Cathedral of Barcelona. On our way we encountered our first Merce festival event - a parade of people doing a traditional dance with wooden sticks. This was a neat surprise and was fun to watch. They would dance around to different partners (all moving in a manner that was both well coordinated and synchronized) while hitting their sticks together and spinning them around. There were groups dancing that ranged in age from 6-year-olds to adults. It was a fun cultural surprise. After this we saw the cathedral - which was an beautiful example of Catalonian Gothic architecture. The cathedral touches several major plazas in this part of town and is very nearthe town hall; so we passed town hall on our way back to the port. There appeared to me something going on in the town hall so we entered it curiously to find a display of dragons! No not real dragons. These were artfully crafted dragons ranging in size from my height to about 8 feet tall about about as wide. They were very well made and beautifully painted. Also, each had several metal spikes and clamps around its mouth(s) and tail. We realize that these were the dragons from the "Correfoc." This Merce event loosely translates to "Fire Run" and is one of the events that I really wanted to see in Barcelona. We surmised that fireworks must be attached to the metal spikes so that the dragons appear to breath fire. This exhibit got us excited and we made sure we had the time and place for the parade correct so that we would be back to the route in time.

We then made our way back to the port in the direction of a Cable Car that Lindsay wanted to ride. We enjoyed walking past all the

docks and had a lovely lunch at a tapas restaurant by the water. However, when we finally reached the Cable Car lift they were no longer selling return tickets (just one way). Not wanting to get stuck on the mountain, we opted out and instead decided to walk along the beach. I can now say I've dipped my toes in the chilly Mediterranean Sea. It was beautiful and blue. The sand was rougher than back home (a little rockier) but by then end of our walk my feel felt pedicure-smooth so that was nice. We proceeded from the beach to another church that Isabel had recommended we see: Santa Maria del Mar. It was pretty - more open feeling with its wide gothic arches. We were surprised to find someone getting married in the church though - WHILE tourists entered and wandered about. We think they just rented the front part for the wedding and it was a little weird to be inside while a ceremony was going on. But at the same time - they were still so far away that we could barely hear the priest. And I suppose the tourists were a small price to pay to be married somewhere so grand. After this church, we continued on to the Museo Xocolata (Chocolate Museum) for the sole purpose of visiting the gift shop. We had more of that delicious hot chocolate - I cannot reiterate how good this is! From here it was a quick walk to the parade route ... and the CorreFoc was about to start!

One word captures the spirit of this parade: Intense! We arrived at the route at about 7:30 and we already saw sparklers in the street. (We later learned that this was the Kids Correfoc and that the adult one would start later - around 8:30). We rushed up the parade line and crowded in to see the street - at first, I was taken aback. Skipping down the street were children with fountain sparklers attached to long sticks. They would light the firework, hold it into the air and spin it, whirling the sparks out in all directions. This seemed dangerous at first glance, but in reality the kids were well protected in their fireproof dragon suits and masks. They also had little sparkler shooting dragons that they would push down the street. We noticed too that spectators were all well covered for protection from the sparks and smoke - with long sleeves, pants, scarves and goggles. However, occasionally, when a sparker-bearing child got too close to the crowd, we had to duck our heads to avoid the flying sparks. In general, by the end of the parade I had gotten the impression that we were in for an intense real "Correfoc" if this was the version for kids.

So, at the end of the kids parade, the crowd flooded the street and followed the parade, so John, Lindsay and I joined in the march. We wend down the street a few blocks and ended at the plaza by the Cathedral (which turned out to be the starting point for the Correfoc!) It

was about 7:50 and we asked a friendly policeman when the parade would start. Upon learning that the parade wouldn't start for another 40 minutes, Lindsay and I ran to a nearby street vendor a few blocks away to buy cheap scarves - for protection and then hurried back to the starting place. Darkness fell as 8:30 approached. Then, when the parade was about to begin, the streetlights were turned off and down the street we could see the shadow of a big arch with a dragon head on the top. Suddenly a fireworks display goes off around the arch, illuminating it. (Bear in mind that this arch is situated between two buildings!) And then, with

that the parade commenced! The structure of the parade consisted of three main elements: sparklers, drums and dragons! The sparker twirlers were similar to the ones from the children's parade except much more intense. These twirlers would brazenly approach the crowd and shower us in sparks or shoot sparks at our feet making us jump. The crowd in turn would rush under the whirling sparks to dance under the falling umbrella of fire. I took a short video of the sparkler twirlers. The next element of the parade were the drum corps. These bands of drummers would pound out heavy beats that only helped enhance the intensity of the parade. They drummed with a fury that would drive away dragons and devils .... and speaking of dragons! The dragons were of course the coolest element of the parade. They were indeed the dragons we had seen on display earlier in the day ... but at night they were lit into life. Each dragon had a team of

people who would light it, push it until the fountains ran out, reload it and then light it again, all the way down the parade route. Again, a video of the Dragons. The energy propelling this parade was absolutely incredible. It was a stream fire accompanied by heavy drums and the sporadic bangs at the end of each fountain. This continued for (I kid you not) an hour and 45 minutes. My feet ached but I couldn't bring myself to retreat into the crowd to sit on the benches. The energy of the parade was compelling and I even found myself dancing under a sparkler before the night was through. It was an intense ride and I feel so lucky to have been a part of this special Barcelonian celebration. Viva La Merce!

We slept very well that night.

Barcelona 1: Getting to know Gaudí

First, a dedication. I would like to dedicate this blog to Mim to thank her for my Rick Steves Spain guidebook. This book served as an excellent source of info everywhere we went and we couldn't have done so much in one weekend without it - so Thanks Mim! Now to the blog ...

Spending a weekend in Barcelona made for an action packed weekend. There was so much to see (especially because this weekend was La Merce festival) and my feet ached by the end of the second day! But, we really pounded the pavement and packet it in to see as much this weekend as possible and it was fantastic! Though ... the trip did not begin with a bang. Out flight (scheduled for 9:45 pm on Thursday) did not take off until 12:15 am Friday morning. However, I did actually bring some homework with me so the delay was surprisingly productive. Our delay put us into the empty Barcelona airport at about 2 am and we had to taxi to the hostel (not a bad fare split 3 ways) and arrived into our 12-person room to find two poor people trying to sleep while we moved it. It couldn't be helped and we were as quiet as possible (once we realized they were there). Our hostel was pretty decent. Our room had 6 bunks and a security locker for each bunk. We even got a bottom lenin for free ... though we had to pay for a top sheet and towel. lol. Exhausted, we all quickly fell asleep on the surprisingly cushy mattresses - thus spending our first night in Catalonia.

The next morning, I arose early to enjoy the hostel's (nice and clean) shower and the free breakfast. Then, I set out with John and Lindsay (the other early risers) and we ventured out to explore. We opted for the clique double-decker tourist bus for our first day as it gave us a good overview and helped orient us to the city. The weather was pleasant with cool breeze and warm sun on the top deck of our bus. The first sights (very near to our hostel) were two buildings designed by architect Antoni Gaudi - a pioneer of the catalan modernist style. Casa Battlo (Battle House) was a house inspired by the story of Saint George slaying the dragon and includes a roof of shimmering scales and pillars of victims' bones supporting the balconies. The tours then circled the northwest sights of the city including the Olympic Park (Barcelona Summer Olympics 1992), Montujc Hill where there's an old castle and a great view, The Pueblo (a collection of Spanish architecture from across the ages), and the Caixa Forum building. The bus made it's way to the sea and took us by the Colombus monument, the zoo, the aquarium and the port.

After taking the entire red tour we hopped on the blue line which passed by more Gaudi sights. We hopped off the bus when it stopped at the most famous Gaudi sight: The Sagrada Familia Cathedral. This cathedral is gigantic and it's not even complete yet. Gaudi started this project in 1883 but when he died in 1927, the project was still unfinished.

was slightly depressing but the way the book threw in this tidbit seemed a bit irreverent. I don't remember the exact quote but it was something like ... "Careful taking pictures of this Gaudi building by this busy street; Gaudi met

his end under a streetcar." Anyway, this cathedral was magnificent even in

it's unfinished form. The cathedral's two side entrances are finished but the long leg of the Cathedral's cross shape still needs to be constructed. On both side entrances there are facades depicting the

Nativity and the Passion (the final entrance will be the sight for the Glory facade). The Passion facade was our first sight, but it actually wasn't designed by Gaudi and instead was completed by Joseph Maria Subirachs. The Nativity is the only facade that Gaudi completed in his lifetime and it is unbelievable elaborate. The name given to describe the Gaudi's style in this piece is "cake in the rain" and this description is perfect for the drippy, mud castle look of this side. It is really quite impressive and very intricate when viewed up

close.

Speaking of viewing Gaudi's work up close ... we next decided to

take the 2.50 euro ride up to the top of the spires on the Nativity side of the cathedral. The view from up there was nothing short of amazing. We could look out over downtown Barcelona to the hills and the sea. The height also allow us to view the spires up close and truly appreciate Gaudi's work. There are a dozen smaller spires (that represent the disciples). There are four 330 ft spires on either side and

(according to Rick Steves)

their shape was inspired by the cone shaped hats that Bishops wear. There are going to be two (bigger) spires in the center when the cathedral is complete: a 400 ft Mary tower and a 550 foot Jesus tower. Each tower is an impressive feat and a cathedral with this many is really impressive. Our elevator only climbed up so that meant we got to walk across the bridge connecting two spires and then climb all the way down the

spiral staircase in the other tower by foot. Even the climb down was enjoyable as the tower had many vista points on the way down. We then entered the sanctuary - which was equally impressiv

e. It is filled with columns and it has some of the most beautiful stained glass I've ever seen. The colors are brilliant and the light shining through them contrasts strikingly with solid stone walls. Also, Gaudi cleverly placed holes in the walls and ceiling to create a speckled "light through a tree canopy" lighting of the room which feels both beautiful and natural. It was pretty even though there is still scaffolding even in the sanctuary. Rick Steves claims that the sanctuary might by ready in 2011 to host services and they seem to be making progress (when he was here last the beautiful stained glass had not yet been placed in the walls). This cathedral was an altogether impressive sight and a project that took an architect gumption to start ... I've decided that I like Gaudi.

It seemed appropriate then to continue on to our Gaudi path to Parc Guell. Gaudi designed this park first as a gated residential community ... but only one house was ever built there (his). Essentially this residential community flopped but the place makes a lovely park not and the architecture is still very pretty.

There are walls and buildings at the gate that are very Gaudi. He

placed statues on the grand staircase leading up the the building of a thousand pillars (designed to

be the market for the community). One of these statues is a characteristic lizar

We also

toured Gaudi's house in the p

ark

with a discounted combo ticket from

the Sagrada Familia. It wasn't quite worth full price, but for the discounted 2 euro rate, it was neat to see a house

that Gaudi actually designed and lived in. This park was a great place to see and only further reinforced my new interest in Gaudi's catalonian modernist style. I love his use of the mosaic esthetic in his work. It makes for a characteristic look in his works and helps to define him as an architect and artist in my mind. Again, I think I'm a fan.

So after this, we took the rest of our blue line bus tour and got off near our hostel. Weary, we rested for a bit and chatted with one of our roommates - a girl from Australia who was traveling in Europe by herself for 10 days (Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Florence). She was very friendly and it was neat to talk with her. I think she is a very brave traveler to be going off by herself but said she has met nice people everywhere she's been and she's having a wonderful trip. She suggested that we venture out to the beach where some Merce festivities were going on ... so we did. We took the metro out and heard fireworks so we walked toward the beach where they were shooting them. However, we only caught the tail end of them reflected in the buildings that surrounded us as we walked toward the beach. Still we saw the beach at night and walked around a little before heading back to our hostel area for a dinner at at a place called QuQu. It was ok and quick - which was good because we were tired. We slept soundly that night - after a very busy day - with plans to rise early the next morning.

Heading out to Catalonia

Setting out with some members of our group for our first "organized ourselves" weekend trip, and we're going to Barcelona. I am so excited. I have heard great things about the city and knew that this was somewhere I wanted to go while in Spain. Obviously haven't done anything there yet - jut thought I'd jump on and share my pre-excitement.

Our plane leaves tonight and we'll be in Barcelona until our Sunday evening flight home. Barcelona is a large city in the north east corner of Spain - in the Catalonia region. This region has recently been on the news for banning bull fighting. The Catalonia region actually views itself a bit apart from the rest of the country. The have their own traditions, their own culture, their own flag and even their own language - Catalan. From what I've read/heard Catalan is about as different from Castilian Spanish as Italian - and the people in Barcelona might even prefer to speak English above Castilian ... so we'll see how that goes.

Things I am looking to see from what I've read - the Picasso Museum, the Sagrada Familia (a church designed by Gaudi) & other Gaudi works, the Salvador Dali House ... ok, that's all I can name off the top of my head. Don't judge me, this is a working list :) Feel free to suggest places I should go in comments (I should have internet access at the hostel this weekend).

Also - one more piece of news before I go. I just found out that I am going to be in Barcelona during the weekend festival La Merce - I looked it up and I think my excitement for this weekend basically doubled. Been reading and looking at the activities. It sounds similar in a way to Noche en Blanco but also has specific events like human towers, a fire run (fire parade), traditional dances and "giant" people that walk around with costumes that make them appear larger than life. I found a VIDEO promo about the event. You can also find the WEBSITE for the event here if you want to read about the history and such. Anyway, it was such good news and I was so excited that I just had to share this with you. Can't wait to come back and tell you all about my weekend.

Missing you all! Will write again soon. Besos

Suzanne of La Mancha

To dream the impossible dream

To fight the unbeatable foe

To bear with unbearable sorrow

To run where the brave to not go

I've known the music of Man of la Mancha and the story of Don Quijotefor many years without truly knowing what La Mancha was. This weekend I rectified that by passing a few days exploring the Spanish countryside that is La Mancha. First let me tell you that the Spanish countryside is beautiful! This weekend was so relaxing and nice because we ventured off the "tourist path" for a bit. Nowhere we visited was crowded and the only tourists we saw were groups of Spainards. It was delightful. Our first stop in our La Mancha was the famous "molinos." Yes, we visited the old windmills that Don Quijote battled (thinking they were giants). The windmills have been preserved, we were told, because they were made famous by the novel. Otherwise, they probably would not have been there. We toured a windmill and saw how it worked. Interesting tidbit: If you look up at the picture of the windmill you will see a long arm extending from the roof to the ground. That is the arm they use to TURN the ROOF! I had no idea that that was how windmills worked! The windmill operator will go out and durn the blades to catch the wind everyday by turning the windmills entire roof with that pole. Impressive, I know! We also saw a preserved cave (more like an underground house) where the people who worked the windmills lived.

After that, our next stop was a Manchego cheese farm. This is a famous kind of Spanish cheese made from sheep's milk. I had already had Manchego cheese in my home and it is very yummy. At the farm we got to see the whole process of making the cheese: from sheep, to sheep milking machines, to big silver vats that separated the milk, to pressurized racks and cheese freezers where the cheese ages. Then, at the end of our tour we got to do some tasting - which I love! We sampled three variations of manchego: fresh, mild and strong. Basically, the only difference was the amount of time they were aged. I liked all of them ... but I kinda love cheese so, no surprise there. The strong one was even good ... but I think I could only have about 2-3 pieces at a time. Also, while driving around our bus driver stopped and picked us some grapes to sample. The countryside we were driving around was particularly beautiful because it was mainly vineyards (La Mancha is one of Spain's main wine regions). The skin of the grapes was a little thicker - the driver told us - because they were wine grapes. It was fun eating them straight from the field.

Our next (and final) stop for the day was the town of Almagro. This is a smaller town with an economy based on agriculture. It exists because, during the 16th and 17th centuries, it lay on the well-traveled route from Madrid to Granada. Families with money lived there and build pretty country houses. One of these old houses - was our hotel!! It was awesome. The hotel's owner actually inherited this family house
and it is where generations of her family have lived. It was really neat. The rooms are all arranged in a square (two stories) surrounding a central courtyard. It was so beautiful. Because of the building's age, it is protected as a historical site - so the hotel owner has preserved it in a state close to the original. We checked in and then took a walking tour of the town. We visited the looked at the many examples of original 16th century architecture on buildings and houses.

We also toured the national theatre museum which recounts the history of Spanish theatre. We saw the house in which Pedro Almodovar (famous director) filmed Volver (famous move that I need to see because it keeps getting mentioned!). We also visited the Corral de Comedias (an original theatre from the 16th century) and saw a little historical production there. It was neat to be sitting where watching a production where people sat over 400 years ago watching productions! But
this time it was nearing dinner time (about 8) but Isabel presented us with two options. Either we could go on our own after the production and
eat dinner ... or we could go back to the hotel and play dress up! Let me explain. The

owner of the hotel and her sister and both very crafty and one of their hobbies is to make these dresses inspired by period piece films or historical periods. And they offered the possibility of returning to the hotel that night to try on dresses and take pictures ... I love dressing up so I jumped at the chance! Five of the other girls came too and it was a blast! We twirled, strolled and took many, many pictures. Finally, after about an hour, our group struck out to find dinner. Lindsay, Marie and I settled on Cafe Gil (a recommendation of the hotel owner) and
ordered four dished that Isabel recommended: Migas (a rich meaty paste that is so much better than that description makes it sound), gauchas (bread fried in olive oil and mixed with ground meat), cieva (deer) and berbenjenas (pickled eggplant). I actually liked everything we ate! To top it off, we shared a bottle of local wine that complimented the meal nicely and made us feel very classy to boot! All in all, a really full day - and I enjoyed every minute of it!

The following morning we arose and ate a breakfast, that had been freshly prepared by the hotel owner and her sister (no prepackaged cereal or bruised bananas there!) I had a really yummy sweet treat called a florecita, which is a thin crisp pastery covered in cinnamon sugar. It was beautiful and it kinda tasted like cinnamon toast crunch :) After breakfast we again got our bus and rode out to Lagunas de Ribera. (Our bus ride included a spontaneous sing-a-long scession which I thoroughly enjoyed. Highlights included a rendition of Bohemian Raphsody, Isabel sining A Dios le Pido by Juanes and the expected forray into a selection of Disney songs).

Lagunas de Ribera is a magnificant sight! This national park is located a very dry region of Spain yet the park is a water paradise. There are fifteen blue, blue lakes on the property with some of the clearest water I´ve ever seen. Also, the lakes are posiciones on land that declined in elevation - so inbetween each lake there are waterfalls that flow into the next lake. The visit was absolutely stunning. Our visit included a guide who explained aboute the park as we drove around in our bus and told us where to stop and get out. She also told us about the geography of the region and how the lakes were formed (a buildup of limestone from the water) which was interesting. Mainly, I spent this visit ogling the lakes and resisting the urge to jump in fully clothed. Beau-i-ful! ... So after the lakes, we drove through another town and stopped to see the prison where Cervantes began writing Don Quijote. This was a nifty stop (the English major inside me loves seeing places like this) but only took about 15 minutes of our day and the we were off again. We stopped for lunch at a nice place where we had traditional dishes (I tried garlic soup - yum!). Also, Isabel surprised Lauren and I with birthday cakes (chocolate & coconut and creme brule). They were good and it was a fun treat ... and I got to have another "birthday" which is always fun. This meal concluded our weekend of activities and we drove home to Madrid - exhausted but well traveled.

I had lots of homework to do when I got back :/ But it was an awesome weekend!

Mis clases (& drag queens)

Ok, alright. I know it's been a while since I've written ... but I'm here now to tell you about all I've been up to. Happy? :)

So, when last we met her, Suzanne had just returned home after a wild and crazy night of festivities in Spain's Noche en Blanco. As out scene opens Suzanne is still in bed late into Sunday morning, regaining strength from a night out ... Yup, Sunday I took the liberty of letting myself sleep in extra long without even setting an alarm and rose at the delightful hour of 1:00pm. Sunday I did some work and caught up on things in the house. I concluded the day by attending mass. It's about a 3 minute walk to the Catholic church/school at the end of my street and up the hill. The service was simple and small but I understood most of the service and I liked the priest.

Then this week, I've been pretty busy with classes. I had tarea (homework) for the first time this semester and it feels like I'm finally in school again ... but I do like the classes (as I think I've said) so I'm not complaining. In my lit class we are reading Amadis de Gaula ... a medieval tale of a knight who goes crazy, then goes on adventures and battles giants on his way back to his princess. This story is particularly interesting because it is the base story for another very famous piece of Spanish literature called ... can you guess?? That's right (presumably you said) Don Quijote! My other classes are going well also and I am finally having to buckle down and do a little studying and such - hence the less frequent blogging :)

Other developments occupying my time this week included travel plans! Our group met this week and booked flights and hostels in Barcelona for the weekend of September 23-26! I am so excited to visit Spain's second city (or even first according to some)! Also looking into other trips - and looking to book earlier to save money. Will keep you updated :)

This was a busy week with classes really kicking it into gear. However, since no one has Friday classes, we kicked of the weekend Thursday night with a little fun :)Thursday afternoon, John and I returned to the Prado museum during its free visiting hours (6-8) for another stroll among the masterpieces. This time, our focus was allowed to be a little wider than just the Spanish artists Isabel had shown us - we saw some Rembrandt, Raphael, Bruegel ... and of course more Velazquez and Goya. It was a nice (free) visit and I now feel like I've briefly seem most of the museum (though return visits with my art class will be wonderful!)

After the Prado, I the group met in Sol to celebrate Lauren's 20th birthday. (Lauren is one of the girls from Marist). This occasion took us to GulaGula - a delightful dinner & drag show combo on Gran Via. And what a show it was! First, dinner. Our waiters were dressed in various tight, tiny shorts accompanied by vests or ties. Our table had two waiters because of the size of our party. One wore heels with his shorts and chain mail vest. The other was very tastefully

dressed in black slacks, a white blouse, prim high heels and wig - drag very well done. In fact, he was dressed so convincingly as a woman, that some girls at our table were thoroughly surprised when they first heard

him speak halfway through the meal and they realized that he'd been a guy the whole time. The show was a blast! Our MC, in his tiny, blue sequined dress was a great stand up comic and a decent singer too. Other acts included dancing and lip syncing to songs. A random gentleman in the crowd was even treated to a lap dance - for

which he was a very good sport. The highlight of the evening however was the striptease parody set to the tune of "Sweet Transvestite" from Rockey Horror Picture Show. In this number the performer emerged in black suite and bowler hat and the proceeded to stripped down a little. Then, our corseted companion grabbed a member of the audience (our own Christine) to dance with. He really sold the number with fantastic facial expressions and amazing energy. (I'll post a little vid from the beginning of his number in this entry if I can). The number concluded tastefully with his return to the stage for a final removal, a well placed top hat and a blackout - to resounding applause. I will say that this was a very fun show. The energy was great, the drag was impressive, and it was a little naughty without being vulgar. Comedy and fun rang in the tone of the show and it was a delight!

Friday morning marked my first Art class excursion - to the Palacio Real (one of the Royal Palaces in Spain). The Royal family does not live in this palace, though they do still use it for some special occasions, so the building is largely open to tours. Needless to say, it was impressive. Every room, a display of wealth from floor to ceiling. Our class went with the particular objective of viewing the Baroque and Rococo ornamentation of the Chinese room and the Yellow room. However, we took the entire tour (over a hour long though we only toured the tiniest fraction of the palace) and it was all very beautiful. Still, not on the top of my "places to live." Overall, it was pretty but a little over-done, and I would definitely get lost its maze of massive rooms. After our tour of the palace, Marie and I ventured to the Cathedral directly next to the palace. Mass had just begun so the Cathedral was not open for touring ... I made note of the mass schedule and we proceeded to the small (relatively speaking) Cripta Illuminada. This chapel/crypt was beautiful. It was filled almost entirely with Corinthian columns and Neo-Romantic arches. There was little space left in the forest of columns save that in which were nestled pews and alter. The columns were not overbearing though, as they were all illuminated from lights at their base. This light filled the entire space with a heavenly glow. Additional, the brightly painted frescos on the walls and the ornate stained glass brought color onto the white stone columns, walls and floors and also helped to brighten the space. I always love visiting churches in Europe and this chapel so was beautiful, I cannot wait to see the Cathedral!

Now it is Friday night, and I must go soon to bed ... for tomorrow we set out early on an excursion to the land of La Mancha :)

La Noche en Blanco

Saturday was - in short - amazing! I enjoyed a fabulous Spanish White Night!! But let's start first with the day :) Today I slept in to arise fully rested for the Noche en Blanco. Elena and I went to her Tia's (Aunt's) for lunch which was really fun. I met her Tia my first day in Spain at Elena's house - she cooked my first Spanish meal for me. Elena says her Tia (her mom's older sister) has really been there for her like a grandmother. Her Tia now has two of her own host students (who are actually in my program at UC3M though they are from California) who ate lunch with us. At her Tia's house I got to see a picture of young Elena at age 18, which was cute. After lunch we watched the Julia Roberts' movie "Durmiendo con su enemigo" (Sleeping with the Enemy). It was very suspenseful and I am proud of that because it means that I understood it ... yay. On the walk to and from Elena's aunt's house I learned quite a bit about the area. Elena pointed out to me the window of the flat where she grew up - a corner window. Below the window on the ground floor is the bar that her parents used to own when she was a kid. I met one of her childhood friends when we ran a loaf of bread up to her flat (near Tia's) for lunch. Elena said "She doesn't know how to eat without bread" commenting on the traditional presence of bread at every meal here in Spain. We usually have toast (like Melba toast) but usually people have bread. Also, I learned more of the layout between my house and the rest of the city on the other side of the river (harder to do when on the metro all the time). All in all - a plesant afternoon/morning.

When we returned home I began researching exactly what Noche en Blanco was ... and was quickly overwhelmed. The white night tradition is held in cities all across Europe (supposedly beginning in Paris) and has been held in Madrid for the past 5 years or so. All I knew about it before looking it up was that the museums are open later. I learned that events include: visual and performance arts in nontraditional spaces, artistic and historic institutions extending their hours, many bars, businesses and restaurants opening later than usual and lights/police in all the streets making it safe to stay out all night. Upon researching I found that "La noche en blanco" is a citywide celebration which offers close to 190 free activities, includes more than 300 artists and is sponsored by almost 300 city institutions. It was at this point that I realized that the evening needed a little planning and gave Lindsay a call. We both looked at the list of activities and decided though we couldn't see everything - we both really want to see one event ... Jamlet (con Jota).

In Retiro park, in a makeshift outdoor theatre venue, a troupe of a actors was putting on a

parody of Hamlet! We met up and went to the park - arriving early but only just in time to get the LAST 2 TICKETS! I was on top of the world. We went into the courtyard ... a stage was lit up, the air was cool and I was so happy. We found seats ordered a couple of Spanish beers and waited for the show to begin. Shortly, the lights dimmed and a clown with pink hair and matching dress began wandering through the audience for a bit of pre-show conversation. She would go up to people and introduce them to the crowd as "Duke Soandso of Denmark" or "the boys from the stables." She turned out to be

Ophelia's mother - which we learned when Ophelia emerged handing out fool samples to the crowd. Then the actors ran backstage and the show began. It was a very well done parody. All the actors were dressed as clowns - including a very emo Hamlet which I LOVED. They sang, they danced. Hamlet even made a

little ditty of the the "Ser o no ser"

(To be or not to be) speech. Some of the comedy was fast-paced but I got most of it. Much of the funniness was based in physicality (I think it was in lines with the style of commedia del arte). Plus, every so often the actors would say a word or two in English :) The best moment of this was when Claudius concentrated and then in a thick accent said "Ooh mae gawd, ooh mae gawd!" Other funny moments included Hamlet's dead father's ghost calling him on his cell phone in a booming voice, a man dress as a giant chicken who would enter every time a rooster crows and the fact Yorick is also dressed up as a clown (oh the irony). Their portrayal of death was also really interesting. Ophelia's mother did a great bit with a red hanky that she pulled from a stab wound and then moved deftly around to represent bleeding, dramatically finishing by moving the hanky to her mouth and leaning face down over a chair. Ophelia's death to was really interestingly portrayed. In her final scene, crazy Ophelia enters with wild hair and dressed in an balloon-covered outfit (mostly white but one red). She sings a silly (crazy) song in which, after each chorus, *pop pop pop* she pops three balloons. After the final chorus she slowly pops the three balloons ending with the single red one and then collapses to the floor, blackout. Altogether, the cast was fantastic and the performances were strong. I feel so lucky that we got to experience the wonderful (free) cultural experience!

After out theatrical venture in the park, Lindsay and I headed toward the center of town in search of more white night fun. We saw the Opera house and the Palace ablaze with lights and a really long line of people waiting to tour the palace (open late). There was music in the plaza and there was even a line of bushels of recyclable materials that were actually one of the artistic pieces on display. This particular piece (I think) had something to do with "man and his relationship with conservation" ... but it was a little smelly so we didn't linger much longer than it took to take a photo. We continued on to Plaza de Espana to check out the goings on there. There wasn't much in the way of organized activities but there were so many groups of young people sitting in circles in the park having a little"Botellón." I have learned that Botellón is when a group of friends gather in a public place to share a bottle and a good time. Miruxy told us that usually the police will ignore the rules about open containers if the friends are behaving themselves and are just having a good time in a park ... and I got the impression that these open container rules are completely thrown out on Noche en Blanco ... but surprisingly, I didn't have any encounters with people who were sloppily drunk. It seemed to be a night of controlled consumption where everyone was having a good time and very few people were overdoing it - which surprised me a little. But I talked to Isabel and she said that it is this way because everyone is out all night - the very young, the very old - people who aren't normally out at night hitting the clubs. It is a celebration when anyone and everyone can stay out and enjoy the night :)

After our walk through the plaza, we decided to take a stroll down Gran Via - the big "Broadway like" street in Madrid that was closed off and completely pedestrian for the night.

Our walk took us down this main road and several side streets past the sounds of live music from almost every open venue. About this time we were ready for a midnight snack so we navigated to the Chocolateria san gines - Madrid's most famous place to enjoy churros con chocolate. We split a plate of the fried dough but each relished in our own mug of hot, melted chocolate. It was so rich it was difficult to finish, but so good it was difficult to stop.

By this time, despite the rejuvenating effects of the chocolate, we were both beginning to feel the time. The play had finished around midnight - and that put us at about 2:30 after churros. Still, we pressed on down several more streets - discovered neat places to which we wanted to return, including a sweet jazz bar - and ended up in La Plaza de Independencia. Here there were light up boards and speakers in a circle around a fountain. The buildings all around the plaza were ablaze with lights. Giant projector screens made up the perimeter of the plaza and projected the image of a camera that was going through the crowd. Oh the crowd! A mass of people surrounded the fountain between screens and speakers. The music pulsed through the dancing crowd and filled me with the life of renewed energy better than ever the chocolate could have. Lindsay and I began dancing as well (like we had any other choice) and it was awesome. The music choice which ranged from an unfamiliar upbeat Spanish song to a cover of "I Wanna Hold You Hand" by the Beatles was delightful! The plethora of light and sound stimulation would have been able to put anyone in a dance party mood. The crowd was also so fun to

watch. I saw a crowd of people playing popcorn with a random free beach ball (they must have given them away somewhere because we saw them everywhere that night). Another group burst through the crowd in a spontaneous congo line. Plus, everyone in the crowd had these absurd masks (I found one) of a random guy. The back of the mask said "the Madrid citizen of the year" and then listed facts about this random guy. I might be easily amused ... but the fact that almost everyone was holding or wearing this random guy's face was so funny to me ... It was priceless! Finally, Lindsay and I called it a night at about 4:30 in the morning ... we had been trying to make it to the 6:00 breakfast (the night's final event) but needed sleep. As out cab pulled away, I looked out at the still crowded streets and thought about how much we had been able to do in one night ... I love Madrid!

Finally, I have finally uploaded some videos. I hace two videos of the dance - flamenco dance and flamenco dance 2 - from opening weekend. Third video is part of Hamlet's "Ser o no ser" song from Jamlet

From Puerta to Plaza

I did not arise from bed on Friday until 11:30 in the morning - but this lazy morning was justified since I did not crawl under the covers until 5 am. I awoke rested and ready for a shower. After lunch I set out to check out some more shops in Sol and then to meet John - to see Inception (which I still haven't seen). However, we arrived a little late at the theatre and the movie had already started. So instead, we decided to take an exploratory walk. We took the metro down south to the Puerta de Toledo (Door to Toledo). This arch points in the direction of Toledo - the city that was Spain's capital before Madrid. I we didn't know anything else to see in this part of town so we set out on a walk north toward the center of town. This walk was invaluable in learning the layout of the city. We walked through the part of town where El Rastro was on Sunday and we proceeded until we reached the Plaza Mayor (the big, historic square in Spain). We reached the Plaza at about 7:30. The weather was lovely and the atmosphere lively with street performers and artists set up to sell their wares. We decided to sit at one of the many tables on the plaza for tapas. We enjoyed red wine and calamari while watching a flamenco dancer stop to the strumming of a classical guitar. One word - tranquility.

While in the Plaza, Elena had called me to make sure I was coming home for dinner (I hadn't seen her that morning thanks to my sleeping in) and she mentioned something about friends. When I got home I realized that she had said friends were coming over for dinner :)

Two couples and their three small children were outside at the table in the garden where I joined them upon arriving home. The two women work with Elena and they were all so nice. The children were adorable! And the conversation was great. I had to concentrate but I understood most everything. They told me that lots local festivals happen in Usera and the nearby neighborhoods in September - including a Medieval one I think! They asked me about the States and how I like Spain. Altogether, it was such a fun night and it really felt truly Spanish - these are the kind of experiences I was hoping for! Plus, Elena says that she like to have friends over for dinner every couple of weeks or so - I am sooooo excited :D

Well, Saturday is the Noche en Blanco - The White Night - when many cultural things stay open late and buildings are illuminated all over the city. I am so excited to do it - and I'll come back soon to tell you all about it!

PS. I posted 2 other entries today ... so scroll down if you missed them :)