Futbol y Las Fallas.. a busy week!

Wow a lot has happened within the past week alone! Last Sunday we had the privilege of going to a futbol (soccer) game to watch the famous Real Madrid play local Spanish team Valladoid. The game was no match for Real Madrid who won 4-1. Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona are Spain's two best teams, and Real Madrid may still be recognized as one of the world's best futbol teams. We were so lucky to have front row seats at the game, an unbelievable experience. futbol is essential to Spanish culture. Just as American football dominates all other sports in the U.S. Spanish futbol is very much part of Spanish culture. We were told that if ever walking the streets of town and there are no people out, especially if there is an absence of men, that you can find everyone in the bars watching the latest match. One night I went out to meet friends to watch a Real Madrid match and every bar I passed had the same thing on T.V. Being so close to the field at the game was unbelievable and experiencing the atmosphere of hyped fans was incomparable to any American sports events I have attended.


the view of the stadium from where we were sitting

This past weekend some friends and I went to Valencia Spain for the Las Fallas festival. It is one of the biggest festivals in Spain and it is celebrated a week long minimum in March. The festival is in praise of Saint Joseph and is celebrated with highly decorative and intricate floats some that are merely 8 feet tall and some towering more than 30 feet. All week long celebrations are held with fireworks in the streets, both brilliant fire works shows and crazy party goers throwing their own firecrackers in the streets. It seems like there is a never ending supply of fireworks, even parents let their three year old play and throw firecrackers! I've never heard a city so loud at all hours of day and night. At 8 in the morning I could hear the city booming with fireworks from the apartment we rented a good 25minute drive from the center of the city. We were even lucky to find anywhere to stay in Valencia as there were no available hostels. People plan to go to Valencia for Las Fallas far in advance. A friend I met in Barcelona told me that millions of people come to the city to experience the celebrations. I cannot imagine anything like Las Fallas being possible in the U.S. They sell huge fireworks to almost anyone which would be illegal at home. The entire city seems like it is exploding in fireworks, people are all over the streets. Friday must have been a nightmare for police and firemen because almost all the floats in the city are burned to the ground. People lined up for a good hour to crowd in the streets to see the biggest and best floats burn. We were lucky to be close to one of the best floats when it exploded in fireworks and burst into flames merely 25 feet from where we were in the crowd. The crowds are comparable to new years in time square, and the city is full of such high energy. I believe some of the best floats are saved but there are floats scattered all throughout the city of Valencia during Las Fallas. After all the celebration we were sure to try the paella of Valencia as it is known as the land of paella. Some friends we met told us about a paella buffet and we were able to try several kinds of delicious paella. We also spent a day visiting the distinct modern architecture of Valencia including La' Oceanographic aquarium, and the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències. These buildings appear to be something inspired from star wars.

Below are some pictures from the las fallas festival





It has been difficult to keep up with everything. There is so much to share and I am also busy preparing plans for spring break which I will spend in Italy. I look forward to sharing my travels. Hasta pronto.. Ciao!

Visit to Valle de Los Caidos

snowing and freezing cold when we went to Valle de Los Caidos

This past week we have been learning about the history of Spain and its politics, especially as they relate to the Spanish Civil War and Spain under the dictatorship of Franco. On Friday we got to visit Valle de Los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen) a monument intended to commemorate all who died on both sides of the Spanish Civil War. It was also made Franco's grave when he died. It is a very interesting place as it symbolizes many different things to the Spanish. Our Spanish teacher told us a little about Valley of the Fallen in class when we mentioned we would be visiting the site. I was surprised when she told us that she has never been there and has no desire to ever go. She said she was about nine years old when Franco died and she remembered how huge the news was all over the country. Valle de Los Caidos is a controversial place bearing significance to those on both sides of the Spanish Civil War. Some really view it as a place respecting the dead, others view it as a painful reminder of the days of Franco and some see it as a place of death where prisoners of war died building a grave for Franco. Even today there are sometimes demonstrations here from all over the political spectrum. Regardless of your views, it is a serious place to respect when you are visiting. The civil war in Spain was a difficult time that tore apart many friends, families, and communities and among most Spaniards it is rarely spoken of. Our Spanish teacher explained to us too that it is a bitter subject and is typically not brought up. It is interesting to think of how much Spain must have changed since Franco's death in 1975 which is still very recent history. For Americans I think it is hard for us to grasp the concept that for some nations civil wars have just ended in the past 6 decades. This also makes me realize that we often forget some nations are still to this day experiencing civil wars. Learning about the history of this place has been a mind opening experience when comparing Spanish history to that of the U.S. I will be back later this week to share more about the Real Madrid game and even more to follow with the weekend of Las Fallas in Valencia. Ciao!

I miss Barcelona!

A beautiful day in Barcelona during our visit, this is from the top of the towers at Segrada Familia.

Barcelona was a wonderful weekend trip! The weather was gorgeous on the coast. We even made it to the beach where we were shocked by two naked men walking around the public beach. Staying at the hostel was what I expected for 15 euro. My only complaints were the tap water was not too good and the milk for breakfast was not cold in the morning. I think it was a great deal to travel cheap! It reminded me of sleeping on a ship, like a navy ship. Even though the German boys in our dorm were noisy coming in at night, I managed to get a good night's rest. We went back to Sagrada Familia Cathedral where we explored inside and went up into the towers of the cathedral. At the top of the towers you get a gorgeous view of Barcelona and get to climb through the amazing architecture of Gaudi. That same day we made it to the Picasso museum, the beach, and a park up in the hills where you get another beautiful 180 view of the city and the Mediterranean ocean. At the park we noticed many stray cats and as we were heading out we noticed two ladies feeding them. In broken Spanish, I asked if the cats were stray and if they feed them regularly. I found it interesting when she replied that her and her friend come every day to feed the stray cats in the park. It was the first time I had seen so many cats here in Spain, they seem less common than dogs. It is also interesting that the dogs here are rarely on leashes. Thanks to the metro in Barcelona and our 2 day unlimited rail passes ,we were able to go around the entire city. My birthday was great, we spent it checking out the local clubs and bars and even met a few new friends in Barcelona. I asked one of our friends what the difference was between Catalan and Castillano language and he explained that Catalan was closer to old Latin. No se. I also asked our friend where else we should travel to. He told us we must go to Valencia in two weeks for the Las Fallas festival. Las Fallas is an annual week long festival in Valencia, one of the craziest in Spain, honoring Saint Joseph. It is well known for its fireworks and parades in the streets of the city. We lucked out in finding last minute reservations in Valencia and I am very excited to go! Even though the trip was not too expensive, I will need to be on a stricter budget! It was a treat to get sunshine in Barcelona and well worth it. Of course after the long train ride we returned to rain in Salamanca – no me gusta!

Mi cumpleanos en Barcalona!

Cathedral Sagrada Familia en Barcelona

I have been enjoying my first two weeks in Salamanca! The weather has gotten a little nicer here, not as cold so that is good. It feels great being moved in and not living out of a suitcase anymore. Now I know my way around town, I know the fastest way to school, the cafe's, bar's, and grocery store. I have met a few more locals and since Spanish classes started I have been putting my Spanish to more practice. Most of us know the good places to go out and where to buy things. And of course we know where to get yummy tapas. This past Monday we took a tapas tour as part of our Spanish Civilization class. Before leaving we got to learn about Spanish cuisine and where it comes from, the varieties of wine, and the differences between food of the regions of Spain. A few of my favorite tapas have become lomo, tortilla espanola, y tostas con champinons (mushrooms) and jamon. Spanish classes have been getting better. I feel more confident about speaking up in class even though I make mistakes. My profesora only speaks in Spanish, she never explains things to us in English. While this is difficult, it is a good learning challenge. She encourages us to trust in her and to use only Spanish in class then our Spanish will improve.

After a long busy week at school I have made it to Barcelona today! I managed to join a group of 6 other people who decided to make travel plans this weekend. We arrived here at 2pm by taking a train from Salamanca. It was a convenient train ride, long, but I was able to catch up on sleep since we had to catch the train at 6:40am this morning. After spending a few hours here I've seen some of the interesting architecture the city is known for. We got to see the outside of the Cathedral Sagrada Famila featuring the work of Gaudi. Tomorrow we will take a tour inside. I can't wait to see the beach here and more of Barcelona's very unique architecture. What's puzzling to me here is the Catalan language. I do not know much about it yet but I have made a few initial observations. The signs and Spanish even appear different, different words are used for some things, and I noticed that “gracias” was spelled something like “gracieas”. Supposedly this region of Spain identifies themselves as Cataluynan rather than Spanish. As soon as we arrived at the main train station in Barcelona there was graffiti opposing tourists saying “go home tourists” and other graffiti that appeared to have political slangs reading something about activism and communism in Spanish. This was interesting because in the past week of our sociology class we discussed how the graffiti here is primarily political and not gang or violence related. At home graffiti is commonly associated with gang symbols and territory. Here the graffiti seems more accepted as an outlet for expression. This evening we saw a medium sized demonstration in the Plaza near us. A group of people were gathered chanting and waving signs. It appeared to be people going on strike, and the building they were standing outside of had the flag of the European Union.

This day has been exciting getting to see a new city. Tonight is also my first hostel experience! We were able to make a pretty cheap weekend getaway for a train costing 100 euro round-trip and a hostel for 15 euro a night. The hostel is very different, but exciting. You have to go down the hall to shower, we share a big room with 14 beds some on a top platform and some on the bottom, and the room has two bathrooms in it. The beds are just a cushion on a frame but what luxury can you expect for 15 euros a night. I'm happy to be saving money and as long as its clean and safe here I am happy. The seven of us are sharing the room with three Japanese girls visiting Barcelona. It reminds me of camping so far, but then again this is probably as close as I have been to camping in a while! The people at reception here were very helpful and friendly. Hopefully we will make some new friends with the other young travelers staying here. I am excited to see where the rest of this weekend takes us and excited to celebrate my birthday on Sunday here in Barcelona! Hasta Luego, Ciao!




The penthouse suite. Living luxury at the hostel!