Resurfacing from the world of travel

Extensive travel is not real life. The past few months my days have revolved around getting in as much as possible without keeling over dead (from either lack of proper nutrients, lack of sleep, or shock from checking my bank statement). It's funny how quickly the internet becomes on my list of priorities, especially considering it's my connection to everyone in the states that I rely on so heavily normally.

So here's what I've been up to in this other world of trains, planes, snow, and museums.

I believe I left off in November. Our program took us on an excursion to Salamanca, which is home to one of the oldest universities in Europe. It was a really pretty city, referred to by some as the city of gold because the buildings are made of a certain kind of stone which oxidizes in the sunlight, turning the buildings golden. We visited the Cathedral there which had an absolutely incredible facade:

We also toured the university, which was pretty neat. A lot of really famous Spaniards have studied there, including Cervantes (the author of Don Quixote). It's really cold in Salamanca (relatively) so in the olden days the professors would allow their students five minutes in the beginning of class to stomp their feet to warm up. I shouldn't complain about having to take exams because apparently in order to graduate here, you used to have to give a series of orations in front of a committee lasting for hours, and then would be questioned extensively. However, if you passed, you got to write your name on the walls of the buildings in bull's blood and olive oil. Here's me sitting in the exam chair: (you're supposed to rest your feet on the feet of the sarcophagus (one of the founders I think?) for good luck)

On one of the university buildings there is a frog sitting on top of a skull and it is supposed to be good luck if you can find it. If you refer back to the picture of the church door, you can imagine that that's not an easy task.

Do you see it? Hint: you can make the picture bigger by clicking on it. Another hint: it looks like a lump, not a frog.

That night, we wandered around the city, taking in the nightlife. It was interesting to be in another university town, especially one where there's a ton of international students.

Plaza Mayor at night

The next day we lazed around in the hotel for a bit then went out and had a delicious lunch ending in toffee flan. MMMM. We then went and climbed the tower of the cathedral, which had awesome views of the city. Here's Elizabeth, Lara, and me at the top:

Fast forward two weeks, and it's Thanksgiving! (My, does time fly). We all got dressed up and went to a really fancy restaurant where our program paid for us all to have a really nice dinner. Although it wasn't the most traditional of thanksgiving meals (barbeque-like gravy and potato puree) it was pretty delicious. The other cool thing is that we were on tv! The Canal Extremadura (the local channel) did a piece on our dinner and interviewed a few of us, although none of us actually got to see it on tv.

Yummmm

Really disgusting.... the watermelon puree (why??) tasted like a wicker chair.

The next day, we had our last excursion, this time to Sevilla. Apparently rain in Sevilla is a miracle, but that's either a lie or we're pretty miraculous because it rained almost the whole time we were there. After we arrived, we took a very rainy tour of the city and visited a maritime museum (lots of documents from explorer's of the new world). The city is really interesting because it's designed to keep out the unbearable summer heat. Because of this, all the buildings are white, tall, and very close together. Also, all the streets are lined with orange trees, although they're bitter oranges to prevent people from picking them all. That night we went to a flamenco concert in a pretty authentic bar (although it was full of tourists looking for an authentic flamenco concert). It was amazing! Flamenco is such a cool dance, and the performers were super intense. I liked that the performance felt really intimate and real too because it was just 4 people on a stage just in front of all the tables.

The next day, we went in to the Cathedral (big surprise) which is the 3rd largest in Europe (pretty sweet). It was big. Like most things in Europe and especially in Spain, it used to be a mosque before it was taken over by the Catholics. Because of this, there is still a courtyard and a tower. Here's a view from the tower.

After, we went and visited a moorish palace, which was really cool. It had some of the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen (and of course lots of awesome tile).

The Plaza de España (which can be seen in (Star Wars Episode II) was incredible once we finally were able to see it. Around the outside, there are alcoves featuring every province in Spain.

Adrienne, Lara, Pooja, Me, and Elizabeth in front of Cáceres

Elizabeth and I also managed to sneak into the Plaza de Toros (bull fighting ring) which Sevilla is known for. Pretty neat because we were some of the only there.

I know you're sick of reading this by now, so go rest your eyes and I'll add more later this afternoon (I swear!!)