Madrid - Spain's Capital

This past weekend I took a trip via bus with Christina to Spain's capital of Madrid.  The bus ride from Valencia is about 3 and a half hours and we were in Madrid Friday through Sunday.  
What was really neat was that our room at the hostel is located in Plaza Mayor and we were about to go out onto the balcony and look out into the plaza below.  

Plaza Mayor

After we settled into our room, we ate lunch that we had brought with us from home.  Then after we ate, I was looking out on the balcony after I was ready to go out and saw that people were gathering for a free tour so I told Christina and we ran down to catch it.  On this tour we learned a lot about the history of Spain, especially about the kings and what they were known for.  We also saw the oldest restaurant in the world.  Other stops along the way included the cathedral and the royal palace.  

Almudena Cathedral 

In front of the Royal Palace of Madrid

Felipe IV in front of Royal Palace

Plaza de Isabel II and the Opera

Our tour ended in front of the Opera in Plaza de Isabel II.  
After our tour we decided to walk around and see what we could find for ourselves in Madrid.  That's when we stumbled upon the largest doughnut that we have ever seen and decided that we had to buy it and try it.  (It wasn't as good as I hoped it to be.)  
We wandered around for the rest of the day and got dinner in Plaza Mayor where the waiter was really cool.  

The next morning we got up fairly early so that we could get to the Museo de Prado before it got too busy.  Unfortunately they do not allow photos so I don't have any of the inside of the building.  Inside I saw sculptures from Roman and Greek time, and paintings by Velázquez, Sorolla, El Greco, and Goya.  I have studied these pieces and given presentations on them so it was really cool to actually get to see them in person.  I was really impressed by the size of these paintings because when I went to the Louvre I was astonished by how small the Mona Lisa actually is.  

Museo del Prado

After lunch we did a little more wandering around and found a nice cafe to have lunch where we sat down for a while and relaxed.  On our wandering we came across some important things to see while in Madrid such as Las Cibeles, the Ayuntamiento building, and Puerta de Alcalá.  

Las Cibeles

Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Puerta de Alcalá

After lunch we wanted to explore Parque del Retiro where we found some really interesting trees (that look like broccoli to me), the lake where people can rent boats and row around, Palacio de Cristal, and Palacio de Velázquez. I thought it was pretty cool that inside of the Palacio de Cristal that they had a collection of fossil bones hanging from the ceiling.  

While we were wandering around the city it started getting dark and we were lucky enough to have ended up outside of the Royal Palace in front of the gardens to see the sunset.  I think that was one of my favorite parts of the whole weekend.  (In my picture I was able to capture the picturesque sunset along with the palace, its gardens, the moon, and a little bit of the city behind the palace.)  

Another view of the palace from the gardens during sunset

After the sun set we were in search of a place to eat dinner and we ended up going to a really cool restaurant that was lit up in green lights right next to the river.  On the way, we saw this view that I thought was really cool of the palace and cathedral from across the river.  

The next morning we were off to see the Temple of Debod.  This was really neat to see because this temple was a gift to Spain that originally was in Egypt.  Inside there are hieroglyphics on the walls and I was able to explore various rooms.  Behind the temple there was a really cool view of the city.  

Our last few hours that we had left we continued to walk around the city and we found Plaza de España.  And before we left, we finally found the bear and tree statue, which is the official symbol of Madrid.  We didn't know but we passed it a couple times in Puerta del Sol. 

At the fountain in Plaza de España

This weekend I tried two very typical foods of Madrid, which are Calamari sandwiches and candies that are shaped and taste like violets.  

This week begins Las Fallas in Valencia, which is a huge celebration in honor of St. Joseph.  This will include a lot of fireworks, parades, food, and fires.  I can't wait to share all my experiences during this celebration in my next blog next week! 

Flamenco!

Ever since the end of January I have been taking flamenco and ritmos latinos classes at a nearby dance studio.  Flamenco is a traditional Spanish dance that originated in the south of Spain (Andalucía).  It is a combination of Arabic and Spanish music and dance.  It is not very common in the Valencia area but I thought it would be really cool to learn a traditional Spanish dance. 

We have been practicing a choreography for about a month or so now and today I finally got to perform it.  Today is "Día de la Mujer" and Rocío Giner, the owner of the studio and professional flamenca, set up to do a flash mob type video and perform for the public on the bridge in front of the Torres de Serranos.  It was very exciting because everyone in the studio was learning the same choreography (slightly different for each level) and we would all perform it together.  It was such an emotional and cool experience to be a part of!  I hope I will be able to participate in another flamenco demonstration before I leave! 

A weekend in Granada, Sevilla, and Cordoba: long bus rides and climbing to tower tops

This past weekend, Meg, Christina, and I took a trip to three cities in Andalucía, Spain.  Those cities were Granada, Sevilla, and Cordoba.  Our journey started at 12am on Friday morning when we left Valencia for an eight hour bus ride to Granada.  I'm not really one for bus rides, especially because I cannot sleep when I am traveling.  The ride wasn't too bad but I was worried that we would make our tour on time.  When we originally went to buy the tickets online to the Alhambra, which is "the thing to see" in Granada, they were sold out, so we had to pay three times the price for a private tour to be assured that we would get in.  The tour was to begin at 9am and we were cutting it close, but I text messaged the tour guide and we were golden.  
The Alhambra is a fortress/castle on the top of a hill in Granada.  It traces back to the 9th century.  In the 13th century it was converted into a royal palace for Mohammed I, an Arab ruler.  When the catholic monarchs, Fernando and Isabel, took over Spain and the Spanish Inquisition began, the fortress was peacefully handed over to them at the end of the 15th century.  During the rule of Carlos V, he had a palace built atop the hill in the fortress also.  

Generalife - Alhambra gardens

 Palace of Carlos V

Nasrid Dynasty Palace

Patio of the Lions - courtyard in Nasrid palace

View from atop Torre de la Vela

After our tour ended at the Alhambra we started going down the mountain and had lunch on a bench on the way down, sitting in nature.  Then we continued all the way down where we encountered lots of tourist shops and narrow streets that were really cool.  (Nothing you could see in the United States!)

Granada Cathedral 

I found my night in shining armor.

After wandering the streets of Granada, that same day we got back on the bus for about a two hour bus ride to Sevilla.  By the time we got to Sevilla and found our hostel (after about 10 minutes of wandering and asking someone who works at a bar & then another hostel) we were able to sleep after a long day of traveling and exploring. 
The next morning we woke up to go out and explore the city of Sevilla.  We started with a "free" walking tour that we found out about at the hostel.  On this tour we saw many of the main sights within the city.  

Sevilla Cathedral

This cathedral was once a mosque for the Muslims who lived in the city before the Catholic rule of Spain.  It is the largest Gothic cathedral and third-largest church in the world.  The tower is known as 'Giralda' and was the old minaret converted into a bell tower.  It also took 500 years to build!

Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold)

Plaza de España 

A scene in Star Wars was filmed here and it was built for the Exposition of 1929.  It is shaped like a horse shoe and it was built this, with the opening facing the west as an apology to America for conquering them.  

  
Around the inside wall there is a representation of every province of Spain, and since we study in Valencia, we got a picture at that one. 

Upon entering the cathedral, there were an abundance of altars throughout the who thing.  Also, there is the altar made of gold.  (Yes! The whole thing is pure gold.)  There is also a tomb of Christopher Columbus.  

 

We were also allowed to climb the Giralda, which is about 34 floors.  But don't worry, the whole tower is a ramp.  This is because Sevilla gets really hot in the summer and a person had to climb the tower 5 times a day to call the Muslims to prayer, so he rode a donkey to the top.  

The view from the top is stunning and in this first picture you can see the bull ring.   

Puente de Isabel II - crosses the Guadalquivir

 Metropol Parasol

Claims to be the largest self-supporting wooden structure in the world.

That same night we also remained in Sevilla in the same hostel.  In our room that night there were a group of Spanish girls who were fun to chat with.  
The next morning we got up and took a morning bus to Cordoba.  The ride was fairly short again.  When we arrived we walked into the historic center of the city to explore around for a bit.  The main attraction, the Mezquita, was closed for mass until 3:30.  We found an old roman bridge, went to the Alcazar (palace), and grabbed some lunch at a cafe.  

Old Roman Bridge (1st century B.C.)

 Alcazar

View of city from atop a tower in Alcazar

Alley of Flowers

Mezquita/Cathedral

The Mezquita is yet another mosque-converted-cathedral.  It is hard to believe that these two pictures are from inside the same place.  There still remains a lot of Arabic architecture/art/writing on the walls, but the inside also contains many Roman Catholic altars on the sides, and the large altar in the middle. 

The weekend was very long and filled with lots of sight-seeing but I really enjoyed it.  The festivals of Las Fallas are starting to begin here in Valencia, so I am really looking forward to that.  
I have also started giving English lessons to a little girl that is six years old.  I have only given one lesson so far but I really enjoy it and I think that it will be a good resume-builder.