Madrid

If I do say so myself, Madrid was a perfect choice to relax ourselves before we take off for Rome tomorrow. We've been here for a few days, and have pretty much seen everything worthwhile to see (at least to us, that is...). I'll post pictures and more than likely an extended post once we get back from Barcelona, but since that'll be a while, I decided to wrap up Madrid in a few 'graphs.

1. We visited Museo de Prado, which is pretty much THE art museum in Madrid. Saw some cool art, most notably the eerie works of Goya during his "Black Paintings" (Google Saturn Devouring Child; it's great). But, most of it was religious art, which doesn't really pique my interest the way modern art does.
2. Thus, I enjoyed Centro de Reino Sofia much better. Paired with Prado, it's pretty much one of the two best art museums in Madrid. Picasso and Dalí mostly headed up the huge modernist colection, and since we were able to see Picasso's "Guernica", it was well worth the money.
3. We toured the Royal Palace, "Palacio Real", which - suffice it to say - was lavish. So many tapistries, golden clocks, velvet-draped walls, original works of art(including a few original Stradivarious violins).
4. Took a stroll through Parque de Buen Retiro, one of the largest in Europe, and I believe, the world.
5. Our hostel truly rocks, but we´re in a room with all guys. Great.

That's pretty much it, and we're flying out to Rome tomorrow morning. We'll write more soon, but pictures might have to wait.

¡Hasta luego!
-Bana

Sevilla

First of all, sorry that you all had to wait so long for me to post about Sevilla. This week has been sort of a run from one thing to the next without stopping for too long kind of week. But anyway I’ll make it up with a really good post. So...Sevilla.

I can honestly say that I think Sevilla was absolutely my favorite Spanish city. The way the city blended its Muslim and Christian heritage and yet still made room for modern Spain was breathtaking. Walking through the downtown streets admiring the buildings you could actually see the differences in architecture on both sides of the street. On one side you could see the huge stone blocks making geometric shapes that signified the Christian Reconquista (Reconquest), and on the other side the brick-arch infusion reminiscent of the Muslim occupation. Then, after enjoying the fact that these two distinct types of architecture exist in the same place, you’re passed by the tram running straight through the center of the street, the hallmark of modern innovations in public transportation.

As you can see from our pictures, the architecture of the city was absolutely amazing. Of special note, and when talking about architecture, the Catedral in Sevilla is possibly one the most amazing feats of construction I’ve seen, considering the time period in which it was completed. As a little history, the Catedral began as a mosque during the Muslim occupation of Spain between 800-1200 A.D. For you conspiracy lovers out there, it is said to be built on one of the “most powerful sources of ancient magic.” However, given that it fell to the Christians in the 1200s (a short 50 years after it was built), I think it’s fairly obvious that this is only a myth. The Christians, as they did with almost every other Muslim building that they conquered, sought to redesign the mosque to suit the needs of a Christian congregation. Yet, before they could start the work, it seems that God intervened for them and parts of the Mosque were destroyed in an earthquake. When the decision was made to rebuild it as a cathedral, an anonymous monk was reputedly quoted saying, “Let us build a church so magnificent that our children will think us lunatics.” To say that they succeeded is an understatement.

The Catedral is the largest gothic cathedral in the world and has been almost completely converted from the original mosque. The only original part of the mosque is La Giralda, which is a massive tower whose domed roof collapsed during the earthquake and now exists as the belfry for the Catedral. The complex architecture that makes up the rest of the building is breathtaking, and you can actually see the different parts of the Catedral that have collapsed over time and been lavishly reconstructed. Also of note, inside the Catedral, we visted the Tomb of Cristobal Colón, a man you all probably know of as Christopher Columbus (in the pictures, the one with the four men carrying the casket).

But, although the Catedral is a masterpiece, directly across the street stands the Alcázar (originally from the Arabic word al-casr meaning the castle).

The Alcázar was the home to both the Muslim and Christian kings, and as such, is the textbook example of the infusion of Muslim and Christian culture. The building consists of two main parts: Palacio Mudéjar and Palacio Gótico. Palacio Mudéjar on the outside consists only of smooth brick walls, typical Arabic arches, and the occasional vaulted dome roof, but the inside is littered with grandiose tile work and elaborate arches. Again, however, after the Christian reconquest, they tailored the Palacio Mudéjar for a more Christian feel, so you’ll see a lot of shields over the archways and typical Christian engravings on the ceilings. In fact, that is why it’s called the Palacio Mudéjar, with mudéjar signifying the union of Christian and Muslim architecture (sorry for all the history, but I love this stuff…should have been an archeologist, haha just kidding).For a good look, there’s almost 30 pictures of the inside of this building.

The Palacio Gótico is constructed like the Catedral using giant stone blocks and forming exact geometrical shapes, a stark contrast to the smooth flow of the Mudéjar arches and domes. Inside are various tapestries depicting various scenes from the Bible, but the most intriguing one, we found, was a map created in the 13^th century of Spain and the northern part of Africa. What we found interesting was that Africa was on the top part of the map and Spain on the bottom, the exact opposite of a modern map. We realized shortly afterward that in the 13^th century, all of the maps were drawn from the perspective as if you were leaving Europe, the only known part of the world except for Asia.

Still here? Good! Because I’ve saved the best two things we did for last. The defining characteristics of Muslim castles and buildings are not only the staggering domes and arches, but the massive gardens of all types of flora and fauna (literary terms for plants and animals). We spent a solid hour and a half just wandering through the massive gardens of the Alcázar taking in the citrus blossoms of the orange trees and the fresh smells of spring awakening from the “long nap.” The sheer size and magnificence of the Alcázar gardens was worth the entire trip to Sevilla. You’ll just have to lose yourself in the pictures that we took, because I don’t want to cheapen the experience with my writing skills.

Now, I would be lying if I you told that all of this before hand was the best part of the trip for us. Given that we have a passion for the small things in life, not only the big tourist destinations, I can easily say that, for me, the best part of the trip was renting the two-seater bicycle and riding through the Parque de Maria Luisa. Even though it was only a ½ hour ride, it was a memory that I will never forget for the rest of my life, and I doubt that Bana will ever forget it either. The sheer tranquility of the park and the childhood memories of riding through the neighborhood on a bicycle came back and combined for an experience that was truly unforgettable.

Bueno, eso es Sevilla, una mezcla de las influencias musulmanas con las de los cristianos y con la edad moderna. Se puede perder todo el día por caminar a través de las calles magnificas o mirar las distintas arquitecturas de los edificios de tipo mudéjar. O, también, se pierde en los jardines del Alcázar o el parque de Maria Luisa. Lo que está claro es que Sevilla es una ciudad bellísima con experiencias inolvidables de tipo grande o pequeño y en cualquier situación que se encuentre.

Málaga

We wrapped up March with a tour of Málaga and Sevilla, both in the Andalucia province - which Lonely Planet fittingly calls "Classic Spain". It is though, really.

And while I'm on topic, sidenote: Lonely Planet Spain has been our consistent amigo throughout this journey (apart from the Castillo Butrón incident), and I'd highly recommend it, or any other country's version of it, for long-term trips. It tells us the worthwhile places to check out, the over-the-top places to skip, the best hostels, restaurants and bars, and has color pictures. It's the best. Seriously.

So, Málaga. Málaga. Málaga. Málaga.

The biggest city along southern Spain's ever-so-famous Costa del Sol, Málaga actually had quite more to offer than sandy beaches and sunny skies. Though admittedly, those were a plus. But what struck us the most were the older English crowd, who outnumbered the young ones by almost double. In truth, it kind of reminded me of Florida - seemed like some kind of retirement spot for the deep-pocketed folks in England. It was also tourist central, which is always kind of perturbing when you're trying to learn Spanish. Everyone in stores tried to speak to us only English (apparently we'll never conceive the fact that we're American), so after a while we just looked like we didn't understand and spoke only in Spanish. I know they're being polite (or wanting to sell their stuff, but either way...) it's so frustrating when people speak to us in English. "Hablo español. Por favor, ¡me hable en español! ¡no quiero que me hable en inglés!" Cade might pass as someone from Norway, but that doesn't quite work for me. We're still working out the kinks in our new fake nationality. We'll come up with something soon enough.


It had a big cathedral, (and the Spanish cathedrals are always fun to admire with their hodgepodge of architectural styles) which we enjoyed from outside without paying the entrance fee, but the Alcazaba was the most fun we had in Málaga (and it's not even on the beach!). But to understand why, I need to explain Spanish history a little.

Not to bombard you with the history, but because it's interesting to me (and to show that I'm actually paying attention in my Spanish cutlure class) the Romans obviously won the Spanish peninsula first, which was then followed by an Arab occupation, and then the Roman conquest, part two. A geographical tug-of-war, if you will. There's over a thousand years of Spanish history in one sentence. That's efficiency at its best.

But, while Spain was under Arab occupation (mostly in the South of Spain), the Muslims constructed massive castles and mosques, designed differently than any architectural style the Romans had ever created. Most of the structures were destroyed after the Roman reconquest, but a few remain, mostly in Spain's south - which, more than any other Spanish province - most reflects the Arabic presence. Málaga´s Alcazaba (Muslim castle), which we toured after hiking over an hour to actually get up to the thing, was almost indescribable. Obviously, I went overboard on the pictures, but the architecture fascinates me, especially the varied arches. As the water softly flows through the well-developed canals interspersed throughout the castle, it's such an insanely tranquil feeling, one you don't often get in a Roman castle. With the intricate tilework and colorful brickwork, I'd venture to say that it is and was more vibrant, too.

After hiking back down the mountain afterwards, we rested at our hostel for a few hours until we were refreshed enough to take on the beach, which we did until the sun set. We walked all down the "Malagueta" beach, and watched the Spanish fisherman as they headed in at the end of the day. All very romanticized. All very serene. A fantastic choice for a weekend away.

After Málaga, we headed took a train to Sevilla, which Cade will tell you about in his part.

A todos, hasta luego. Espero que os disfrutéis en leer nuestro blog. Hace muchas semanas que vivo afuera de mi hogar, y todavía tengo siete más hasta que llegue. Ya hemos pasado más de un medio de nuestro semestre en España, y aunque todavía os echo de menos, yo sé que voy a echar de menos España (especialmente con los viajes por el país y Europa) cuando regresemos a Texas. Cada día aparece más como mi hogar. Es que no quiero estar muy emocionada, pero ahora me pongo así. Vale. Que todo lo pase bien.

¿Es como un diario, no? Pues, nada. Está bien. Hasta la próxima carta,
-Bana

Lisbon and Madrid

Senioritis I think has attacked again. It's creeping up into my schoolwork, presentations, tests, and apparently this blog. But before the parents start freaking out, we're okay. We're just lazy seniors who will graduate in t-minus two months. Eesh. But, my graduation invitations came in yesterday, so I'll send them out asap. The transit back to the United States could take well over two weeks, though, so expect them - just not anytime soon. In addition to that, the only other disadvantage to sending them from over here is the money it's going to take to send them over there. Here, a stamp is .78euro, so roughly $1.02 with the current exchange rate. But we knew studying abroad in our final semester wouldn't be complicationless so we're doing the best we can. Besides, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything, despite said complications. :)

Last weekend we went to Lisbon with Jason and Jenny and had a blast. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures because I thought I forgot my memory card in my computer. Well, I did forget but I also forgot that I had an extra card in my camera case. Beautiful weather, cute streets and the Portuguese all made the trip good, but what made it great was the hostel where we stayed. If you ever make your way down there, try to hit up Rossio Hostel. It's the best hostel we've been to, seriously. Every night we were there we all hung out in the living room, drinking Portuguese wine and playing cards, and met pretty much everyone else from all over the world. It was a great place to stay and I'd go back in a heartbeat if I'm ever in the area again.

That said, some parts of the trip weren't so great. I think we got ripped off by the Taxi driver the first night we were there (for some "baggage fee") but it's hard to counter when you don't know the language. Also, their cheap food tricked us a little. In contrast to the states (and the rest of Europe for that matter), they charge you for every single thing they put on the table that you eat. For example, if they put bread on the table and you eat it, you're charged extra. Not the same in Spain. They put all kinds of little finger foods on your table without asking you whether you want it and without saying it costs extra, and then charge you when you eat it. As such, we got charged 6euro for olives and other nonsense that we wouldn't have eaten otherwise if we had known. And we had lots of people trying to sell us drugs, but that's not such a big deal when you blow them off. But oh well, just something to watch out for I guess....

After Jason and Jenny left, we flew back to Madrid, where we had a 9 hour layover until we took the bus back to Bilbao. We took advantage of the time and explored Madrid for the better part of the day, and this is when I remembered the extra memory card, so we have pictures! Since we only had an afternoon, we really only visited the Palacio Real (royal palace), Puerta del Sol (a huge plaza in Spain) and Plaza Mayor. Here's a picture of the palace, but there are more pictures here. We didn't get around to the biggest thing we want to see (Museo Prado), but we're planning a spring break trip there during our two weeks off of school in April, so we'll catch it again.

So, we're back in Bilbao and absolutely loving the beautiful weather since it's stopped raining. After skies littered with clouds all through February (yes, pretty much every day) it's so nice to need to remember sunglasses in the mornings before school. Oh, the simple things. :)

Hope everyone's doing well! Y'all know we miss you.
-Bana

Castle, Guernica, Italy and France!

So, I told myself I wouldn't get this behind on the blog. Wrong. But when I look at the date of my last post, it seems I wouldn't have that much to catch up. Also wrong.

We've done so much in the past 10 days, so let me start chronologically:

Castillo de Butrón
March 6, 2009
Determined to find this well-hidden and enormous castle in País Vasco (which I swear my Lonely Planet Spain guide says is still open to the public) Cade, myself and the Swedish girl Lina set out through an interesting and crazy journey. We started out the rainy day by taking the subway from Bilbao to Larrabasterra, then walked half a mile to the bus stop where this tiny little bus came and picked us up and dropped us off in the middle of NOWHERE. Seriously, there wasn't a road sign, bus stop or anything. He just stopped, dropped us off, and told us the general direction of where we could find the castle. We then found the little pathway (with goats!) that led us to the moat of the castle (yes! a real moat!). When we got there, all the gates were shut and there was no one around - more than a little strange, since Lonely Planet really hypes this thing up as a beacon of "medieval fantasy". We went in the little general store than was close to the entrance, and asked how to tour the castle. Unfortunately, she said, it's been closed for three years now! Even though we didn't get to see our castle's interior, it was still remarkable, especially with the moat. Here are the pictures.

Guernica
March 7, 2009
I went here with the group of chicas (the Swedish girl Lina and five Brazilians). Guernica was heavily bombed during WWII in the Franco era's infancy. Not to crowd you with history, but the town really is a somber reminder of what intolerance can lead to, and I believe it's toured heavily, mostly because of its Museo de la Paz (Museum of Peace, which we also toured). It's an interesting day trip if you're in the area and interested in the subject. It's intensely quiet. Here are pictures.

Parents come to Bilbao (and an abortion rights parade!)
March 8, 2009
We were lucky enough to have my parents come visit us this past week, which was a blast to say the least. I think they might have gotten just as culture shocked as we were when we first came here, (especially with the food!), but I think they got used to everything being so different. We had a blast showing them around the town and it was so nice to be able to be with my family finally, after not seeing them since I left Texas in January. I missed them dearly, and loved that they came all the way here to see us. :) I realized how much I missed them when we were walking down the street on a sunny afternoon. That day, thousands of woman stormed the streets for abortion rights for women. Right now, a woman can only receive permission to abort in cases of rape, or when the mother's or child's life is in danger. It's really actually interesting to see Spain go through this transition for women's rights (especially now, with the ever-more-progressive president Zapatero whose sweeping social changes make me wish Obama could do the same without being chastised), and their campaign centralizes on "Mujeres en huelga" (woman on strike). BUT, even though I'm constantly enthralled in Spanish politics and could write about it FOREVER, I'll try to stay on topic. ANYWAY, the parade of abortion-rights activists were going down the street, and my mom got so excited and held my hand and walked in the middle of the street with them. So, yes, I've now "officially" participated in an abortion-rights protest for Spanish women and it feels good!

Pisa, Italy
March 11-12, 2009
We all flew out of Bilbao to Pisa, Italy on Wednesday, where we enjoyed rich Italian food (I hate to admit it, but much better than Spanish food), Italian people (also a little friendlier than Spaniards - no offense), and Italian culture (which I fell in love with). I think if I knew Italian I might want to live there. It was absolutely beautiful, and so clean. Of course, we saw the leaning tower and took the obligatory pictures for that, but what I really enjoyed was walking down the adorable cobblestone streets and admiring the Italian architecture - everything from the quaint little shops outside to the massive Cathedrals. See for yourself with our pictures.Tuscany is truly beautiful, and even though I haven't yet been to Rome (we're going next month), I'd venture to say it's even more breathtaking than there.

Volterra, Italy
March 12-13, 2009
After bidding farewell to Pisa, we crammed in our rental car for Volterra, where we all spent an amazing few days relishing unbeatable Tuscan scenery, food, ice cream and sunsets. If you've read Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series (which I'm still working on), you'll know Volterra from the books. I think that's part of the reason why my mom wanted to visit this quaint walled city, which sits guarded atop a mountain overlooking a valley that stretches across the horizon. I'm so glad she did. It's classic Italy in its most literal meaning - the only evidence that the modern world has even remotely affected it is the occasional car you see pushing its way through the cobblestone streets and old buildings. What especially piqued my interest were the ancient ruins of the Roman theater (pictured here), where you can literally imagine the actors and audiences those many years ago. My camera doesn't even do it justice, but you can see the pictures here. You have to see this place, and what's more - you have to see this place at sunset. As the sun crept down below the mountains, not only did golden and yellow hues of light litter the purple sky, but you could see the Mediterranean and even two Italian islands off in the distance. Neither pictures, nor words, give it justice. But what's maybe most interesting about this walled city is it's nowhere in the Italy guidebook. So many people want to tour the big places like Rome, Venice and Sicily, without realizing that sometimes the most beautiful places are the least publicized ones. That's my favorite kind of beauty, and that's what makes me so grateful my parents were able to come here. They showed us a place (which has absolutely been my favorite so far, and more than likely Cade's too), where we probably otherwise would have never gone, and may have missed out on its beauty forever.

Paris
March 14, 2009
My mom got to celebrate her birthday in Paris, where we found ourselves at the end of our vacation because that's where they got on their flight back to Texas. Since our first experience with Paris wasn't what you would call ideal, we didn't have high expectations for our return trip - but with my parents, they can always find the most off-the-wall places to go! Like Volterra, the catacombs is rarely mentioned in any Paris guidebook, but it's well worth the visit and 4euro to check it out. Unlike the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame where flocks of tourists come daily, the catacombs is more low-key, but twice as intense. It's estimated that a nearly 6 million bodies are there to this day, which isn't a stretch on any imagination given the near-hour you spend walking through the tiny pathway - all the while just inches from skeletel remains of people who lived hundreds of years ago. Yes, a little morbid - but fascinating. No pictures of that, though, because they don't allow flash. Sadly, my parents took their subway back to their hotel near the CDG airport, as Cade and I stayed at a small 6-person hostel near the train station, where we took an early morning train the next day back home. I actually cried as they left - I didn't want the week to end - but I'm so happy they came and visited me and miss them already. You don't realized how much you miss seeing someone until you're away from them for months at a time. I hope they're reading this. :) If y'all are, I love you! After they left, Cade and I walked around town, checking out some things like Notre Dame (while mass was going on - really interesting...) that we missed the last time we were there. Here are those pictures.

Whew! I bet that was as tiring to read as it was to write, so I'll end here. Jason and Jenny are in town and are staying with us for this week, and we're all flying to Lisbon, Portugal tomorrow, so we'll report on that when we get back on Saturday. :) Hope everyone is doing well back home!
-Bana

Bana plays with the camera...

So here are some pictures taken on a sunny afternoon walking around Bilbao. Cade had class, as did most everyone else, so I just walked around - just my camera and me. Some amateur photography at its best, but it's Bilbao from my perspective. Enjoy!

*The dog is "puppy," the famous flower statue that's pretty much an icon of Bilbao. Type in "Bilbao" in any search engine, and it's guaranteed it will pop up somewhere. He just had his flowers changed over the winter, so he's extra vivid.

Playa Larrabasterra

So, one weekend we're skiing and the next we're at the beach. Since Cade hasn't posted in a while, we decided we'd split this entry up into halves, so I'll do the first part and he'll do the second.

So, for my part:

The last couple have days have been absolutely beautiful, no-cloud-in-the-sky weather. On Friday, we decided not to waste the day and took a subway excursion to Larrabasterra, which is a huge surfer hot spot and a beautiful beach along the Bay of Biscay. It only took about 45 minutes and 1 euro to get there, which is why I love the transportation system here because anything that's connected to Bilbao along the subway system is easily accessed and very cheap.

We started out the afternoon with a few people from Ireland and a girl from Tennessee, and spent a few hours in the sun on the beach. The two boys decided they'd be extra adventurous and went for a swim. Now, keep in mind that this is FEBRUARY, and it was definitely jacket weather. But that didn't stop the Texan and the Irishman, who surged into the water wearing nothing but shorts. I think they were the only ones on the beach who did so, because most everyone else was in a bodysuit for surfing. While they had their fun, the ladies stayed on the beach and watched the craziness, which is all documented in our photo album.

After the boys got out and warmed up, we took a hike up the mountain to some breathtaking scenic views that overlooked the water. Beaches don't look like that in Texas, at least not any I've ever seen. We stayed up there for a while, watched the sun start to set, and then hiked back down the mountain to meet up with our other friends on the other side of the beach. Now, it's Cade's turn.

-Bana :)


Well, like she said, we went down off the mountain to the other side of the beach to meet what's quickly becoming the Crew. These are the ERASMUS people that we've been spending most of our time hanging out with.

The beach on the other side was nice, but had a lot of debris scattered on the beach that washes up with the night tide. I guess you could say it was more of a natural beach than the other side (if you didn't get that I'm not explaining it to you). Needless to say, neither us, nor the rest of the Crew, were expecting just how natural that beach was. Anyway, on the way out we found this giant sand bar and thus commenced being 4 year old children playing and jumping around in the sand. Definitely check out the pictures of this. There are some really good ones.

After that we headed back to Bilbao for a much sought after Telepizza (kind of like Pizza Hut).

Overall it was a very good Friday afternoon trip to the beach.

-Cade