Monday, March 23, 2009
¡Hola! I know it has been awhile since last I wrote, but I have been rather busy studying and preparing for my mid terms. I had four in total. Studying in Spanish has been a bit difficult since it’s all in Spanish; however, I actually learned the material, which I don’t think I did when it was first presented to me. Amid my fierce studying, I took a break last weekend and went to Madrid to meet up with Anna and Claire, two of my ADPi sisters who graduated in May and have been working in Scotland since September. They will be traveling for the next six weeks across Europe, and they began their travels in Madrid.
Last Friday, I took the train (my first ever!) to Madrid and met them at our hostel. It actually turned out to be a little guesthouse, so needless to say, my first hostel experience was very pleasant. After settling in, I took them out for some typical Spanish food. We were able to sit outside at a café where we enjoyed Spanish tortilla. Afterwards, I took them on a small tour of the city. I got to play the translator, which was huge for me. It really helped me see that I can communicate effectively with people in Spanish. Hopefully that will be the beginning of great things to come! That night we went and had tapas. We shared Calamari and fried eggs with vegetables. The girls seemed to like the Spanish food.
Saturday morning we left to go to Toledo to meet up with one of Anna’s friends. I thought that we would catch the train at the same station that I came to from Salamanca. Little did I know there are two train stations in Madrid, and of course, I led us to the wrong one. That’s ok because I’m really learning to live like a Spaniard, muy tranquilo! We just rode the metro for a little longer than we had planned and made it to the correct train station eventually. While we waited for the train, I ordered chocolate con churros for the girls. Again, I love the Spanish food and want to share it with all. Once we boarded the train, Anna began talking to the people sitting next to us, and lo and behold, they were from Atlanta. What a small, small world!
Once in Toledo, Anna’s friend, Claire, met us at the station and took us around the town. Even though I went to Toledo at the beginning of my time here, I really enjoyed going back. Just when I thought I had seen a Cathedral in every city I have visited thus far, Claire took us to the one in Toledo. How did I miss it the first time? Well, again, it looked like all the rest, but Claire George and I had fun making up our own stories about the paintings and such. Later, we all sat outside and shared a craft of Sangria. We have had the most beautiful weather here lately, so it was very nice to sit out and enjoy it! We ended our day in Toledo with drinks and tapas. We said good-bye and rode the bus back to Madrid. We were very exhausted and promptly returned to our hostel and went to sleep.
Sunday morning I woke up early and went to the airport to pick up Austin. Due to my lack of Madrid metro directional skills, he got to view a significant part of underground Madrid. Pretty lucky fellow if I must say so myself. We took the train to Salamanca. I took him to meet the madre and the rest of the fam. I took him on a miniature tour of the city. We went to the Cathedral here, and after all the many cathedrals I’ve seen in this country, I think my favorite is, by far, the one here. One cannot come to Salamanca without experiencing the night life, so we ended our day doing just that; however, because it was in fact a Sunday night, the group came out and we all just chilled at an Irish bar, the one at which I watched the Super Bowl (just in case you’ve got your map in your head ;)).
Monday was rather relaxed because I had two mid terms on Tuesday; however, Austin did get to play photographer for my group photo project of Salamanca. He enjoyed seeing all of the important things in Salamanca, I’m certain. After I took my two exams, Austin and I headed back to Madrid for the night because we had an early flight on Wednesday.
We began our day very early on Wednesday and encountered some troubles at the airport. Our airline did not live up to its name, Easyjet; however, after a brisk run through the Madrid airport, we were off to Rome. We arrived in Rome around 9:30AM and took a bus to the city center because our hotel said that it was 2km from the city center, so we decided to take a taxi from there to the hotel; however, 68 euros later, we found out that our hotel was indeed farther than 2km. Our taxi driver tried to talk to us and tell us about the city since we got to spend so much time with him, but I was too upset to listen. Luckily Austin listened and was able to decipher his English. No worries, though, because we learned to use the city buses, which were free, so I’m sure it all worked out some how. After we settled in, we set out to do the touristy thing. We began with our first Italian meal, and boy was it yummy. We then went to the Coliseum and the surrounding area. It was incredible! After studying about these places in school and reading about them in books, it was very surreal to actually be there. We even had our pictures made with genuine 21st century gladiators. We explored the rest of the city throughout the evening and early night and had a lovely Italian dinner in a quite area of town after watching the sunset over the city.
Early Thursday, we caught the train to Venice. Through it was a four-hour trip each way, we both agreed it was completely worth it. I’ve never seen anything like Venice in my whole life. It was incredible. The entire city was bursting with color, and I loved the waterways as well. I tried to decide where The Italian Job was filmed. I recognized the place where John is talking on the phone to his daughter, but that was about it; however, next time I watch the movie, I will be able to say I’ve been there. Venice was one of the prettiest places I’ve ever been. I highly suggest it to all! We returned to Rome later that afternoon. We ate dinner at a small diner near the train station, and I had spinach and cheese Ravioli. Yes, that’s right I ate pasta and REALLY liked it.
Friday was our last day in Rome. We woke up early and went to the Vatican along with the rest of the tourists in Rome, I think. We were able to actually enter the Museum around 9:45AM, but we only had a limited amount of time. We rushed through the museum, and even at a speedy pace, it took us almost 2 hours to see everything. We saw the Sistine Chapel, which was amazing. It’s hard to imagine someone taking so much time to paint something so incredible. The Pope was of course in Africa condemning the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, so we didn’t get to say hey, what’s up. We did see St. Petersburg where he speaks to the people. That was pretty cool. We didn’t go in though because the line was far too long. For the most part, Rome was a very dirty city with a TON of people, but the historical parts of the city were very neat. I really enjoyed visiting and really would like to see more of Italy one day. We made the trek back to the hotel to check out and head to the airport. We returned to Madrid for the night. Our hotel was once again not close to the airport or the city center, so when we went to look for food, we walked around for a good while before finally finding a place that offered meal-type food. We called it a day very early because Austin’s flight left early the next morning.
Saturday was a very, very long day for me and for Austin too, I’m sure. I went with him to the airport and said good-bye around 6:30AM. I got on the metro and went to the train station to catch the next train to Salamanca. The lady at the ticket counter said the next available one wasn’t until 1:45PM. She said I could go to the bus station and get a bus. She gave me two options. I got on the Metro again and went to the first one because it was nearer. They told me that there were no buses going to Salamanca from that station. I then took metro again to the next bus station. I arrived there at 8:30 and was told that the next available bus was at 11:00 am. I just wanted to get home, so that was not good news; however, while I waited, I worked up the courage to get my haircut in Spain, and I must say, I am very pleased with the outcome. I had to convince myself the whole time it was being cut that it was just hair and would grow back, but it turned out just fine. I finally made it back to Salamanca just in time for lunch too. I was terribly sad for the week to end, but I had a wonderful time. It is definitely a week that I will hardly be able to forget. I spent a great deal of time learning the Madrid Metro system, and of course, it was great seeing familiar faces from home! I wish you all could come and visit because it’s so hard to describe life here in words. It’s definitely something you need to experience. ¡Hasta Luego!
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