June 30th, 2007
Madrid
When I first sign up for this trip, I had not idea it was going to have such a great impact in my life, it had actually change me as a person. After spending three short weeks in Spain, I have fallen in love with this country, its people and their life style. This week had been a great week very relaxing, it felt to good to say ¨I don’t have anything plan for today but there is always something to do in Madrid.
Last night a group of us went to the opening of the Gay pride week, it was very interesting to see, and a lot of fun there was great music playing and everyone was dancing in the streets, as soon as we got off the metro and walked up the stairs to the street, the whole place was packed with people just having fun and being themselves, something I have never seen in the US. It seems to me that people here in Spain are more open to new ideas and are not as judgmental as back in the states, but that is just my personal opinion based on what I have seen and experienced.
Today Victoria and I went and had lunch at this great Argentino restaurant where we had some steaks, finally!!. We have spend the rest of the afternoon walking around the city, window shopping and looking for a new suit case for me to take back with all the souvenirs i have gotten.. what can i say i love to shop. I am looking forward to coming home and spending time with my husband, relaxing at home. I will post pictures and videos of this trip as soon as I return home.
Until then... Olé!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
I saw an orginal Picasso!!!
Sevilla
June 24th, 2007
Our second day in Sevilla is winding down but the heat is definitely not. We arrived yesterday and shortly after checking in to our hotel, which by the way is beautiful, we went out for a walking orientation of the city but soon after starting our walk our guide, Gary realized that we were all melting in the sun and everyone was falling behind so we cut the walk short. Victoria and I decided to walk back to the hotel, but only after getting some cold and much earned ice-cream I got the lemon and mango sherbet, it was so refreshing.
Dinner at the hotel was also excellent, although it was nearly 100 degrees outside we had chicken soup for dinner, it seemed that everyone loved it because there was hardly any plated still full, the second course was pork sirloin and watermelon for desert.
Today had been a full day again. We had a 7 am wakeup call and breakfast at 8 am, the breakfast was so good, I wanted to eat everything that they had, I could not get enough of the fresh squeezed orange juice. After eating we had a guided tour to the Plaza España.
The highlight of my day was going to the Museo de Bellas Artes, where I saw an original Picasso painting, La Planchadora. I had dreamed of seeing an original Pablo Picasso painting and today it happen. I was amazed to be standing in front of this magnificent work of art. Today we also I had the opportunity to visit the tomb of Christobal Colon, that was something spectacular, to be standing in front of the final resting place of the man who discovered the Americas, and to think that it was thanks to him that I am here was mind boggling.
Well my time is coming up to get off the computer since there is people waiting to use the computer. I will post more once I arrive to Madrid.
Stairs at the Plaza Epaña1.jpg)
Pablo Picasso. La Planchadora
Real Alcazar Palace Thursday, June 21, 2007
La Reconquista
TorremolinosJune 21, 2007
I am completely exhausted from walking 30 blocks to get to the internet cafe, but it had been worth it, since this Torremolinos is a beautiful beach city. Today is just absolutely perfect, a nice cool breeze, sunny skies and a breathtaking ocean view the water is a deep blue with white sandy shores. I have not had the change to visit the beach yet, that is on my agenda for tomorrow since we finally have a FREE day, that means no 6 am wake up call, no bus leaving at 8 a.m. and I will be sleeping in a little bit especially since we have a night of dancing planned.
Now getting to business, my topic for the day is the Reconquest or ¨reconquista¨, this lasted for almost 800 years and was one of the most important historically events in Spain. The battle was between the Christians and the Moors. The moors had their strongest influence in Andalusia in cites such as Cordoba, Sevilla and Granada all of which I have had the pleasure of visiting.
The key players during the reconquista where El cid, who Spain adopted as their national hero, he represented the confusion of loyalty between Christians and Moors at the time. Alfonso VI who exile El Cid and fought in the service of the Moors but his army was recaptured in Toledo in the first victory of the reconquista which boosted the moral of the Christians in the old Visigoth capital. The Jews were also involved in the reconquista, the were expelled by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492, the Jews were giving the choice to be baptized or leave definitely .
.........More to come, running out of time at the internet cafe......
La Alhambra
I am completely exhausted from walking 30 blocks to get to the internet cafe, but it had been worth it, since this Torremolinos is a beautiful beach city. Today is just absolutely perfect, a nice cool breeze, sunny skies and a breathtaking ocean view the water is a deep blue with white sandy shores. I have not had the change to visit the beach yet, that is on my agenda for tomorrow since we finally have a FREE day, that means no 6 am wake up call, no bus leaving at 8 a.m. and I will be sleeping in a little bit especially since we have a night of dancing planned.
Now getting to business, my topic for the day is the Reconquest or ¨reconquista¨, this lasted for almost 800 years and was one of the most important historically events in Spain. The battle was between the Christians and the Moors. The moors had their strongest influence in Andalusia in cites such as Cordoba, Sevilla and Granada all of which I have had the pleasure of visiting.
The key players during the reconquista where El cid, who Spain adopted as their national hero, he represented the confusion of loyalty between Christians and Moors at the time. Alfonso VI who exile El Cid and fought in the service of the Moors but his army was recaptured in Toledo in the first victory of the reconquista which boosted the moral of the Christians in the old Visigoth capital. The Jews were also involved in the reconquista, the were expelled by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492, the Jews were giving the choice to be baptized or leave definitely .
.........More to come, running out of time at the internet cafe......
La AlhambraWednesday, June 20, 2007
Gaudi, a master of architecture
June 20th, 2007
Barcelona
In Barcelona, we got the opportunity to see some of Gaudi´s work. The most popular of his architectural works are the Sagrada Familia a church that until this date is still unfinished, it started in 1882, the church is amazing to say the least, the style is a gothic and modern which was influeced by the great immigaration to Barcelona. Another work by Gaudi was the Parque Guell, the park has a very unique and distinct architectural desing, Gaudi uses lost of colors and odd shapes in anything he built. The park has a whole roof with mosaic railing that gave live to the building and this was the only place where the was no flowes growing. Arches, domes and pillars could be found all around the park, it resemble very much a childs playground, combinng nature and architecture to blend together, as if the buiding grew into the park. I have learned to apreciate Gaudi´s style of architecture especially after having the apportunity of seeing his work first hand.
In Barcelona, we got the opportunity to see some of Gaudi´s work. The most popular of his architectural works are the Sagrada Familia a church that until this date is still unfinished, it started in 1882, the church is amazing to say the least, the style is a gothic and modern which was influeced by the great immigaration to Barcelona. Another work by Gaudi was the Parque Guell, the park has a very unique and distinct architectural desing, Gaudi uses lost of colors and odd shapes in anything he built. The park has a whole roof with mosaic railing that gave live to the building and this was the only place where the was no flowes growing. Arches, domes and pillars could be found all around the park, it resemble very much a childs playground, combinng nature and architecture to blend together, as if the buiding grew into the park. I have learned to apreciate Gaudi´s style of architecture especially after having the apportunity of seeing his work first hand.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Buen provecho
June 19th, 2007 Valencia
A nice breeze helped cools us off as we step out of our tour bus. We had been on the road to Valencia for over 7 hours and it was a relief to be able to stand up straight. It was a nice surprise to feel the warmth of the sun on my face, since for the past few days it had been a little chilly.
We began walking down the street in search for a place to eat. We found a nice cafe on a small side street. The cafe had several small tables set up outside under some orange trees that were in bloom. We sat down and quickly ordered our food. I had the menu del dia (menu of the day). Soon after arriving, a small man with his guitar came and stood across the restaurant and began strumming his guitar. He sang Guantalamera and other Spanish songs. At that time, all of our moods changed from a grumpy and tired to a happy and upbeat as if the music erased our exhaustion from long road trip.
We began walking down the street in search for a place to eat. We found a nice cafe on a small side street. The cafe had several small tables set up outside under some orange trees that were in bloom. We sat down and quickly ordered our food. I had the menu del dia (menu of the day). Soon after arriving, a small man with his guitar came and stood across the restaurant and began strumming his guitar. He sang Guantalamera and other Spanish songs. At that time, all of our moods changed from a grumpy and tired to a happy and upbeat as if the music erased our exhaustion from long road trip.
Our waiter brought my first course, was arroz al horno (baked rice), which was so delicious, it was yellow rice with garbanzos and lamb a full plate that would of been enough but I was anxious to taste my second dish that was soon to come. The second dish was a fresh and tender Lenguado, an excellent white meat fish that was covered with a creamy butter sauce accompanied by some scallop potatoes and green beans. The fish seems to melt in my mouth, and even as I was feeling full, I could not stop eating it. After the main dishes was serve and eaten, dessert followed I order the manzana asada (baked apple), it was more than exquisite the taste was granny and sweet you could cut the sugary sweet coat with a spoon. I was one happy girl as I ate my dessert. After finishing our perfect meal, we sat back and chatted for a little while.We could hear the faint sound of music coming from around the corner on the next street, the band was playing Mana, and we all began to sing along with the faint lyrics.
The church bells rang punctually at 3 p.m. that was our cue to leave. We had a lot planned for the small amount of time we had in Valencia. We walked fast to the church where the Holy Grail is located. It was an amazing experience to walk around the ancient church filled with paintings and sculptures from the 17th and 18th century. We saw the Holy Grail from behind a thin rope, still encased in a protective box. We also saw original paintings from Goya and even saw the arm of Vincent the Martyr. That was a Little creepy to say the least. Our stay in Valencia was very short, and it left me wanting more, but at the very least I was able to see the Holy Grail and had an amazing lunch...Tomorrow we have an early wake up call to head to Granada.
Manzana asada
Arm of Vincent the MartyrMonday, June 18, 2007
What did they say?
Barcelona
June 18th, 2007
In Barcelona there was to much to do and not enough time. That is why I was rather disappointed of the little I saw of the city. We stop to eat as this little authentic Italian restaurant, while eating there a couple sitting next to us was holding hands and smiling a lot. It was obvious that they were in love. They spoke softly, but I was able to make out that they were speaking English. The man softly held her hand and had a charming smile on his face. The women flirted with her eyes and giggled as she hanged on his every word. I overheard them speaking about the time they were returning to their cruise ship that afternoon and spoke of the great time they were having in Spain, I did hear him say that Barcelona was not quite what he had expected and would have much rather gone to visit another city. The couple also spoke about their time in Italy. Apparently, they had also visited Tuscany and other parts of the country. Although their conversation was short and hard to hear over the loud music, it was interesting to see how people interact, and how I could read their body language. It was easy to see how clearly in love they were.
This assignment was challenging. It was hard to focus on what we were talking about, especially when one is eating delicious Italian food yet it was a good exercise for anyone. To train your mind to multitask is the key to any good reporter.
June 18th, 2007
In Barcelona there was to much to do and not enough time. That is why I was rather disappointed of the little I saw of the city. We stop to eat as this little authentic Italian restaurant, while eating there a couple sitting next to us was holding hands and smiling a lot. It was obvious that they were in love. They spoke softly, but I was able to make out that they were speaking English. The man softly held her hand and had a charming smile on his face. The women flirted with her eyes and giggled as she hanged on his every word. I overheard them speaking about the time they were returning to their cruise ship that afternoon and spoke of the great time they were having in Spain, I did hear him say that Barcelona was not quite what he had expected and would have much rather gone to visit another city. The couple also spoke about their time in Italy. Apparently, they had also visited Tuscany and other parts of the country. Although their conversation was short and hard to hear over the loud music, it was interesting to see how people interact, and how I could read their body language. It was easy to see how clearly in love they were.
This assignment was challenging. It was hard to focus on what we were talking about, especially when one is eating delicious Italian food yet it was a good exercise for anyone. To train your mind to multitask is the key to any good reporter.
All you need in Spain
June 18th ,2007
Barcelona
All you will ever need in Spain is a good pair of walking shoes, bread and water. The shoes are the most important part, since there is a lot of walking involved, and you do want to explore every single corner in every place visited.
During this past week, we have been in Madrid, Burgos, San Sebastian, Bilbao, and Pamplona, today we are in Barcelona. All of these cities have been influenced by the Hapsburgs and Bourbons. San Sebastian and Burgos were strongly influence by the Hapsburgs, especially with architecture. The Hapsburgs were obsessed with making everything grand and paid attention to the minute detail, in the Sagrada Familia cathedral there many references to the Holy Trinity, and the Holy family all represented in several different views and forms.
The Bourbons were sent to centralize Spain with authority. This created a power struggle with the Bureaucrats, new ideas were coming in by these immigrants and people resisted, which explains why people in Barcelona are still very reserved and conservative, although people are still friendly is you approach them with a smile, they are still not as warm as other parts of Spain that we have visited.
Barcelona
All you will ever need in Spain is a good pair of walking shoes, bread and water. The shoes are the most important part, since there is a lot of walking involved, and you do want to explore every single corner in every place visited.
During this past week, we have been in Madrid, Burgos, San Sebastian, Bilbao, and Pamplona, today we are in Barcelona. All of these cities have been influenced by the Hapsburgs and Bourbons. San Sebastian and Burgos were strongly influence by the Hapsburgs, especially with architecture. The Hapsburgs were obsessed with making everything grand and paid attention to the minute detail, in the Sagrada Familia cathedral there many references to the Holy Trinity, and the Holy family all represented in several different views and forms.
The Bourbons were sent to centralize Spain with authority. This created a power struggle with the Bureaucrats, new ideas were coming in by these immigrants and people resisted, which explains why people in Barcelona are still very reserved and conservative, although people are still friendly is you approach them with a smile, they are still not as warm as other parts of Spain that we have visited.
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