Well, last weekend I went to Salamanca again, this time with the Americans. We got up Friday morning and met in Moncloa, at the Metro stop. We loaded the bus and headed towards San Lorenzo de El Escorial. It's about an hour [by bus] from Madrid, and there's not much in the town. Oh, except for the gigantic granite monastery.
El Real Monasterio de El Escorial is where most of the Spanish kings are buried. The complex is enormous. We toured the place for almost an hour, and we only saw about one third of it. It was built to commemorate Spain's victory against France in 1557. The layout of the monastery [It's also a library, school, and museum] is in the form of a gridiron. It's said that it was designed this way as a tribute to San Lorenzo, who died on a grill. The day the battle took place was San Lorenzo's day, so I suppose it makes sense. Anyway, we toured the monastery, saw the tomb of the kings, and walked through the library. The library has an enormous collection of manuscripts and books in many different languages, and is one of the largest collections in Europe. What was really interesting was that the books were arranged with the spines facing inwards, as the climate is perfect for keeping pages fresh and dry. We were then granted some free time, so a few of us got a table outside and ordered tapas and beers. We relaxed in the sun a bit, then explored the town. Upon realizing that there really isn't much in the town besides the monastery, we got more beers and ice cream [it's a delicious combination, trust me.] We then got back on the bus and headed toward Salamanca. I started to doze off and...
So I woke up and we were there. We got our bags and walked a block or so to our hotel. Surprisingly, the hotel was nice. Wait, I take that back; the hotel was awesomely incredibly nice. We got our keys and a debriefing and then we headed to our rooms to unload. The rooms were awesome: comfy beds, lavish bathrooms and even a hallway. The whole room was tiled though, so that was different. Anyway, Chase and I were put in the same room, so we unpacked and watched some Spanish National Geographic. Later, a bunch of us explored some of Salamanca [I knew a thing or two about where we were, so that was helpful] and ended up getting Telepizza. It's the biggest pizza chain here, but it's not even close to Papa John's or Domino's [Chanello's in Newport News is by far the best pizza in the world, just saying.] However, it wasn't the worst pizza I've ever had [that would be ham and tuna with ketchup, no cheese.] We hiked back up to the hotel and hung out a bit before going out.
We went out really early, around 23:00, and first hit up the chupiterias [shot bars.] There's a street full of them near Plaza Mayor, so we picked one in the corner. We took a few shots, then sat down for awhile [it was still super early.] We eventually left, and went to another chupiteria up the street. We got more drinks, and at midnight we celebrated my 20th birthday [unsurprisingly, with shots.] We hung out there for awhile, then went to one of the more popular clubs, Camelot. We should have dressed the part with armor, sword and shield. Anyway, we got inside, did a bit of [terrible] dancing and the bartender offered some free birthday shots. I apologize, liver. We then somehow managed to get to the hotel safe and sound.
Saturday, we woke up too early and went on a tour of Salamanca. We saw the cathedral, the second cathedral, the University and the Casa de las Conchas. I've seen all of these before, so it wasn't as new and exciting. At least it was good to have gotten up early. We broke for lunch, and some of us went to Leonardo's, a quick bocadillo [incredibly delicious, super filling sub sandwich] joint. This guy Eric and I got a bocadillo with steak and tortilla [not the South American dough, it's a Spanish-style omelette of eggs, potato and onion.] We took our food back to the hotel and ate it while watching T.V. Everyone then took a nice nap for about an hour. When we woke up, some of us went to the market to buy some beverages for the night. We got beer and Don Simon - incredibly cheap, bad Sangria in a juice box. At night, most of us guys stayed in the hotel and watched a couple NBA games online and drank our booze. The other half of the group eventually got us to go out, so we hit up an Irish pub for some cervezas. We went home pretty early, and that night I actually got a decent amount of sleep.
On Sunday, we woke up, packed, and piled on the bus to go to Ávila. It wasn't too bad of a drive, and we got there around noon. Ávila is a walled town about halfway between Salamanca and Madrid. There's not much to the town, except for the fortress-like walls. We took a tour on top of the wall, which included climbing about thirty million steps. The wall was pretty incredible though. You could see for miles: the mountains in the distance, the plains, all of the town. It was pretty spectacular. After the short tour, we were granted free roam, and some of us went to see another part of the wall. We took some pictures, walked a bit, then descended to go see the cathedral. Although this particular cathedral was made with beautiful reddish-orange stones, I must admit that the whole cathedral thing is starting to wear on me. Sure, each one is different; they all have their own historical significances, and they are all beautiful, but each one is more or less the same. There are certain things I could spend an eternity looking at [maps, for example] but cathedrals just don't do it for me. That aside, cathedrals are still incredible architectural wonders. We then went to a little outdoor restaurant, experienced some terrible service, and got back on the bus to Madrid.
That night, I'm pretty sure I just unpacked and lounged around the house. I may have walked the city a bit, but nothing important happened, to be sure. Monday, the Philology department had a holiday, and it was incredibly nice out, so I spent the whole day outside. I went to Madrid's botanic gardens, slowly walked the entire property, and read Watership Down. I later met up with Michelle and Michele [seriously] at Parque del Retiro. We walked around the huge city park, found some grass and lied in the sun for awhile. We then went and saw the Crystal Palace, a huge glass building in the park, and walked some more. We got some drinks at a nearby bar and then went our separate ways.
Tuesday, I went to my first couple classes, then met up with the study abroad group at El Museo del Prado, one of the most important art museums in Europe. The collection there is ridiculously huge, so we only explored the works of Diego Velázquez and Francisco Goya. They were so impressive, Las Meninas was great, but there were so many stunning pieces. Goya's "Black Paintings" were awesome. Later in his life, Goya pretty much lost it. He was nearly deaf, ill, and going insane. He became somewhat of a recluse, and painted several very disturbing works, such as Saturn Devouring His Son. He hung these haunting works in his house, not intending for anyone to ever see them. One of my favorites, though, was Perro Semihundido. It's a simple work, just a small dog's head and a lot of empty space, but it's believed to be one of the first examples of abstract art. I bought a print of it, too.
Wednesday was class as usual, we took an incredibly easy test in Spanish Culture. At night, some of us went to a bar to watch the Barça - Inter game. The game was great, especially since Barcelona lost. We then went to Cien for their €2 bocadillo-beer deal. It closed at midnight, so we went to the ever-popular Cave Bar. The whole bar is decorated like a cave, and their signature drink pours from stalactites over the bar! We got this famous drink, which is meant to serve 2, but could easily serve 8. It tasted great, but the sheer amount of liquid was kind of sickening. Not to mention milk and alcohol is best in moderation. We left feeling full, more than anything else, and went home.
Let's see: Thursday was more class, we watched a Viggo Mortensen movie in one of them. At night, we went to El Tigre, a bar with a mountain of free tapas with every drink. We met a Polish-German and a Bolivian who are studying in Spain, and they had and incredible mastery of the English language! Not much else happened, we went home early. Friday was more class, and later, Teresa, her friends and I went out for Telepizza. Some of us went to iReal for a drink and then went home early.
Saturday, we got up and went to a smaller version of El Rastro, but there wasn't much to see. We came back home and I started to blog. I was suddenly interrupted by my aunt telling me that we were going to Cuenca, a town east of Madrid by about 2 hours. The drive was interesting, we drove through monsoon conditions until it was suddenly clear and sunny. We drove through the town of Cuenca, which was situated on some cliffs, so that was quite the sight. We parked next to the river, and stayed there for all of ten minutes. These are the kinds of places where I could stay all day. The water was so green, it was surreal. It was like looking at a river of emerald. Alas, my aunt and uncle had had enough, so we drove up a mountainside to Ciudad Encantada, a geological site of otherworldly proportions. The rock formations here were stunning. They all had names, such as the Mushroom, the Lovers of Teruel, and the Fight of the Elephant and the Crocodile. The rocks were enormous, and so surreal. The landscape was almost prehistoric. We walked a long way through the park, so that was nice to be outside for awhile. It was getting late though, so we got back in the car and made the trek back to Madrid. We got back around 23:30, and Teresa, Ricardo and I went [again] to iReal. It was surprisingly full, so it wasn't too bad. I don't really like
iReal very much, though. There are plenty of other bars and clubs that are cheaper and more youth-friendly. Oh well I suppose.
Anyway, today was a glorious day for sleeping in. I woke up, made breakfast and continued my [long overdue] blog. Family came over, so we had a huge lunch, and now I've the rest of the day to myself. Splendid. Next week we're going to three cities in one day, but not much else will be happening. I'm excited for Morocco in June, and I really ought to make that down payment for it. Also, I really want to go to the Canary Islands. The flights are heinously cheap, and I have a few free weekends. We shall see. I've been thinking a lot lately about what I'm learning about the world, and just people in general. I'll save that until later, though. My iPod died earlier this week, so that really bites. Luckily my music was backed up on my external hard drive - in the U.S. Well, until next time, I'll be doing schoolwork and trying to book a flight to the Canaries. Anyway, hasta luego.
Brian
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