el escorial and segovia

Time for another travel post! One weekend in June, I traveled to two cities close to Madrid, El Escorial and Segovia.  In El Escorial, we went to the Basilica, which was really cool. It actually had several museums, which included pieces by artists like El Greco.  There was also an architecture section that showed the original plans of the basilica, including the courtyards and underground structure.  After wandering about there for a bit, we had lunch at a little restaurant off the main street- bocadillo de calamares, yumm! We also wanted to go to La valle de los caídos, where Franco is buried, but unfortunately it was closed for construction.  As we were driving away, I did see the huge cross that marks the valley, way up in the mountains.

The next day, we traveled to Segovia, and saw the Roman aqueducts (I have this pretty cool picture of the aqueducts where a car is driving right through!), the cathedral, and the alcazár that they say Walt Disney modeled the castle in Sleeping Beauty after. I liked Segovia, but I didn't love it. I am glad I went though, because I wanted to last year but I didn't get a chance. It was a busy weekend, but it was fun getting out the city for the day and then being able to come back to our apartment at night. Pics below!

Basilica in El Escorial

El Escorial

El Escorial

Alcazár in Segovia

The aqueduct and I

Plaza Mayor, Segovia

Cathedral in Segovia

host family reunion

Yesterday, I went to see my host family from last year. I know I´ve been in Spain nearly two months already, but my extreme laziness prevented me from contacting my host mom and setting a concrete time for us to meet up. A couple of days ago, when I realized that I don´t have much time left here, I buckled down and sent her a text, and we agreed to meet at her old house.

First of all, she hasn´t changed a bit. She is still as vivacious and bubbly as she´s always been. Her kids also didn´t change much either; still as immature as ever (more on that later). I gave her a huge squeeze and two besos when I saw her; I couldn´t believe a year had passed since we last saw each other. We chatted for a bit, and I found out that they had operated on her for a heart arrythmia and that she had sold her old apartment and bought a new one. Then we went to see her new apartment, which was quite nice. It was very sleek and modern and bare, because she hadn´t yet moved into the place or had a chance to put her ´Carmen touch´ on it. It was quite a bit smaller than her other apartment, but she seemed happy and the location was good, so I know that they´ll be fine. We chatted in her house for a while, then headed to a terraza (outdoor seating of a restaurant) to have dinner. The reason I said that her kids were still immature is that while we were at dinner, waiting for the kitchen to open (we were a bit too early), the younger of the two boys (who is 12) would get up every couple of minutes and run off. For some reason, this meant that the older boy (who is 18/19?) had to get up and chase him and bring him back. Seeing the older boy run was just ridiculous- hard to describe, but basically he ran like a duck. The point is, it was really embarrassing for me, and I´m sure for their mom that these two boys couldn´t behave themselves in public. I wanted to yell at them, "Stop acting like two-year olds!" Anyways, aside for that, we have a lovely, leisurely dinner. When we parted, I promised my host mom that I would come back to visit. Actuallly, we´ve decided that I need to move to Spain when I graduate next year- we´ll see about that!

I *heart* BCN!

Travel back in time with me to the beginning of June, when I visited the wonderful city of Barcelona for the first time. When I was in Spain last summer, one of my biggest regrets was that I didn't get a chance to visit Barcelona, so I vowed that this year, I would not go home without achieving that goal. Of course, all the other people that I'm living with wanted to go as well, so we planned a weekend trip, and off we went!

This is going to be cliché, but one of my favorite things about Barcelona was the architecture. Here's one of the first buildings I saw when we arrived:



No, this building doesn't house some important ministry of the government. Instead, it's a department store! When I think back to the department stores in the town where I live, they definitely don't look like this.

After dropping off our bags at the hostel (Barcelona Dream- I know, interesting name), we went to explore Las Ramblas, one of the main streets in Barcelona. It was full of tourists, but also lined with stalls where they sold everything from tacky tourist souvenirs to little birdies.



Then we found La Boquería, a food market located just off Las Ramblas. All of the food looked incredible. You could buy individual items, like fresh fish, or whole meals from little kiosks with different genres of food (chinese, japansese, etc...). However, the most mouth-watering item of all was this amazing crêpe that I bought. It was the special of the day, and the owner of the stand told us that he had had a dream about it the night before, and then decided to experiment with the ingredients the next day. The result was a melt-in-your-mouth, make-you-groan-a-little-bit, absolutely delish crêpe filled with milk chocolate, coconut, and white chocolate. We went back to his stand the next day, we were so enamored!

these are not veggies or apples, it's candy, yum!

entrance to la boquería

the crêpe man

Now comes the Gaudí section. I would absolutely love to live in one of Gaudí's houses- his aesthetic is so whimsical, fantastical, and colorful. The best parts, I think, are the balconies. We also went to see the iconic cathedral in Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia. It was so fascinating to learn the history of its construction and to see the different styles melded into each other. My favorite detail on the Gaudí façade were the birds flying up, up, and away. Last but not least Gaudí spot we visited was Parc Güell, with its famous lizard statue and incredible views of the city.

Casa Batló

la Sagrada Familia, Gaudí syle

Sagrada Familia

view from parc güell

el lagartijo

Just one more little tidbit- I really love looking at stained glass in cathedrals and museums, and Barcelona did not disappoint! Here's one of my faves:



Other highlights in Barcelona: Barcelona Party Nights, walking through the city at night, stumbling into an antique market. ¡Hasta pronto, Barcelona!