Toledo (Not Ohio)

This weekend was my first weekend adventure! A group of us went to Toledo, Spain Friday and Saturday. Toledo is a historic city that is just south of Madrid and is known for its combination of three cultures, marzipan, and making the weapons in the Hobbit movies. To get there we started off leaving the bus station from Segovia to Madrid and progressed to the metro in Madrid, finally taking another bus to Toledo. Once we got to Toledo, we realized that the entire city is basically on one giant hill. To find our hostel and the main area of the city, we had to go up that hill. It was definitely the workout to get there, but it was worth the climb.

Made it to the top!

We found our hostel and spent the rest of the day wandering around the city. It was fun just poking through the shops and seeing all the swords and nick-knack things that they had. Toledo is bigger than Segovia, so it was fun to explore the sites and views. We even found a McDonald's for dinner! It was nice to actually have American food again, but we felt bad about not enjoying the culture so we went to a marzipan shop and split marzipan. Marzipan is made with almond paste and honey or sugar. It was so good, but very expensive and we only got a little each.

Marzipan!

The next day was also a fun adventure. We took a train tour of the city in the morning to learn a little more about the city's history and culture. It was a headphone guided tour, so it was funny to listen to the British guide talk for 45 minutes since they don't really use American English here much. Toledo is famous for having a combination of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian cultures. The tour took us to the highest viewpoint of the city too, which would have been a long walk on our own. 

The View of the City

We also spent a lot of time walking around exploring the different parks of the city. We ended up finding a rugby game in one of the parks, so we sat in the wonderful 60 degree weather in the sun to watch the game before heading back to Segovia. Even though it was a relatively short trip, it was worth it and I'm excited for all the other places I will be heading soon!

Walking Adventures

I can't believe that it's already week three here! In some ways it feels like I just got here, but in others it seems like I've been here forever. I've learned so much and this week has not been an exception.

Beautiful View of the Mountains and the City from the School

Yesterday was definitely a walking adventure. For class we went to the cathedral, which is in the Plaza Mayor. Built in the 16th century, the cathedral has a compilation of history over the centuries of its use. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but it was incredible. My favorite artifacts were the 16th century hymn books that were displayed between two pipe organs. They were in almost perfect condition, and I just really love old books. I was allowed to take pictures outside in the courtyard, so I was happy.

Outside the Cathedral 

Inside

I also went on a mini adventure of my own yesterday afternoon to the Iglesia de Vera Cruz. Located near the Alcázar, the Iglesia de Vera Cruz is a 13th century church founded by the Knights Templar. 

La Iglesia de Vera Cruz

From where I'm living, it takes about fifteen to twenty minutes to get to the castle; from there, it took about another forty minutes to get to the church. Come to find out the church was closed, so I just got to walk around the outside...hopefully I can find when it re-opens.

View of the Alcázar from the Church

Thankfully it was a nice day for a walk, so I took the nature trail to get back into the city. I've been doing so much walking here, but it really is the best way to get around. 

More Stairs

I'm excited for what other adventures await in the upcoming weeks!

Castles, Castles, and More Castles!

Today was our first excursion as a group - "la ruta de los castillos," or the route of the castles in English.

Since I haven't posted a picture of me so far...

The first castle that we went to was Coca. It was built in the fifteenth century and sits on the ancient Roman birthplace of the Roman emperor Teodosio the Great.

Coca

The castle is actually closed to the public in January, but the director of our program got permission for us to go and to have a guide - we had the entire castle to ourselves! There is a large entryway when you first walk in and you are easily able to go up in the towers and see the view. It got a little more difficult once we got into the castle.

The dreaded never-ending spiral staircase.

After successfully not falling, there are several rooms that branch off from the stairs that we saw. We went to the church and a few of the other rooms that were used for various miscellaneous purposes before making our way to the top rooms and the top. The castle was actually partially destroyed during the Napoleonic Era, but was restored in the 1950's. Throughout the inner castle there are parts of the original castle paired with the reconstruction.

A Piece of the Original Wall

In contrast, the next castle that we visited was original construction and much older. Built in the twelfth century, the Castillo de Cuellar is now used as a high school. Unfortunately it was closed and we couldn't go inside, but we got to walk around the outside and inner areas that were open. It's interesting to be able to see the changes in architecture alone over three hundred years.

El Castillo de Cuellar

Hopefully the weather starts to warm up a little more here, although I suppose I can't complain too much about 30 degree weather!

School Days

It's about 35 degrees and rainy here today, so perfect blogging weather! Classes started up again yesterday, and everyone is finally here after all the delays and canceled flights. I'm really liking all of my classes and my professors. I'm taking art history, grammar, civilization, and Spain and the European Union and have class from 8:40 a.m. to about 1:30 in the afternoon. I'm really enjoying the smaller excursions that we are taking for our classes too.

I pass by both the above fountain and below statue on
my way to and from class, they're my direction points!

Yesterday we went back to the aqueduct to learn about some of the Roman legends, since the Romans have a large influence throughout the city. Legend has it that there were twins born around the first century and were left in a cave to die. A mother wolf heard the twins' crying and took them in as her own with her cubs. This is where I lost a little in translation of what happened, but I think that the twins were found and taught human ways. One of the twins, Romvlo, was extremely strong, and eventually ended up killing his twin, Remo. Romvlo became the founder of the Roman people, and near the aqueduct is a statue that represents Romvlo and Remo with the mother wolf.

We also learned about the legend of how the aqueduct was created; modern science still isn't sure how the aqueduct was created or why it is still standing. History tells us that the Romans created the aqueduct about 2,000 years ago, but the legend is a little bit different. They say that there was a young girl who wanted to go out to a festival, but her mother wouldn't let her because she needed her to go get water and wash clothes. Water took a long time to get to, so the daughter was upset and said something like, "Even el diablo (the devil) couldn't get water out my window in time for me to go to the festival." The devil heard the girl and that night created the aqueduct. There also may have been something about the girl saying she bet her soul that the devil couldn't do it, but I'm not sure.

Entrance to the Alcázar

Today we also went on an excursion to go inside the Alcázar. I've been outside the castle twice now, but it is completely different to be able to go inside. Being the history and museum studies person, the first thing that I immediately asked was if the artifacts and objects in the castle were originals. I was told that everything was original, that there weren't reproductions and that the changes made to the castle were done over the centuries of its use. Needless to say, the cold and the rain instantly didn't bother me anymore. The first part of the castle we went in was the dungeon, which is the earliest, medieval part of the castle.

The Dungeon

After that, we made our way to the main halls, where there were different suits of armor before heading into the main dining area. The different suits of armor were used for different things. The armor (pictured below) with the spikes was used for infantry/on the battlefield and you can see the spikes throughout the armor used to keep enemies away. The armor (also pictured below) with the collar was used for horseback, when the user needed a hand for a sword and the other to control the horse. The collar is placed so that the heart would be covered when in use.

Spikes

Collar

The main dining hall contains the only fireplace in the entire castle - I definitely would have lived in there during the winter! It also has a beautiful ceiling constructed during Muslim influence in Spain. Our professor pointed out that none of the changes to the castle during this time contained faces or people, which had something to do with their religious customs I believe. 

The Ceiling

Connecting to the main dining room is what I assume to be the throne room, pictured below. There are also stained glass windows throughout the castle, depicting various monarchs.

Throne Room with Spanish Crest

Enrique IV "The Impotent" Stained Glass

One of the last things that we saw was the bedroom of the queen. There was only one queen in the entire history of the castle who shared a bedroom with the king, so there was an adjoining door to connect the two rooms, with only the queen's room being on display.

The Room of the Queen

The last two places we visited were the church and what I call the room of monarchs of Castile. The first king of Castile recognized in the hall is Peyote, in the year 735. The hall contains the monarchs of Castile and has descriptions of each on a plaque below lining the top of the walls. It was incredible to see, and the pictures really can't do it justice. The entire castle was like that, and it is amazing to be able to see and be so close to so many centuries of history.

The Church

Room of Monarchs

The last picture that I took was the view on my way back to my host family. I can't get over how wonderful and old everything is here, and I can't wait to explore even more of the city!

A Day in Segovia

I can't believe it's already the end of week one already! Over here it's almost one in the afternoon, not almost seven in the morning. I usually get a little down time when I don't have classes in the morning and then again after lunch. I'm starting to adjust to the time difference and the different schedule. Breakfast is usually pretty light and, depending on the day, early in the morning if I have class or when I get up for the weekend. I typically have "tostadas" (toast) with strawberry jelly and warm "leche" (milk). The milk is different here, I think it might be whole milk because it's sweeter than our milk and a bit thicker. It doesn't taste bad, it's just different and takes a little getting used to. After breakfast, I either will go to classes or hang out with my host mom until lunch. Yesterday we went to run errands. Since we live five minutes away from the aqueduct, it doesn't take long to get into town. We went to several shops for groceries and she kept pointing out the stores that were "baratos" (cheap) along the way. The streets are pretty small and they're all made of stone, but it's so beautiful to just walk around the city. Most of the grocery shops we went to have a huge variety of seafood, since Spain is a big consumer of all types of seafood. Unfortunately I'm not a huge fan of fish, but I did try it at least. The other thing that I found really interesting was the amount of American products that were in the stores next to the Spanish equivalents. This is the second day that I haven't gotten sick while being here, but my host mom still has me on a strict bland diet. She got me the Spanish version of corn flakes and some all-natural yogurt. She kept telling me that when I get better I can have more of the different kinds of food.

View from the Apartment

We don't typically eat lunch until around two or three in the afternoon and my host mom's daughter always comes to eat with us. I love the siesta time, which I think is around two or three to about five. Everything shuts down and people go home for lunch and to relax or take a siesta (nap). After eating, I usually hang out with my host mom and her daughter for a little bit before taking a siesta. We always watch either the news or some kind of T.V.. I like watching the news, but I can only understand parts of it because they talk so fast. Typically my host mom starts off talking slower to me but then forgets and talks really fast, so I understand most of what she's saying. I think the biggest problem with the language difference is forming what I want to say back to everyone, but it should get easier.

Walking to the City

Yesterday after my siesta a group of us from the school decided to go walk around the city and look at the shops before dinner. We started off at the Plaza Mayor for a little bit and then ended up taking a walking path over by our school. We originally thought it led to a river, but it turns out it led to the Alcázar, which is this huge castle by the river. I love that because Segovia is so old and has so many monuments and landmarks we could just accidentally find a castle. 

At the Plaza Mayor

For some reason we decided to keep following the path instead of turning around to get back, so we went for a long, all uphill walk back around the city. It's definitely a workout everywhere I go since walking is the best way to get around.

 

Alcázar de Segovia

After the castle adventure, it was about time to go back to our host families for dinner. Dinner is usually around ten or so at night. My host mom doesn't typically eat dinner, so we sit and talk while I eat a light dinner and then we watch T.V. again before I go to bed. She stays up later than me, since they don't go to bed here until midnight or one in the morning, later on weekends. I'm starting to stay up a little later, but I have my first class at 8:40 in the morning on the weekdays and I like to have sleep!

Spain!

Hola from Espana!

This is my second day here, but it's been so busy this is the first time I've had to write. It took a long time to get here, and I'm not quite used to being six hours ahead of Michigan time. My flight was from Chicago, and thankfully I didn't run into any major delays or have my flight cancelled. It was -12 Fahrenheit and the fuel for the plane kept freezing, but thankfully we were only delayed for about half an hour. It was about an eight hour flight to London where I had a seven and a half hour layover before coming to Madrid. I'm thankful for the long layover, since I had to take a bus to get to the next terminal and had enough time to get to where I needed to be. There were also three other people that were on the flight with me that needed to get to the same terminal, so it helped a lot to have a group to get to the right place.

Take-off from Chicago

The flight to Madrid experienced some turbulence, so I arrived in Madrid about a half hour later than I thought. After getting my luggage, I had to take a bus to the terminal where I was going to meet the group of students going to Segovia through my program. I'm so thankful everything worked out alright with all of the flight and travel stuff, since this is my first time out of the country. When we arrived to Segovia, we met our host families and went to our "new homes." I'm living with a widow whose daughter lives in the apartment above us, if I understood her correctly.

The Aqueduct of Segovia

After a wonderful siesta, we had orientation at the place we are taking classes through. We then took a short tour through Segovia, and the aqueduct was one of the places we stopped. Built by the Romans around 50 A.D., the aqueduct is one of Segovia's most famous landmarks.

The View!

Classes started this morning, and the picture above is the view from outside. The picture doesn't do it justice; it's gorgeous. The weather's pretty nice here too, no snow! My host mom keeps asking me, "Tienes frio?," (Aren't you cold?) since it's their winter here. Everyone is in their winter coats, but I'm loving the weather. The only problem that I've run into so far is that the food made me sick this morning. I think it's because it has different spices to it, but I'm not entirely sure. The food tastes wonderful, I just am working my way up to being used to it by having tea and what I think tastes like the Spanish equivalent to chicken noodle soup. Besides the food, I'm having a great time so far. I can understand most of what is being said to me and can answer back somewhat coherent enough to get by. Spain Spanish speakers have a different accent than that of the U.S. and South America, and they speak very fast. It's an adjustment to get used to, but I think I'm doing alright with it so far and it can only get better. I'm taking classes in art history, grammar, civilization, and the European Union, and I can't wait to go on our first excursion either this Friday or next.