Granada

Granada is an amazing city. I has a plethora (vocab point!) of history from both the Muslim presence in Spain as well as its time as the capital of Spain from Los Reyes Catholicos (the catholic kings Isabel and Ferdinand) and Carlos V in 15^th and 16^th century.

The Alhambra is possibly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It was built to be the palace and home of the royal family of the sultan when Granada was the capital of the Muslims in Spain. From the 13^th century until the Catholic Kings finally expelled the Muslims in 1492, it was their home. It is 100,000m² of opulence and luxury. There are beautiful patios, stained glass, tile mosaics, and views of Abaicín, the old Moorish city (the pretty white buildings and homes that you think of when you think of Spain). It’s like a little paradise and I can only imagine what I would have been like to live there. Then again, to live there I would have to be one of his 4 wives or 200 or so concubines…

The next stop that Friday was the Iglesia de San Nicolas (Church of St. Nicholas). It is perfectly positioned for a beautiful view of the Alhambra and the city at sunset. I’ll try to get some video up on youtube as well a picture for the blog. It was absolutely incredible. The city of Granada is fantastic.

In the morning my friend Sona and I headed to La Catedral de Granada as well as the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel). We saw the opulent tombs of the Catholic Kings as well as their daughter Juana La Loca (Juana the crazy) and her husband in the Royal Chapel. The most amazing part was the cathedral. It was absolutely breathtaking. I’ll add a photo of myself next to the enormous Puerta de Perdon (door of pardon). The video is the only thing that kind of does it justice; the pictures can barely describe the huge vaulted ceilings, the stained glass, and intense organs. They started building it in 1560s and it wasn’t finished until the about 200 years later, and you can see why it took so long.

Sunday started with a trip to Frederico Garcia Lorca’s house at Huerta de San Vicente. I’m currently taking a class on Spanish 20^th century literature and film at the University of Córdoba, and it just so happens that we are currently reading a play by Lorca called La Casa de Bernarda Alba. It worked out that we would be in Granada while we were studying him and it was really cool to see the actual desk where he finished writing La Casa de Bernarda Alba while we were reading it. He was friends with a lot of famous artists in Spain that came out of this time period, including Salvador Dalí, and there are drawings and things from Dalí in Lorca’s home.

That afternoon I took a walking tour of Granada that suggested to my by my trusted Lonely Planet guidebook. Danielle, Irene, Sona, and I walked all up and down the old part of Granada for about 2.5 hours and came across some of the most breathtaking and beautiful views of the city and Alhambra. I feel like I’m starting to wear the phrase out, but the pictures don’t do it just. If you’re ever in Europe, especially if you’re in Spain, go to Granada and I’ll draw out the tour we took for you. When we improvised off the suggested tour we found even more beautiful views.

One 3-hour bus ride later and I was home, completely exhausted. I was running on adrenaline almost the whole time, but it was certainly worth it. I can sleep when I’m back in the states. Where else can I go to a discoteca in cave that has a view of the Alhambra? J

Medina Azahara

Today’s Friday activity was a visit to Medina Azahara. Medina Azahara was once a palace for the Caliph so big it was considered a city, but now it is only ruins. It was built in the 9^th century and took over a decade to build. Despite all this effort, it was destroyed a mere 80 years later during civil war.

The ruins are huge and gorgeous; I can only imagine how beautiful it was when the city stood in all its glory. I wish I could go back in time and visit it, just to see what it looked like. It was so torn apart during it’s history that a lot of the ideas about what it looked like is guesswork.

Regardless, it was wonderful to visit. I’ll post a couple more videos to the youtube account and I’ll add another picture or two to the end of the blog.

Le Gente

La gente basically means “the people.” The Spanish people have been incredibly welcoming and friendly. I have had two recent experiences (in addition to the nice lady at the metro station) that have convinced me even more of this:

1.     Tito

My high school friend Chris is studying in Granada and he came to Córdoba to stay for the weekend. By about midafternoon that Friday we were hanging out in Pub Lennon (soaking up the wifi) with my EAP friends when we decided it was about time we found a place for him to stay. He decided to ask a group of older Spanish men who were sitting at the bar for suggestions. One of them (Tito) not only gave him the name of the place but came over to our table to show it to him online on my computer. Then he offered to take Chris there! If that’s not enough, when they got there the told Chris that it would be 30€ a night, and Tito told them “Hey, this is my American friend. 25?” They agreed and just like that Tito had not only found Chris a good place to stay, he saved him an additional 10€!! He took Chris back to the pub on his motorcycle and talked with our growing group of Americans for a little bit longer. He talked to one of the girl’s sisters over iChat and kept trying to talk to Andrew on my computer screen. It was really impressive that this man went way out of his way to help my friend, a person that he had never even met before.

2.     Javi

Just like the typical American tourists we are, my friend Sona and I were walking around the historical part of town and the Roman Bridge taking pictures of ourselves and every pretty thing we saw. We asked a Spanish guy (Javi) walking by to take our picture with the Mezquita in the background, and he quick acquiesced. Not only did he take our picture, but he also chatted with us after. He worked through our broken Spanish and answered our questions about where the young people hang out in the city. He tried to use our teeny map to show us places, but when that wasn’t successful he told us he’d meet up with us later and show us around. When Sona, Chris, and I met up with him later, he and his friends were so nice and welcoming. We were able to hang out in a local spot that was playing Spanish music (which apparently is a rarity here, we are always hearing American music) and we hung out for a couple hours. I’m pretty sure Chris (with his Mexican fluency) was even having a mildly political discussion with his friends at some point.  We all got to be like the Spanish for the evening, and we wouldn’t have been able to have this unique, fun experience if Javi hadn’t gone out of his way to be welcoming and show us around his city.

I’m sure I’ll meet more wonderful Spanish people who will be equally welcoming to us, and these aren’t even all the experiences so far. For example, my intercambio (my language exchange friend) took my to see the Judería (historical area with the mezquita) after sunset, when it was so much prettier than during the day (as well as less full of tourists). 

El Correro

If you want to mail me anything, here’s my address:

Brooke Weisenberger

Centro de Estudios de la Universidad de California

Avda. Menéndez Pidal s/n

Edificio Servicios Múltiples, planta 5^a

14004 Córdoba España

(write “no commercial value” on it to avoid customs)

And vice versa, if you want to receive mail (ie postcard) please give me your address (you can post it as a comment). You’ll get one as soon as I can figure out how to buy stamps ;)

La Mezquita

Córdoba is home to one of the oldest, largest, and grandest mosques (mezquitas) in all of Europe. It is next to the river in the historic part of town, often referred to as the Judería (after the large Jewish population that lived there before the inquisition). It is a gorgeous area and reminds you that Córdoba is one of Europe’s oldest cities; Córdoba was the capital of Spain during the Roman Empire.

I took over 150 pictures of the Judería and the mezquita, but none of them do them justice. It’s gorgeous. We walked down the famous Calle de las Flores (Street of the Flowers) and the skinniest street in Córdoba (Calle de los Pañuelos). It’s easy to get lost in the skinny, winding streets. Sona and I had asked a Spanish guy to take a picture of us on the Roman bridge, and he ended up walking us all the way back to the central part of Córdoba. I’m always impressed with how friendly and helpful the Spanish people are.

The famous mezquita is definitely a must see if you are ever in Spain. I would love to go back again and again and again (especially in the summer, they say its one of the coolest places in the hot city). I’ll try to post the video I took of the cathedral part they Christians irreverently built directly in the middle of the beautiful mosque.

¡Rebajas, Rebajas, Rebajas!

Apparently every store in Spain has sales (rebajas) this time of the year. From early January to late February everyone has huge markdowns on a lot of their product. Shoes, clothes, accessories, everything! Even the boys were getting excited when they first saw them. In fact, they were the first to make purchases in Madrid.

I started my quest for the best rebajas after siesta time (and a good nap) around 5. In Spain, and especially here in the south, in Analucia, they have siesta time. From about 1:30-5 everything closes down and people go back to their families. In Spanish culture lunch is the most important meal of the day and that’s the one that all the family is expect to attend, much like our dinner. It’s the biggest meal of the day and it takes place from 2-3. Afterwards a lot of people take a nap. This is more important during the summers where it gets really hot here and from 2-5 no one wants to do anything but sleep because of the heat.

My quest began with a stop at Barclay’s (thank goodness for their deal with B of A), because who can shop rebajas without €€€!! Shortly after I ran into my EAP friend Roxanna, who is kind of my niece in a funny sense. Her padre (father) is the son of my madre (mother) and my padre. I guess for the Fontescas, hosting exchange students is a family affair! Roxanna and I shopped and shopped. We went to shoe stores and clothes stores. We went to Zara and H & M and admired how much better they were in Spain. We lost track of time and suddenly it was 8:30, we needed to get home for dinner! There were just so many good deals and so many stores that the time went by very quickly. One quick stop at a chino shop (a small store that sells kinck-knacks and school supplies, usually run by Asians, hence the name “chino”) to buy notebooks for class and I was home.

Boy, rebajas wear you out, but they are fantastic. I got a bunch of clothes, 2 purses, and a pair boots for under €100. Today was a good day. Me encantan las rebajas (I love sales).

Córdoba

After a fabulous day in Madrid it was time to go to my real destination, Córdoba. Córdoba is a smaller, but much older, city in the south of Spain. It is in an area called Andalucía. Andalucía is what you would picture Spain to be. Here they have siestas and bullfighting. The city of Córdoba is the second oldest city in Europe, after Bologna. It was the Capital when the Romans where here and also when the Muslims were here. The historical part of town in beautiful and has tiny medieval roads and architecture. There’s also a famous, beautiful mosque turned cathedral here that we will visit later on the field trip.

There are two options to get to Córdoba from Madrid, take an expensive, quick train or a cheap, slow bus. We chose to take the bus. We looked up directions to El Estacion Sur (the Madrid bus station) and it estimated it would take 30 minutes, so we planned on leaving the hostel 70 minutes before our bus left. It's a good thing too cause of course we got off on the wrong stop. Of course we got lost. Of course a kind Spanish lady stopped to give us directions in Spanish. And of course, when we finally figured out where we were going, we had 25 minutes to make a 30 minute walk with at least 70lbs of luggage each. Needless to say I was really tired when we finally got there. We were taking the 10:00 bus and we got there at 9:55. However, in typical Spanish fashion, the bus didn't even leave until 10:20 anyways. I have never napped so well on a bus. 

As soon as we got off the bus we met up with 4 more EAP'ers and headed to the Hotel. Once we got settled and checked in with our families we went to the medieval festival. The festival was huge and crazy busy. There were a ton of little stands and people everywhere. People selling food, drinks, candy, and other types of things. The best analogy is that it kind of had the feel of the fair, with food and crowds, but it was way cool and a lot more cultural. Some of the vendors were dressed in medieval gear and it was kind of set up as if it were a medieval fiesta/fair of some kind. There was this one crazy guy who was straight up dressed like a centaur/faun. He had a really intense outfit and had fake ears and horns that were on his head. They were so well done they looked real! He was playing the bagpipes and a couple other medieval dressed people were playing some drums. The centaur was dancing around and everyone was watching him. 

All in all. I loved Madrid but I also love Córdoba. The Spanish people in general are so nice here. I am really excited to spend 4 months here. 

Traveling To Spain

International airplane trips take a lot of time. My first flight left San Diego at 7:45am and my connecting flight landed in Madrid at 7:25am. Hello 24 hours of travel (Okay 15 with the time change, but hey, who's counting?). The flights were long but routine. My connecting flight was with Aer Lingus, so all the flight attendants had cool Irish accents. Tragically, I couldn't sleep at all on the airplanes...

It took about an hour to get through baggage claim and customs, and by 8:30 I was officially in Spain. I met other girls from the program who were flying in later. Payal landed at 9:25 and Angela and Irene landed at 12:07 (delayed from 9:45... bummer). The four of us navigated our way to the other terminal where the metro was with our ridiculously large amounts of baggage. I'm sure we looked exactly like the American tourists that we are. The metro has an absurd amount of stairs for us to have to lug our heavy bags down, especially since we had to make two transfers. Besides the stairs, the Madrid metro is actually pretty nice. The line from the airport is actually fairly new and the metro overall is much cleaner than BART and the NY subway.

Eventually we got to our stop and up the daunting stairs. The second we stepped of the metro and actually got to see the city I got really excited. It was like it finally hit me, I'm in Spain. I'm going to be studying abroad in this foreign country for four months! I was so excited for the possibilities and opportunities that I was going to have, but also a little nervous about the challenges, like finding the hostel we were to stay at.

Apparently the Belgian who got off the Metro with us was headed to the same place, Cat's Hostel. The four of us made the trek down the tiny sidewalks that border the skinny cobblestone streets all the little European cars were speeding down. Thankfully the hostel wasn't too far. It had these cool huge wooden doors that opened up to a small reception area. The best thing about this hostel was that the building it's located in is actually a historical site, it was built in the 18th century! It had this little courtyard like area that all the rooms opened up to that had stained glass and a fountain in the middle (the next best thing was the free wifi in the bar/café area).

Anyways, my first time in a hostel was an... experience. I stayed in a "mixed" room with 10 beds in it. I will never know for sure who actually slept in there, because I only met one girl in the room (Kaylee, who was going to the same EAP program). The beds were hard and not very comfortable, but for €15 euro in Madrid, I can't really complain. The bathrooms though were very tiny. They had rows of the smallest little shower stalls and toilet stalls. I wasn't really all that interested in testing the cleanliness of those out...

Angela, Payal, and I stored our bags in the lockers in our rooms and headed out to get some lunch (by now it was after 2 and the last thing I'd eaten was a slightly stale croissant in the airport). We went to a café a couple of blocks away to get some lunch. Angela got some yummy spaghetti, Payal got a delicious pizza, and I got a bocadillo de jamon (ham). Turns out it's just a baguette with weirdly cooked ham and a tomato paste type thing. Not the best thing i've ever eaten... but the baguette part was good! Thankfully Angela and Payal are awesome and I got to try some of their yummy food.

Back at the hostel we met up with the rest of our EAP girls staying in Cat's Hostel. The were 7 of us: Angela, Payal, Kaylee, Maya, Danielle, Katie, and myself. Angela, Payal, and myself went off to explore the city while the other four went to get dinner. We got to see Plaza Mayor, eat chocolate con churros in the Chocolatería San Gines, and saw the Puerta del Sol. The city is so beautiful with it's cobblestone streets and the old buildings hugging the streets.

Later that night I met up with Bridget (my roommate from freshman year who's studying in Madrid for the semester) and she took me to get tapas in La Latina (a neighborhood of Madrid). We went to a nice little bar next to a ridiculously old church and ordered croquettas de jamon (ham) and got ourselves each a glass of wine. Tapas are typical Spanish bar food and croquettas are a pretty popular tapa. It's basically fried goodness with pieces of ham in it.

Afterwards we met up with Yulia (a girl in my sorority who's also studying in Madrid) and some of their other friends. We explored La Latina and the nightlife. Madrid is such a fun city and the Spanish are so friendly! I had tons of fun and I can't wait to go back again. Bridget and I split a cab home and I went back to my hard hostel bed, and so ended my 38.5 hours without sleep.


FYI:
EAP: Education Abroad Program