Last night, half of my luggage & I arrived safely home at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Hopefully, my other suitcase is soon to follow. Thanks to everyone who has followed my blog this semester; I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures abroad.
Nos vemos, Le <3.
20 December 2008
08 December 2008
Viaje a Marruecos
This week, I took advantage of a day off to participate in Discover Sevilla's 5-day trip to Morocco. I don't even know where to start this article; this is one of the most incredible things I've ever done. Since I'm almost at a loss for words, I'm going to skip even trying to provide historical context & get straight to the play-by-play.
On Thursday, we left on our trusty Rosabus at 5:15 A.M. By 9:00, we had reached the southern city of Tarifa & boarded a ferry to cross to Tangiers, Morocco. We continued on our bus adventure, which our DS guide David advised us to measure in memories instead of time, to Rabat. We lunched in the political & administrative capital then had a short walking tour of the city. After our tour, we continued in the bus to Fes, where we checked into our hotel, had dinner & got some rest.
Day 1 photos here.
Friday began our desert adventure. We checked out of the hotel early & spent most of our day on the road again. I couldn't believe the range of landscapes we passed: snow-capped mountains (there was a snowball fight during one rest break), rocky desert & mountains, & finally, after dark, the sandy desert of the Sahara. At the desert hotel in Merzouga, we traded in our buses for rugged 4x4s & began the bumpy drive across the desert. A little over an hour later, we changed modes of transportation again, this time to camels. For anyone that has never been on a camel, it's a scary experience. Unlike a horse, which just stands there while you climb up, the camel has to agree to sit down so you can clambor up onto it. If the camel doesn't happen to be inclined to do that, it creates an interesting impasse between the animal & the handler. Of course, that's what happened to me, but after a bit of convincing, I was part of the caravan crossing the desert by moonlight.
When we arrived at the oasis, which is called Erg Chebbi, we were greated by Berbers with Moroccan green tea. They played music & danced for us, & we selected our mattress beds in the tents circling the oasis. Then we had dinner, which was transported from the hotel. After dinner, a group of classmates & I decided to climb the huge dune behind the oasis. According to Wikipedia, the maximum height of the dune is almost 500 feet, but I'm not sure of the exact height that night. The face was so steep that I ended up crawling most of the way, & of course, when I thought I reached the top, I realized that the top half of the dune had just been hidden from view. When I finally reached the top, I was amazed by how many stars we could see. I've always heard about it, but you don't actually realize until you can look up at the sky without seeing any other lights around you. I stayed at the peak as long as I could stand the cold, but I finally climbed back down & went to sleep. I wish I could have slept outside, but it was only 40º or so, & even inside the tent, I was freezing.
Day 2 photos here.
Saturday, I woke up at 6:11 to tackle the dune again before sunrise. Seeing the path in front of me made the climb easier but also more daunting. By the time I reached the summit, a group of students were already there. The sunrise was incredible; I hadn't realized the night before how red the sand was or how expanisve the desert is. After the majesty of the sunrise, another of the guides brought out a snowboard (God bless whoever hiked up that sand dune carrying it!), & some people tried to either carve or sled down the dune. We made sand angels, took tons of photos, tackled one another into the sand, then unwillingly made the descent back to camp.
Before we had even had breakfast, we then tackled our second challenge of the day: the journey back to the desert hotel. We reunited with the camels, & this time I got a laid-back guy I named Andrew. Instead of transfering back to the 4x4s, we stayed on the camels the entire way back to the desert hotel, almost 2 hours. I hadn't realized how deep we had traveled into the desert, & it was amazing to be surrounded by sand for so long. After a while, though, everyone started getting sore, especially the guys; camels don't come equipped with a saddle the way a horse does. Finally, we reached the desert hotel.
After a nap & a shower, we took a quick tour of the town of Merzouga. We saw wells & the little plots of land for the Berber families & the irrigation system they use to water their land. All the time, little boys were running behind us with necklaces strung across their hands, asking us to buy one: "Ten Dirham, only one Euro!" We passed the rundown streets & houses & headed to a carpet emporeum. The vendors explained the materials used for each type of carpet then laid out a few samples. Then we were free to browse the rest of the merchandise. Anyone interested in purchasing was whisked off to another room to negotiate price. After all the purchases were made, we walked back to the desert hotel, pausing to enjoy the sunset & to play in the sand one last time.
Day 3 photos here & here.
Sunday, we woke up early again (a pattern I noticed in this trip) & got into the 4x4s to drive to Fes. Again, we were in the bus almost the entire day, measuring our time in memories & by how many movies we had watched so far that day. We stopped at an overlook to check out a valley with tens of thousands of palm trees in it. Then the usual routine of dinner, shower & sleep.
Day 4 photos here.
Monday marked the final day of our Moroccan adventure. We took a walking tour through the medina in Fes, which is where all the shops are located. Like the calles estrechas of Sevilla, the streets in the medina were really narrow. There was a ton of foot traffic plus the occasional cart, horse or mule carrying goods to the various shops. It was like stepping back in time. The medina is composed of some 9400 streets, so I was careful to stick close to our guide. We first visited a fabric shop, where they showed us blankets & scarves made of cotton, wool & silk. Next, we saw another carpet shop, where they laid out various patterns & sized. Our third stop was a pharmacy, which sells spices, teas & herbal beauty products. Here, the owner held up various items, described them to us, passed them around for us to sample, then let us shop. Finally, we visited the oldest leather store in Morocco, where they took us to the roof for an aerial view of the dyeing area before the shopping began. After the 4 stops, those who still had spending money were free to shop on their own for a half-hour before we boarded the bus again. From Fes, we drove back to Tangier, boarded another ferry, disembarked at Tarifa & drove to Sevilla, arriving here around 1:30 A.M.
Day 5 photos here.
I don't know what to say to summarize this trip. The food was amazing; the people were friendly. I never imagined that I would visit any part of Africa during my semester abroad, & I certainly never invisioned myself sleeping outdoors in a desert oasis of the Sahara. What I experienced this weekend is absolutely incredible, & I think that's the best means I have to describe it.
Nos vemos, Le <3.
On Thursday, we left on our trusty Rosabus at 5:15 A.M. By 9:00, we had reached the southern city of Tarifa & boarded a ferry to cross to Tangiers, Morocco. We continued on our bus adventure, which our DS guide David advised us to measure in memories instead of time, to Rabat. We lunched in the political & administrative capital then had a short walking tour of the city. After our tour, we continued in the bus to Fes, where we checked into our hotel, had dinner & got some rest.
Day 1 photos here.
Friday began our desert adventure. We checked out of the hotel early & spent most of our day on the road again. I couldn't believe the range of landscapes we passed: snow-capped mountains (there was a snowball fight during one rest break), rocky desert & mountains, & finally, after dark, the sandy desert of the Sahara. At the desert hotel in Merzouga, we traded in our buses for rugged 4x4s & began the bumpy drive across the desert. A little over an hour later, we changed modes of transportation again, this time to camels. For anyone that has never been on a camel, it's a scary experience. Unlike a horse, which just stands there while you climb up, the camel has to agree to sit down so you can clambor up onto it. If the camel doesn't happen to be inclined to do that, it creates an interesting impasse between the animal & the handler. Of course, that's what happened to me, but after a bit of convincing, I was part of the caravan crossing the desert by moonlight.
When we arrived at the oasis, which is called Erg Chebbi, we were greated by Berbers with Moroccan green tea. They played music & danced for us, & we selected our mattress beds in the tents circling the oasis. Then we had dinner, which was transported from the hotel. After dinner, a group of classmates & I decided to climb the huge dune behind the oasis. According to Wikipedia, the maximum height of the dune is almost 500 feet, but I'm not sure of the exact height that night. The face was so steep that I ended up crawling most of the way, & of course, when I thought I reached the top, I realized that the top half of the dune had just been hidden from view. When I finally reached the top, I was amazed by how many stars we could see. I've always heard about it, but you don't actually realize until you can look up at the sky without seeing any other lights around you. I stayed at the peak as long as I could stand the cold, but I finally climbed back down & went to sleep. I wish I could have slept outside, but it was only 40º or so, & even inside the tent, I was freezing.
Day 2 photos here.
Saturday, I woke up at 6:11 to tackle the dune again before sunrise. Seeing the path in front of me made the climb easier but also more daunting. By the time I reached the summit, a group of students were already there. The sunrise was incredible; I hadn't realized the night before how red the sand was or how expanisve the desert is. After the majesty of the sunrise, another of the guides brought out a snowboard (God bless whoever hiked up that sand dune carrying it!), & some people tried to either carve or sled down the dune. We made sand angels, took tons of photos, tackled one another into the sand, then unwillingly made the descent back to camp.
Before we had even had breakfast, we then tackled our second challenge of the day: the journey back to the desert hotel. We reunited with the camels, & this time I got a laid-back guy I named Andrew. Instead of transfering back to the 4x4s, we stayed on the camels the entire way back to the desert hotel, almost 2 hours. I hadn't realized how deep we had traveled into the desert, & it was amazing to be surrounded by sand for so long. After a while, though, everyone started getting sore, especially the guys; camels don't come equipped with a saddle the way a horse does. Finally, we reached the desert hotel.
After a nap & a shower, we took a quick tour of the town of Merzouga. We saw wells & the little plots of land for the Berber families & the irrigation system they use to water their land. All the time, little boys were running behind us with necklaces strung across their hands, asking us to buy one: "Ten Dirham, only one Euro!" We passed the rundown streets & houses & headed to a carpet emporeum. The vendors explained the materials used for each type of carpet then laid out a few samples. Then we were free to browse the rest of the merchandise. Anyone interested in purchasing was whisked off to another room to negotiate price. After all the purchases were made, we walked back to the desert hotel, pausing to enjoy the sunset & to play in the sand one last time.
Day 3 photos here & here.
Sunday, we woke up early again (a pattern I noticed in this trip) & got into the 4x4s to drive to Fes. Again, we were in the bus almost the entire day, measuring our time in memories & by how many movies we had watched so far that day. We stopped at an overlook to check out a valley with tens of thousands of palm trees in it. Then the usual routine of dinner, shower & sleep.
Day 4 photos here.
Monday marked the final day of our Moroccan adventure. We took a walking tour through the medina in Fes, which is where all the shops are located. Like the calles estrechas of Sevilla, the streets in the medina were really narrow. There was a ton of foot traffic plus the occasional cart, horse or mule carrying goods to the various shops. It was like stepping back in time. The medina is composed of some 9400 streets, so I was careful to stick close to our guide. We first visited a fabric shop, where they showed us blankets & scarves made of cotton, wool & silk. Next, we saw another carpet shop, where they laid out various patterns & sized. Our third stop was a pharmacy, which sells spices, teas & herbal beauty products. Here, the owner held up various items, described them to us, passed them around for us to sample, then let us shop. Finally, we visited the oldest leather store in Morocco, where they took us to the roof for an aerial view of the dyeing area before the shopping began. After the 4 stops, those who still had spending money were free to shop on their own for a half-hour before we boarded the bus again. From Fes, we drove back to Tangier, boarded another ferry, disembarked at Tarifa & drove to Sevilla, arriving here around 1:30 A.M.
Day 5 photos here.
I don't know what to say to summarize this trip. The food was amazing; the people were friendly. I never imagined that I would visit any part of Africa during my semester abroad, & I certainly never invisioned myself sleeping outdoors in a desert oasis of the Sahara. What I experienced this weekend is absolutely incredible, & I think that's the best means I have to describe it.
Nos vemos, Le <3.
01 December 2008
Feria del Belén
Last week, as I was on my nightly jog, I encountered a huge construction project in the Plaza de San Francisco in front of the ayuntamiento. At the time, it was just another obstacle (in addition to pedestrians, bicis, motos, tranvías, taxis & giant recycling bins) to avoid. But this weekend, I finally got the opportunity to go back & see what all the fuss was about.
Wow. Turns out, the temporary buildings are housing the 15th Feria del Belén de Sevilla. Directly translated, it's the "Fair of Bethlehem," but "belén" also refers to a nativity display, which is what is currently for sale in the plaza. Many homes in the States feature a nativity display as part of their Christmas decoration, but this goes above & beyond anything I've ever seen in the states. The intricate figures were mostly handcrafted by Andalucían artisans, & the displays are far more comprehensive than the traditional 8-10 piece set. (Fun fact: the first nativity was created by Saint Francis, whose Spanish name is San Francisco, for whom the plaza hosting the fair is named.)
From what I've read, Sevillianos put out their belén on December 8, which coincides with the celebration of the Immaculate Conception, & leave it up until February 2. Baby Jesus isn't added until Christmas Eve, & the 3 wisemen don't make their appearance until January 6. Instead of buying everything at once, they add to their displays every year. (If you've ever seen a miniature train village display, I think that's a fair comparison.)
The basic 5-piece set (Mary, Joseph, Jesus, a donkey & an ox) is called el misterio. The stable is called el portal. The add-ons, for lack of a better word, range from los tres reyes (the 3 wisemen) on camel & on foot, el ángel, los pastores y las ovejas (shepherds & sheep) gathered around a fire, to a collection of other assorted townspeople. Spanish tradition also includes the caganer, Catalán for "crapper." This poor figurine, who is hidden in the back somewhere, is carved with his pants pulled down, mid-poop. According to Wikipedia, he is "a reflection of Catalán irreverence & scatological humor" & is frequently depicted in town displays as whichever politican happens to be unpopular that season.
Walking through the Feria, even I, grinch that I am, was struck by the Christmas spirit. The belenes were intricate & beautiful, many including working lights or running water. I love the idea of a family building their belén, visiting the Feria each Christmas season to add to their display. I wish I could bring home the entire Feria, as I was fascinated by the range of the figures -- miniscule to giant, traditional to modern -- to share.
Since that clearly isn't an option, photos here.
Nos vemos, Le <3.
Wow. Turns out, the temporary buildings are housing the 15th Feria del Belén de Sevilla. Directly translated, it's the "Fair of Bethlehem," but "belén" also refers to a nativity display, which is what is currently for sale in the plaza. Many homes in the States feature a nativity display as part of their Christmas decoration, but this goes above & beyond anything I've ever seen in the states. The intricate figures were mostly handcrafted by Andalucían artisans, & the displays are far more comprehensive than the traditional 8-10 piece set. (Fun fact: the first nativity was created by Saint Francis, whose Spanish name is San Francisco, for whom the plaza hosting the fair is named.)
From what I've read, Sevillianos put out their belén on December 8, which coincides with the celebration of the Immaculate Conception, & leave it up until February 2. Baby Jesus isn't added until Christmas Eve, & the 3 wisemen don't make their appearance until January 6. Instead of buying everything at once, they add to their displays every year. (If you've ever seen a miniature train village display, I think that's a fair comparison.)
The basic 5-piece set (Mary, Joseph, Jesus, a donkey & an ox) is called el misterio. The stable is called el portal. The add-ons, for lack of a better word, range from los tres reyes (the 3 wisemen) on camel & on foot, el ángel, los pastores y las ovejas (shepherds & sheep) gathered around a fire, to a collection of other assorted townspeople. Spanish tradition also includes the caganer, Catalán for "crapper." This poor figurine, who is hidden in the back somewhere, is carved with his pants pulled down, mid-poop. According to Wikipedia, he is "a reflection of Catalán irreverence & scatological humor" & is frequently depicted in town displays as whichever politican happens to be unpopular that season.
Walking through the Feria, even I, grinch that I am, was struck by the Christmas spirit. The belenes were intricate & beautiful, many including working lights or running water. I love the idea of a family building their belén, visiting the Feria each Christmas season to add to their display. I wish I could bring home the entire Feria, as I was fascinated by the range of the figures -- miniscule to giant, traditional to modern -- to share.
Since that clearly isn't an option, photos here.
Nos vemos, Le <3.
30 November 2008
¡Yo soy tu guía de Sevilla!
This weekend, I had my first & only visitor in Sevilla. In return for her wonderful guided art tour of Vatican City, I showed Shaina (a fellow Carlow University study abroad student) around Sevilla. Among other things, we ate paella, montadiots & churros; toured the inside of the Catedral; wandered the gardens of the Reales Alcázares; relaxed in the tetería where the waiters know me; and window shopped all the finest stores.
For me, it was a wonderful break to avoid the hectic flight/train/bus/taxi/metro frenzy & to be able to revisit the sights of Sevilla. And (of course!) it was great to see a friend from home & to catch up on how the experience is going. I enjoyed showing off my new home & what I've learned of the language & the history. I also took a ton of photos of the inside of the Catedral (which I hadn't seen yet) & the Reales Alcázares (which I also hadn't seen most of). Shaina seemed to have a great time, & I got to play tourist in my temporary hometown.
Photos here & here.
Nos vemos, Le <3.
For me, it was a wonderful break to avoid the hectic flight/train/bus/taxi/metro frenzy & to be able to revisit the sights of Sevilla. And (of course!) it was great to see a friend from home & to catch up on how the experience is going. I enjoyed showing off my new home & what I've learned of the language & the history. I also took a ton of photos of the inside of the Catedral (which I hadn't seen yet) & the Reales Alcázares (which I also hadn't seen most of). Shaina seemed to have a great time, & I got to play tourist in my temporary hometown.
Photos here & here.
Nos vemos, Le <3.
28 November 2008
El Día de la Acción de Gracias
Or, for those who speak English, "Thanksgiving." So we wouldn't feel quite so alone on this family holiday, CIEE held a dinner for us at a nice restaurant called Los Monos Restaurante. We started off with hors d'oeuvres of cheese, what appeared to be roast beef, & beer or wine. Then we moved to the banquet room for a buffet dinner. They served pork & chicken, boxed mashed potatoes, applesauce, some sort of cold shrimp sauce, cold vegetable bread (think carrots & peas), more wine & champagne. While the food was all very tasty, it had been billed as "Thanksgiving Dinner," & I know that most of us had our hopes up for turkey & stuffing instead of a more traditional Spanish meal. For dessert, we had apple pastry & whipped cream, which was also delicious but wasn't pumpkin pie. Don't think that I am complaining, though; I had a great time & was thankful to be surrounded by new friends. While it's not the Thanksgiving I'm used to, I'd say it was a success.
Nos vemos, Le <3.
23 November 2008
Viaje a Toledo
This weekend, I went with my CIEE interest group (theatre/dance) on a weekend trip. The best part of the deal was that the cost of the trip was included in my tuition, so I only paid for a few meals & souvenirs. We left bright & early Friday morning on our trusty Cortes Ingles charter van. (Unlike the other groups, which drew a bigger crowd simply for their trips to Barcelona, Mallorca or Lisbon, we only had 6 students on our trip).
Our first stop was Consuegra, or more precisely, the hill overlooking Consuegra, where 11 16th century windmills still stand. While I'm pretty sure these aren't the fabled windmills of Cervantes' "Don Quijote," they are still on the Route of Don Quijote. After taking in the scenery, we got back on the bus & finished our drive to Toledo.
At this point, I must admit that writing these historical overviews of Spanish cities has gotten a bit repetitive, & I wouldn't blame you a bit, dear reader, if you've started skipping over those paragraphs. As I'm sure you can guess, Toledo was founded by Romans, overtaken by Visigoths (& made the Catholic heartland of the Visigoth kingdom, in fact), conquered by Muslims (in 711), & finally reclaimed by Catholics (in 1085). Shortly after the last takeover, Toledo was recognized by the Vatican as a seat of the Church in Spain. Like other cities, while Muslims, Jews & Christians coexisted for a time, after the fall of Granada in 1492, all non-Christians were chased out. In 1986, Unesco declared Toledo a monument of world interest. Today, Toledo is known for swords, marzipan & damasquinado (damascene), or the art of inlaying metals in jewelry.
Our first stop in Toledo was, disturbingly enough, the Ancient Instruments of Tortue museum. Next, we visited a museum of Visigoth artifacts (no photos allowed). We took our typicall walk through the estrechas & emerged in front of the cathedral just after dusk, which was gorgeous. We enjoyed a free dinner of tapas & beer, then called it a night in our CIEE-selected hotel, which was much nicer than what we would have chosen for ourselves.
Photos here.
The next day, after a proper continental breakfast, we started off at the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes. The monastery was built by Fernando & Isabel in the Jewish quarter to establish their power. Next, we visited 2 synagogues. The first, la Sinagoga del Tránsito, was built in 1355 & now houses the Museo Sefardi of Jewish art (no photos allowed). The second, la Sinagoga de Santa María La Blanca, is also characterized by Moorish architecture, & also houses a museum of sorts. To complete our religious trilogy, we next visited la Mezquita de Cristo de la Luz, or the Mosque of Christ, a tiny, square building composed almost entirely of scaffolding. The garden outside, however, did afford a great view of the city beyond the walls.
After the mosque, we walked down the hill to check out the ancient city walls & gates. Having learned from experience, we were all taking note of exactly how far downhill we were traveling, knowing that what goes down must come back up to get to the hotel. Amazingly enough, the city of Toledo has remedied this problem by installing a series of escalators into the hillside. Upon reaching the top of the hill, we had free time to shop. I loved looking at all the intricate jewelry, most of which is made by hand.
Later in the afternoon, we met up again to visit the Catedral (no photos allowed inside). There were a series of hats hanging from the ceiling, which I thought was weird. Turns out, each hat is hanging above a tomb; if the hat falls, it means the deceased's soul has ascended to heaven. We also saw a series of El Greco paintings in the Catedral's collection. (Earlier in the day, we visited "El entierro del Conde de Orgaz," a super-famous El Greco painting depicting the interment of a count.) Then we had free time again to revisit the shops. That evening, we went to the Teatro Rojas for a concert by Pedro Guerra, a famous Spanish singer.
Photos here.
Today, we got an early start on the trip back. We stopped in the morning to visit Almagro, which houses the Museo Nacional del Teatro (no photos allowed). We saw a short performance in the Corral de Comedias, the oldest theatre in Spain, then ate lunch on CIEE at a nice restaurant. Then it was back to the bus to finish the ride home.
Photos here.
While this trip might not have been as spectacular as that of some of the other interest groups (Barcelona, Lisbon, Mallorca), I truly enjoyed the old-town feel of Toledo, whose stone buildings & windy streets made me long to read "Don Quijote." And I always enjoy how CIEE spends my money, treating me to better food & lodging than I'd ever choose for myself. Plus, our small group made our trip less touristy & more personal. I'd even like to go back to Toledo someday, so I'd call this weekend a success.
Nos vemos, Le <3.
Our first stop was Consuegra, or more precisely, the hill overlooking Consuegra, where 11 16th century windmills still stand. While I'm pretty sure these aren't the fabled windmills of Cervantes' "Don Quijote," they are still on the Route of Don Quijote. After taking in the scenery, we got back on the bus & finished our drive to Toledo.
At this point, I must admit that writing these historical overviews of Spanish cities has gotten a bit repetitive, & I wouldn't blame you a bit, dear reader, if you've started skipping over those paragraphs. As I'm sure you can guess, Toledo was founded by Romans, overtaken by Visigoths (& made the Catholic heartland of the Visigoth kingdom, in fact), conquered by Muslims (in 711), & finally reclaimed by Catholics (in 1085). Shortly after the last takeover, Toledo was recognized by the Vatican as a seat of the Church in Spain. Like other cities, while Muslims, Jews & Christians coexisted for a time, after the fall of Granada in 1492, all non-Christians were chased out. In 1986, Unesco declared Toledo a monument of world interest. Today, Toledo is known for swords, marzipan & damasquinado (damascene), or the art of inlaying metals in jewelry.
Our first stop in Toledo was, disturbingly enough, the Ancient Instruments of Tortue museum. Next, we visited a museum of Visigoth artifacts (no photos allowed). We took our typicall walk through the estrechas & emerged in front of the cathedral just after dusk, which was gorgeous. We enjoyed a free dinner of tapas & beer, then called it a night in our CIEE-selected hotel, which was much nicer than what we would have chosen for ourselves.
Photos here.
The next day, after a proper continental breakfast, we started off at the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes. The monastery was built by Fernando & Isabel in the Jewish quarter to establish their power. Next, we visited 2 synagogues. The first, la Sinagoga del Tránsito, was built in 1355 & now houses the Museo Sefardi of Jewish art (no photos allowed). The second, la Sinagoga de Santa María La Blanca, is also characterized by Moorish architecture, & also houses a museum of sorts. To complete our religious trilogy, we next visited la Mezquita de Cristo de la Luz, or the Mosque of Christ, a tiny, square building composed almost entirely of scaffolding. The garden outside, however, did afford a great view of the city beyond the walls.
After the mosque, we walked down the hill to check out the ancient city walls & gates. Having learned from experience, we were all taking note of exactly how far downhill we were traveling, knowing that what goes down must come back up to get to the hotel. Amazingly enough, the city of Toledo has remedied this problem by installing a series of escalators into the hillside. Upon reaching the top of the hill, we had free time to shop. I loved looking at all the intricate jewelry, most of which is made by hand.
Later in the afternoon, we met up again to visit the Catedral (no photos allowed inside). There were a series of hats hanging from the ceiling, which I thought was weird. Turns out, each hat is hanging above a tomb; if the hat falls, it means the deceased's soul has ascended to heaven. We also saw a series of El Greco paintings in the Catedral's collection. (Earlier in the day, we visited "El entierro del Conde de Orgaz," a super-famous El Greco painting depicting the interment of a count.) Then we had free time again to revisit the shops. That evening, we went to the Teatro Rojas for a concert by Pedro Guerra, a famous Spanish singer.
Photos here.
Today, we got an early start on the trip back. We stopped in the morning to visit Almagro, which houses the Museo Nacional del Teatro (no photos allowed). We saw a short performance in the Corral de Comedias, the oldest theatre in Spain, then ate lunch on CIEE at a nice restaurant. Then it was back to the bus to finish the ride home.
Photos here.
While this trip might not have been as spectacular as that of some of the other interest groups (Barcelona, Lisbon, Mallorca), I truly enjoyed the old-town feel of Toledo, whose stone buildings & windy streets made me long to read "Don Quijote." And I always enjoy how CIEE spends my money, treating me to better food & lodging than I'd ever choose for myself. Plus, our small group made our trip less touristy & more personal. I'd even like to go back to Toledo someday, so I'd call this weekend a success.
Nos vemos, Le <3.
16 November 2008
Viaje a Roma
The history of Rome is a topic that I could not even begin to do justice in this short space, but in the interest of an introduction, here are the brief, brief highlights. Romulus became the first king of Rome on 21 April 753 B.C., combining Etruscan, Latin & Sabine settlements. The Roman Republic was founded a few centuries later, in 509 B.C., & remained the major power of the Western world until internal rivalries led to civil war. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Octavian prevailed as successor & created political stability & artistic achievement, but later rulers left the city in shambles after the Great Fire of A.D. 64. By A.D. 100, Rome had bounded back with a population of 1.5 million & its undisputed claim on Caput Mundi. In 330, Constantine moved his power base to Byzantium, & Rome slid into another decline. In 455, the city was sacked by Vandals, & in 476, the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire was deposed.
Meanwhile, Christianity had been seeping into pagan Roman culture. The underground efforts of apostles Peter & Paul had been spreading the Word since the first century A.D., & Constantine granted the religion offical recognition. In 774, Rome's place as center of the Christian world was secured when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor.
In the Middle Ages, Rome was again a shambles. In fact, Pope Clement V abandoned the city in 1309 due to fighting, but Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome in 1377. Renaissance Rome, however, brought the leading artists of the 15th & 16th centuries to work on the Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica. In the early 16th century, Rome was again attacked, this time by Spain's King Carlos V, leaving Rome in need of rebuilding. The 17th century Baroque masters Bernini & Borromini responded to the challenge with churches, fountains & mansions. Rome was again affected by Mussolini in the 20th century, but like many European cities, tourism has done its part to bolster the economy.
This weekend found a classmate & me in Rome. We left early Friday morning, fell asleep somewhere over Spain & awoke somewhere over Italy. Europe is amazing for one's ability to do this. My classmate Linh & I met up with my friend Shaina, Carlow's Roman representative this semester, in the train station. We set off for la Città Vaticano, the world's smallest sovereign state. We bought gelato, the first of many gastronomic delights, & braved the line for la Basilica di San Pietro. The first basilica was built by Constantine, Rome's first Christian emperor, on the spot where St. Peter is said to have been martyred & buried. This basilica, which was consecrated in A.D. 326, fell into disrepair in the millenium that followed. In 1506, serious work began on a new basilica, designed by Bramante as a Greek cross. Construction took 150 years & saw many contributers, but Michelangelo is responsible for the design of the famous dome. At 187 m long, the Basilica is the second-biggest in the world. Lucky for Linh & me, Shaina had already visited the Basilica with her art class, so we had a personal tour guide.
After the Basilica, we visited the Musei Vaticani, again with our personal guide. We loitered behind other tour groups for a while, taking in what information we could, but after a while, we all admitted that we just wanted to rush to the end of the museum -- to the Capella Sistina. Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed in the Sistine Chapel (there were guards alternatively yelling "QUIET!" and "NO FOTO!" to remind us of that), but the frescos were beautiful.
When we left the Sistine Chapel, the sun was already setting. Shaina took us to a restaurant she knew for pizza, the second great food success. Then we visited the Fontana di Trevi by night. The fountain was built in 1723 & named for the "tre vie" (3 roads) that converge at the fountain. The sculpture is of Neptune's chariot being led by a wild & a docile horse, to represent the various moods of the sea. We all threw a coin over our shoulders into the fountain for luck. Shaina walked us back to our hostel, & we called it a night.
Day 1 photos here.
On Saturday, after another hostel "continental breakfast" of stale bread & Coco Crispies, Linh & I headed to the Colosseo. Even after several months in Europe, I was amazed by the number of gypsies surrounding the Colosseum. (At least in Sevilla, the Spanish word for "gypsy" refers to a con artist or a vendor selling merchandise from a dropcloth, a cardboard box table or any other dubious setup. Linh & I were pestered to buy sunglasses, knock-off purses, souvenirs, T-shirts & scarves. We were also approached by "English-speaking" tour guides claiming to have group reservations that would let us skip the lines for an extra 8 Euro.
Linh & I refused all offers & stood our turn in line, which wasn't too bad of a wait. The Colosseum was immense & impressive, but the flocks of tourists were a bit distracting. Here's what I learned from eavesdropping on other people's tours: the Colosseum was inaugurated in A.D. 80 with a great slaughter of animals. Gladiators fought against exotic beasts, including rhinoceri, hippopotamuses, panthers, leopards, bears & ostriches imported from elsewhere in the Roman empire. It is also rumored that the building could be flooded to hold mock sea battles. When the Romn empire fell, the Colosseum was abandoned & fell victim to exotic plants carried to Rome by the imported beasts. In the Middle Ages, the building became a fortress & gained its reputatio nas the symbol of Rome: "while the Colosseum stands, Rome shall stand, butwhen the Colosseum falls, Rome shall fall -- and when rome falls, the world will end." The building has also been used as a quarry for later builders & has been affected by earthquakes, pollution the vibration of the Metro.
Next, Linh & I visited the Palatine & the Roman Forum, both included in the ticket for the Colosseum. It took us a while to find the entrance to the Palatine, but finally, we were surrounded by ancient Roman ruins. The Palatine is where Romulus killed his brother Remus & founded Rome. It was also an aristocratic neighborhood in its time; now it's a popular spot for tourists to bring a picnic lunch. The Roman Forum, originally an Etruscan burial ground, was first developed in the 7th century B.C. It fell into decline after the 4th century B.C. & was known in the middle ages as the campo vaccino, or "cow field." During the Renaissance, the Forum provided inspiration for artists & architects. What hadn't been plundered in the Middle Ages was systematically excavated in the 18th & 19th centuries.
On our way to Piazza Navona, we stopped at a cafe for lunch, where I had lasagne & tiramisu (successes 3 & 4). We found the Piazza & passed some time window shopping in all the souvenir stores & eating more gelato. When it got dark, we decided to walk back toward the hostel, but we misread the map & ended up at the river. Since we could see the dome, we took advantage of our mistake & walked back to the Vatican to see the Basilica by night. It was beautiful & far less crowded than it had been in the day. We took the Metro to the Colosseum to see that lit up as well. The Metro in Rome brings to mind a place where criminals die in action-adventure movies, but we survived the experience & exited the subway directly in front of the Colosseum. Then we found a restaurant for dinner (ravioli with chili powder, success #6) & had some red table wine. This time, we succeeded in finding our hostel & we turned in for the night.
Day 2 photos here.
This morning, we woke up early, ate breakfast & caught a train to the airport. Unfortunately, Vueling only offers 1 flight from Rome to Sevilla daily, so we couldn't spend Sunday in the Eternal City. But it was an amazing trip. The food was delicious, undoubtedly the best I've had in Europe. Even though my relatives aren't from anywhere near Rome, I felt like I got to know my heritage a bit better. I also gained a huge appreciation for what Spanish I know. When we were in Lagos, we stayed with our group, but in Italy, Linh & I depended on other people's knowledge of English. I couldn't ask "How much does this cost?" or "Can we have the check?" or "Where can I find...?" In that respect, I'm thankful to be back in Sevilla. But I know that there's much more to Rome that I haven't seen, & I might just have to go back someday to experience the rest of it.
Nos vemos, Le <3.
Meanwhile, Christianity had been seeping into pagan Roman culture. The underground efforts of apostles Peter & Paul had been spreading the Word since the first century A.D., & Constantine granted the religion offical recognition. In 774, Rome's place as center of the Christian world was secured when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor.
In the Middle Ages, Rome was again a shambles. In fact, Pope Clement V abandoned the city in 1309 due to fighting, but Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome in 1377. Renaissance Rome, however, brought the leading artists of the 15th & 16th centuries to work on the Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica. In the early 16th century, Rome was again attacked, this time by Spain's King Carlos V, leaving Rome in need of rebuilding. The 17th century Baroque masters Bernini & Borromini responded to the challenge with churches, fountains & mansions. Rome was again affected by Mussolini in the 20th century, but like many European cities, tourism has done its part to bolster the economy.
This weekend found a classmate & me in Rome. We left early Friday morning, fell asleep somewhere over Spain & awoke somewhere over Italy. Europe is amazing for one's ability to do this. My classmate Linh & I met up with my friend Shaina, Carlow's Roman representative this semester, in the train station. We set off for la Città Vaticano, the world's smallest sovereign state. We bought gelato, the first of many gastronomic delights, & braved the line for la Basilica di San Pietro. The first basilica was built by Constantine, Rome's first Christian emperor, on the spot where St. Peter is said to have been martyred & buried. This basilica, which was consecrated in A.D. 326, fell into disrepair in the millenium that followed. In 1506, serious work began on a new basilica, designed by Bramante as a Greek cross. Construction took 150 years & saw many contributers, but Michelangelo is responsible for the design of the famous dome. At 187 m long, the Basilica is the second-biggest in the world. Lucky for Linh & me, Shaina had already visited the Basilica with her art class, so we had a personal tour guide.
After the Basilica, we visited the Musei Vaticani, again with our personal guide. We loitered behind other tour groups for a while, taking in what information we could, but after a while, we all admitted that we just wanted to rush to the end of the museum -- to the Capella Sistina. Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed in the Sistine Chapel (there were guards alternatively yelling "QUIET!" and "NO FOTO!" to remind us of that), but the frescos were beautiful.
When we left the Sistine Chapel, the sun was already setting. Shaina took us to a restaurant she knew for pizza, the second great food success. Then we visited the Fontana di Trevi by night. The fountain was built in 1723 & named for the "tre vie" (3 roads) that converge at the fountain. The sculpture is of Neptune's chariot being led by a wild & a docile horse, to represent the various moods of the sea. We all threw a coin over our shoulders into the fountain for luck. Shaina walked us back to our hostel, & we called it a night.
Day 1 photos here.
On Saturday, after another hostel "continental breakfast" of stale bread & Coco Crispies, Linh & I headed to the Colosseo. Even after several months in Europe, I was amazed by the number of gypsies surrounding the Colosseum. (At least in Sevilla, the Spanish word for "gypsy" refers to a con artist or a vendor selling merchandise from a dropcloth, a cardboard box table or any other dubious setup. Linh & I were pestered to buy sunglasses, knock-off purses, souvenirs, T-shirts & scarves. We were also approached by "English-speaking" tour guides claiming to have group reservations that would let us skip the lines for an extra 8 Euro.
Linh & I refused all offers & stood our turn in line, which wasn't too bad of a wait. The Colosseum was immense & impressive, but the flocks of tourists were a bit distracting. Here's what I learned from eavesdropping on other people's tours: the Colosseum was inaugurated in A.D. 80 with a great slaughter of animals. Gladiators fought against exotic beasts, including rhinoceri, hippopotamuses, panthers, leopards, bears & ostriches imported from elsewhere in the Roman empire. It is also rumored that the building could be flooded to hold mock sea battles. When the Romn empire fell, the Colosseum was abandoned & fell victim to exotic plants carried to Rome by the imported beasts. In the Middle Ages, the building became a fortress & gained its reputatio nas the symbol of Rome: "while the Colosseum stands, Rome shall stand, butwhen the Colosseum falls, Rome shall fall -- and when rome falls, the world will end." The building has also been used as a quarry for later builders & has been affected by earthquakes, pollution the vibration of the Metro.
Next, Linh & I visited the Palatine & the Roman Forum, both included in the ticket for the Colosseum. It took us a while to find the entrance to the Palatine, but finally, we were surrounded by ancient Roman ruins. The Palatine is where Romulus killed his brother Remus & founded Rome. It was also an aristocratic neighborhood in its time; now it's a popular spot for tourists to bring a picnic lunch. The Roman Forum, originally an Etruscan burial ground, was first developed in the 7th century B.C. It fell into decline after the 4th century B.C. & was known in the middle ages as the campo vaccino, or "cow field." During the Renaissance, the Forum provided inspiration for artists & architects. What hadn't been plundered in the Middle Ages was systematically excavated in the 18th & 19th centuries.
On our way to Piazza Navona, we stopped at a cafe for lunch, where I had lasagne & tiramisu (successes 3 & 4). We found the Piazza & passed some time window shopping in all the souvenir stores & eating more gelato. When it got dark, we decided to walk back toward the hostel, but we misread the map & ended up at the river. Since we could see the dome, we took advantage of our mistake & walked back to the Vatican to see the Basilica by night. It was beautiful & far less crowded than it had been in the day. We took the Metro to the Colosseum to see that lit up as well. The Metro in Rome brings to mind a place where criminals die in action-adventure movies, but we survived the experience & exited the subway directly in front of the Colosseum. Then we found a restaurant for dinner (ravioli with chili powder, success #6) & had some red table wine. This time, we succeeded in finding our hostel & we turned in for the night.
Day 2 photos here.
This morning, we woke up early, ate breakfast & caught a train to the airport. Unfortunately, Vueling only offers 1 flight from Rome to Sevilla daily, so we couldn't spend Sunday in the Eternal City. But it was an amazing trip. The food was delicious, undoubtedly the best I've had in Europe. Even though my relatives aren't from anywhere near Rome, I felt like I got to know my heritage a bit better. I also gained a huge appreciation for what Spanish I know. When we were in Lagos, we stayed with our group, but in Italy, Linh & I depended on other people's knowledge of English. I couldn't ask "How much does this cost?" or "Can we have the check?" or "Where can I find...?" In that respect, I'm thankful to be back in Sevilla. But I know that there's much more to Rome that I haven't seen, & I might just have to go back someday to experience the rest of it.
Nos vemos, Le <3.
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