Travel Day
I went to bed the night before at about 3, got up at about 4:45. Micah left at that time, so we said our goodbyes then. I’ll miss Micah, he’s a great guy, roommate and friend. Our sarcasm and personalities are very similar, although we’ve agreed that we would prolly swim in different circles if at the same University. I left at 5:30 for the bus stop. I have taken about five airport buses (to the airport obviously) and each one first goes to the train station. Just to be careful, I asked the bus driver if it went to the train station and he said no. Awesome. With about 5 euros left it wasn’t sufficient for a cab so opted to walk. It was now about 6:10. I was hoping to change to a 7:15 train. I walked about 40 minutes, dragging my luggage, sweating profusely, but I made it. Train ride was nice, for the 10 minutes or so that I was actually awake :)
Arrived at 10 in Madrid. Took me an hour to wind through the metro system to the airport terminal. So I got to the airport at 11 for my 1240 flight – talk about cutting it close. I ran into two Americans from my program that paid for a taxi to the train station in Seville, as well as taxi train station to airport in Madrid. Lots of money. I made it through the airport without any glitches. I’m enjoying my window seat, neck pillow on, preparing for a nap. Oh, and my bag was 22 kg, and I’m allowed 23! Perfect. No adjustments needed. I’m reading a great book that Micah gave me Civil Action by Jonathan Harr. I recommend it. I should land at about 2:30 London time for my 3:45 flight. Won’t have to go through security or recollect my bag so it shouldn’t be a problem.
Oh! And I got a B+ in my history class! It was originally a B but VERY close to a B+ so I asked him if he could raise it and he basically said no problem! He said I participated more than anyone else so I deserve it :)
Writing this portion on my second flight:
I think I’m fairly smelly. I’ve broken out into a good sweat about 4 times by now, a long-sleeve shirt was a bad choice. I got off the Madrid to London flight and rushed to make my 3:45 flight. I got off the plane at about 2:55. I managed to beg my way into the business class lines to make it through security faster, and made it to my terminal just as we were boarding. My seat on the long flight is okay. I have more leg room than normal, but my window seat is windowless. Also, I have no place to put my bag under the seat in front of me (because there is no seat in front of me), so I had to put it above. Nothing is allowed on the floor so it’s difficult to switch off reading the bible, my book, using the computer, and snacking. A Civil Action, Micah’s book, is really good. I’m already on page 100.
I may try to nap a bit if I can. Overall, I just want to try and make it home tonight, not stay in a hotel. I’ve stayed in enough hotels. It’s now 12:10 Minnesota time (7 PM for me) and I’m going back to my book.
Writing this portion at HOME:
I made it through the flight just fine, passed by customs and saw my parents. I see my dad from afar and just give the old fist raise that I made it! It was great seeing my parents. The drive back went smoothly. We left at 7 and made it home at 2. Well done Mom and Dad. I slept 11-2. It’s good to be home.
There’s a big Welcome Home Austin sign in the living room. I’ll post again soon. It was a good trip.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Final Day Part II
The sadness has set in. I am sad to leave Seville. It was hard to say goodbye to Ana and Thiago. I spoke to Gustavo on the phone. I love the family.
Ana is planning on buying a Bible and reading it, things she brought up, not me. She has questions and is really eager to check out an evangelical church! Praise God for his influence! I laugh that she brings this up on the last night, I could have been such a good resource! Well, we're now facebook friends and I will do everything I can to answer her questions - she knows that.
I have said goodbye to all American friends except for Micah. They'll be missed greatly. I hope I can see them again soon. We went down by the river to hang out until 1 am. One last bike ride through the beautiful streets of Seville. I'd love to come back some day. This is the one city I spent months in but the one city I'll need to revisit.
After some minor flight problems (the times were different than I had been informed), things will hopefully work out. I will be taking a 7:15 AM train from Seville and hope to arrive in Shoreview at 1 AM Minnesota time (8 AM seville time). Yes, 25 hours of travelling. I love you all, see you soon!
Austin
Ana is planning on buying a Bible and reading it, things she brought up, not me. She has questions and is really eager to check out an evangelical church! Praise God for his influence! I laugh that she brings this up on the last night, I could have been such a good resource! Well, we're now facebook friends and I will do everything I can to answer her questions - she knows that.
I have said goodbye to all American friends except for Micah. They'll be missed greatly. I hope I can see them again soon. We went down by the river to hang out until 1 am. One last bike ride through the beautiful streets of Seville. I'd love to come back some day. This is the one city I spent months in but the one city I'll need to revisit.
After some minor flight problems (the times were different than I had been informed), things will hopefully work out. I will be taking a 7:15 AM train from Seville and hope to arrive in Shoreview at 1 AM Minnesota time (8 AM seville time). Yes, 25 hours of travelling. I love you all, see you soon!
Austin
Final Day Part I
Lot of emotions running through me. I am sad to leave this beautiful city, but I am happier that I was blessed with the opportunity and that I chose Seville over other cities. The decision was purely academic - it's the only one that fit what I needed, but if I were to choose now, it still would be Seville... EASILY
We got up a bit late, at about 1045 and went out with Rob to Puerta Jerez in El Centro near the cathedral. We went in a couple of stores around there, circled the cathedral, and just sat around. We also went into a cafe and they had their last helado (ice cream) while I had a fanta.
It's so hot in Seville. People are very intentional about being in shade while walking on sidewalks or waiting at stoplights.
Mathias: I gave him my Vikings hat! He was so happy - he's a great guy. He told me that he called his family yesterday and told them about me. I also showed him my Minnesota ID, he'd never seen one before. So I said goodbye to him and wished him luck.
After lunch, we're headed to Isla Magica (Magic Island), which is a theme park to do some rides this afternoon. I'll finish the night off with packing, checking-in for my flight, saying goodbye, and taking one last night bike ride. I'll keep you posted as always. Love you all.
Aust
We got up a bit late, at about 1045 and went out with Rob to Puerta Jerez in El Centro near the cathedral. We went in a couple of stores around there, circled the cathedral, and just sat around. We also went into a cafe and they had their last helado (ice cream) while I had a fanta.
It's so hot in Seville. People are very intentional about being in shade while walking on sidewalks or waiting at stoplights.
Mathias: I gave him my Vikings hat! He was so happy - he's a great guy. He told me that he called his family yesterday and told them about me. I also showed him my Minnesota ID, he'd never seen one before. So I said goodbye to him and wished him luck.
After lunch, we're headed to Isla Magica (Magic Island), which is a theme park to do some rides this afternoon. I'll finish the night off with packing, checking-in for my flight, saying goodbye, and taking one last night bike ride. I'll keep you posted as always. Love you all.
Aust
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Bailando y Cocinando!
Dancing and cooking! What a day. So many things I am trying to remember to write down. I got a book for the ride home: A Civil Action by Jonathon Harr. Micah gave it to me.
After lunch we were planning on exploring the city, but it's just sooooo hot. We napped instead. At about 7 we went with Rob to the river to hang out and relax. Phil met up with us. Afterwords, at about 9 Micah and I made it back to cook for Ana. After getting some supplies earlier in the day, I made a salad with lettuce, spinach leaves, nuts, carrots, tomatoes, green peppers, and turkey. The only problem is that Spanish grocery stores don't have any type of American dressing. We used a mixture of vinagre and olive oil. It was delicious. Micah is the better chef, he cooked sliced eggplants, with tomatoes on top with mozzerela and tomato sauce on top. It was incredible. Ana was impressed.
Ana received the thank you card that Joel and Dawn sent today. I read it to her, she loved it!
Anne made it safely to Florence, is loving it, and has already consumed gelato.
After dinner Micah and I joined Rob, Andree and Phil to grab some tapas at a nearby place I'd never visited. They had two Spanish guys and four spanish girls with them. It was a great interchange of Spanish and English all around. Where else in my life will I find this kind of experience?...Where ten people can speak in either language and all can understand? At about midnight we wandered over to a club I hadn't been to, for salsa dancing! I didn't really dance very much, I don't know salsa. But some members of the group taught me the basics. Also, each night they have a "birthday dance" where if it's your birthday you go the center of the dance floor while everyone watches. There were two men who had birthdays, and therefore women would wait in a line to dance with the birrthday guys until the song ends. It was great.
I left at about 1:45 and walked 25 minutes home, by myself! And it's crazy, you feel completely safe! There were couples or individuals in front of me and behind me all over the streets. You don't see that in the US.
Oh yeah! And, Ana out of the blue told me she knew an evangelical christian. She then told me that she was going to buy a Bible and read it! She said she'd tried before but didn't really understand it. I don't think she knows much about Catholicism, even though she weekly attends mass. Catholics, I think, believe Mary's mother was also a virgin. Ana didn't know this. Good for her! Praise God allowing her to have a heart and motivation and thirst for his Word!
That's all I can remember. Goodnight!
Austin
After lunch we were planning on exploring the city, but it's just sooooo hot. We napped instead. At about 7 we went with Rob to the river to hang out and relax. Phil met up with us. Afterwords, at about 9 Micah and I made it back to cook for Ana. After getting some supplies earlier in the day, I made a salad with lettuce, spinach leaves, nuts, carrots, tomatoes, green peppers, and turkey. The only problem is that Spanish grocery stores don't have any type of American dressing. We used a mixture of vinagre and olive oil. It was delicious. Micah is the better chef, he cooked sliced eggplants, with tomatoes on top with mozzerela and tomato sauce on top. It was incredible. Ana was impressed.
Ana received the thank you card that Joel and Dawn sent today. I read it to her, she loved it!
Anne made it safely to Florence, is loving it, and has already consumed gelato.
After dinner Micah and I joined Rob, Andree and Phil to grab some tapas at a nearby place I'd never visited. They had two Spanish guys and four spanish girls with them. It was a great interchange of Spanish and English all around. Where else in my life will I find this kind of experience?...Where ten people can speak in either language and all can understand? At about midnight we wandered over to a club I hadn't been to, for salsa dancing! I didn't really dance very much, I don't know salsa. But some members of the group taught me the basics. Also, each night they have a "birthday dance" where if it's your birthday you go the center of the dance floor while everyone watches. There were two men who had birthdays, and therefore women would wait in a line to dance with the birrthday guys until the song ends. It was great.
I left at about 1:45 and walked 25 minutes home, by myself! And it's crazy, you feel completely safe! There were couples or individuals in front of me and behind me all over the streets. You don't see that in the US.
Oh yeah! And, Ana out of the blue told me she knew an evangelical christian. She then told me that she was going to buy a Bible and read it! She said she'd tried before but didn't really understand it. I don't think she knows much about Catholicism, even though she weekly attends mass. Catholics, I think, believe Mary's mother was also a virgin. Ana didn't know this. Good for her! Praise God allowing her to have a heart and motivation and thirst for his Word!
That's all I can remember. Goodnight!
Austin
Mathias
That's the name of the man that works from 7 AM until 8 PM selling kleenex, necklaces and lottery tickets to traffic during each red light at the same intersection every day. He's from Uganda and Nigeria and came here because of wars going on in Africa.
I initially approached him to give him 20 Euros. I had been planning on doing this for a while. Can you imagine working 13 hours a day in the Sevillian sun, selling with a VERY low success rate, and a sale gets you maybe a euro? I sit with plain view of him every day I have coffee at my favorite coffee place. He's always working hard and has a great relationship with stopped traffic. He speaks English and Spanish very well but couldn't understand why I had 20 euros in my hand. Finally, after I explained it twice, he said "Quieres cambio?" which means, do you want change? (Break the twenty) No I said, take it. It's for you. He was so happy! We talked for about 20 minutes. I learned that he has to hit a quota before going home each night. He explained why he was in Spain, to avoid the wars in Africa, and that he doesn't want to do anything wrong, he just tries to earn what he can. I was shocked, but apparently he sends some money home. I don't know how he makes enough to send some home, but yeah. He said that God brought us together. He said that God made us know each other. He said that he works hard every day because God is eventually going to open up an opportunity for him. 1 Peter 2:19. I told him - I believe all of those things as well. What I find interesting is always the homeless or very poor will say "God bless you" when you do something nice. Jesus was poor and sought to help the poor.
He asked if he could see an ID card of mine, because he'd never seen one before. He was just so happy to talk to an American. I clarified that one of the reasons I mor or less randomly gave him this money is because I see him work so hard every day. That meant a lot to him. Anne - I'm prolly going to give him my Vikings hat. I wasn't wearing one or anything, but when he was talking about America he said that's the one thing he has always wanted. He definetly wasn't taking advantage of me or anything - just a genuine guy. He told me, "I have caps(he was wearing one), but they're no good in Europe. I have always wanted an American hat."
We swapped names, phone numbers and emails. I look forward to hearing from him. Pray for Mathias if you can!
Today I went to Al Campo, a huge mall, in search of reading materials for the trip home. No luck. Two rows of books with nothing in English. Sure I can read Spanish, but it takes waaaaaaay too long and too much brain power. No magazines in English either. A business week at the airport costs about 5 euros, I do not want to spend that much. It's now 1 and I am going across the street to get a nice cold juice and to read my bible. I still haven't heard if Anne has made it to florence!
I initially approached him to give him 20 Euros. I had been planning on doing this for a while. Can you imagine working 13 hours a day in the Sevillian sun, selling with a VERY low success rate, and a sale gets you maybe a euro? I sit with plain view of him every day I have coffee at my favorite coffee place. He's always working hard and has a great relationship with stopped traffic. He speaks English and Spanish very well but couldn't understand why I had 20 euros in my hand. Finally, after I explained it twice, he said "Quieres cambio?" which means, do you want change? (Break the twenty) No I said, take it. It's for you. He was so happy! We talked for about 20 minutes. I learned that he has to hit a quota before going home each night. He explained why he was in Spain, to avoid the wars in Africa, and that he doesn't want to do anything wrong, he just tries to earn what he can. I was shocked, but apparently he sends some money home. I don't know how he makes enough to send some home, but yeah. He said that God brought us together. He said that God made us know each other. He said that he works hard every day because God is eventually going to open up an opportunity for him. 1 Peter 2:19. I told him - I believe all of those things as well. What I find interesting is always the homeless or very poor will say "God bless you" when you do something nice. Jesus was poor and sought to help the poor.
He asked if he could see an ID card of mine, because he'd never seen one before. He was just so happy to talk to an American. I clarified that one of the reasons I mor or less randomly gave him this money is because I see him work so hard every day. That meant a lot to him. Anne - I'm prolly going to give him my Vikings hat. I wasn't wearing one or anything, but when he was talking about America he said that's the one thing he has always wanted. He definetly wasn't taking advantage of me or anything - just a genuine guy. He told me, "I have caps(he was wearing one), but they're no good in Europe. I have always wanted an American hat."
We swapped names, phone numbers and emails. I look forward to hearing from him. Pray for Mathias if you can!
Today I went to Al Campo, a huge mall, in search of reading materials for the trip home. No luck. Two rows of books with nothing in English. Sure I can read Spanish, but it takes waaaaaaay too long and too much brain power. No magazines in English either. A business week at the airport costs about 5 euros, I do not want to spend that much. It's now 1 and I am going across the street to get a nice cold juice and to read my bible. I still haven't heard if Anne has made it to florence!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Senior Year Begins
I'm done with all of my finals!! It feels great!! I'm going home in a few days!!
As a preview of all of the gifts I have for you guys back home, this photo is the first one. The Joel Savat in Mallorca photo.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Notable!
Javier, my Contemporary History of Spain professor gave me a grade of "Notable!" with an 8.2 (Anything between 8 and 9 is notable). After receiving a 6 on my midterm (equivalent of a C+), I earned an overall grade of 8.2 which translates to a B! Woo hoo! The slight bummer: an 8.25 is a B+ haha.
Anyways, my final final exam is tomorrow at 12:30 and them, literally, home free! Because of Mom and Dad's hype and recommendation, I will be buying a train ticket for Seville to Madrid Saturday morning, rather than take an overnight bus. A full night's rest would prolly be beneficial for my long day of traveling.
I still do plan on creating a post on the family's habits and traditions that you'll all... umm... both enjoy. I figure it'd be better to post that one after I return :)
It's 2 and I'm eagerly awaiting lunch. Micah and I decided to cook for Ana this coming Thursday. I'm going to make a traditional Savat salad and Micah is making burgers or omelettes, I don't remember.
Some photos! Not working right now, will post shortly
Thiago eating milk, rice and cinnamon desert.
Micah and Thiago
Getting the bull fight arena ready
The really comfortable seats
My shoe in comparison to the depth of these seats
Monday, May 17, 2010
Scorching Heat
This...heat...is...unbelievable.
I went to study in the shade at a cafe with jeans (first mistake) and a t-shirt. It was too hot. I went inside where there was slight AC. Still to hot. I went home and went down to just sandals, shorts and a white tshirt. Whew.
I had a great skype chat with Anne and continue to look forward to good old USA!
USA countdown: 5
I went to study in the shade at a cafe with jeans (first mistake) and a t-shirt. It was too hot. I went inside where there was slight AC. Still to hot. I went home and went down to just sandals, shorts and a white tshirt. Whew.
I had a great skype chat with Anne and continue to look forward to good old USA!
USA countdown: 5
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Bull Fight
I went to the bull fight today. It was basically what you would expect, men ganging up and killing a bull. I wasn't ready to leave because of the blood or the fact that they're killing a bull. I'm very glad I saw this Spanish tradition today. I don't really need to see it again. Not because I am opposed to it, but it wasn't overly entertaining. After about the 4th killed bull (6 were killed), I'd seen it all. Probably the most interesting part is what you see on the video. Here's what happens in a bull fight. The bull enters the ring alone. A bunch of guys come out and mess with the bull (none of them are THE "bullfighter"). Two guys on horseback come out and one of them will stab the bull in the back and draw blood. Then the bull is played with by the group of men again. Afterwords, three guys stab the bull with two long sticks (video). Then, the bullfighter messes with the bull alone. After about 5 minutes, he switches swords and stabs the bull in the back. A good fighter should only need to stab him once. One fighter had to do it four times. That's bad. Then the bull is dragged out of the ring by a group of three horses.
The seats in the bull ring were less comfortable than bleachers. They were skinnier, and made of brick. The heat was incredible. I wore jeans and a shirt. I was boiling. Such a mistake to wear pants. I figured it wouldn't end until 930 so it'd get chilly. I forgot I was in Seville.
A woman offered us a vanilla wafer-type snack. We politely said no about seven times. She refused to take no for an answer - it wasn't bad. Just something you don't experience in the USA.
It's hard to believe that today I was watching a bull fight in the heat and next week I'll be watching LOST, eating cereal in the basement.
I have my business spanish final tomorrow afternoon. Then, on Wednesday, I have my Managing Cultural Diversity final and... eso es. I'm done. I'm going to study a bit tonight, a bit tomorrow morning and the final will go well. I've received near perfect scores on both midterms so no pase nada.
The seats in the bull ring were less comfortable than bleachers. They were skinnier, and made of brick. The heat was incredible. I wore jeans and a shirt. I was boiling. Such a mistake to wear pants. I figured it wouldn't end until 930 so it'd get chilly. I forgot I was in Seville.
A woman offered us a vanilla wafer-type snack. We politely said no about seven times. She refused to take no for an answer - it wasn't bad. Just something you don't experience in the USA.
It's hard to believe that today I was watching a bull fight in the heat and next week I'll be watching LOST, eating cereal in the basement.
I have my business spanish final tomorrow afternoon. Then, on Wednesday, I have my Managing Cultural Diversity final and... eso es. I'm done. I'm going to study a bit tonight, a bit tomorrow morning and the final will go well. I've received near perfect scores on both midterms so no pase nada.
Last Sunday in Seville
I leave in 6 days! I've become a little sadder to leave - realizing, oh man I am not just going on a weekend trip, but leaving for good! However, I am very excited to return home and see everyone.
I am off to study until lunch, where I will try yet again to get my mother her precious Andalucian coffee cup :) I will then be having lunch with the fam, studying a bit more, and then meeting Reagan at 6 near the bull ring for the 630 bullfight!
Sevilla qualified for the top 4 spots in "La Liga" (The league) to advance to a tournament. Bascially, did well enough in the regular season to advance to the playoffs. They did so on the last game of the season, pretty impressive. Barcelona and Real Madrid each have games tonight (not against each other) to determine who will be the number 1 seed. Also, Seville plays Atletico Madrid in the championship for Copa del Rey (King's Cup) on Wednesday. Anyways, hasta luego!
Aust
I am off to study until lunch, where I will try yet again to get my mother her precious Andalucian coffee cup :) I will then be having lunch with the fam, studying a bit more, and then meeting Reagan at 6 near the bull ring for the 630 bullfight!
Sevilla qualified for the top 4 spots in "La Liga" (The league) to advance to a tournament. Bascially, did well enough in the regular season to advance to the playoffs. They did so on the last game of the season, pretty impressive. Barcelona and Real Madrid each have games tonight (not against each other) to determine who will be the number 1 seed. Also, Seville plays Atletico Madrid in the championship for Copa del Rey (King's Cup) on Wednesday. Anyways, hasta luego!
Aust
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Reflection Post II
What I miss most about USA (no particular order):
1. Family and Friends
2. Convenience and efficiency
3. Having a car
4. Open roads
5. Cabin
6. Snacking
7. Tables to do homework on/my desk chair
8. SAMMY
9. Watching American TV/movies
10. Open stores
11. Quality showers
What I will miss about Spain:
1. Easy classes
2. Ana, Gustavo and Thiago
3. American friends that I have made
4. Nice weather
5. Siestas
6. Speaking in Spanish
7. Ability to travel around Europe
What I WON'T miss about Spain:
1. Bad service
2. Bad showers
3. Doing homework on my bed
4. Not knowing ahead of time what is for dinner
5. Language barrier
6. Questionable meat that Ana typically serves
What I have learned:
1. Confidence
2. To always be mentally awake
3. Put yourself in scenarios where you have control over your own fate
4. How to plant seeds for Christ
5. People are the same all over the world
How I have changed:
1. More confident
2. More spiritually awake
3. More grateful
4. I drink coffee
Things I want to do when I get home:
1. Jordan/Alex's wedding
2. Go to the cabin
3. Catch up with friends/family
4. Go hiking
5. Go fishing
6. Work out
7. Do watersports
8. Scrapbook
9. Casino
10. Biking
11. Movies and videogames
Did I absolutely love it? Yes. Would I do it again? Most likely no.
1. Family and Friends
2. Convenience and efficiency
3. Having a car
4. Open roads
5. Cabin
6. Snacking
7. Tables to do homework on/my desk chair
8. SAMMY
9. Watching American TV/movies
10. Open stores
11. Quality showers
What I will miss about Spain:
1. Easy classes
2. Ana, Gustavo and Thiago
3. American friends that I have made
4. Nice weather
5. Siestas
6. Speaking in Spanish
7. Ability to travel around Europe
What I WON'T miss about Spain:
1. Bad service
2. Bad showers
3. Doing homework on my bed
4. Not knowing ahead of time what is for dinner
5. Language barrier
6. Questionable meat that Ana typically serves
What I have learned:
1. Confidence
2. To always be mentally awake
3. Put yourself in scenarios where you have control over your own fate
4. How to plant seeds for Christ
5. People are the same all over the world
How I have changed:
1. More confident
2. More spiritually awake
3. More grateful
4. I drink coffee
Things I want to do when I get home:
1. Jordan/Alex's wedding
2. Go to the cabin
3. Catch up with friends/family
4. Go hiking
5. Go fishing
6. Work out
7. Do watersports
8. Scrapbook
9. Casino
10. Biking
11. Movies and videogames
Did I absolutely love it? Yes. Would I do it again? Most likely no.
Reflection Post I
Best Moments Studying Abroad (No particular order):
1. Laying on the grass, staring up at the eiffel tower on our final night in Paris. Being amongst friends.
2. My first bike ride through the streets of Seville.
3. Hiking from the city down to the river in Ronda
4. Meeting my host family
5. The long bike ride with my parents through all of Seville.
6. The Moroccan Hammam with the guys and getting scrubbed down
7. Watching fireworks during Feria de Abril
8. Reaching the secluded Faro beach in Portugal with Micah
9. Seeing my parents in the Seville train station
10. Spending time with Zach, Peter, Nels and Janet in London and Bath
11. The shower power in Faro
12. Arriving in Venice and seeing it's beauty
13. Climbing the wall in Granada and really realizing that I am ABROAD
Worst Moments Studying Abroad:
1. Leaving my parents and Anne in Wisconsin Rapids (drive to airport included)
2. Getting a C+ on my first test
3. Leaving London (I was very nervous)
4. Vikings losing while I was in Granada watching the game until 4 AM outside the windows of a bar.
5. Being sick in Venice and Slovenia
6. Getting sunburned in Cagliari
7. Parents leaving Madrid for USA
8. Alicante - still enjoyable but definitely the worst weekend trip I did.
9. Going out until 3 AM to nightclubs the first weekend in Seville. Never did again - just not my lifestyle.
Food Cravings:
1. Chocolate milk
2. Regular milk
3. Pancakes
4. Waffles
5. Scrambled Eggs
6. Cereal
7. Mountain Dew
8. Bacon
9. Hashbrowns
10. Salads
11. Having the ability to CHOOSE my meal.
1. Laying on the grass, staring up at the eiffel tower on our final night in Paris. Being amongst friends.
2. My first bike ride through the streets of Seville.
3. Hiking from the city down to the river in Ronda
4. Meeting my host family
5. The long bike ride with my parents through all of Seville.
6. The Moroccan Hammam with the guys and getting scrubbed down
7. Watching fireworks during Feria de Abril
8. Reaching the secluded Faro beach in Portugal with Micah
9. Seeing my parents in the Seville train station
10. Spending time with Zach, Peter, Nels and Janet in London and Bath
11. The shower power in Faro
12. Arriving in Venice and seeing it's beauty
13. Climbing the wall in Granada and really realizing that I am ABROAD
Worst Moments Studying Abroad:
1. Leaving my parents and Anne in Wisconsin Rapids (drive to airport included)
2. Getting a C+ on my first test
3. Leaving London (I was very nervous)
4. Vikings losing while I was in Granada watching the game until 4 AM outside the windows of a bar.
5. Being sick in Venice and Slovenia
6. Getting sunburned in Cagliari
7. Parents leaving Madrid for USA
8. Alicante - still enjoyable but definitely the worst weekend trip I did.
9. Going out until 3 AM to nightclubs the first weekend in Seville. Never did again - just not my lifestyle.
Food Cravings:
1. Chocolate milk
2. Regular milk
3. Pancakes
4. Waffles
5. Scrambled Eggs
6. Cereal
7. Mountain Dew
8. Bacon
9. Hashbrowns
10. Salads
11. Having the ability to CHOOSE my meal.
Two Finals Later...
Only two finals left, one Monday and one Wednesday. These two went pretty well. It feels great to havae gotten the hardest day out of the way.
After a nap and lunch, I went down to the river in the city center with Rob, Micah and Phil and we just hung out for a few hours. Micah and I then wandered back towards teh Cathedral, picking up family gifts along the way. We had a 9:00 PM CIEE reunion there for all of us 71 students. It was fun! My Managing Cultural Diversity prof was there along with some of the original orientation students like Ricardo so catching up with them was great. We got some good group photos, had some good convos, etc. I prolly left at 11:30 because my throat still kind of hurts. Brynn and I walked back from Flahrety's, where our reunion was. WHY host it at an IRISH BAR for the last meal with everyone?? Anyways, the walk was great as it was perfect weather (prolly 70, no wind). We meandered through a series of shops on the way back. There's SO many people still on the streets at midnight, I'd say the same number as you would find at noon.
I haven't been getting in the Word as much as I would like to be. I hope to finish John before I leave.
Today I may do a little more shopping, relax by the river, and find some time for studying. Tomorrow, Sunday, I go to a bullfight!!
After a nap and lunch, I went down to the river in the city center with Rob, Micah and Phil and we just hung out for a few hours. Micah and I then wandered back towards teh Cathedral, picking up family gifts along the way. We had a 9:00 PM CIEE reunion there for all of us 71 students. It was fun! My Managing Cultural Diversity prof was there along with some of the original orientation students like Ricardo so catching up with them was great. We got some good group photos, had some good convos, etc. I prolly left at 11:30 because my throat still kind of hurts. Brynn and I walked back from Flahrety's, where our reunion was. WHY host it at an IRISH BAR for the last meal with everyone?? Anyways, the walk was great as it was perfect weather (prolly 70, no wind). We meandered through a series of shops on the way back. There's SO many people still on the streets at midnight, I'd say the same number as you would find at noon.
I haven't been getting in the Word as much as I would like to be. I hope to finish John before I leave.
Today I may do a little more shopping, relax by the river, and find some time for studying. Tomorrow, Sunday, I go to a bullfight!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Relajado
Relaxed. I'm really not stressed about my finals tomorrow. I am moreso just excited to finish with them. I am certain I will receive an A in Finance, and my performance on the History Final really can't adjust my overall grade. I'm sure I'll get like a B- or something.
Today I once again dealt with bad service/inconveniences in Spain. I biked 30 minutes to CIEE to print and found out the ONE printer they use was broken. So I biked thirty minutes back and waited in line for 30 minutes to pay 5 euros to print my materials. I went to the cafe before and after lunch to study. It's now 10:45 PM and I am going to study for a few more hours and then sleep. The tests will be just fine.
By the way, Thiago knows every bad word in the book. He keeps saying things and then I ask Ana what he's saying and sure enough its another curse word. Crazy.
Only 9 days until I leave!!!
Aust
Today I once again dealt with bad service/inconveniences in Spain. I biked 30 minutes to CIEE to print and found out the ONE printer they use was broken. So I biked thirty minutes back and waited in line for 30 minutes to pay 5 euros to print my materials. I went to the cafe before and after lunch to study. It's now 10:45 PM and I am going to study for a few more hours and then sleep. The tests will be just fine.
By the way, Thiago knows every bad word in the book. He keeps saying things and then I ask Ana what he's saying and sure enough its another curse word. Crazy.
Only 9 days until I leave!!!
Aust
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Reflection Paper
I am submitting a paper to CIEE to try to win a cash prize by reflection on my time in Sevilla. Here goes:
Define: Home
As all twenty-something Americans encounter, leaving home for a foreign culture, language and home is nerve-racking. I was confident that I left less-confident than most American students on their way to Spain. So many questions flooded my mind… How can I leave the place where I’ve lived for the past twenty years? How can I say goodbye to family and friends for a seemingly eternal period of time? How can I leave home?
My time in Seville was a success through and through. After arriving and settling in my “home-away-from-home”, I realized that my Spanish was better than most, along with my confidence. I developed an immediate bond with my Spanish family, both the parents and two-year-old Thiago, often called “Gordito”. Although I was initially opposed to the idea, I was lucky enough to have an American roommate. Micah was great at Spanish, was eager to travel through Europe, and knew how to be a good roommate and friend. He became my best friend in Seville as we traveled together to Spanish cities including Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Ronda and Cordoba while also visiting Portugal, Morocco, Italy and Slovenia. We became a dynamic duo. Whenever Thiago would see me alone in the apartment, he would quickly ask “Y Micah?” Micah would get a similar question. I imagine you know what it would be.
Initially, I missed my bed and having the ability to return home. After I couple of bare-bone meals and hostel stays outside of Seville, I couldn’t wait to return to my home¬ in Seville. By early February, this is the one and only home I yearned for when traveling outside of Seville. One of my fondest, repeated memories is returning from trips outside of Spain and thinking, “ah, my hometown. I can once again speak the language, eat and catch up with my family and sleep in my own bed.”
My time in Seville is coming to an end. It’s now mid-May and my perspective has changed from that of pre-Seville January. I’ll leave you with my final thoughts:
How can I leave the place where I’ve lived for the past five months?
How can I say goodbye to my friends and family for a potentially eternal period of time?
How can I leave home?
Austin Savat
Define: Home
As all twenty-something Americans encounter, leaving home for a foreign culture, language and home is nerve-racking. I was confident that I left less-confident than most American students on their way to Spain. So many questions flooded my mind… How can I leave the place where I’ve lived for the past twenty years? How can I say goodbye to family and friends for a seemingly eternal period of time? How can I leave home?
My time in Seville was a success through and through. After arriving and settling in my “home-away-from-home”, I realized that my Spanish was better than most, along with my confidence. I developed an immediate bond with my Spanish family, both the parents and two-year-old Thiago, often called “Gordito”. Although I was initially opposed to the idea, I was lucky enough to have an American roommate. Micah was great at Spanish, was eager to travel through Europe, and knew how to be a good roommate and friend. He became my best friend in Seville as we traveled together to Spanish cities including Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Ronda and Cordoba while also visiting Portugal, Morocco, Italy and Slovenia. We became a dynamic duo. Whenever Thiago would see me alone in the apartment, he would quickly ask “Y Micah?” Micah would get a similar question. I imagine you know what it would be.
Initially, I missed my bed and having the ability to return home. After I couple of bare-bone meals and hostel stays outside of Seville, I couldn’t wait to return to my home¬ in Seville. By early February, this is the one and only home I yearned for when traveling outside of Seville. One of my fondest, repeated memories is returning from trips outside of Spain and thinking, “ah, my hometown. I can once again speak the language, eat and catch up with my family and sleep in my own bed.”
My time in Seville is coming to an end. It’s now mid-May and my perspective has changed from that of pre-Seville January. I’ll leave you with my final thoughts:
How can I leave the place where I’ve lived for the past five months?
How can I say goodbye to my friends and family for a potentially eternal period of time?
How can I leave home?
Austin Savat
Last Day of Class at UPO
I finished the final week of class strong, giving a good presentation to support our well--written paper on the Spanish and American Dreams for Managing Cultural Diversity. After my classes today, I watched the new episode of LOST and then napped 5-8. It's possible that I have strep throat. My throat's been hurting for about two days. I will see how I feel tomorrow and go from there.
I have two finals on Friday:
1. International Finance
2. Contemporary History of Spain (in spanish)
Here is how I currently think my semester grades will go over:
Intensive Spanish: A (already got this, for first 2 weeks of semester)
Finance: A
Business Spanish: A or A- (group was not helpful for final presentation)
Managing Cultural Diversity: A-
Cont. History of Spain: B- or C+ (at worst, C+)
In my finance class we had an investing challenge where we have a given amount of money and have the semester to earn. We won out of 16 groups. So basically it raises my grade a whole letter grade, on top of the fact that I already have almost 100% in the class.
I have a couple of hours tonight to study for my Friday finals and then ALL DAY tomorrow to study. Our Cont. History of Spain test is open note so I am going to print out all the slides and notes from the semester to bring for the test. Thiago is approaching the top of my bed with my laptop and he has crackers. He's slow but need to shut down haha. love you all. See you in ten days.
I have two finals on Friday:
1. International Finance
2. Contemporary History of Spain (in spanish)
Here is how I currently think my semester grades will go over:
Intensive Spanish: A (already got this, for first 2 weeks of semester)
Finance: A
Business Spanish: A or A- (group was not helpful for final presentation)
Managing Cultural Diversity: A-
Cont. History of Spain: B- or C+ (at worst, C+)
In my finance class we had an investing challenge where we have a given amount of money and have the semester to earn. We won out of 16 groups. So basically it raises my grade a whole letter grade, on top of the fact that I already have almost 100% in the class.
I have a couple of hours tonight to study for my Friday finals and then ALL DAY tomorrow to study. Our Cont. History of Spain test is open note so I am going to print out all the slides and notes from the semester to bring for the test. Thiago is approaching the top of my bed with my laptop and he has crackers. He's slow but need to shut down haha. love you all. See you in ten days.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Happy Mother's Day Mom!!
I love you so much! This was made on Mother's Day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnc8TVK--HU&feature=youtu.be&a
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnc8TVK--HU&feature=youtu.be&a
Last Monday Class
After getting abck to the apartment at about 10 AM from the airport, I opted to attend my final two classes and complete my finance and business spanish presentations. The finance presentation went great and the business spanish presentation... could have gone smoother. I think my part went alright but the group wasn't very prepared. Yeah.
I took a four hour nap between lunch and dinner, then finished the night off watching Enemy of the State before bed. I needed a chill day. It's now 10:35 AM on Tuesday, I'm going to have some breakfast and head to a nearby cafe to get some work done. I have a paper and powerpoint due Wednesday that are basically done, and then I have two finals on Friday. My last week should be pretty easy. This is the tough week.
I'll be home soon! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. I leave in 11 days!
Aust
I took a four hour nap between lunch and dinner, then finished the night off watching Enemy of the State before bed. I needed a chill day. It's now 10:35 AM on Tuesday, I'm going to have some breakfast and head to a nearby cafe to get some work done. I have a paper and powerpoint due Wednesday that are basically done, and then I have two finals on Friday. My last week should be pretty easy. This is the tough week.
I'll be home soon! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. I leave in 11 days!
Aust
Monday, May 10, 2010
Home Safe from Paris
Saturday: May 8th.
Started off grabbing a late free breakfast at the hostel. We planned on leaving at ten, and Rob and I went early to pick up phil some medicine at the pharmacy (he may have strep throat). It was closed, and we waited until 1025 for the gange at the metro station. We were trying to make an 11:00 AM bike tour, which is why I planned on leaving at about 10:05. Rob and I decided to leave at 10:25 so that we wouldn't miss the tour. Well, the gang took a better metro route and beat us there, leaving a couple minutes after us.
I haven't appreciated the Eiffel tower beauty just yet. The tour meeting point was the eiffel tower, in which afterwords a guide walked you about a mile to the bike tour office. We got off the final metro stop near the eiffel and SPRINTED to the tower, found Armando waving for us to catch up. The gang was smart by forming a line, all within site of each other, so that we could catch up with the tour group that was probably about half a mile away still. Whew. We made it.
The bike tour: It was AWESOME. We left at about 11:30 and returned at 3:00. We caught a view of the Eiffel tower, on the other side their military school where Napolean was educated in the artillery half, not the calvary. (ALL of his paintings he is on horseback: could be for his love for horses, could be because he was so short, could be because he's mad about not being admitted to calvary school.) Also, this church we saw, where he was buried, according to his SPECIFIC direction, he wanted to be buried below ground so people have to bow to see his burial. Or, you can take stairs down and look up at his body. So, you bow or look up at him haha. At the church of Napolean's body, Hitler came to visit him during the war. He asked that none of his guards or anyone join him. He had GREAT respect for Napolean and wanted time alone. No one knows what went on, but he was in there for four hours. What was discovered later, is that there were French anti-Hitler fighters in the attic. They didn't realize Hitler was inside. Hmmm how history could have played out differently… We also went through some awesome, huge circles where we were actually on the roads. In fact, one circle (around Arc of Triumph) is one road where you're NOT insured if you get in a crash. We went there at night, it's crazy and dangerous. (I have a video). Back to the tour, we then stopped at a nearby café for a break, then went to the Louvre. Facts: It's on 40 acres of land. There's small orange dots on a few windows here and there. If there's a fire or emergency, the crew know which windows they can crash in. It's 8 miles of walking to go through everything. If you spent ONE MINUTE at every piece of artwork inside, you'd be inside for over two years. We also went to see a cool obelisk, a plaza/circle where many have been beheaded in the city that invented the guillotine. I was also able to talk to our guide Emma a bit and converse about the positives and negatives of being a tour guide. 26 Euros.
After stopping at a grocery store and having lunch in a grass patch with views of the Eiffel Tower we took the Metro to Notre Dame (Fair Lady I think). It was beautiful both inside and out. I love having the opportunity to see and pray in the most beautiful and grand churches in the world. Praise God. I was able to have some good conversations with Brayden and Lauren about their Catholic upbringing afterwards. We then wandered throgh some streets and eventually went to the bottom of the hill going up to Arc of Triumph via Metro. There's some nice shops on the way including a great Disney store and Adidas. From about 5 onwards for the rest of the night it rained. The arc was pretty impressive, with a gigantic flag hanging from the top of the arch.
I've been having a very sore back and neck. I think it's a combo of being on my feet all day, having old shoes, not sleeping great in my homestay bed (I know this because I always sleep like a rock in hostels).
Bedtime, love Paris.
Austin
Sunday, May 9th:
What a wonderful day in Paris! We left the hostel and checked out after a nice breakfast of bread, cereal and orange juice on a patio overlooking the water which reminded me of Venice. We stopped off at the farmer's market - I got apples which were big, ripe and delicious. We then made the Eiffel Tower our first priority. When you get off the metro coming up the stairs, you can't see it until you turn the corner and BOOM, it's there. It's just so beautiful (even through many french didn't think so for such a long time).
Note on street venders: It's worse at the eiffel tower than anywhere else in Europe that I've seen. They ALL sell the same products: a minitaure eiffel tower of varying sizes. They carry around hundreds of them on a big metal ring and shake them like keys trying to get you to buy. There were also many gypsies that would approach you and say "do you speak english? They would then hand you a card and it would tell you all the reasons to give them money. There's not much diversification, methods are copied by everyone.
What I love about the eiffel tower is that you can walk to it and under it with ease. With a normal famous building, it's super crowded because you can only walk around it or enter. Hard to explain, but its nice.
We waited in line to climb the stairs to the first and second levels for 3.50. After about 20 minutes of waiting and 5 minutes of stair climbing, we made it to the first floor. Breathtaking. Second floor: more breathtaking. We then took an elavator (Aaron I remember your video) to the very top of the eiffel tower which was amazing!! Not really much to say, but Paris is beautiful.
After 2-3 hours doing Eiffel tower stuff we headed over to find some food and then the Louvre. We entered the Louvre at 5:26. It closed at 5:30. I didn't see one painting. No I didn't see the Mona Lisa. I should note that I really had no interest in seeing another art museum, my body ached and I was exhausted, but I would have liked to at least enter one of the galleries. Next time ;)
Next, we went to a sit down restaurant where I had my most expensive meal in Europ: 14 euros. I had a beef stake with french fries and beans. Delicious.
Homeless man: I saw a man digging through the trash and eating what was in there. I've never seen someone actually independently working to provie for themselves, normally it's begging for money on a sidewalk. I walked up to him and offered him my 2 liter orange juice. He laughed at me and said "Orange juice haha" and didn't want it and walked away. I don't know.
After dinner we went back to the hostel, where our bags were locked up and we grabbed those, looked up a couple things on the internet and then went back to the eiffel tower. We made it to the tower at about 10:50 pm. It is sooooo beautiful at night. City of love and city of lights. Every hour (we saw it at 11 and 12), it sparkles for about 2 minutes. It's always lit up, but the sparkling is just something extra. We walked underneath the tower to the other side and laid in the park just staring at the tower for about 40 minutes. This will probably be the most memorable image I have from the Europe trip.
We then caught some trains until we fell about 5 miles short of the Orly Airport because the metro and train stations closed at 1 AM. We took a taxi to the airport (our flight was at 6:30 AM) and slept for a few hours. I slept all right, probably almost 3 hours of sleep and I was finally able to use my sleeping bag and pillow. I woke up freezing, as does everyone when sleeping on a tile floor. I'm now on the plane as I write to you. Everyone else is sleeping as I write this - I have two powerpoint presentations today so I'm chugging along. Armando has a test today - he's asleep, sitting up, book open, pencil in hand. We're all exhausted. Now we're on the HOME stretch. Pun.
I heard that the French are overly proud of their language and culture and don't like English-speaking Americans. I didn't get that vibe. All Europeans have thus far been very kind and helpful for the most part.
The weather really worked out for us. It only rained one evening for us and besides that was fairly warm and sunny.
Metros were pretty dirty. One car was filled with vomit - the man responsible still folded over in his chair, clearly not feeling well. Rob and Armando opted to sing in most metros at a somewhat loud voice in which all passengers could here. I have mixed feelings about the ordeal. Good for them, their passion is music and some people smiled as they sang. I feel like we're known for being loud as Americans and just didn't want to take part.
Time to rest or study. Hasta luego.
Aust
Started off grabbing a late free breakfast at the hostel. We planned on leaving at ten, and Rob and I went early to pick up phil some medicine at the pharmacy (he may have strep throat). It was closed, and we waited until 1025 for the gange at the metro station. We were trying to make an 11:00 AM bike tour, which is why I planned on leaving at about 10:05. Rob and I decided to leave at 10:25 so that we wouldn't miss the tour. Well, the gang took a better metro route and beat us there, leaving a couple minutes after us.
I haven't appreciated the Eiffel tower beauty just yet. The tour meeting point was the eiffel tower, in which afterwords a guide walked you about a mile to the bike tour office. We got off the final metro stop near the eiffel and SPRINTED to the tower, found Armando waving for us to catch up. The gang was smart by forming a line, all within site of each other, so that we could catch up with the tour group that was probably about half a mile away still. Whew. We made it.
The bike tour: It was AWESOME. We left at about 11:30 and returned at 3:00. We caught a view of the Eiffel tower, on the other side their military school where Napolean was educated in the artillery half, not the calvary. (ALL of his paintings he is on horseback: could be for his love for horses, could be because he was so short, could be because he's mad about not being admitted to calvary school.) Also, this church we saw, where he was buried, according to his SPECIFIC direction, he wanted to be buried below ground so people have to bow to see his burial. Or, you can take stairs down and look up at his body. So, you bow or look up at him haha. At the church of Napolean's body, Hitler came to visit him during the war. He asked that none of his guards or anyone join him. He had GREAT respect for Napolean and wanted time alone. No one knows what went on, but he was in there for four hours. What was discovered later, is that there were French anti-Hitler fighters in the attic. They didn't realize Hitler was inside. Hmmm how history could have played out differently… We also went through some awesome, huge circles where we were actually on the roads. In fact, one circle (around Arc of Triumph) is one road where you're NOT insured if you get in a crash. We went there at night, it's crazy and dangerous. (I have a video). Back to the tour, we then stopped at a nearby café for a break, then went to the Louvre. Facts: It's on 40 acres of land. There's small orange dots on a few windows here and there. If there's a fire or emergency, the crew know which windows they can crash in. It's 8 miles of walking to go through everything. If you spent ONE MINUTE at every piece of artwork inside, you'd be inside for over two years. We also went to see a cool obelisk, a plaza/circle where many have been beheaded in the city that invented the guillotine. I was also able to talk to our guide Emma a bit and converse about the positives and negatives of being a tour guide. 26 Euros.
After stopping at a grocery store and having lunch in a grass patch with views of the Eiffel Tower we took the Metro to Notre Dame (Fair Lady I think). It was beautiful both inside and out. I love having the opportunity to see and pray in the most beautiful and grand churches in the world. Praise God. I was able to have some good conversations with Brayden and Lauren about their Catholic upbringing afterwards. We then wandered throgh some streets and eventually went to the bottom of the hill going up to Arc of Triumph via Metro. There's some nice shops on the way including a great Disney store and Adidas. From about 5 onwards for the rest of the night it rained. The arc was pretty impressive, with a gigantic flag hanging from the top of the arch.
I've been having a very sore back and neck. I think it's a combo of being on my feet all day, having old shoes, not sleeping great in my homestay bed (I know this because I always sleep like a rock in hostels).
Bedtime, love Paris.
Austin
Sunday, May 9th:
What a wonderful day in Paris! We left the hostel and checked out after a nice breakfast of bread, cereal and orange juice on a patio overlooking the water which reminded me of Venice. We stopped off at the farmer's market - I got apples which were big, ripe and delicious. We then made the Eiffel Tower our first priority. When you get off the metro coming up the stairs, you can't see it until you turn the corner and BOOM, it's there. It's just so beautiful (even through many french didn't think so for such a long time).
Note on street venders: It's worse at the eiffel tower than anywhere else in Europe that I've seen. They ALL sell the same products: a minitaure eiffel tower of varying sizes. They carry around hundreds of them on a big metal ring and shake them like keys trying to get you to buy. There were also many gypsies that would approach you and say "do you speak english? They would then hand you a card and it would tell you all the reasons to give them money. There's not much diversification, methods are copied by everyone.
What I love about the eiffel tower is that you can walk to it and under it with ease. With a normal famous building, it's super crowded because you can only walk around it or enter. Hard to explain, but its nice.
We waited in line to climb the stairs to the first and second levels for 3.50. After about 20 minutes of waiting and 5 minutes of stair climbing, we made it to the first floor. Breathtaking. Second floor: more breathtaking. We then took an elavator (Aaron I remember your video) to the very top of the eiffel tower which was amazing!! Not really much to say, but Paris is beautiful.
After 2-3 hours doing Eiffel tower stuff we headed over to find some food and then the Louvre. We entered the Louvre at 5:26. It closed at 5:30. I didn't see one painting. No I didn't see the Mona Lisa. I should note that I really had no interest in seeing another art museum, my body ached and I was exhausted, but I would have liked to at least enter one of the galleries. Next time ;)
Next, we went to a sit down restaurant where I had my most expensive meal in Europ: 14 euros. I had a beef stake with french fries and beans. Delicious.
Homeless man: I saw a man digging through the trash and eating what was in there. I've never seen someone actually independently working to provie for themselves, normally it's begging for money on a sidewalk. I walked up to him and offered him my 2 liter orange juice. He laughed at me and said "Orange juice haha" and didn't want it and walked away. I don't know.
After dinner we went back to the hostel, where our bags were locked up and we grabbed those, looked up a couple things on the internet and then went back to the eiffel tower. We made it to the tower at about 10:50 pm. It is sooooo beautiful at night. City of love and city of lights. Every hour (we saw it at 11 and 12), it sparkles for about 2 minutes. It's always lit up, but the sparkling is just something extra. We walked underneath the tower to the other side and laid in the park just staring at the tower for about 40 minutes. This will probably be the most memorable image I have from the Europe trip.
We then caught some trains until we fell about 5 miles short of the Orly Airport because the metro and train stations closed at 1 AM. We took a taxi to the airport (our flight was at 6:30 AM) and slept for a few hours. I slept all right, probably almost 3 hours of sleep and I was finally able to use my sleeping bag and pillow. I woke up freezing, as does everyone when sleeping on a tile floor. I'm now on the plane as I write to you. Everyone else is sleeping as I write this - I have two powerpoint presentations today so I'm chugging along. Armando has a test today - he's asleep, sitting up, book open, pencil in hand. We're all exhausted. Now we're on the HOME stretch. Pun.
I heard that the French are overly proud of their language and culture and don't like English-speaking Americans. I didn't get that vibe. All Europeans have thus far been very kind and helpful for the most part.
The weather really worked out for us. It only rained one evening for us and besides that was fairly warm and sunny.
Metros were pretty dirty. One car was filled with vomit - the man responsible still folded over in his chair, clearly not feeling well. Rob and Armando opted to sing in most metros at a somewhat loud voice in which all passengers could here. I have mixed feelings about the ordeal. Good for them, their passion is music and some people smiled as they sang. I feel like we're known for being loud as Americans and just didn't want to take part.
Time to rest or study. Hasta luego.
Aust
Friday, May 7, 2010
Safe in Paris
Hey all! I wrote this portion on the airplane:
"As much as I'm used to having small confined spaces on airplanes, it's tough when the girl in front of you leans all the way back and then the guy behind me tried to sleep by leaning forward onto my seat. Bahhhh.
I woke up feeling a bit better, but am hoping to get lots of sleep tonight. Transavia was pretty smooth - we can actually check a bag which is handy. Braden, Amy and Lauren went to Paris the night before, while Phil, Rob, Armando and myself left Friday morning."
So we checked into our hostel and hit the town today. We saw a church on top of a hill overlooking the city. We also walked by Moulin Rouge and a pretty cool park. It's now midnight in the hostel and I still have to finish homework... a powerpoint for Monday. Fun huh?
Tomorrow we're doing a bike tour, as well as hopefully seeing both Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower.
Countdown to USA: 15
Austin
"As much as I'm used to having small confined spaces on airplanes, it's tough when the girl in front of you leans all the way back and then the guy behind me tried to sleep by leaning forward onto my seat. Bahhhh.
I woke up feeling a bit better, but am hoping to get lots of sleep tonight. Transavia was pretty smooth - we can actually check a bag which is handy. Braden, Amy and Lauren went to Paris the night before, while Phil, Rob, Armando and myself left Friday morning."
So we checked into our hostel and hit the town today. We saw a church on top of a hill overlooking the city. We also walked by Moulin Rouge and a pretty cool park. It's now midnight in the hostel and I still have to finish homework... a powerpoint for Monday. Fun huh?
Tomorrow we're doing a bike tour, as well as hopefully seeing both Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower.
Countdown to USA: 15
Austin
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Bahhhh Sick Again
Feeling a bit weak the night before heading off to Paris. I'm definitely going but will take it easy if not feeling up to par.
Our flight leaves at 10:30 tomorrow morning (Friday). We are supposed to land at 8:45 Monday morning in Seville.
I have been pretty uninvolved in the Paris planning process. Although it's prolly the coolest city I will see during my 5 months, I am just so tired from all of my travels haha. I know that looking back I will be very happy I went. One thing I know we're doing is a 4-hour bike tour of the city.
I'm currently working on a couple powerpoint presentations that I have on Monday. I think I'm going to bring my laptop on this trip. We can actually check a bag on this trip, which is a first. Looking forward to finally packing and using my REI sleeping bag as we will be spending Sunday night in the airport.
List of participants: Amy, Lauren, Phil, Rob, Braden and me.
Days to Paris: 1
Days to USA: 16
Our flight leaves at 10:30 tomorrow morning (Friday). We are supposed to land at 8:45 Monday morning in Seville.
I have been pretty uninvolved in the Paris planning process. Although it's prolly the coolest city I will see during my 5 months, I am just so tired from all of my travels haha. I know that looking back I will be very happy I went. One thing I know we're doing is a 4-hour bike tour of the city.
I'm currently working on a couple powerpoint presentations that I have on Monday. I think I'm going to bring my laptop on this trip. We can actually check a bag on this trip, which is a first. Looking forward to finally packing and using my REI sleeping bag as we will be spending Sunday night in the airport.
List of participants: Amy, Lauren, Phil, Rob, Braden and me.
Days to Paris: 1
Days to USA: 16
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Happy Birthday Aaron!
Happy Birthday Aaron! Hope this video is a worthy gift. I'll have some things for you when I get home!
I had a great Bible study - we learned more about trusting in God. I have two chapters left in Matthew, then on to John. Man, Jesus was just brilliant. I mean, yeah, he is/was God and is/was perfect but studying him carefully in Matthew has been great.
Last night was a long night - I finished my paper for the coming morning at 3:15 AM. Although my prof already emailed back and said she loved it, I definitely saw some grammar errors when rereading it this morning. Haha. It was a good night though, Anne and I spoke for over an hour on Skype and were able to catch up.
Today after class, I think I napped longer (4 hours) than my actual sleep last night (3.5 hours). I'm now watching Madrid and Mallorca playing soccer on tv. Thiago is watching me carefully and continuing to touch anything that seems of even minor importance to me. He continually turned off the tv tonight and tried to write all over me and my stuff with a marker. Tomorrow may be my last time with my 4-year olds class, not sure.
Anyways, happy birthday Aaron!!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
See You Soon Sammy
Today was an unproductive day. I got up at about 1030ish and managed to accomplish very little before 2:30 lunch. Afterwords I sent out some emails and went to Bible Study at 5. It's now 8:00 PM and I have to start and finish a 3-5 page paper due tomorrow. Yikes.
Anyways, after this coming Monday things will get a bit easier. I won't have any assignments left, I'll just have to study for finals.
3 days until Paris, 18 days until home.
Soccer w/ Micah
We biked over to a park that I have never been to before last night. What I noticed upon arriving was a decent amount of segregation. There was a nice fenced-in turf field with Spanish teams playing and practicing. On a big dirt field was a big group of all Africans. On the other dirt field there were a couple Spaniards. And finally on a cement court (still had goals) was made up of I think most if not all Central Americans. We played with these guys on cement. It was really fun, they didn't take it too seriously but it was pretty good competition. For example, if someone was fouled, they wouldn't stop play and give the ball back, they'd just laugh it off and keep playing, because fouls go both ways.
My 't' key I virtually have to slam down on this laptop and I don't know why. It's going to be really tough to write my 5 page paper tonight. Good thing t is a rarely used letter.
I have 3 presentations on Monday and need to get those going. With all this work, I expect these last 18 days to fly by.
My 't' key I virtually have to slam down on this laptop and I don't know why. It's going to be really tough to write my 5 page paper tonight. Good thing t is a rarely used letter.
I have 3 presentations on Monday and need to get those going. With all this work, I expect these last 18 days to fly by.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Presentation went well...
The 15-minute spanish presentation went really well today. After a delicious lunch I'm going to take a nap (didn't sleep much last night) and am then going to play soccer with Micah.
I actually have THREE presentations on Monday, May 10th, starting at about 11:30ish. My flight from Paris will land at 8:45 Monday... so hopefully there aren't delays ;)
4 days until Paris, 19 days until USA
Aust
I actually have THREE presentations on Monday, May 10th, starting at about 11:30ish. My flight from Paris will land at 8:45 Monday... so hopefully there aren't delays ;)
4 days until Paris, 19 days until USA
Aust
Sunday, May 2, 2010
20 Days Left
Less than three weeks to go... I'm trying to enjoy every last bit of Seville, the best city I've been in all semester, but am also anxious for home. I have 4 class periods left, Mondays and Wednesdays for the next two weeks, and then 4 finals.
I have a big presentation tomorrow, 15 minutes, IN SPANISH! This will discuss my essay on Franco and his impact on democracy in Spain.
Yesterday was some sort of labor day for Spaniards, which Ana said she thinks is universal. No one works on May 1 every year. Well, I explained, this isn't the case for us.
Thiago continues to be wild. He was coloring, and I was trying to teach him colors. As soon as I did so, he looked up and started throwing his pencils at me. He then broke 2 of them, then threw the rest all over the room and some behind the couch. Well, no more coloring...
Time in the Bible has been going great. I drew up a plan on the 15th of January and haven't fallen behind: two chapters a day in the New Testament. I have read, studied and taken extensive notes on Acts-Revelations and am now nearing the end of Matthew. John's coming next.
Yesterday I basically worked all day on my Managing Cultural Diversity and wrote seven pages. I basically have now handed it off to Andree, my partner, to write some, edit, and finalize. I capped off the night by watching Barcelona destroy Villareal 4-1. I think I'm becoming a Barca fan...
I have a big presentation tomorrow, 15 minutes, IN SPANISH! This will discuss my essay on Franco and his impact on democracy in Spain.
Yesterday was some sort of labor day for Spaniards, which Ana said she thinks is universal. No one works on May 1 every year. Well, I explained, this isn't the case for us.
Thiago continues to be wild. He was coloring, and I was trying to teach him colors. As soon as I did so, he looked up and started throwing his pencils at me. He then broke 2 of them, then threw the rest all over the room and some behind the couch. Well, no more coloring...
Time in the Bible has been going great. I drew up a plan on the 15th of January and haven't fallen behind: two chapters a day in the New Testament. I have read, studied and taken extensive notes on Acts-Revelations and am now nearing the end of Matthew. John's coming next.
Yesterday I basically worked all day on my Managing Cultural Diversity and wrote seven pages. I basically have now handed it off to Andree, my partner, to write some, edit, and finalize. I capped off the night by watching Barcelona destroy Villareal 4-1. I think I'm becoming a Barca fan...
Friday, April 30, 2010
I have lots of fingers
That's what Thiago told me today. He said I didn't have as many.
I added four pictures of my parents: At the lake in Parque de Buen Retiro, at Museo Reina Sofia (you can see part of "Reina" going up the building) which means Queen Sofie, walking in the park at Buen Retiro, in a glass museum in park Buen Retiro.
Today was a lazy day. I went to a cafe after breakfast to get time in the Word and work on my paper a bit for Managing Cultural Diversity. After lunch I took a long nap and eventually went for a run at 830 by heading towards the football stadium, circling it, and coming back. I'm trying to run all four days this weekend.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The Senagese
The people from Senegal are on many street corners trying sell things to trafic at a red light and Sevillianos walking on the sidewalk. They're almost always in very cheerful moods and get along great with the population. I am typically at the same cafe by my apartment and have noted that the same man works the same traffic light 8:00-8:00 every day. Doesn't matter how hot it is or if it's raining, he's working. I rarely see him make a sale, although he's always fist bumping and high fiving anyone with their window down. They live in overcrowded apartments.
I decided to ask Ana her opinion on the matter. Here's what I learned:
1. The majority are doctors or teachers back in Senegal. They've taken formal education but opted to come here.
2. No one will hire them, she didn't know of one African immigrant working in any store or restaurant for any business.
3. One Senagese man found a bank bag with 5000 Euros and handed it in to the police and went straight back to work. Wow.
4. I asked Ana if she felt Spain was somewhat racist towards them and I think she was saying not really. But I pointed out that they can't find a job anywhere. No one will hire them.
Well, that's it for that.
Today I went to the Colegio Claret as previously mentioned, then returned for a nap followed by lunch. At about 5 Kelly and I went to my favorite cafe and sat in the cool shade until about 8. Afterwords I actually worked out. I ran to the Cathedral and back (touched the closest corner :) ) which took 29 minutes. I then did some abdominales and grantija (situps and pushups). Dinner was good, fresh tomatos and spring rolls. Finally, I capped off the night with watching the Liverpool - Atletico Madrid game which went to overtime.
I still don't understand agregate scoring:
If a team wins 3-0 and then loses 0-2, they win overall 3-2. (Typically in tournaments teams play twice). Liverpool was up 1-0 at the end of regulation and then it went into overtime. I assumed that Liverpool must have lost 0-1, or 1-2, or 2-3 etc the first time. But then, each team scored a goal in overtime and that meant that Atletico Madrid advanced (won) even though they lost the match 1-2. I dont know.
Oh well, have a good Wednesday night everyone!
I decided to ask Ana her opinion on the matter. Here's what I learned:
1. The majority are doctors or teachers back in Senegal. They've taken formal education but opted to come here.
2. No one will hire them, she didn't know of one African immigrant working in any store or restaurant for any business.
3. One Senagese man found a bank bag with 5000 Euros and handed it in to the police and went straight back to work. Wow.
4. I asked Ana if she felt Spain was somewhat racist towards them and I think she was saying not really. But I pointed out that they can't find a job anywhere. No one will hire them.
Well, that's it for that.
Today I went to the Colegio Claret as previously mentioned, then returned for a nap followed by lunch. At about 5 Kelly and I went to my favorite cafe and sat in the cool shade until about 8. Afterwords I actually worked out. I ran to the Cathedral and back (touched the closest corner :) ) which took 29 minutes. I then did some abdominales and grantija (situps and pushups). Dinner was good, fresh tomatos and spring rolls. Finally, I capped off the night with watching the Liverpool - Atletico Madrid game which went to overtime.
I still don't understand agregate scoring:
If a team wins 3-0 and then loses 0-2, they win overall 3-2. (Typically in tournaments teams play twice). Liverpool was up 1-0 at the end of regulation and then it went into overtime. I assumed that Liverpool must have lost 0-1, or 1-2, or 2-3 etc the first time. But then, each team scored a goal in overtime and that meant that Atletico Madrid advanced (won) even though they lost the match 1-2. I dont know.
Oh well, have a good Wednesday night everyone!
Franco Essay
You don't have to read this - I don't expect you to. I just wanted to post a paper written at the peak of my Spanish ability.
Franco fue líder en España durante la guerra civil y las anteriores décadas. Aunque su partido político, los nacionalistas, ganaron la guerra, fueron repercusiones para las próximas décadas en España. Él empezó a ganar poder político en 1936 y lo retuvo hasta su muerte en 1975. Yo discutiré las decisiones y las acciones de Franco y repasaré los impactos directos e indirectos, buenos y malos en los españoles desde 1930s hasta 1970s.
Franco ha sido una figura controversial a quien amaban y odiaban hasta hoy en día. Espero que encuentre y explique los resultados objetivamente de sus acciones durante y después la guerra civil. Voy a organizar cronológicamente las decisiones de Franco y los resultados inmediatos y a largo plazo.
El Frente Popular, un partido político en el centro e izquierdo ganó las elecciones en febrero de 1936. El Frente Popular reactivaría las reformas de 1931-1933 (militar, agraria, y religiosa) e inmediatamente después de las elecciones de 1936 los Nacionalistas organizaban un golpe estado en contra del Frente Popular. Manuel Azaña, quien era líder de Gobierno provisional, tenía una estrategia que era enviar a los generales Goded, Franco, y Mola muy lejos. Sus destinos eran Baleares, Canarias, y Pamplona, respectivamente. Sin embargo, después de ser presionado por otros líderes, Franco apoyó el golpe de estado. Finalmente, el plan fracasó y empezó la guerra civil entre el bando nacional (derecha) y el bando republicano (izquierda). Alemania e Italia apoyaban a los Nacionalistas, a la URSS y a México que luchaban para los Republicanos. Una razón por la cual Franco obtuvo el control militar nacionalista es que tenía buenas relaciones con Italia y Alemania y por eso podía obtener armas y el soporte militar de los países .
El 21 de Septiembre de 1936 Franco fue comandante nacionalista. El militar nacionalista ganaba batallas de un lado a otro en España y el militar republicano intentó contraer la paz en 1938 con los nacionalistas pero Franco quería rendición incondicional. En consecuencia, la guerra continuó y tuvieron que morir más personas a causa de Franco. La guerra civil en España terminó con las tomas de Valencia y Madrid por los Nacionalistas.
Durante y después de la guerra civil, las ejecuciones fueron muy comunes abajo del liderazgo de Franco. En 1936, más de 200 oficiales republicanos murieron. Desde 1937, todas las ejecuciones fueron asignadas por o conocidas de Franco. Además, durante la guerra civil alrededor 50.000 personas fueron asesinadas sin procesos. También, más de 15.000 fueron ejecutadas después de la guerra y mucha más se encontraban presas o tenían que trabajar sin cobrar. A continuación, con los presos y muertos, Franco desarrollaba la división entre la izquierda y la derecha políticamente. A pesar de que la izquierda se rindió a Franco, sentía opresión y persecución por la derecha debido a los asesinatos sin procesos y los encarcelados injustamente. Me gustaría citar el cuento de “Idioma de los Muertos,” que cubre las vidas de presos durante y después de la guerra civil. Aunque Juan Senra, el protagonista, no es real, el cuento describe las situaciones verdaderas de los republicanos que estaban presos cuando Franco adquirió España.
En “Idioma de los Muertos” Juan Senra era profesor de chelo. Estaba en la cárcel desde mayo de 1938 porque su expediente era comunista y criminal de la guerra civil. Iba a condenar a Juan a muerte como al resto de la gente de la prisión a largo plazo. Pero, él mentía para proteger su vida. Juan creaba cuentos sobre el hijo de coronel Eymar quien había muerto. El coronel Eymar era responsable de decidir si alguien moría o no. En la prisión se encontraban dos galerías: la segunda y la cuarta. Cada mañana los oficiales gritaban nombres de presos de la segunda galería para ir al tribunal para condenarles a muerte o perdonarles. Antes del tribunal de Juan Senra, ya habían condenado cientos de presos a muerte. Después de ser condenado a muerte, el culpable esperaba en la cuarta galería hasta que decían su nombre. En este caso, el coronel Eymar simplemente le preguntaba al preso si conocía a su hijo, Miguel. Entonces, cientos de presos murieron debido a no conocer a Miguel Eymar. El proceso era demasiado corto sin justicia y muy arbitrario para los presos. A pesar de que Juan vivía a causa de sus mentiras, el estilo de vida y las condiciones de la prisión eran horribles. Los presos tenían frío durante las noches, Juan tenía un “sinfín de dolores,” y todos los presos sufrían de miedo. Por ejemplo, los presos tenían que asistir a misa cada semana donde a los encarcelados les gustaban participar en comunión específicamente para comer un poquito más. El ejemplo de comunión también representaba la opresión de libertad que empujó a Franco hacia la gente . Esto lo discutiremos más tarde. Para obtener menos resistencia y más obediencia el miedo se hacían cientos de ejecuciones sin procesos durante la guerra aprobada por Franco .
A pesar de la habilidad para evitar la muerte de Juan, él vivía una vida sin sentido. Él tenía un amigo con quien compartía secretos de sus tribunales y procesos pero este murió. Eventualmente, después de tristeza sobre la muerte de su amigo, Juan dijo la verdad al coronel Eymar porque no le importaba vivir. Él murió sólo, como los demás presos sin ningún cambio . El cuento de Juan Senra fue experimentado por miles de republicanos durante y después de la guerra civil, en parte de la autoridad y decisiones de Franco.
Debo clarificar que las ejecuciones sin procesos no eran solo realizados por los nacionalistas, sino también por los republicanos. Aproximadamente 30.000 nacionalistas murieron ejecutados. Sin embargo, después de la rendición de la izquierda en 1939, ¿por qué Franco tenía que permitir más muertes injustas de republicanos? Además, cientos de miles de republicanos fueron encarcelados durante la década de la guerra civil bajo el liderazgo de Franco. La persecución de republicanos no terminó con el fin de la guerra civil en España, mucha gente republicana huía del país.
Cientos de miles de republicanos huían de España durante y después de la guerra, trasladándose 500.000 a Francia . Obviamente, la emigración de la gente Española perdió a muchas personas importantes y útiles incluyendo médicos, profesores, maestros, abogados, artistas y más ocupaciones cruciales. Los profesionales con éxitos eran beneficiales a sus sociedades nuevas, al ingreso en España. Además, una porción de la gente republicana se quedó en España pero perdió su trabajo ya que se contrataron a personas con menos cualificaciones. A causa de las muertes y la emigración de la gente, ¿Franco perdió los próximos líderes buenos de España? ¿Cerró la puerta a la posibilidad para mejorar el sistema de agricultura? ¿Franco mató al médico que podría curar el cáncer? Hay muchas preguntas que no podemos contestar. Por cierto, España no se benefició del talento perdido.
Algunas personas que habían huido a Francia se reunían en el gobierno de Francia para trabajar y vivir en condiciones injustas. Si era parte de la población Española, tenían que quedarse en el campo hasta que el gobierno los empujó para regresar a España. Las personas que regresaron a España eran enviadas a campos de concentración franquistas, se llamaba Miranda de Ebro. Después, mucha gente tuvo que ir a la Alemania Nazi, al campo de concentración que se llamaba Mauthausen, donde más que 5.000 Españoles murieron .
Franco inculcó un efecto psicológico de miedo y control para que la gente se pusiera en contra de los Nacionalistas. Durante y después de la guerra, Franco conoció y aprobó juicios sumarios, donde entre 15 a 20 personas eran asesinados después de un “proceso” de cinco minutos . Como el gobierno tendría poder para ejecutar a cualquier persona yo hacía lo que este me dictara. Veremos que el derecho a la libertad terminó durante el reino de Franco incluyendo la libertad de religión, política, idioma, cultura y economía.
Políticamente, a causa de Franco, España perdió la democracia. Basado de los antedichos hechos sobre los juicios sumarios, encarcelamientos injustos, y las huidas de republicanos, vemos que los republicanos tenían incentivos para ser callados sobre sus opiniones políticas. Franco utilizó ejecuciones durante el principio de la guerra para difundir miedo a sus enemigos, específicamente a los republicanos. En una época de crecimiento, para la democracia política, Franco era un cáncer. La minoría gente, los vencidos de la guerra civil, no tenía el poder para expresarse y se sentían inferiores. Asimismo, los “Franquitos” eran personas con una filosofía y personalidad similar a la que Franco que desarrollaban la “represión del abajo”. El miedo existió en el gobierno alto, en la jerárquica, pero los Franquitos estaban entre la gente normal. Psicológicamente el miedo de Franco y “franquitos” prohibía democracia .
Franco limitaba la libertad de expresión para permitir solo el idioma español en España. Él suprimía otros idiomas por una ley en contra del uso de otros lenguajes como catalán y gallego. Se podía utilizar solo español en las escuelas, en los anuncios, en los signos, en documentos comerciales y en el gobierno. Si querías hablar otros idiomas, tenían que hacerlo en privado . Su idioma nativo era una parte de su cultura, identidad e historia. Franco lo eliminaba la libertad de preservar estas cosas elementales.
Ya que Franco hizo malas decisiones económicamente desde los 40s hasta los 70s, la gente de España luchaba por una vida mejor pero no tuvieron éxito. Aunque todos los problemas económicos no pueden ser atribuidos a Franco, el líder de un país es más responsable que el resto del gobierno y la población. El país empleaba cartas de racionamiento para proporcionar alimento a la gente, pero no era suficiente. Era una época en la que España con un mercado negro crecía y la controversia del estraperlo en los casinos. Construir una fundación de confianza y crecimiento en el gobierno y la economía era difícil con los problemas abajo del liderazgo de Franco durante el principio de su reino. Franco no permitió que España realizara intercambios internacionales hasta “La Apertura” de 1959 . La gente fue atrapada por su pobreza.
Durante el reino de Franco, el catolicismo fue declarado la religión oficial de España. La Iglesia Católica apoyaba a Franco y los nacionalistas durante la guerra civil . Asimismo, en algunos trabajos se requería que fueras católico. También, los matrimonios aprobados por la segunda república no eran aceptados sin consentimiento de la Iglesia Católica. Los divorcios y abortos fueron prohibidos . La libertad aparte de la religión, específicamente la Iglesia Católica, terminó con la política de Franco.
La cultura de España, algo muy especial y respetado por los españoles hoy en día, fue limitado para algunas personas. Pero, Franco permitía que algunas tradiciones continuaran, particularmente las de Andalucía, como corridas de toro y flamenco. Como las otras libertades fueron suprimidas, la limitación de tradiciones culturales en España muestra el objetivo de Franco que era minimizar la diversidad en el país. Algunas actividades culturales fueron prohibidas cuando otras fueron censuradas. Referente a las limitaciones y prohibiciones de libertad de religión, tradiciones culturales, economía, idioma, y política, el dicho es justo donde se dice que España “perdió el tren de la democracia” durante el reinado de Franco .
Estoy en contra de las decisiones y acciones de Franco durante su reino de España en relación con las razones antedichas. Para ser objetivo, voy a presentar las cosas que Franco logró para su país. Franco fue líder de España hasta su muerte en 1975. Desde el principio de los 60s hasta que murió, la economía crecía a ritmo de 7% anual. Después del “Despegue” y “La Apertura”, la inversión extranjera aumentaba porque España fue un país muy rentable para los inversores. También, Franco condujo al país a una monarquía parlamentaria por la Ley de Sucesión de 1947. Más tarde él nombró a un líder, Juan Carlos I, quien restableció la democracia .
Sin embargo, en la actualidad y recientes desarrollos vemos que Francisco Franco era “cáncer” para el progreso español. Debido a sus relaciones con la Alemania Nazi y la Fascista Italia durante la guerra civil España fue aislada durante y después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Asimismo, la gente que huyeron durante y después de la guerra civil a Francia y México, por ejemplo, perdieron su nacionalidad española. Al perder su nacionalidad, ellos perdieron su herencia, su cultura, su hogar y toda la identidad de España. Debemos repasar la ley actual, de 2006, la Ley de Memoria Historia. Hoy en día, el país no quiere recordar el nombre de Franco. Quitan símbolos franquistas como estatuas y nombres de calles. La ley quiere encontrar las fosas comunes de juicios sumarios que estaban bajo el control de Franco. En Andalucía, por ejemplo, hay casi 400 fosas comunes . Franco es un insulto para la gente hoy en día. Nadie sabe donde las fosas comunes están, es un misterio, es un cargo para la ley, destapar el pasado. Es difícil recordar el pasado malo ya que Franco ha muerto. Algunas personas como juez Baltazar Garzón todavía quieren reabrir el caso de Franco porque piensan que debe ser declarado culpable de los crímenes que realizó durante su dictadura y yo estoy de acuerdo. Él fue culpable antes y todavía lo seguirá siendo de los encarcelamientos y asesinatos injustos aunque esté muerto. Si no juzgamos la historia, vamos a cometer errores similares.
Franco fue líder en España durante la guerra civil y las anteriores décadas. Aunque su partido político, los nacionalistas, ganaron la guerra, fueron repercusiones para las próximas décadas en España. Él empezó a ganar poder político en 1936 y lo retuvo hasta su muerte en 1975. Yo discutiré las decisiones y las acciones de Franco y repasaré los impactos directos e indirectos, buenos y malos en los españoles desde 1930s hasta 1970s.
Franco ha sido una figura controversial a quien amaban y odiaban hasta hoy en día. Espero que encuentre y explique los resultados objetivamente de sus acciones durante y después la guerra civil. Voy a organizar cronológicamente las decisiones de Franco y los resultados inmediatos y a largo plazo.
El Frente Popular, un partido político en el centro e izquierdo ganó las elecciones en febrero de 1936. El Frente Popular reactivaría las reformas de 1931-1933 (militar, agraria, y religiosa) e inmediatamente después de las elecciones de 1936 los Nacionalistas organizaban un golpe estado en contra del Frente Popular. Manuel Azaña, quien era líder de Gobierno provisional, tenía una estrategia que era enviar a los generales Goded, Franco, y Mola muy lejos. Sus destinos eran Baleares, Canarias, y Pamplona, respectivamente. Sin embargo, después de ser presionado por otros líderes, Franco apoyó el golpe de estado. Finalmente, el plan fracasó y empezó la guerra civil entre el bando nacional (derecha) y el bando republicano (izquierda). Alemania e Italia apoyaban a los Nacionalistas, a la URSS y a México que luchaban para los Republicanos. Una razón por la cual Franco obtuvo el control militar nacionalista es que tenía buenas relaciones con Italia y Alemania y por eso podía obtener armas y el soporte militar de los países .
El 21 de Septiembre de 1936 Franco fue comandante nacionalista. El militar nacionalista ganaba batallas de un lado a otro en España y el militar republicano intentó contraer la paz en 1938 con los nacionalistas pero Franco quería rendición incondicional. En consecuencia, la guerra continuó y tuvieron que morir más personas a causa de Franco. La guerra civil en España terminó con las tomas de Valencia y Madrid por los Nacionalistas.
Durante y después de la guerra civil, las ejecuciones fueron muy comunes abajo del liderazgo de Franco. En 1936, más de 200 oficiales republicanos murieron. Desde 1937, todas las ejecuciones fueron asignadas por o conocidas de Franco. Además, durante la guerra civil alrededor 50.000 personas fueron asesinadas sin procesos. También, más de 15.000 fueron ejecutadas después de la guerra y mucha más se encontraban presas o tenían que trabajar sin cobrar. A continuación, con los presos y muertos, Franco desarrollaba la división entre la izquierda y la derecha políticamente. A pesar de que la izquierda se rindió a Franco, sentía opresión y persecución por la derecha debido a los asesinatos sin procesos y los encarcelados injustamente. Me gustaría citar el cuento de “Idioma de los Muertos,” que cubre las vidas de presos durante y después de la guerra civil. Aunque Juan Senra, el protagonista, no es real, el cuento describe las situaciones verdaderas de los republicanos que estaban presos cuando Franco adquirió España.
En “Idioma de los Muertos” Juan Senra era profesor de chelo. Estaba en la cárcel desde mayo de 1938 porque su expediente era comunista y criminal de la guerra civil. Iba a condenar a Juan a muerte como al resto de la gente de la prisión a largo plazo. Pero, él mentía para proteger su vida. Juan creaba cuentos sobre el hijo de coronel Eymar quien había muerto. El coronel Eymar era responsable de decidir si alguien moría o no. En la prisión se encontraban dos galerías: la segunda y la cuarta. Cada mañana los oficiales gritaban nombres de presos de la segunda galería para ir al tribunal para condenarles a muerte o perdonarles. Antes del tribunal de Juan Senra, ya habían condenado cientos de presos a muerte. Después de ser condenado a muerte, el culpable esperaba en la cuarta galería hasta que decían su nombre. En este caso, el coronel Eymar simplemente le preguntaba al preso si conocía a su hijo, Miguel. Entonces, cientos de presos murieron debido a no conocer a Miguel Eymar. El proceso era demasiado corto sin justicia y muy arbitrario para los presos. A pesar de que Juan vivía a causa de sus mentiras, el estilo de vida y las condiciones de la prisión eran horribles. Los presos tenían frío durante las noches, Juan tenía un “sinfín de dolores,” y todos los presos sufrían de miedo. Por ejemplo, los presos tenían que asistir a misa cada semana donde a los encarcelados les gustaban participar en comunión específicamente para comer un poquito más. El ejemplo de comunión también representaba la opresión de libertad que empujó a Franco hacia la gente . Esto lo discutiremos más tarde. Para obtener menos resistencia y más obediencia el miedo se hacían cientos de ejecuciones sin procesos durante la guerra aprobada por Franco .
A pesar de la habilidad para evitar la muerte de Juan, él vivía una vida sin sentido. Él tenía un amigo con quien compartía secretos de sus tribunales y procesos pero este murió. Eventualmente, después de tristeza sobre la muerte de su amigo, Juan dijo la verdad al coronel Eymar porque no le importaba vivir. Él murió sólo, como los demás presos sin ningún cambio . El cuento de Juan Senra fue experimentado por miles de republicanos durante y después de la guerra civil, en parte de la autoridad y decisiones de Franco.
Debo clarificar que las ejecuciones sin procesos no eran solo realizados por los nacionalistas, sino también por los republicanos. Aproximadamente 30.000 nacionalistas murieron ejecutados. Sin embargo, después de la rendición de la izquierda en 1939, ¿por qué Franco tenía que permitir más muertes injustas de republicanos? Además, cientos de miles de republicanos fueron encarcelados durante la década de la guerra civil bajo el liderazgo de Franco. La persecución de republicanos no terminó con el fin de la guerra civil en España, mucha gente republicana huía del país.
Cientos de miles de republicanos huían de España durante y después de la guerra, trasladándose 500.000 a Francia . Obviamente, la emigración de la gente Española perdió a muchas personas importantes y útiles incluyendo médicos, profesores, maestros, abogados, artistas y más ocupaciones cruciales. Los profesionales con éxitos eran beneficiales a sus sociedades nuevas, al ingreso en España. Además, una porción de la gente republicana se quedó en España pero perdió su trabajo ya que se contrataron a personas con menos cualificaciones. A causa de las muertes y la emigración de la gente, ¿Franco perdió los próximos líderes buenos de España? ¿Cerró la puerta a la posibilidad para mejorar el sistema de agricultura? ¿Franco mató al médico que podría curar el cáncer? Hay muchas preguntas que no podemos contestar. Por cierto, España no se benefició del talento perdido.
Algunas personas que habían huido a Francia se reunían en el gobierno de Francia para trabajar y vivir en condiciones injustas. Si era parte de la población Española, tenían que quedarse en el campo hasta que el gobierno los empujó para regresar a España. Las personas que regresaron a España eran enviadas a campos de concentración franquistas, se llamaba Miranda de Ebro. Después, mucha gente tuvo que ir a la Alemania Nazi, al campo de concentración que se llamaba Mauthausen, donde más que 5.000 Españoles murieron .
Franco inculcó un efecto psicológico de miedo y control para que la gente se pusiera en contra de los Nacionalistas. Durante y después de la guerra, Franco conoció y aprobó juicios sumarios, donde entre 15 a 20 personas eran asesinados después de un “proceso” de cinco minutos . Como el gobierno tendría poder para ejecutar a cualquier persona yo hacía lo que este me dictara. Veremos que el derecho a la libertad terminó durante el reino de Franco incluyendo la libertad de religión, política, idioma, cultura y economía.
Políticamente, a causa de Franco, España perdió la democracia. Basado de los antedichos hechos sobre los juicios sumarios, encarcelamientos injustos, y las huidas de republicanos, vemos que los republicanos tenían incentivos para ser callados sobre sus opiniones políticas. Franco utilizó ejecuciones durante el principio de la guerra para difundir miedo a sus enemigos, específicamente a los republicanos. En una época de crecimiento, para la democracia política, Franco era un cáncer. La minoría gente, los vencidos de la guerra civil, no tenía el poder para expresarse y se sentían inferiores. Asimismo, los “Franquitos” eran personas con una filosofía y personalidad similar a la que Franco que desarrollaban la “represión del abajo”. El miedo existió en el gobierno alto, en la jerárquica, pero los Franquitos estaban entre la gente normal. Psicológicamente el miedo de Franco y “franquitos” prohibía democracia .
Franco limitaba la libertad de expresión para permitir solo el idioma español en España. Él suprimía otros idiomas por una ley en contra del uso de otros lenguajes como catalán y gallego. Se podía utilizar solo español en las escuelas, en los anuncios, en los signos, en documentos comerciales y en el gobierno. Si querías hablar otros idiomas, tenían que hacerlo en privado . Su idioma nativo era una parte de su cultura, identidad e historia. Franco lo eliminaba la libertad de preservar estas cosas elementales.
Ya que Franco hizo malas decisiones económicamente desde los 40s hasta los 70s, la gente de España luchaba por una vida mejor pero no tuvieron éxito. Aunque todos los problemas económicos no pueden ser atribuidos a Franco, el líder de un país es más responsable que el resto del gobierno y la población. El país empleaba cartas de racionamiento para proporcionar alimento a la gente, pero no era suficiente. Era una época en la que España con un mercado negro crecía y la controversia del estraperlo en los casinos. Construir una fundación de confianza y crecimiento en el gobierno y la economía era difícil con los problemas abajo del liderazgo de Franco durante el principio de su reino. Franco no permitió que España realizara intercambios internacionales hasta “La Apertura” de 1959 . La gente fue atrapada por su pobreza.
Durante el reino de Franco, el catolicismo fue declarado la religión oficial de España. La Iglesia Católica apoyaba a Franco y los nacionalistas durante la guerra civil . Asimismo, en algunos trabajos se requería que fueras católico. También, los matrimonios aprobados por la segunda república no eran aceptados sin consentimiento de la Iglesia Católica. Los divorcios y abortos fueron prohibidos . La libertad aparte de la religión, específicamente la Iglesia Católica, terminó con la política de Franco.
La cultura de España, algo muy especial y respetado por los españoles hoy en día, fue limitado para algunas personas. Pero, Franco permitía que algunas tradiciones continuaran, particularmente las de Andalucía, como corridas de toro y flamenco. Como las otras libertades fueron suprimidas, la limitación de tradiciones culturales en España muestra el objetivo de Franco que era minimizar la diversidad en el país. Algunas actividades culturales fueron prohibidas cuando otras fueron censuradas. Referente a las limitaciones y prohibiciones de libertad de religión, tradiciones culturales, economía, idioma, y política, el dicho es justo donde se dice que España “perdió el tren de la democracia” durante el reinado de Franco .
Estoy en contra de las decisiones y acciones de Franco durante su reino de España en relación con las razones antedichas. Para ser objetivo, voy a presentar las cosas que Franco logró para su país. Franco fue líder de España hasta su muerte en 1975. Desde el principio de los 60s hasta que murió, la economía crecía a ritmo de 7% anual. Después del “Despegue” y “La Apertura”, la inversión extranjera aumentaba porque España fue un país muy rentable para los inversores. También, Franco condujo al país a una monarquía parlamentaria por la Ley de Sucesión de 1947. Más tarde él nombró a un líder, Juan Carlos I, quien restableció la democracia .
Sin embargo, en la actualidad y recientes desarrollos vemos que Francisco Franco era “cáncer” para el progreso español. Debido a sus relaciones con la Alemania Nazi y la Fascista Italia durante la guerra civil España fue aislada durante y después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Asimismo, la gente que huyeron durante y después de la guerra civil a Francia y México, por ejemplo, perdieron su nacionalidad española. Al perder su nacionalidad, ellos perdieron su herencia, su cultura, su hogar y toda la identidad de España. Debemos repasar la ley actual, de 2006, la Ley de Memoria Historia. Hoy en día, el país no quiere recordar el nombre de Franco. Quitan símbolos franquistas como estatuas y nombres de calles. La ley quiere encontrar las fosas comunes de juicios sumarios que estaban bajo el control de Franco. En Andalucía, por ejemplo, hay casi 400 fosas comunes . Franco es un insulto para la gente hoy en día. Nadie sabe donde las fosas comunes están, es un misterio, es un cargo para la ley, destapar el pasado. Es difícil recordar el pasado malo ya que Franco ha muerto. Algunas personas como juez Baltazar Garzón todavía quieren reabrir el caso de Franco porque piensan que debe ser declarado culpable de los crímenes que realizó durante su dictadura y yo estoy de acuerdo. Él fue culpable antes y todavía lo seguirá siendo de los encarcelamientos y asesinatos injustos aunque esté muerto. Si no juzgamos la historia, vamos a cometer errores similares.
Bar Levies + Carboneria
Had a great day on Wednesday. My finance class was cancelled and my Business Spanish test went pretty well. After a cold pasta lunch, I managed to nap from 4-730 which ultimately meant I was too late to leave and play soccer. I did figure out there was a Barcelona-Intermilan game on which started around 830 that Micah, Kelly and I watched. Afterwords, at about 1015 we went to Bar Levies. They biked ahead and I met up with Reagan, a friend from CIEE that I haven't seen for about a month, and we walked as she didn't have a bike.
Although the weather is painfully hot during the day, by about 11 PM it drops to about 70-75ish which is perfect for walking through the city. We also met up with Sam, a friend of Kelly's from New York. It was a fun night overall, the flamenco dancer at la carboneria (Mom and Dad maybe you remember her) is keen on shushing everyone during every song. She's also quite the stomper while she dances.
I just had my time at Colegio Claret with the 4-year-olds which was great. Elo was back which was a relief. Isabel, myself and Ana were walking to class (two students) and Isabel, my favorite says "se han casado" to me and Ana. Which means "You two got married" haha it was really funny. They're all so innocent it's fun to hear what they have to say.
Also, all of the trees in the playground are dropping these green seeds, which all the kids started to call guisantes (peas). "Querremos guisantes" they started to chant, which means "We want peas." By the time we made it to class there were no more 'peas' left in the playground and all of the kids had 20-30 in their pockets.
The words they learned today were: sandwich, biscuit, ice cream, and banana cake.
Also, before I leave Seville I will post some reflections, such as: What I miss about USA, what i will miss about Spain, what I won't miss about Spain, what I've learned, how I've changed, best moments, worst moments. If you think of any you want me to do let me know. Thanks!
I attached my favorite meal photo: breaded chicken with mashed potatos.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Heat
The rain has gone away. The sun is here to stay.
It is 9:15 PM as I write this and the temperature is 82 degrees. Yeah. I was studying from about 6-8 tonight (Bible and Business Spanish) and was sweating simply in sitting in the shade outside. It's a fun change of pace though - I now understand why shops close during the afternoon, particularly during the summer, because of the tremendous heat.
It is 9:15 PM as I write this and the temperature is 82 degrees. Yeah. I was studying from about 6-8 tonight (Bible and Business Spanish) and was sweating simply in sitting in the shade outside. It's a fun change of pace though - I now understand why shops close during the afternoon, particularly during the summer, because of the tremendous heat.
121 Down, 25 Left
I have 25 days left in Seville. It sounds like a very short period of time but I feel like it will be a while until I'm back in the states.
1. The other day a girl in my class told me that "Minnesota Nice" is completely true, according to the two Minnesotans she knows. Myself, and a guy named Aaron, are exremely different, but both equally nice I guess. She's from New York so I guess nice people stand out.
2. I'm doing everything possible in History to improve my current C+ grade. (The only part of my grade that I know so far is my midterm score which was a C+). I participate as much as possible and frequently ask him questions about my paper or the historical period were talking about after class.
3. Recap on Feria: Basically Feria de Abril (April Fair) is a weeklong celebration in hundreds of Casettas in one area of the city. A casetta is basically a tent that a person will rent out for the week and only allow who they want in the tent. 98% of the casettas are like this (private). It's meant to be a Sevillian-specific party where people dance (a sevilliano dance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsKqCyi_9lQ&feature=related) or just chat and have some drinks. This goes on from mid-afternoon to well after midnight. As I biked back from the bus station after returning from Madrid after my parents left for home I saw lots of women in dresses along the river in the afternoon ( http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LG-xx1SWdAM/0.jpg ).
I went Sunday night for the final night of Feria. This was the first and likely only time I will be wearing by brown shoes and brown pants haha. I saw the casettas, their HUGE "no8do" sign (the Sevilla motto), and fireworks. The fireworks started at midnight and were really fun. I watched them from a bridge and the noise made it feel like they were really close to you. It was as if you could feel the bangs. It was really fun and I'm glad that I was able to both see/experience Feria and travel with my parents all week to Italy.
4. I thanked Jesus, my finance prof for giving me advice on restaurants for my parents. He seemed genuinely interested in how Mom and Dad enjoyed the trip and how we liked the restaurants. He's a great guy. I also handed in my finance paper finally, 18 pages with Micah, whew. Feels good to be done. I also handed in my 9 page History paper, IN SPANISH. I present next week.
5. Yesterday, without motivation or caffeine I was able to get through my four classes. After lunch and a great skype talk with Johnny Myers I took a two hour siesta. Kelly, who is staying for 4-5 days, a friend of Micah's and a fellow LOST fan, watched Lost with me last night. I haven't watched that with a partner in quite some time. I love discussing theories. Today I biked over to CIEE for my tutor session and learned por/para (both mean "for" in English but have very different uses. I think this weekend I may be helping her on English a little bit. I then biked back to the nearby cafe to get cafe con leche and I actually read Matthew 3-12 today. Took about 3 hours but I loved it. I'm now writing this post on Tuesday before lunch as Thiago colors beside me. He intentionally over and over colors on my notebook to get in trouble and attention.
6. Just a minute ago Ana comes in screaming about a Palmela (a bird) which I didn't know what a Palmela was but she kept saying it. Somehow a bird got in the apartment and I had to get it out haha.
7. The family LOVED the presents mom and dad! Thiago likes the stuffed animal, but did immediately try to rip off his Hat haha. Ana just absolutely loved the angel you got her and can't wait to move it to Alicante. Gustavo will enjoy his gift too.
8. The weather here went from rainy and cold to too hot in a matter of weeks. It is 85 and sunny as I write this. I sweat when I even step outside. I love it, but by the end of May I'll be happy to land in semi-warm Minnesota.
1. The other day a girl in my class told me that "Minnesota Nice" is completely true, according to the two Minnesotans she knows. Myself, and a guy named Aaron, are exremely different, but both equally nice I guess. She's from New York so I guess nice people stand out.
2. I'm doing everything possible in History to improve my current C+ grade. (The only part of my grade that I know so far is my midterm score which was a C+). I participate as much as possible and frequently ask him questions about my paper or the historical period were talking about after class.
3. Recap on Feria: Basically Feria de Abril (April Fair) is a weeklong celebration in hundreds of Casettas in one area of the city. A casetta is basically a tent that a person will rent out for the week and only allow who they want in the tent. 98% of the casettas are like this (private). It's meant to be a Sevillian-specific party where people dance (a sevilliano dance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsKqCyi_9lQ&feature=related) or just chat and have some drinks. This goes on from mid-afternoon to well after midnight. As I biked back from the bus station after returning from Madrid after my parents left for home I saw lots of women in dresses along the river in the afternoon ( http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LG-xx1SWdAM/0.jpg ).
I went Sunday night for the final night of Feria. This was the first and likely only time I will be wearing by brown shoes and brown pants haha. I saw the casettas, their HUGE "no8do" sign (the Sevilla motto), and fireworks. The fireworks started at midnight and were really fun. I watched them from a bridge and the noise made it feel like they were really close to you. It was as if you could feel the bangs. It was really fun and I'm glad that I was able to both see/experience Feria and travel with my parents all week to Italy.
4. I thanked Jesus, my finance prof for giving me advice on restaurants for my parents. He seemed genuinely interested in how Mom and Dad enjoyed the trip and how we liked the restaurants. He's a great guy. I also handed in my finance paper finally, 18 pages with Micah, whew. Feels good to be done. I also handed in my 9 page History paper, IN SPANISH. I present next week.
5. Yesterday, without motivation or caffeine I was able to get through my four classes. After lunch and a great skype talk with Johnny Myers I took a two hour siesta. Kelly, who is staying for 4-5 days, a friend of Micah's and a fellow LOST fan, watched Lost with me last night. I haven't watched that with a partner in quite some time. I love discussing theories. Today I biked over to CIEE for my tutor session and learned por/para (both mean "for" in English but have very different uses. I think this weekend I may be helping her on English a little bit. I then biked back to the nearby cafe to get cafe con leche and I actually read Matthew 3-12 today. Took about 3 hours but I loved it. I'm now writing this post on Tuesday before lunch as Thiago colors beside me. He intentionally over and over colors on my notebook to get in trouble and attention.
6. Just a minute ago Ana comes in screaming about a Palmela (a bird) which I didn't know what a Palmela was but she kept saying it. Somehow a bird got in the apartment and I had to get it out haha.
7. The family LOVED the presents mom and dad! Thiago likes the stuffed animal, but did immediately try to rip off his Hat haha. Ana just absolutely loved the angel you got her and can't wait to move it to Alicante. Gustavo will enjoy his gift too.
8. The weather here went from rainy and cold to too hot in a matter of weeks. It is 85 and sunny as I write this. I sweat when I even step outside. I love it, but by the end of May I'll be happy to land in semi-warm Minnesota.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Photos from Savat Eurotrip 2010
1. Visiting Ty's favorite church in Rome on Tuesday morning
2. Sunset on the Spanish Steps in Rome
3. Mom's favorite Margherita Pizza in Rome
4. Along a trail heading away from Positano
5. Hiking down to the beach in Sorrento
6. Biking in Seville
7. At 100 Montaditos in Seville
8. Mom on the hike down with our Caprician friend Antionetta
9. Lunch on top
10. Dad going up the one-man chairlif to the top of the island of Capri
More Flight Problems
They made it to New York safely. Their flight to Minnesota, however, was cancelled. They've switched airports and are hoping to hop on a plane shortly from La Guardia.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Austin's Reflections
Enough of the old water buffalo. I'd like to reflect on the week. Austino is back in the casa. If I repeat anything, it's because I haven't really read over the previous few blogs.
I had an incredible time with the family. As I was receiving emails and calls from them prior to their departure from the US, I could tell their was excitement but also nervousness. I realized this as well when they went through Madrid on their own to make it Seville through Dad's emails. They sacrificed a lot to be here: money, time, and new personal discomfort. I love them for going through that to be here in Europe with me.
My favorite part of the whole trip was biking through Seville for over an hour, seeing the Cathedral, small side streets where shops weren't even open yet, biking along the river and through parque Maria Luisa and Plaza Americas, without ANY rain. In that hour I think they were able to get a feel for Seville and particularly southern Spain (Andalucía).
I believe I was able to show them that confidence is 3/4 of the battle, and language is helpful, but only knowing English is not a huge barrier to travel. I may have done most of the navigating and question asking in Italy, but it was of course all in English.
I love that I was able to show them Seville's metro (one line in total) which is new and fairly empty as well as Madrid's metro which is always crowded, dirty, old and has 12 or so lines intersecting across the gigantic city. My Dad observed in Madrid that "Everybody takes the metro, rich or poor, young or old, it doesn't matter." I did ask them while we were using the Madrid metro, which looks like a spider web on a map with so many lines, "What if I just got off on the next stop and ran away?" My mom enjoyed that comment - as she would surely be a bit lost...
My parents got a whiff of another thrill of travel: meeting others. We had dinner with an Austrian couple in Rome, they were able to meet a Californian (Micah my roommate) in Seville, we had dinner for 2-3 hours with Brits in Sorrento, and met an Italian woman that spoke phenomenal English and showed us her garden and chapel on the island of Capri. We may have only traveled to Spain and Italy, but they got a taste of several other cultures. I also always feel that I can leave a positive lasting impression on USA by interacting with others.
I would like to assume that after this trip my parents are more open to traveling abroad. Some of the greatest places to be are in the US and even lovely Minnesota, but I think they are excited about having experienced (and survived :) ) Europe and would highly consider returning.
Seville:
I am so glad that we were able to cover all of the ground that we were able to cover. They felt Seville's hot sun for a few moments during coffee and ice cream, saw Guadalquivir - our river, experienced typical bad service from cafes and restaurants, had café con leche saw our park, plazas, winding streets, well-dressed population, flamenco, and tapa nightlife.
Rome:
We were a team. We conquered Rome in a day (although it wasn't built in a day). All walking. We saw tourist traps like the guy that gives you "free flowers" and then five seconds later asks you repeatedly for money. We saw history. We did as the Romans did. We had Italian pizza.
According the my parents, the hotel service was bad. According to United States service, it was bad. I thought it was fine for a couple reasons: I'm used to sub-par service in Europe and I usually stay in cheap hostels.
Sorrento:
Breathtaking. Positano, Amalfi, Atrani, Capri. Wow. What a nice way to close out the trip. If you don't see God's beauty of creation here, I don't know where you'll see it. My highlight was walking through the narrow neighborhood to the less-touristy Atrani and the windy-road bus ride along the cliffs.
Madrid:
To see Spain for a second time, even if for a few hours, was a blessing. I loved showing them the convenient metro as well as Picasso and Dali works at Museo Reina Sofia, an art museum. The Guernica is there. It was hard to say goodbye once again, but nothing like December 28. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that I will see them before I turn 21.
I do Paris in two weeks and do the USA in four. It'll go fast now.
Once again, I love my parents for sacrificing a lot to be here to see me/Europe. Even if they absolutely loved the trip, they still sacrificed a lot. Love you guys. See you soon.
I had an incredible time with the family. As I was receiving emails and calls from them prior to their departure from the US, I could tell their was excitement but also nervousness. I realized this as well when they went through Madrid on their own to make it Seville through Dad's emails. They sacrificed a lot to be here: money, time, and new personal discomfort. I love them for going through that to be here in Europe with me.
My favorite part of the whole trip was biking through Seville for over an hour, seeing the Cathedral, small side streets where shops weren't even open yet, biking along the river and through parque Maria Luisa and Plaza Americas, without ANY rain. In that hour I think they were able to get a feel for Seville and particularly southern Spain (Andalucía).
I believe I was able to show them that confidence is 3/4 of the battle, and language is helpful, but only knowing English is not a huge barrier to travel. I may have done most of the navigating and question asking in Italy, but it was of course all in English.
I love that I was able to show them Seville's metro (one line in total) which is new and fairly empty as well as Madrid's metro which is always crowded, dirty, old and has 12 or so lines intersecting across the gigantic city. My Dad observed in Madrid that "Everybody takes the metro, rich or poor, young or old, it doesn't matter." I did ask them while we were using the Madrid metro, which looks like a spider web on a map with so many lines, "What if I just got off on the next stop and ran away?" My mom enjoyed that comment - as she would surely be a bit lost...
My parents got a whiff of another thrill of travel: meeting others. We had dinner with an Austrian couple in Rome, they were able to meet a Californian (Micah my roommate) in Seville, we had dinner for 2-3 hours with Brits in Sorrento, and met an Italian woman that spoke phenomenal English and showed us her garden and chapel on the island of Capri. We may have only traveled to Spain and Italy, but they got a taste of several other cultures. I also always feel that I can leave a positive lasting impression on USA by interacting with others.
I would like to assume that after this trip my parents are more open to traveling abroad. Some of the greatest places to be are in the US and even lovely Minnesota, but I think they are excited about having experienced (and survived :) ) Europe and would highly consider returning.
Seville:
I am so glad that we were able to cover all of the ground that we were able to cover. They felt Seville's hot sun for a few moments during coffee and ice cream, saw Guadalquivir - our river, experienced typical bad service from cafes and restaurants, had café con leche saw our park, plazas, winding streets, well-dressed population, flamenco, and tapa nightlife.
Rome:
We were a team. We conquered Rome in a day (although it wasn't built in a day). All walking. We saw tourist traps like the guy that gives you "free flowers" and then five seconds later asks you repeatedly for money. We saw history. We did as the Romans did. We had Italian pizza.
According the my parents, the hotel service was bad. According to United States service, it was bad. I thought it was fine for a couple reasons: I'm used to sub-par service in Europe and I usually stay in cheap hostels.
Sorrento:
Breathtaking. Positano, Amalfi, Atrani, Capri. Wow. What a nice way to close out the trip. If you don't see God's beauty of creation here, I don't know where you'll see it. My highlight was walking through the narrow neighborhood to the less-touristy Atrani and the windy-road bus ride along the cliffs.
Madrid:
To see Spain for a second time, even if for a few hours, was a blessing. I loved showing them the convenient metro as well as Picasso and Dali works at Museo Reina Sofia, an art museum. The Guernica is there. It was hard to say goodbye once again, but nothing like December 28. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that I will see them before I turn 21.
I do Paris in two weeks and do the USA in four. It'll go fast now.
Once again, I love my parents for sacrificing a lot to be here to see me/Europe. Even if they absolutely loved the trip, they still sacrificed a lot. Love you guys. See you soon.
Parents' Flight Cancelled
Madrid to Atlanta at 11:00 this morning was cancelled. My parents were able to meet an American student in Madrid that could help them. Most were rescheduled for flight tomorrow. Mom and Dad and Kristin (student they met) were able to find a flight to New York. Should be taking off at about 5:45 PM Seville time (10:45 AM in the States). They'll be staying overnight in New York and arriving in Mpls at 11ish on Sunday.
Austin
Austin
Friday, April 23, 2010
Capri and Madrid
April 22:
Joel and I ran our "5K" this morning early, and that felt really good! We ran down the main street and also down some cobblestone streets as the shops were starting to open. We both ran hard and it turns out that Dawn was actually shopping as we ran. We put a lot of miles in today. A gorgeous sunny warm day to visit the Isle of Capri! We took a jet-boat there, rode the "funicular" - a trolley-type short tram up the hill to the village of Capri, then bussed the narrow, winding road up to Ana Capri, then rode a gondola up to Mount Solaro…beautiful views of the Mediterranean, Mount Vescuvius(sp?) and the coastline by Sorrento. We had a picnic of bananas and tasty pastries from the local bakery. What a great lunch!
Everyone else took the gondola back down, but we chose to hike down on a small path. We "took the road less traveled by and that made all the difference." We saw an old, small chapel and met a local Italian woman with a very friendly dog (like Uncle Jon's). Of course, Joel struck up a conversation with her (nice to have an extrovert on this trip ) and we walked down to Ana Capri with her. She told us a lot about the island and invited us to her home where we saw her amazing garden. She grew lemon, orange, fig, pear, cherry and apricot trees; many kinds of lettuce, varieties of beans, onions, strawberries, blueberries and much, much more. Then she showed us the chapel around the corner, which was over 700 years old. What a wonderful way to learn about these new places by talking to the locals! From there, we chose again to walk all the way down, rather than the funicular. She invited us to stay at her apartment that they rent. She said we are always welcome. Once we left her house we were well off the path. She gave us instructions on how to find the bus. Not very easy. We talked the best we could to folks and luckily found the bus. All part of the experience.
When we got back to Sorrento, Joel and I found another wonderful café for our café americano/ caldos... three parts espresso, glass of hot water and glass of hot milk with froth (Italian coffee is warm, not hot….so we ask for it "caldo") while Austin "siested." We enjoy just watching the children playing "football" on the street, Grandmas leaning out of windows watching the traffic, Grandpas pushing their grandbabies in old-fashioned strollers, and street vendors with their fruit markets.
Later that evening, we met our new British friends for a very enjoyable dinner overlooking the Mediterranean (supposedly the best view in town). We had fun comparing our traditions, similarities and differences. We loved their company. His father was an officer in the RAF fighting the Germans. Just fantastic memories speaking with them. I hope that our paths cross again and I think that they will.
April 23:
Early morning again for us…we're getting the most out of our available hours on this trip! We flew to Madrid and Austin showed us the metro system where at one stop a local street musician boarded and played his mandolin, the Riena Sofia Museum which showed Picasso and Dali, Buen Retiro Park and we had another fabulous early dinner(for the Spainards - late lunch!) Joel says this was one of the best meals yet…pimeinto con padron (green peppers and potatoes), steamed mussels with lemon, potatoes with roquefort dressing, Spain's prized ham and warm, fresh bread..mmm…mmm!
Tomorrow, we leave for home, and Austin goes back to Seville for another month. It has been so much fun seeing him and learning about his spanish home. We have loved every place we visited, and would love to come back!
Joel and I ran our "5K" this morning early, and that felt really good! We ran down the main street and also down some cobblestone streets as the shops were starting to open. We both ran hard and it turns out that Dawn was actually shopping as we ran. We put a lot of miles in today. A gorgeous sunny warm day to visit the Isle of Capri! We took a jet-boat there, rode the "funicular" - a trolley-type short tram up the hill to the village of Capri, then bussed the narrow, winding road up to Ana Capri, then rode a gondola up to Mount Solaro…beautiful views of the Mediterranean, Mount Vescuvius(sp?) and the coastline by Sorrento. We had a picnic of bananas and tasty pastries from the local bakery. What a great lunch!
Everyone else took the gondola back down, but we chose to hike down on a small path. We "took the road less traveled by and that made all the difference." We saw an old, small chapel and met a local Italian woman with a very friendly dog (like Uncle Jon's). Of course, Joel struck up a conversation with her (nice to have an extrovert on this trip ) and we walked down to Ana Capri with her. She told us a lot about the island and invited us to her home where we saw her amazing garden. She grew lemon, orange, fig, pear, cherry and apricot trees; many kinds of lettuce, varieties of beans, onions, strawberries, blueberries and much, much more. Then she showed us the chapel around the corner, which was over 700 years old. What a wonderful way to learn about these new places by talking to the locals! From there, we chose again to walk all the way down, rather than the funicular. She invited us to stay at her apartment that they rent. She said we are always welcome. Once we left her house we were well off the path. She gave us instructions on how to find the bus. Not very easy. We talked the best we could to folks and luckily found the bus. All part of the experience.
When we got back to Sorrento, Joel and I found another wonderful café for our café americano/ caldos... three parts espresso, glass of hot water and glass of hot milk with froth (Italian coffee is warm, not hot….so we ask for it "caldo") while Austin "siested." We enjoy just watching the children playing "football" on the street, Grandmas leaning out of windows watching the traffic, Grandpas pushing their grandbabies in old-fashioned strollers, and street vendors with their fruit markets.
Later that evening, we met our new British friends for a very enjoyable dinner overlooking the Mediterranean (supposedly the best view in town). We had fun comparing our traditions, similarities and differences. We loved their company. His father was an officer in the RAF fighting the Germans. Just fantastic memories speaking with them. I hope that our paths cross again and I think that they will.
April 23:
Early morning again for us…we're getting the most out of our available hours on this trip! We flew to Madrid and Austin showed us the metro system where at one stop a local street musician boarded and played his mandolin, the Riena Sofia Museum which showed Picasso and Dali, Buen Retiro Park and we had another fabulous early dinner(for the Spainards - late lunch!) Joel says this was one of the best meals yet…pimeinto con padron (green peppers and potatoes), steamed mussels with lemon, potatoes with roquefort dressing, Spain's prized ham and warm, fresh bread..mmm…mmm!
Tomorrow, we leave for home, and Austin goes back to Seville for another month. It has been so much fun seeing him and learning about his spanish home. We have loved every place we visited, and would love to come back!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sorrento and More
April 20:
This morning we visited Tyler's favorite church when he was in Italy….then walked around Rome for a final time before we boarded the train to Naples. Great way to travel!!! Enjoying the view as we sip coffee and eat biscuits and chocolate!
Arrived in Sorrento to shop and eat and enjoy the views. Love the cafes and shopkeepers who chat with everyone….more small co bblesone streets, lots and lots of scooters and motorcycles…Joel is tempted to ride one! A much more relaxing day…visited the beach and walked lots.
April 21
We took the bus to Positano, and later to Amalfi, enjoying the famous coastline,,,then hiking to Atrani.
Another fabulous day. Lunch at Atrani, gelato in Amalfi, shopping and dinner in Sorrento.
Interesting and Favorite Moments of the Day:
-Joel being scolded by the shopkeeper for "messing up her neatly folded sweaters" as he was trying to buy one.
-Walking through the Amalfi and Atrani neighborhood …a maze of stairways and hallways…quaint!
-Lunch on the Mediterranean….blue skies, light breeze, watching Austin eat squid.
-A wild and sometimes scary bus ride from Sorrento to Positano on winding roads, cliffs, one way tunnels and lots of horn honking.
- Met a devoted restaurant owner that successfully invited us into his store. Nice Italian guy.
We will update fully soon! :)
Rome in a Day
Today was a full day of sightseeing, miles of walking, enjoying Italian food and atmosphere at sunny sidewalk cafes….WOW!!! Our walk through Rome was very successful due to our efficient guide leader Austin. We checked everything off of our "must see" list. And then some.
The day began with a full breakfast at our hotel - Joel and I may be ordering more machiattos or café con leches when we get home to our local Caribou…we're really enjoying the coffee in Spain and Italy!
As many of you know, this trip was planned in detail…many, many months ago (ha)…it's "cultural week" in Rome, so many museums and events are free! Yay! Our day began at the Colliseum, on to the Royal Forum and Palatine Hill. The good news here was that is is culture week. Free passes for all. It was a big savings. We used the audio tour with some success although a private tour would be nice.
Lunch was at the Tratorria Ristorante, where we had delicious bruschetta and spaghetti. The brushetta was especially good. Something about the tomatoes that made it special. Best I have ever had.
This was soon followed by tasty gelato. It is so fun to walk in Rome, where the narrow streets go every which way, uneven cobblestone, window boxes filled with flowers, local storekeepers sweeping their entryways, and café owners stand outside and invite you to their tables to eat. Crossing the street is an adventure! Every street was sooo narrow that the cars, motorbikes and people must all live and survive in harmony, less a little honking. Mrs. S would often walk down the middle until pull to safety by one of us.
We have learned to do as the Romans do….don't hesitate, just go….the traffic will stop.
The Vatican was amazing! What history. We saw all including the chapel. It was a wonderful experience. While in the Vatican Museum a thunderstorm hit. It was hailing big time. I now know why I was put there. To make it from the Vatican to St Peter's you had to go out side down a ramp and several stairs. One of the folks was going to try to make it quickly during the hail storm in a wheel chair. Austino and I ran to catch him and carried him down the stairs. I feel like the opportunity was a blessing to us both. Mrs. S ran through the hail carrying all the bags.
Speaking of bags don't think that Mrs. S does not shop from time to time at all the stands. I must say she is very frugal. (Joel claims that he was talking about the "bag" that I purchased!?)
Just like when you say a picture doesn't do justice, words cannot describe the artistic talent that we saw all around us….at the Vatican….Sistine Chapel….many churches, fountains, buildings…it's amazing, and we're so glad we were able to see it. Joel and I hesitated many times when considering this trip, thinking about the time away from work and the cost, but the moment we got to Spain..we are so happy with our decision!
Dinner was at the Piazza Navarone, another sidewalk café(the maitre de was out in the street kissing the girls)where we enjoyed the meal as much as people watching…..later to Gigliotti's for their Tyler-recommended gelato….except I thought I was buying Joel a berry type flavor "pompelno rosy" and it was not-so -tasty grapefruit. Dawn's description here is an under statement. I think that no one has ever ordered grapefruit twice. The other flavor was very good.
The Spanish steps were very cool. We sat, climbed and rested at the top. As I write this we are passing mountains and sheep herds. The first class train guy stopped and provided coffee and cookies. The coffee would be one gulp in America. It is still quite fun and you learn to go slow.
We are coming back to Rome! We tossed our coins in the Trevi fountain and this ensures our return, right?
The day began with a full breakfast at our hotel - Joel and I may be ordering more machiattos or café con leches when we get home to our local Caribou…we're really enjoying the coffee in Spain and Italy!
As many of you know, this trip was planned in detail…many, many months ago (ha)…it's "cultural week" in Rome, so many museums and events are free! Yay! Our day began at the Colliseum, on to the Royal Forum and Palatine Hill. The good news here was that is is culture week. Free passes for all. It was a big savings. We used the audio tour with some success although a private tour would be nice.
Lunch was at the Tratorria Ristorante, where we had delicious bruschetta and spaghetti. The brushetta was especially good. Something about the tomatoes that made it special. Best I have ever had.
This was soon followed by tasty gelato. It is so fun to walk in Rome, where the narrow streets go every which way, uneven cobblestone, window boxes filled with flowers, local storekeepers sweeping their entryways, and café owners stand outside and invite you to their tables to eat. Crossing the street is an adventure! Every street was sooo narrow that the cars, motorbikes and people must all live and survive in harmony, less a little honking. Mrs. S would often walk down the middle until pull to safety by one of us.
We have learned to do as the Romans do….don't hesitate, just go….the traffic will stop.
The Vatican was amazing! What history. We saw all including the chapel. It was a wonderful experience. While in the Vatican Museum a thunderstorm hit. It was hailing big time. I now know why I was put there. To make it from the Vatican to St Peter's you had to go out side down a ramp and several stairs. One of the folks was going to try to make it quickly during the hail storm in a wheel chair. Austino and I ran to catch him and carried him down the stairs. I feel like the opportunity was a blessing to us both. Mrs. S ran through the hail carrying all the bags.
Speaking of bags don't think that Mrs. S does not shop from time to time at all the stands. I must say she is very frugal. (Joel claims that he was talking about the "bag" that I purchased!?)
Just like when you say a picture doesn't do justice, words cannot describe the artistic talent that we saw all around us….at the Vatican….Sistine Chapel….many churches, fountains, buildings…it's amazing, and we're so glad we were able to see it. Joel and I hesitated many times when considering this trip, thinking about the time away from work and the cost, but the moment we got to Spain..we are so happy with our decision!
Dinner was at the Piazza Navarone, another sidewalk café(the maitre de was out in the street kissing the girls)where we enjoyed the meal as much as people watching…..later to Gigliotti's for their Tyler-recommended gelato….except I thought I was buying Joel a berry type flavor "pompelno rosy" and it was not-so -tasty grapefruit. Dawn's description here is an under statement. I think that no one has ever ordered grapefruit twice. The other flavor was very good.
The Spanish steps were very cool. We sat, climbed and rested at the top. As I write this we are passing mountains and sheep herds. The first class train guy stopped and provided coffee and cookies. The coffee would be one gulp in America. It is still quite fun and you learn to go slow.
We are coming back to Rome! We tossed our coins in the Trevi fountain and this ensures our return, right?
Monday, April 19, 2010
Never Given A Name
We made it to Rome! It's my turn to blog (this is Dawn). When we woke up this morning, we weren't sure if our travel plans would be changed due to the volcanic ash warnings. There have been many cancellations, but we were fortunate to make it here (although as you will read….the volcano was the least of our dangers!) It was a long day of travel, but before we left, we biked to Austin's "spanish" home to drop some things off. Even though his host family wasn't there, it was fun to see where he's been living these past few months. Biking in Seville has been a wonderful way to see Austin's city! Joel and I absolutely loved our time in Seville, and Austin was a fabulous host, showing us everything…it was so fun to see how comfortable he is communicating in Spanish.
We took a flight from Seville to Madrid, then to Rome. We were pretty sleepy when we got off our flight, but that changed quickly when we stepped into our waiting taxi. Apparently, our driver used to specialize in NASCAR racing….what is 140 kilometers in Americanspeak? Why did we have to be the fastest car on the road…either lane…any lane…middle of the lane? And did you know that Italian cars have loud horns and like to use them often? Our Italian driver also tried to tell us about landmarks that we should know and when he used his hands (gesturing as Italians like to do) I had to look to see if anybody was in control of the steering wheel. And he kept calling me "senora" and waving his hands, saying "benito" but I didn't know he was talking to ME…maybe I was too nervous about all the car crashes we kept driving by. Luckily, we had Senor Austino in the back seat, who could communicate semi-spanish, english, whatever. I'll take a volcano any day over an Italian taxi driver.
We got to our hotel, and our stomachs had settled enough to realize we were very hungry. We went to "Trattoria Pizzaria" down the street and joined a wonderful Austrian couple for some delicious pizza and tiramisu. Austin downed almost 2 large pizzas. Our room is interesting, lots of marble, lots of windows, even the window in the bathroom gives us a quick exit down the alley (!!)
Tomorrow will be a full day of sightseeing!
Greetings from the Ole' Buff. I survived another day. We are on the ground floor so I will be guarding Mrs. S from the bad guys tonight. She locked the window 6 times. We are going to retire to our Rob and Laura Petrie beds. Some of you old folks will get it.,
God Bless.
Austin here - I am writing this last bit in Rome hotel on Monday night. We just spent the entire day in Rome Monday and think we've seen the essential parts of the city. We have had internet connection problems and phone problems. We are well and leaving for Sorrento tomorrow morning at 10.
We took a flight from Seville to Madrid, then to Rome. We were pretty sleepy when we got off our flight, but that changed quickly when we stepped into our waiting taxi. Apparently, our driver used to specialize in NASCAR racing….what is 140 kilometers in Americanspeak? Why did we have to be the fastest car on the road…either lane…any lane…middle of the lane? And did you know that Italian cars have loud horns and like to use them often? Our Italian driver also tried to tell us about landmarks that we should know and when he used his hands (gesturing as Italians like to do) I had to look to see if anybody was in control of the steering wheel. And he kept calling me "senora" and waving his hands, saying "benito" but I didn't know he was talking to ME…maybe I was too nervous about all the car crashes we kept driving by. Luckily, we had Senor Austino in the back seat, who could communicate semi-spanish, english, whatever. I'll take a volcano any day over an Italian taxi driver.
We got to our hotel, and our stomachs had settled enough to realize we were very hungry. We went to "Trattoria Pizzaria" down the street and joined a wonderful Austrian couple for some delicious pizza and tiramisu. Austin downed almost 2 large pizzas. Our room is interesting, lots of marble, lots of windows, even the window in the bathroom gives us a quick exit down the alley (!!)
Tomorrow will be a full day of sightseeing!
Greetings from the Ole' Buff. I survived another day. We are on the ground floor so I will be guarding Mrs. S from the bad guys tonight. She locked the window 6 times. We are going to retire to our Rob and Laura Petrie beds. Some of you old folks will get it.,
God Bless.
Austin here - I am writing this last bit in Rome hotel on Monday night. We just spent the entire day in Rome Monday and think we've seen the essential parts of the city. We have had internet connection problems and phone problems. We are well and leaving for Sorrento tomorrow morning at 10.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
The Water Buffalo is Back for Another Day
Greetings to you all. More like greetings to you both.
The Old Water Buffalo surived another day. I know that some of you were betting against that but you lose I won.
We had a day that was fantastic. As I write this the old buffalo is very tired. I'll tell you why.
The day started out with an early breakfast. (Prior to breakfast Mrs. S and I tried to sneak to Star Bucks as Austin is against us going there) Guess what they are not open at 8:00 AM here so no luck. That is the last disapointment of the day.
After breakfast at the hotel we used the Seville bike system to ride to the river, Maria Lusisa park and then to the 3rd largest Cathedral in the world. Met folks from Holland on the ride and had a pleasant chat. (Dawn's favorite moment of the day....riding our bikes through narrow, curving cobblestone streets while locals were starting their day...and the church bells were ringing above us!)
We then met Austin's roommate at a coffee shop and had a tour of the Cathedral. It was, as you can imagine very cool. We walked up a ramp that I thought would never end to the top. The reason that it was a ramp instead of stairs is so that they could get horses to the top. The Water Buffalo was sucking wind at this point. Easy prey but avoided the bad guys again.
We then went to the summer palace of the king and toured it. Wow. It was quite the place. After the tour we went to a cafe and had lunch. We had Quail egg tapas, at least some of us did. I noticed that some one ate around the eggs. She will deny this fact.
After lunch we again road bikes and went and looked over a bull ring. It was a very nice stadium that must hold 30,000 folks. They were having a fight that day so we could not tour. Next we road the bikes to a cafe for ice cream.
As you can imagine the old buff was getting a little sleepy by this time. We all took a siesta. It was the best 1.5 hours of sleep I've ever had.
While Austin was still sleeping, the buff and Mrs. S decided to try to sneak to Starbucks once more. When we went out it was crazy. Right next to our hotel. I mean right next door a soccer game was going to take place. The staduim holds approx 50,000. The streets were jammed. It was a wild scene. We got to Starbucks by the way and the brewed coffee machine was broke. We went back and woke Austin and went to the game. Crazy. Seville won 3-0.
Next Austin took us to a professional flamencao dance. We sat in a very small room and watched some very talented people. Although they did not perform the weinie snap like Uncle Jon. After this dance we went to Austin's favorite place for dinner and more flamenca. We rode our bikes back to the hotel, well past midnight, and stopped to visit with 3 spanish westies!
We are now putting the Old Buff down for a long needed sleep. What a day.
Tommorow more from Rome. God Bless.
The Old Water Buffalo surived another day. I know that some of you were betting against that but you lose I won.
We had a day that was fantastic. As I write this the old buffalo is very tired. I'll tell you why.
The day started out with an early breakfast. (Prior to breakfast Mrs. S and I tried to sneak to Star Bucks as Austin is against us going there) Guess what they are not open at 8:00 AM here so no luck. That is the last disapointment of the day.
After breakfast at the hotel we used the Seville bike system to ride to the river, Maria Lusisa park and then to the 3rd largest Cathedral in the world. Met folks from Holland on the ride and had a pleasant chat. (Dawn's favorite moment of the day....riding our bikes through narrow, curving cobblestone streets while locals were starting their day...and the church bells were ringing above us!)
We then met Austin's roommate at a coffee shop and had a tour of the Cathedral. It was, as you can imagine very cool. We walked up a ramp that I thought would never end to the top. The reason that it was a ramp instead of stairs is so that they could get horses to the top. The Water Buffalo was sucking wind at this point. Easy prey but avoided the bad guys again.
We then went to the summer palace of the king and toured it. Wow. It was quite the place. After the tour we went to a cafe and had lunch. We had Quail egg tapas, at least some of us did. I noticed that some one ate around the eggs. She will deny this fact.
After lunch we again road bikes and went and looked over a bull ring. It was a very nice stadium that must hold 30,000 folks. They were having a fight that day so we could not tour. Next we road the bikes to a cafe for ice cream.
As you can imagine the old buff was getting a little sleepy by this time. We all took a siesta. It was the best 1.5 hours of sleep I've ever had.
While Austin was still sleeping, the buff and Mrs. S decided to try to sneak to Starbucks once more. When we went out it was crazy. Right next to our hotel. I mean right next door a soccer game was going to take place. The staduim holds approx 50,000. The streets were jammed. It was a wild scene. We got to Starbucks by the way and the brewed coffee machine was broke. We went back and woke Austin and went to the game. Crazy. Seville won 3-0.
Next Austin took us to a professional flamencao dance. We sat in a very small room and watched some very talented people. Although they did not perform the weinie snap like Uncle Jon. After this dance we went to Austin's favorite place for dinner and more flamenca. We rode our bikes back to the hotel, well past midnight, and stopped to visit with 3 spanish westies!
We are now putting the Old Buff down for a long needed sleep. What a day.
Tommorow more from Rome. God Bless.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
