Today we had a choir concert to celebrate the lighting of Alcala's Christmas lights for the season. We sang both English Christmas carols and traditional Spanish Villancicos, and finished up the concert with Silent Night in English, Spanish, and German. It was quite nice, although I may have screwed up some of the lyrics in a couple of the Villancicos (since we never practice them! Rar!).
Afterwards, we went to a reception for the whole audience and the choir, where they served us large cups of chocolate, churros, and pan frito, which I hadn't tried before. It's like a cross between french toast and a donut, and I will definitely make some when I get home. After eating, a few of the choir members and I wandered around town.
Alcala's Christmas lights are beautiful. They hang between the buildings along all the major roads, and then the Plaza de Cervantes is tiled with net lights. Plus, there is a huge belen (nativity scene) in the central gazebo.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
British Adventure Part 2
London.
What a grand city. It feels so much larger than the other big European cities I have been in, partly because it is and partly because the interesting bits of it are all spread out instead of clumped together in one section.
Tim and I headed into the city early Saturday morning with his roommate Emilio and Emilio's girlfriend, Hannah. We got a deal on train tickets with bus and tube passes and I sure am glad. We made great use of the tube that day.
Emilio and Hannah had plans of their own, so we split up and started out the day at Buckingham Palace, which was sort of cool. We decided not to stick around for the changing of the guards, though, since really they are just walking back and forth. We then walked through the park up to the London Eye, Parliament, and Big Ben. That clock is amazing. You don't even see it as you approach because the other buildings are also tall, but when you turn the corner, BAM! You just look up and up and up.
After taking a bunch of photos, we headed down the Thames to drop off our stuff at our hotel. On the way, we stopped for a picnic lunch of PB&J sandwiches, a delicacy I had been missing in Spain.
We dropped off our things and then took a bus and a tube northward to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. There, I met my daily tree quota and was happy to find the Peter Pan statue (Peter Pan was raised by fairies in Kensington Gardens). We spent most of the afternoon strolling around the parks until it was time to head over to Westminster Abbey to hear their choral Evensong.
The Abbey was amazing both inside and out. The outer brickwork was really unusual, and the inside, especially the rose window, was phenomenal. Tim and I got to the Abbey just in time for the Evensong, which is the service that ends each day. The service was performed by the Abbey Choir, which is made up of men and little boys (in adorably frilly red robes). The choir began singing from behind us, which gave an ethereal quality to the music I had never heard before. I had chills through much of their performance. I think I understand now why churches have choirs; listening to them was a truly spiritual experience.
After the Evensong, Tim and I wandered over to Trafalgar Square, where the National Gallery is located. Along with the Louvre and the Prado, the Gallery is one of the best art museums in the world, so I was quite excited. Inside was a wonderland of art from the Renaissance masters to the Impressionists. We saw paintings by Michaelangelo (unusual, since he only ever painted four canvases) and a sketch by DaVinci (gorgeous). I was particularly thrilled to find Velasquez's Venus en el Espejo (Venus in the Mirror), since I had studied it in depth in my art class.
After we couldn't take in any more art, Tim and I went out to dinner at a pub he recommended, Waxy O'Connor's. That place is so Irish it's ridiculous. I got a pint of cider (didn't realize that pints are ENORMOUS) and tried sausages and mash (quite delicious). It was a pleasant way to spend a drizzly evening, and I think the highlight of my night was singing the Pogues' Christmas song with everyone else in the pub.
We rounded out the evening by looking at Christmas lights, being caught in a crowd of hundreds of drunken Santas, and visiting Picadilly Circus (not a circus) and Covent Garden (not a garden). We also took another look at Parliament and the Eye at night.
In the morning, we went to the East side of London to check out St. Paul's Cathedral (very grand), the Milennium Bridge (another Harry Potter location) and the Globe Theatre. The theatre was closed when we got there, though, so we wandered and wandered and happened upon Sir Francis Drake's pirate ship, Southwark Cathedral, the Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London (not a tower). What is with the British and their misleading naming conventions?
When the Globe opened, we took a tour, which was pretty neat. I guess the old one burned down long ago when a stage cannon lit the thatched roof on fire, but the new one was built exactly the same way, right down to the materials and construction methods used. It was definitely a good way to learn about Shakespeare. We also saw a demonstration that showed us how clever costuming was used to transform young boys into onstage women. It worked really well!
After we finished exploring the museum, Tim and I had just enough time to grab some lunch (more pasties - yum) and see the outside of Sherlock Holmes' house before it was time for me to get on the bus for the airport. I'll never forget my British adventure.
What a grand city. It feels so much larger than the other big European cities I have been in, partly because it is and partly because the interesting bits of it are all spread out instead of clumped together in one section.
Tim and I headed into the city early Saturday morning with his roommate Emilio and Emilio's girlfriend, Hannah. We got a deal on train tickets with bus and tube passes and I sure am glad. We made great use of the tube that day.
Emilio and Hannah had plans of their own, so we split up and started out the day at Buckingham Palace, which was sort of cool. We decided not to stick around for the changing of the guards, though, since really they are just walking back and forth. We then walked through the park up to the London Eye, Parliament, and Big Ben. That clock is amazing. You don't even see it as you approach because the other buildings are also tall, but when you turn the corner, BAM! You just look up and up and up.After taking a bunch of photos, we headed down the Thames to drop off our stuff at our hotel. On the way, we stopped for a picnic lunch of PB&J sandwiches, a delicacy I had been missing in Spain.
We dropped off our things and then took a bus and a tube northward to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. There, I met my daily tree quota and was happy to find the Peter Pan statue (Peter Pan was raised by fairies in Kensington Gardens). We spent most of the afternoon strolling around the parks until it was time to head over to Westminster Abbey to hear their choral Evensong.The Abbey was amazing both inside and out. The outer brickwork was really unusual, and the inside, especially the rose window, was phenomenal. Tim and I got to the Abbey just in time for the Evensong, which is the service that ends each day. The service was performed by the Abbey Choir, which is made up of men and little boys (in adorably frilly red robes). The choir began singing from behind us, which gave an ethereal quality to the music I had never heard before. I had chills through much of their performance. I think I understand now why churches have choirs; listening to them was a truly spiritual experience.
After the Evensong, Tim and I wandered over to Trafalgar Square, where the National Gallery is located. Along with the Louvre and the Prado, the Gallery is one of the best art museums in the world, so I was quite excited. Inside was a wonderland of art from the Renaissance masters to the Impressionists. We saw paintings by Michaelangelo (unusual, since he only ever painted four canvases) and a sketch by DaVinci (gorgeous). I was particularly thrilled to find Velasquez's Venus en el Espejo (Venus in the Mirror), since I had studied it in depth in my art class.
After we couldn't take in any more art, Tim and I went out to dinner at a pub he recommended, Waxy O'Connor's. That place is so Irish it's ridiculous. I got a pint of cider (didn't realize that pints are ENORMOUS) and tried sausages and mash (quite delicious). It was a pleasant way to spend a drizzly evening, and I think the highlight of my night was singing the Pogues' Christmas song with everyone else in the pub.We rounded out the evening by looking at Christmas lights, being caught in a crowd of hundreds of drunken Santas, and visiting Picadilly Circus (not a circus) and Covent Garden (not a garden). We also took another look at Parliament and the Eye at night.
In the morning, we went to the East side of London to check out St. Paul's Cathedral (very grand), the Milennium Bridge (another Harry Potter location) and the Globe Theatre. The theatre was closed when we got there, though, so we wandered and wandered and happened upon Sir Francis Drake's pirate ship, Southwark Cathedral, the Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London (not a tower). What is with the British and their misleading naming conventions?
When the Globe opened, we took a tour, which was pretty neat. I guess the old one burned down long ago when a stage cannon lit the thatched roof on fire, but the new one was built exactly the same way, right down to the materials and construction methods used. It was definitely a good way to learn about Shakespeare. We also saw a demonstration that showed us how clever costuming was used to transform young boys into onstage women. It worked really well!After we finished exploring the museum, Tim and I had just enough time to grab some lunch (more pasties - yum) and see the outside of Sherlock Holmes' house before it was time for me to get on the bus for the airport. I'll never forget my British adventure.
Monday, December 7, 2009
British Adventure Part 1
My trip to Britain got off to a bumpy start. Due to storms in Madrid and London, my flight came in about two hours late, and I didn't get to Hatfield until about 1:00 AM. I was glad to find Tim at the train station, and the two of us went home and crashed. The next morning, we got up and Tim made me a full English breakfast, which turns out to be almost exactly like breakfast at IHOP. Yum.
After Tim got back from class, we had some tea and crumpets and took a bus over to St. Albans, a nearby town. It's a cute little place, full of half-timbered buildings and a nice clock tower. We visited the St. Albans museum, where I learned about everyday English life from Medieval times up to today. We then headed over to the cathedral, which was really pretty spectacular, even as cathedrals go. I especially liked how it was situated on its own grounds instead of surrounded by other buildings; it made it seem even bigger than it was. Near the cathedral, one finds Verulamium Park, so named for the Roman city that used to be there. You can still see a bit of the walls, but it started raining pretty hard, so we didn't explore too much.
To get out of the rain, we stopped into Ye Olde Fighting Cocks Inn, which holds the Guinness World Record for oldest pub in England. Whether it's the oldest or not, it is a very nice place: low, cozy ceilings, a crackling fire, and lots of comical artwork on the walls. Tim got a Guinness and we sat for quite a while just enjoying the atmosphere and the dryness. When we left the pub, we decided to go home, although I did do a bit of Christmas shopping before we took the bus back.
Something odd about Britain: the sun sets at 3:45! Ugh!! I don't know why anyone decided it was a good place to settle, but I couldn't live with so little sunlight.
The next day, we got up early and headed to the train station, only to find that we would save a ton of money if we waited an hour and a half to go. British train schedules are funny that way. So, while we waited, we wandered around Old Hatfield. We found out that apparently Elizabeth I was living there when she found out she would be queen, and that's kind of neat. We also found a pretty church with an old churchyard. It was a little sad; people used to die really young.
When we got to Oxford, it was just about lunchtime, so we stopped at a park by the river and ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies! :-)
Oxford is absolutely gorgeous. I would love to go to school there (provided their sunset was later than 3:45). The town seems to be composed of about 45% colleges and 45% churches, with a few markets and pubs sprinkled in. First we wandered around town, admiring the "dreaming spires" it's famous for, and then we headed over to Christ Church college and cathedral. The cathedral was nice, but I'll admit that my favorite part was, as per usual, the grounds. Lovely grass. Just lovely. Also, we learned that many scenes from Harry Potter were shot in the college (yay Harry Potter!), and that Lewis Carroll worked there (Alice was the Dean's daughter).
After we got tired of looking at colleges, Tim and I grabbed a Cornish pasty (pronounced PAST ee, not PASTE ee, like what I thought). I do not understand why people think British food is bad. It was delicious.
As we were walking down a road, Tim noticed a giant sign that said STEAMPUNK. This was fortuitous. The Oxford science museum was housing the first-ever Steampunk Art exhibit, which was probably the coolest thing I saw in Oxford. For those of you who don't know, Steampunk is a cultural movement that adds a Victorian twist to futuristic technology. In art, this means some very interesting combinations.
The last stop on our agenda was the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford's art museum. They had quite a lot of neat Egyptian art, including all four layers of a mummy/sarcophagus. We walked around until we were too tired to think about any more art, and then headed home on the train. It was an excellent day.
After Tim got back from class, we had some tea and crumpets and took a bus over to St. Albans, a nearby town. It's a cute little place, full of half-timbered buildings and a nice clock tower. We visited the St. Albans museum, where I learned about everyday English life from Medieval times up to today. We then headed over to the cathedral, which was really pretty spectacular, even as cathedrals go. I especially liked how it was situated on its own grounds instead of surrounded by other buildings; it made it seem even bigger than it was. Near the cathedral, one finds Verulamium Park, so named for the Roman city that used to be there. You can still see a bit of the walls, but it started raining pretty hard, so we didn't explore too much.
To get out of the rain, we stopped into Ye Olde Fighting Cocks Inn, which holds the Guinness World Record for oldest pub in England. Whether it's the oldest or not, it is a very nice place: low, cozy ceilings, a crackling fire, and lots of comical artwork on the walls. Tim got a Guinness and we sat for quite a while just enjoying the atmosphere and the dryness. When we left the pub, we decided to go home, although I did do a bit of Christmas shopping before we took the bus back.Something odd about Britain: the sun sets at 3:45! Ugh!! I don't know why anyone decided it was a good place to settle, but I couldn't live with so little sunlight.
The next day, we got up early and headed to the train station, only to find that we would save a ton of money if we waited an hour and a half to go. British train schedules are funny that way. So, while we waited, we wandered around Old Hatfield. We found out that apparently Elizabeth I was living there when she found out she would be queen, and that's kind of neat. We also found a pretty church with an old churchyard. It was a little sad; people used to die really young.
When we got to Oxford, it was just about lunchtime, so we stopped at a park by the river and ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies! :-)
Oxford is absolutely gorgeous. I would love to go to school there (provided their sunset was later than 3:45). The town seems to be composed of about 45% colleges and 45% churches, with a few markets and pubs sprinkled in. First we wandered around town, admiring the "dreaming spires" it's famous for, and then we headed over to Christ Church college and cathedral. The cathedral was nice, but I'll admit that my favorite part was, as per usual, the grounds. Lovely grass. Just lovely. Also, we learned that many scenes from Harry Potter were shot in the college (yay Harry Potter!), and that Lewis Carroll worked there (Alice was the Dean's daughter). After we got tired of looking at colleges, Tim and I grabbed a Cornish pasty (pronounced PAST ee, not PASTE ee, like what I thought). I do not understand why people think British food is bad. It was delicious.
As we were walking down a road, Tim noticed a giant sign that said STEAMPUNK. This was fortuitous. The Oxford science museum was housing the first-ever Steampunk Art exhibit, which was probably the coolest thing I saw in Oxford. For those of you who don't know, Steampunk is a cultural movement that adds a Victorian twist to futuristic technology. In art, this means some very interesting combinations.The last stop on our agenda was the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford's art museum. They had quite a lot of neat Egyptian art, including all four layers of a mummy/sarcophagus. We walked around until we were too tired to think about any more art, and then headed home on the train. It was an excellent day.
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