Mountains

Yesterday, my intercambio partner, Ana, and her husband, Yuogo (I'm not sure about the spelling, as he is Brazilian and his name is Portuguese) took me to the Sierra de Madrid to see the mountains.

Wow.

I love mountains. I love how many mountains Spain has, and I love that they're close enough to go for an afternoon to study and hike.

The river Manzanares that is so pitiful in Madrid is much prettier in the mountains, and the trees were gorgeous. I didn't ever want to leave, but eventually we got too cold to study and headed home. It was a lovely day.

One other interesting thing: in the car ride on the way home, I got to try yerba mate, a South American drink. It's kind of like a tea, but they crush the herbs into a paste and then pour hot water into it. You then drink the resulting liquid through a special filter so that you won't get a mouthful of plants. It was bitter, but good, and it was fun to try something I had to read and write about on one of my practice AP exams. Also, I learned from the AP exam that sharing yerba mate is a sign of goodwill and frienship, so I guess Ana, Yuogo and I are all friends now. :-)

La Ruta de los Castillos

Yesterday, our Civilizacion y Cultura class went to see two Spanish castles. We left at 9:00 am on a bus and set off for Manzanares el Real, a tiny town in the mountains with a large medieval castle. The countryside reminded me of Scotland; it even had heather on the hills!


As we pulled up to the castle, a huge arco iris (rainbow) appeared in the sky and didn't go away until after we left over an hour later. It was magical!

After spending a little time wandering around the outside of the castle, we went inside, where we saw old tapestries, suits of armor, and a giant "king sized" bed. However, it was never a royal castle; only lesser nobility lived there. After a tour of the inside, we climbed up to the roof, where we had a great close-up view of the towers. It was also cool to see the slits used to shoot arrows and the holes that allowed boiling oil to be poured on intruders.

Bidding the rainbow goodbye, we climbed back on the bus and set off for Segovia. When we arrived, we saw the giant Roman Aqueduct, which was built 2000 years ago. The aqueduct was absolutely mind-blowing. This structure is immense, and it is held together entirely by the force of gravity - not an ounce of mortar was used. The stones were leveled and balanced perfectly in an amazing feat of engineering.

After the aqueduct, we split up for lunch. Mark and I went into a pastry shop to grab something to eat, but when we came out everyone else had left. That turned out to be okay, though, as we had a good time wandering around the small city's narrow streets, pretty parks, and old churches. We also saw the Cathedral, which is a bit busy but still very beautiful.

When we met up with everyone in the Plaza Mayor, it was time to head over to the Alcazar (fortified palace). This palace dates from the Reconquista and was home to Ferdinand and Isabel, los Reyes Catolicos. It also served as inspiration for the castle in Disney's Sleeping Beauty! It was cool to wander around the inside and see the thrones, weapons, armor, and tapestries from the Middle Ages. In the Sala de los Reyes, there were about 50 statues of all the Catholic Kings during the Reconquista up to Juana la Loca, the mother of Carlos V.

However, the best treat was still to come. We climbed the 156 winding steps to the top of the main tower for a fantastic view of Segovia and the surrounding countryside. Up there, we noticed graffiti from 1936, the year of the Spanish Civil War. I kept moving from one side to the other, as all the views were equally beautiful. No one really wanted to go down, but eventually we had to get back on the bus to Alcala. All in all, it was another great trip.

Cuenca

Yesterday our art history class took a trip to Cuenca, a small mountain town with a neat modern art museum. The museum is inside las Casas Colgadas, some of the world's first "skyscrapers." The buildings are up to 10 or 11 stories tall and built right into the side of a cliff, so that they appear to be hanging (colgada) over the edge. Since it's on a cliff, though, we got to hike up a small mountain to get there.

The museum was very cool, with lots of examples of modern art from various Spanish painters. The guide was really nice, too, and she actually got me to understand some of the art! Amazing, since I usually think that modern art looks like something that happened by accident. There was also an interesting exhibit about the human retina and colored light. Each white room was lit with an intense color. The color is shocking at first, but after a couple of minutes, the walls appear white again, until you go to the next color.

Ashley and I spent our lunch break exploring the town (all two roads) and eating the BIGGEST bocadillos in the world! Mmmmm...

I want to live in Cuenca when I retire. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous. Since it was fall, the trees had all turned a beautiful golden color. The town is flanked by a pair of rivers, the buildings are all old and traditionally Spanish, and there's a great view of everything because it's so high up. I love it!

After the break, we toured Cuenca's cathedral, which is decorated in a very eclectic mix of Gotico, Barroco, and Plataresco styles. It was pretty, and the stained glass was phenomenal. After the visit, though, it was time to get back on the bus. Hasta luego, Cuenca! I'll see you when I'm old!