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Published: September 16th 2010
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Random dancers on the streets of Segovia ¡Hola Amigos!
There has been so much going on I´m not sure where to start. First off, I have to say that Spain in absolutely stunning. I can seriously see myself retiring here, especially if I get this Spanish down. Classes have no been too difficult yet, but it is slowly picking up it's pace. By December I should be well on my way to being able to survive here and make random Spanish friends, but until then guess I'm hanging out with Americanos and my host mom.
Okay, let's start from the beginning. I toured in Madrid, as well as the towns of Segovia and Toledo before I came to Alicante. Those are both great towns with a lot of character. They are mostly tourist attractions now. The streets feel like mazes of shops and hidden gems/photo opportunities. Toledo has a large castle, with a bunch of great artifacts from more medieval times.
Segovia is distinct because of the large Roman aqueduct that runs through the town which has a pretty cool story behind it. As legend goes, a woman who had to take a long journey into the mountains every day to get water was approached
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With some of my friends near the aqueduct in Segovia by the Devil, who promised to build an aqueduct before the sun rose next day in exchange for her soul. She hesitantly agreed and prayed for her life. The Devil worked all night, but the Virgin Mary performed a miracle and made the sun rise 3 minutes earlier than it was supposed to. Therefore, the woman's soul was saved. In the middle of the aqueduct, there is one stone missing, and in it's place is a statue of the Virgin Mary.
In Madrid, there are many great museums, plazas, and shopping districts. I barely scratched the surface in the 4 days that I was there, but it made quite an impression. I bet one could spend weeks on end in Madrid and find different things to do and new things to see each day.
One of the most impressionable things to me about Spain is the different lifestyle. Most stores and businesses don't open until 9 or 10 a.m., close for 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon for siesta, and then reopen from maybe 5 to 9 or 10. I usually eat four meals per day, a small breakfast around 9, a sandwich around noon, a larger
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Yay for modern art at the Museum of Modern Art in Madrid! home-cooked meal at 2 or 3, and then a lighter meal around 9pm. My host mom is a wonderful cook, and I get stuffed everyday. Good thing I am trying to run around the city a few times a week in order to stay in shape.
Usually on Thursday to Saturday nights, the clubs and bars become very busy. The Spanish know how to party hard here. Many of the top clubs and bars do not even open until maybe 1 or 2 in the morning. When most Americans are getting tired and ready to go home and sleep, Spaniards are just getting warmed up. It's not unusual for someone to stay out until 7 in the morning and sleep all of Saturday, however, I haven't managed to waste an entire Saturday yet. It's very nice that everything is so close together, so nobody has to worry about driving or getting home. Since even the wealthiest Spanish people prefer to live in apartments, there are no "house parties". Everyone just goes into the streets and celebrates.
Today when I was eating dinner, a random parade strolled by on the street because Nadal won the US Open. I love
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beautiful view overlooking the city of Toledo this city. It apparently was a fairly spontaneous group of a people with flags just out to celebrate. I love this city!
Time to brag about the primo location of my apartment. 10 minutes max. walk to the beach. I can see a freaking castle from my balcony (which is lit up at night), and there is a giant fountain and the main plaza probably about 75 yards away around the corner. The bus stop is right across the street around the corner, and the tram station to go to other major parts of the city is located there too. The train station is a 5 minute walk and the airport is a 10 minute taxi ride. If anything, the beauty is what stuns me the most. It's almost as if I'm in a dream because the architecture is so wonderful.
By the way, the Mediterranean is warm, the sand is soft, and the people are beautiful (haha for you, Chris).
I have a cat and a dog, which are both super fluffy and cute. I take the dog out on a walk with my host mom every night, and it never uses a leash. We walk
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just one street of the maze that is Toledo halfway down the block then wait for the dog to catch up because it just takes it's sweet time. I'll have to take a video of it because it is that cute.
On Saturday I am going to go some waterfalls. I have been spoiled because around Spain it has been raining, but here it is still 70 degrees and more cloudy than usual, but I still get to see the sun. Definitely getting a tan from being in the sun so much, but I do use sunscreen every day =)
I have a lot more pictures than the ones below, but this will have to do for now. I'll get some of the beach and castle soon.
Hope everyone at home is doing well.
Matt
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Steve Howes
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Holy Toledo!