Away to Spain

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My first day in Spain was a rather interesting and surreal experience, perhaps because I was deliriously exhausted from lack of sleep. The trip started well on the flight over. My seat-mate was a man from the Canary Islands named Michael, who spoke very little English. Combined with my lack of Spanish (though to my surprise I remembered quite a lot of helpful words - thanks Nina for all those conversations you had on the phone with your mom, lol) we turned out to have a very interesting conversation, full of many gesticulations to get our points across. It turned out he was a pediatrician visiting some friends in Miami and we talked about where he was from and about Spain. He gave me a heads up on how good the wine is here, which turns out to be very cheap here because of the demand for quality and because it doesn't have to be transported very far. Up in Navarre where Pamplona is located is one of the best wine growing regions in Spain. Although I couldn't sleep on the plane, I at least developed some confidence in my ability to get around Spain without knowing fluent Spanish.

We landed at about 7:40 AM in Madrid (1:40 AM Eastern Time), and it was 2 degress Celcius outside! Getting through customs was easier than I imagined. I simply handed the customs agent my passport, he opened it up and looked at it and sent me on my way. Michael helped me find my way to the Madrid metro located in the airport so I could make it Puerta de Atocha (the train station) on time. We said our goodbyes and I thanked him for his help. So far so good, I thought.

I jumped on the metro for about 2 euro and navigated my way to the train station, and it turned out to be very easy to find, as the metro is both well-organized and well-marked. In about twenty minutes time I reached the Renfe station and set about to get my ticket for the 10:35 train to Pamplona. I ran into a brief snag because I couldn't find the automated check-in terminal. Luckily, I was able to walk up to a Renfe official and say "Donde esta..." and point to a picture of the terminal on a print-out of my ticket. So much for my language skills.

The automated check-in machine didn't have an English option, surprisingly, as both the metro machines, the signs, and even the announcements here are done in both English and Spanish for the most part. So, I stood gawking at the machine for a good three minutes while I tried to remain calm and not panic about missing my train. Luckily, I figured out what I needed to do after much button pushing and retries and made my way through the baggage check. This gave me enough time to grab a cafe con leche and look at the Madrid skyline. I had a view one of Madrid's museums, which had a statue of what appeared to be an angel and two pegasi on top of it. They were quite beautiful statues done in what looked like white marble. I attempted to take a picture of them, but the camera wouldn't work. It turned out, as I would discover later, that the battery was in wrong. Thanks for the suggestion, mom, you were right on that one.

Eventually they designated our train platform and we were on our way to Pamplona. The high-speed trains there are very nice and extremely comfortable. They provide you with headphones so you can listen to music or the radio, or watch a movie that they put on the screen. Unlike the airline, there was no English option, so I declined the movie. But traveling 100+ mph through the Spanish countryside while listening to Spanish music is an experience I definitely recommend! I had a window seat and was able to see more of Madrid before we left civilization altogether.

As we passed through the countryside I noted how different it was from back home. First, it tends to be rough, rocky (so rocky, in fact, every agricultural field in use had a large collection of rocks in one area that they gathered together so they could plant and till the land - they look almost like pagan burial cairns). Moreover, it tends to be hilly, and there are mountains! Imagine that. We passed occasionally through mountain tunnels and into separate valleys, which were either vineyards, other agricultural land, or had little villages within them. The villages tended to be located around a large hill, sometimes with an old cathedral standing obstinately on the peak. Every so often we would pass a gaggle of sheep and the train would send them scurrying away. The vegetation had already started to change colors and the grass itself has a very light green-grayish color to it. The land is completely beautiful and almost mystical. Add that to a clear, sunny day with a beautiful blue and cloudless sky and you have the making of a very nice journey. It apparently is very often windy here, because on the mountains they have put in large, modern windmills to generate energy. They stick out like little pins in the land, and I started to think about Don Quixote. But, unlike Cervantes's character, we weren't charging a windmill, but charging through an ancient land to an equally antediluvian city.

The train made it to Pamplona around 1:30 PM. I missed the last hour of the train trip because I passed out from exhaustion. Josh was waiting on the platform and after many joyful hellos we boarded the bus to head toward his flat in the San Juan district. We talked about my trip thus far and he told me about his classes and his teaching. We got into a conversation with an Argentinian speaking in broken English, who told us that he used to live in Miami for a time. Small world.

Josh filled me in on the political tension existing in Pamplona. Some of the Basques (a distinct cultural group that has been here in Northern Spain and Southern France for hundreds of years) in this area of Spain want to be independent of the Spanish government. Their language and culture were oppressed under Franco and the Fascist Government of Spain. Here in Pamplona all signs are translated from Spanish into Eskuera, the Basque language, although most do not speak it. A group called ETA, technically a terrorist group, causes trouble here every so often. The other day they set off a bomb of some sort near one of the private universities in the city. Not to worry though, such things are extremely few and far between, and most of the tension is expressed in graffiti or peaceful demonstrations of a cultural nature. You can read more about such things here: http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?source=most_commented&story_id=12501023

We arrived at Josh's flat and went out to explore the old town and grab some comida. The old town was like stepping into a living anachronism or a time machine. The streets are very narrow and the buildings four stories high on each side (I'll take some pictures later today or this week to demonstrate), and many times very winding. At this time of the day, during the siesta, they were deserted. Josh and I stepped into a cafe to have a menu del dia. This is what most of the cafes do between 12:00 and 4, roughly, which are basically lunch specials. They give you bread, two dishes, dessert/coffee, and a whole bottle of wine for 10 euros. Apparently the Spanish eat a lot, although lunch here tends to be the largest meal of the day. Dinner tends to be much lighter. The food was very tasty and the red wine delicious on a cold day. The cafe contained some old men who were conversing with the owner and watching what appeared to be Spanish basketball. We finished up and headed back out into the old town.

Josh had to teach a class after lunch at the Dominican school, so I ventured off on my own to wander around. The school is located next to the Museo (Museum) de Navarre, which as closed that day unfortunately. I headed down a road next to the Museo and happened upon a road that went around the old city walls. It was quite the view from that road, and it looks down on some outlying and lower areas of the city that is surrounded by mountains on all sides (I'll grab a picture of that view as well to post later). Due to the clear day, you could see very far in all directions. After that I wandered down below the city walls and over a bridge across the Rio Arga. I took an immediate right and went through a beautiful little park right along the river. The city walls from this view across the river were massive mountains of stone that rose four of five stories above me. Like most places in the city, the leaves were changing colors and littered the ground with reds, browns and oranges. There was a kid playing fetch with a young golden retriever. Other than them, I was the only one there. Eventually, I happened upon another bridge that took me back across the Rio and up through the old city gates. The fortifications of the city were a interesting. It reminds of Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, where you venture along the walls and check out the old battlements (again, pictures will be posted). The little drawbridge was down and the old machinery and chains for raising it were still intact, though I'm not sure if they are functional. From here you are continually walking uphill through another gate and back into the old city, from which the view of lower Pamplona is beautiful. After my trek I met up with Josh again after his class.

We took a walk down one of the main roads of the town and explored some of the newer, more ritzy areas of Pamplona. I have to say, you get funny looks while walking around the city speaking English. At the same time, I've had at least three times where people have approached Josh and I and wanted to speak English with us. According to Josh and other Pamplonans I've met, most people in this city tend to be somewhat insular and closed and, therefore, seem somewhat cold. It's also not as cosmopolitan as some European cities. However, down south in Seville, people are apparently more open and friendly. I'll have to see myself when I head down there this Saturday. So we walked around the city at about 5 PM, the time when most people start coming outside or get out of work. There are many little parks where parents take their children to play. Unlike America, parents tend to be less overprotective of their children in public areas.

Josh showed me around some of the little supermarkets and we walked past famous the bull-fighting arena. We wandered down to the Citadel, an old renaissance military fort now converted into a beautiful park inside it's walls, and sat around until about 6 talking. From there we explored some of the cathedrals in town. Needless to say, they are beautiful and their architecture impeccable and grand. Many are filled with beautiful works of religious art. The nicest one we entered had little alcoves filled with large golden and gothic sculptures. It's very hard to describe how nice they are, but they certainly have a heavenly nature to them.

Before heading back home for the day we went to the central plaza of Pamplona, although the name escapes me at the moment. Here they have some very nice cafes, including one named after Hemingway. Josh and I had some churros with chocolate and hung out for a while, winding down. After 24 hours or so without sleep, I desperately needed some. We headed back to his flat and I met his roommates Rob, Tasha and Duncan. All are from the United Kingdom and very cool people. The night was finished with much conversation and a game of cards. So far, Spain has been quite the experience.

I'll get some pictures up soon.

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Comments

[Kyle]

Jesse it is so awesome being in Spain! You are absolutely going to love it. Everything you mentioned in your blog is almost exactly how it was when I first got there almost two years ago. Make sure you have some paella when you are down in Sevilla. It is really good. Also, people are a lot more friendly in places like Sevilla. They love to come up and talk to you in English at bars. For me, it made me upset because I tried really hard to speak to them in Spanish because I was in Spain. Hope you have an awesome time! Buen suerte!