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Published: June 28th 2015
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¡Hola a todos!
This was definitely one of the most tiring weeks I've had in a long time, and I definitely felt the exhaustion after taking a weekend trip. When I arrived on Monday, I had already missed the orientation for my class (whoops), so I ate and went straight to bed in the afternoon since I didn't sleep much on my flight. Since I was so worn out, I don't think the fact that I was in a Spanish-speaking country really hit until Tuesday.
Tuesday was the day I realized that this was going to be both mentally and physically exhausting. For the class I'm taking, we meet twice a day for three days straight, lectures in the late morning (11am - 1pm) and itineraries in the evening (5:30pm to 8pm). Throughout the summer, a group of 2-3 students guide the entire class on a tour of a specific place in Madrid and speak about the architectural and historical significance about the surrounding buildings and artwork. You think it wouldn't be so bad until you realize that you have to walk quickly from place to place, and with the summer heat Spain kindly offers, you pretty
much feel sweaty and tired near the end of the itinerary, which is pretty much how I feel each time. On Wednesday I got to meet up with my Spanish tutor, who teaches at Harvard and lives in Spain. She recommended places for me, so I'll definitely check them out next weekend since I'll be staying in Madrid.
Since we have class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the rest of the week is free for us to do whatever we want. On Friday, some of us went to Salamanca, which is northeast of Madrid, to visit La Catedral Vieja y Nueva, La Universidad de Salamanca, and El Claustro. We also visited a few other places, including the tower of a university that gave an awesome view of Salamanca. Not many foreign tourists visit Salamanca, so if you're looking for a more quieter and less crowded place, Salamanca is your hidden jewel.
Saturday we went to Toledo, a little bit south of Madrid. Honestly the trip wasn't as great as the one to Salamanca, and I think it was partially because of the fact we had already taken one trip the day before and by now we were pretty
tired after walking so much during the week. If you wanted me to describe Toledo in one word, I would say: hills. So. many. hills. I felt like I was climbing a mountain. It was also much hotter that day (it was over 41 degrees Celsius, which is about 106 degrees Fahrenheit), so water and sunscreen were a must.
Today I went to El Rastro, which is basically a flea market where Spaniards and tourists buy locally (or not so locally) made items. There were, of course, lots of people browsing through the stalls and haggling with the vendors, but nothing really caught my eye in particular.
Here's an overview of the places I visited this week and my recommendations:
In Madrid: Monday: Restaurante La Gloria de Montera (really good main dishes and tapas -- delicious sirloin)
Tuesday: San Francisco el Grande (church), Palacio Real (Royal Palace), Los Jardines del Campo del Moro (Garden of the Royal Palace), Los Jardines de Sabatini (Garden of the Royal Palace)
Wednesday: Observatorio Astronomico del Retiro (Royal Observatory), El Jardin Botanico (Botanic Garden), La Plaza Mayor (The Main Square), El Mercado de San Miguel (San Miguel Market)
Thursday: La Estacion de Atocha y La Plaza de Atocha (Train Station and Plaza), El Museo del Prado (Museum), El Palacio de Cibeles (originally a post office), El Banco de Espana (Bank of Spain), El Circulo de Bellas Artes (fine arts center), La Gran Via (popular street in Madrid)
In Salamanca: La Catedral Vieja y Nueva (old and new catedral), El Claustro (cloister; in El Convento de Las Duenas), La torre de la universidad de Pontificia de Salamanca (Tower in the Pontifical University of Salamanca)
In Toledo: La Catedral de Toledo (cathedral), La Mezquita de Cristo de la Luz (mosque), La Sinagoga del Tránsito (synagogue), El Museo del Greco (museum)
Recommended: Madrid: Palacio Real, Los Jardines de Sabatini, La Plaza Mayor, El Mercado de San Miguel, El Museo del Prado, El Palacio de Cibeles
Salamanca: La Catedral Vieja y Nueva, El Claustro, La torre de la universidad de Pontificia de Salamanca
Toledo: La Catedral de Toledo
(I'll post photos next weekend since I'll be staying in Madrid.)
At this point, I don't really have anything bad or good to say about Spain. It's just like any other country, except for the fact that they use cash more often than debit or credit cards and there aren't any water fountains in most places. Right now I think I'm still settling in, so I'm confident that things will pick up in the coming weeks. The food here is absolutely amazing, and honestly I feel like I've been eating constantly all the time. The food they make in La Residencia (and Spain in general) is freshly made each day, so it's definitely a step up from typical American cuisine. In Spain, breakfast is usually from 7am to 10am, lunch from 1:30pm to 3:30pm, and dinner from 9pm to 11pm, so it's been quite an adjustment for me to make thus far. However, I have been enjoying the siestas, which are basically highly encouraged afternoon naps.
The language barrier has been the most difficult part, but hopefully that will begin to fade within the next few weeks or so. None of us have spoken much Spanish outside of class, so I'm a little worried that we won't pick up the language as quickly as we'd like. I think the hardest part about learning a commonly spoken language in a foreign country is when you don't really know anyone to speak with. I've been able to understand bits and pieces of what people say, but so far I've been struggling to have complete understanding of what everyone is saying. Now I realize that my Spanish is nowhere near as good as it should be considering how long I've been studying it for, so I'm determined at this point to be able to speak and understand more. Po out.
--Eric
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