I'm not really in the mood to blog, but I need to chronicle what I did in my four days in Valencia.
Well, firstly, I had my very first trip to the Mediterranean! I'd never been there before and now I hvae. I filled up a water bottle with sand, shells, and water and when I get back to the states I'll transfer it into something nicer.
Also, they have this AWESOME museum there called "Ciudad de los artes y ciencias" which means City of the arts and sciences. And it is indeed like a city! It has a huge three story science museum, an imax theater and the largest aquarium in Europe! The aquarium is called "L'Oceanografic." That was definitely the coolest part. It has leafy sea dragons, a couple beluga whales, HUGE aquariums where you can walk under tunnels that make it look like you're inside the aquarium and all sorts of stuff like that. They had a different building for every major body of water in the world. (pictures on facebook)
I also went to a museum called Museo de las Fallas. Which commemorates a yearly celebration they have in Valencia which involves big floats being made. At the end of the parade they are all burned to represent a cleansing for the new year (though it's in March). The best of the floats are saved and put in this museum. They were definitely pretty cool.
We went to the Lladro porcelain factory. That was cool. It's a really luxurious kind of figurine. I got some great pictures of those too. The cheapest piece you could buy with like 175eur, for a small little mermaid or dolphin or something. We got to go 'behind the scenes' and see how the porcelain is created (the molds) watch how they glue every piece together (with liquid porcelain) and then we could watch them paint it. It was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be.
All in all, I LOVED Valencia. It was just as cool as Andalucia because the weather was GREAT and it had the beach, but it was nicer than Andalucia which was a little ghetto. Valencia was gorgeous, I got to wear flip flops and a dress, a spent two days at the beach, and I could definitely live there. In general I think beach communities are just happier places to be. Everyone is laid back because of the large amounts of sunlight taken in.
I am currently in my last weekend in Madrid. I leave next Friday. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it, honestly. I go back and forth. I really miss my family and my boyfriend. But I also have gotten quite settled here. I have my regular spots, my routines, I love the living with the whole 'euro' vibe. It's very comfortable yet stimulating all the time...But then again, the moment I leave my senora's house will NOT be too soon... I can't wait to get out of here in that regard.
We'll see what happens!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
A note on exchange rates
When I first got to Spain in January, to take 100eur out of the ATM cost me about $145. Now, to take 100eur out (That same 100eur that will be me the same amount of stuff I could get in January) costs $157, and going upward because the US's cut of 80,000 jobs last month has made foreign investors weary of American currency.
I've probably lost about $200 because of this! Maybe it's good I'm getting out while I can...
I've probably lost about $200 because of this! Maybe it's good I'm getting out while I can...
Friday, April 4, 2008
Greece!
I've been bad about updating. Ok, I'm finally updating the end of spring break. This is after Ed left. I went to Greece with a bunch of the crowd. They'd gone to Santorini (an isle) earlier in the week, but I just met up with them and stayed in Athens. We definitely filled up every day I was there too.
Monday, March 17th, 2008:
I arrived in the late afternoon. The metro leaves from the airport. It's about an hour and I get to practice reading my first Greek letters. I remembered more than I thought I would. Plus, since the names of the metro stops are translated phonetically to English, I could compare. Like "Syntagma" equals Συντάγμα.
After checking into my hostel "Athens backpackers" (which backs up right to the Acropolis!) I met up with Jacquelyn and Vivian and ate dinner in the Plaka, a cute little neighborhood full of restaurants and touristy things.
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008:
Today was the big site-seeing day. Lucky for us, to get anywhere was walking distance because the buses were on strike. We climbed to the top of the Acropolis (the hill where most fo the ancient Greek temples are mounted) saw the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the temple of Athena Nike, the Odeion of Herodes Atticus, the Stoa of Eumenes, the ancient theatre of Dionysus, and the Erechtheion. Down from the Acropolis, but in the same area of ancient temples I saw Hadrians Arch and the temple of Olympian Zeus.
My impression of the Acropolis is that it was very humbling. To know how many people (in sheer numbers!) had walked there before me, not to mention how influential the people were and that they had lived and died two thousand years ago just made me feel so small, which is I guess how it's supposed to be. It also made me feel capable; like one day I could do great things and I also felt blessed and honored to be able to witness these structures before they crumble and are nothing more than worn down rocks.
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
Last full site-seeing day. We met up with friends at Parliament and watched the changing of the guards. Pretty interesting. Their outfits were....ethnic (re: goofy). I got to see some Byzantine churches. (ex: The Kapnikarea on Ermou street, Aiya Ekaterini church) These were only 1000 years old so people didn't give them too much status. I thought they were awesome. Then we decided to climb to the top of Lycavittos Hill. It's called a "hill" but it's really more of a mountain! It took some effort to get to the top but the reward was worth it. I got to see one of the little white-washed domed churches so characteristic to Greece. I felt like I was in a post card! The church is called Ayios Gregorio, which means St. George. Also it was the BEST VIEW. You could really see the vastness of the city. It's the capital of and the most populous city in Greece and it spreads as far as the eye can see. (well, until you hit mountains I could see all sides of Athens, and all the way down to the Mediterranean.)
Later as we were walking around and most of the group went to go have sandals made by some famous Greek cobbler, I went to the archaeological site Kerameikos. It was awesome! It used to be Athens' most important cemetery. I saw a tombstone that pre-dated democracy! It was very elaborate which was outlawed when the Greeks invented democracy and had the idea everyone should be equal, therefore tombstones were more normalized. This was also where there were remnants of the "Sacred Gate" (the world's largest gate for a while) which kept out the Persian invaders in about 479 BC. The sacred gate was here and the dried river bed of the River Eridanos. This was where Pericles stood to give an oration commemorating those fallen in the Peloponnesian war.
As I was walking back towards the hostel, I visited one of the most historic places, in my opinion, that really matters. I got to stand on the rock where St. Paul preached to the Athenians and they converted to Christianity! I stood where a direct friend and apostle to Jesus Christ stood! It was amazing. Then I walked back and went souvenir shopping. It was gorgeous.
Thursday, march 20th, 2008
Getting to the airport was a bit of an adventure because we'd intended to take the metro and it was on strike that day. Athens taxis are notoriously hard to catch and that was quite an anxious experience. But we made it ok. Got back to Madrid and Spring Break: Europe was officially over!
Reflections on Greece
I used to think it was just Spain that was political. But apparently it's Greece too. (and probably all Europe) Everywhere we went were strikes and protests! Like my teacher Noemi said "With the Spring, come the strikes." I loved Athens. Very easy to get around- walkable. Everything was interesting and beautiful. I'd love to come back to show my Dad because I know he'd enjoy it. I'd love to come back with Ed because it's a tad romantic too. The food was the best.
I couldn't have asked for a better Spring Break.
Monday, March 17th, 2008:
I arrived in the late afternoon. The metro leaves from the airport. It's about an hour and I get to practice reading my first Greek letters. I remembered more than I thought I would. Plus, since the names of the metro stops are translated phonetically to English, I could compare. Like "Syntagma" equals Συντάγμα.
After checking into my hostel "Athens backpackers" (which backs up right to the Acropolis!) I met up with Jacquelyn and Vivian and ate dinner in the Plaka, a cute little neighborhood full of restaurants and touristy things.
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008:
Today was the big site-seeing day. Lucky for us, to get anywhere was walking distance because the buses were on strike. We climbed to the top of the Acropolis (the hill where most fo the ancient Greek temples are mounted) saw the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the temple of Athena Nike, the Odeion of Herodes Atticus, the Stoa of Eumenes, the ancient theatre of Dionysus, and the Erechtheion. Down from the Acropolis, but in the same area of ancient temples I saw Hadrians Arch and the temple of Olympian Zeus.
My impression of the Acropolis is that it was very humbling. To know how many people (in sheer numbers!) had walked there before me, not to mention how influential the people were and that they had lived and died two thousand years ago just made me feel so small, which is I guess how it's supposed to be. It also made me feel capable; like one day I could do great things and I also felt blessed and honored to be able to witness these structures before they crumble and are nothing more than worn down rocks.
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
Last full site-seeing day. We met up with friends at Parliament and watched the changing of the guards. Pretty interesting. Their outfits were....ethnic (re: goofy). I got to see some Byzantine churches. (ex: The Kapnikarea on Ermou street, Aiya Ekaterini church) These were only 1000 years old so people didn't give them too much status. I thought they were awesome. Then we decided to climb to the top of Lycavittos Hill. It's called a "hill" but it's really more of a mountain! It took some effort to get to the top but the reward was worth it. I got to see one of the little white-washed domed churches so characteristic to Greece. I felt like I was in a post card! The church is called Ayios Gregorio, which means St. George. Also it was the BEST VIEW. You could really see the vastness of the city. It's the capital of and the most populous city in Greece and it spreads as far as the eye can see. (well, until you hit mountains I could see all sides of Athens, and all the way down to the Mediterranean.)
Later as we were walking around and most of the group went to go have sandals made by some famous Greek cobbler, I went to the archaeological site Kerameikos. It was awesome! It used to be Athens' most important cemetery. I saw a tombstone that pre-dated democracy! It was very elaborate which was outlawed when the Greeks invented democracy and had the idea everyone should be equal, therefore tombstones were more normalized. This was also where there were remnants of the "Sacred Gate" (the world's largest gate for a while) which kept out the Persian invaders in about 479 BC. The sacred gate was here and the dried river bed of the River Eridanos. This was where Pericles stood to give an oration commemorating those fallen in the Peloponnesian war.
As I was walking back towards the hostel, I visited one of the most historic places, in my opinion, that really matters. I got to stand on the rock where St. Paul preached to the Athenians and they converted to Christianity! I stood where a direct friend and apostle to Jesus Christ stood! It was amazing. Then I walked back and went souvenir shopping. It was gorgeous.
Thursday, march 20th, 2008
Getting to the airport was a bit of an adventure because we'd intended to take the metro and it was on strike that day. Athens taxis are notoriously hard to catch and that was quite an anxious experience. But we made it ok. Got back to Madrid and Spring Break: Europe was officially over!
Reflections on Greece
I used to think it was just Spain that was political. But apparently it's Greece too. (and probably all Europe) Everywhere we went were strikes and protests! Like my teacher Noemi said "With the Spring, come the strikes." I loved Athens. Very easy to get around- walkable. Everything was interesting and beautiful. I'd love to come back to show my Dad because I know he'd enjoy it. I'd love to come back with Ed because it's a tad romantic too. The food was the best.
I couldn't have asked for a better Spring Break.
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