Last Week in Spain

This was a while back but I am going to try to remember as much as I can.

Our last Sunday in Madrid, we went to a bullfight. I think I enjoyed it more than anyone else in our group. I was so surprised by how interesting it actually was. Its more than just several men out there killing a bull, its more of an art or cultural experience. It took about 30 minutes for them to kill one bull and I think they killed about 5 that night. It had so many steps to it. They let out the bull and all the men are out there teasing it and then hiding. Then they bring out these two older men on horses and the bull like charges into the horse while the men stab it. I really think the horses were on some kind of drug because they were so calm as the bull was attacking them. Next, several of the men stab the bull in the back of the neck with these long sticks that stay on its back. And last, the bullfighter comes out alone. It was funny because we noticed that the bullfighter takes several shots of liquor before he begins, I guess it might ease him up or something. The man who won was the guy who was able to kill the bull in one stab. They really make the bull run into their red things a lot, making it so tired by the time they kill it.

I also had one of the most shocking moments ever during my last night in Madrid. My friend Hagen and I were going to a bar to meet some guys we met the night before and to later go to discotecha Kapital. On our way to the bar, we ran into this really weird guy on the metro. He was acting in a strange way and kept giving us weird looks. He was with a really unattractive woman and we really couldn't tell if he was with her or not. The moment got really weird we he stood up on the subway and started like dancing on the pole and still watching us. I was getting a little annoyed so I decided to not be so nice and say homosexual to Hagen. It wasn't really loud but I guess the guy heard me. The next stop was his and has he was walking off the subway, all of sudden, he slapped me so hard! My head hit the wall of the subway and he just walked off and the doors shut. Hagen and I were just sitting there in shock, neither of us knew what to do or say. It was kinda fun but also really mean. We just keep telling ourselves that he was gay and just wasn't secure about it yet. It was not the best way to leave Madrid.

Ávila

This happened a long time ago, but it was the most important part of my trip for me. I avoided writing it because I didn't think I could do the trip justice with my words, but I finally decided to write it today, on my 20th birthday. It seems like the perfect time.

The trip I anticipated most was the trip to the small town of Ávila. The reason I looked forward to this trip so much is because I happen to share part of my last name with the town. Even before I left for Spain, I knew that I had to go no matter what. Ávila is renowned for many things such as yemas(a dessert), a wall surrounding part of the city and most importantly, Santa Teresa de Ávila. I believed that going to this place would teach me a little more about my heritage.

The train ride there was a little over an hour long. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before because of my own excitement and even on the train, I did not let myself fall asleep. I didn't want to take any chances of missing my stop(although I had someone traveling with me) nor did I want to miss any of the surrounding scenery. The train finally announced it's arrival and when I got out, the first thing I was greeted to were giant letters spelling out Ávila. It was a weird feeling, staring at my own last name as an outsider. I left the train station and I was greeted to a sleepy(literally as it was siesta time) and peaceful town. I already knew what I wanted to see; the wall of Ávila. A wall that is one of the most complete and perfectly restored in all of Europe. I, of course, had no idea how to get there, so I did what I do best; wander around. It didn't take me much time to figure out that I would not be able to find the wall with aimless wandering. So me and my traveling buddy took a crash course in the city bus routes and 20 minutes and 70 centavos later we were at the wall. It was as impressive as I had imagined it to be, spanning as far as the eye could see. Another thing I noticed was that it was beautifully kept. There were no discernible imperfections anywhere. We made our way up and went into the area enclosed by the wall. The entirety of the inside seemed to be trapped in the past. While this statement sounds negative, I mean this very positively. Everything was beautifully kept and the entire area emanated a sense of spirituality and peace. A little bit of walking and we ended up at El Convento de Santa Teresa. Santa Teresa is an extrememly important religious and spiritual figure known for her strength of character. The outside of the building was humble enough. I walked inside and was greeted by an indescribable feeling similar to the feeling I got at El Escorial. There were paintings and figures of Santa Teresa and other religious figures everywhere.It's funny that this familiar feeling of spirituality was created by a place that wasn't even a fraction of the size of El Escorial. El Convento de Santa Teresa is by all definitions a small place, but within it, it contained a strength not matched anywhere else I visited in Spain. Being inside this place, you could get a clear idea of the overwhelming strength of character and spirit that Santa Teresa must have had.

Another place of interest that I visited was a museum that gave you an idea of how old Ávila really was. It spoke of a pre-Roman civilization, the Vettones, who inhabited the territory of Ávila(then known as Obila) long before anyone discovered it. It surprised me that such a small place could have such deep history.

The rest of my time in Ávila was spent exploring the city itself, outside of the walls. Everything was extremely beautiful. What surprised me the most was how clean the streets were. I have never in my life, seen such a clean town. There was not a piece of trash anywhere on the streets or sidewalks. Also, the houses were absolutely stunning. They were humble but with an undeniable Spanish flavor. The neighborhoods themselves gave off a serene, comfortable and overall friendly feeling. It made me think that in the future, if it is possible, I would love to own a home somewhere here. It would make a great getaway where I could go with my family.

Everything I experienced in Ávila gave me a renewed pride in my name. I had always felt that my last name held a strength to it and this little excursion reinforced that belief. The only regret I have from my trip is that it didn't feel long enough. But I doubt that even if I had spent an entire week there, it wouldn't have been long enough. To me, it was just a taste of Ávila and I look forward to the day that I may return.

¡Terremoto en Madrid!

And the earth moved… earthquake in Madrid!

by Ben Curtis

Wow, I think I have just experienced my first earthquake, in Madrid! Sitting on the sofa next to Marina, 9.45 ish, wishing I hadn’t had that last gin and tonic in some wonderful fiestas we stumbled across last night in Madrid’s La Latina barrio, and suddenly everything started shaking! The sofa was rumbling, the standard lamp was wobbling back and forth, Marina said, “Ben, stop doing that,” and I said “it’s not me! It’s a bloody earthqauke!!!” Wow.

Update: it was a 4.7 quake with the epicentre in Ciudad Real.
http://www.notesfromspain.com/2007/08/12/and-the-earth-moved-earthquake-in-madrid/

Madrid

Adiós

The program is now over. It is my wish that you brought back a new you, a new way of looking at yourself, your circumstance. (Ortega y Gasset said "Soy yo y mi circunstancia.") I also hope that you have a new appreciation of the people whose language you are learning. They are many things, and we as a people can learn much from them. I hope that you continue to explore your world, and that you continue your studies and travel as a result. Best wishes. Please continue to post your reflections and photos.

Thanks,

La profe

Art Museums

One afternoon we went to go visit the Prado in Madrid. I really enjoyed it because I like art. There was a ton of work done by El Greco, Riberia, Goya , and Velezquez. The most famous painting I saw there was by Velezquez, Las Meninas. I remebered having studied him and this painting in my highschool spanish class, so it was really cool to see the actual painting itself. Earlier in the trip we had gone on various city tours where we learned a good amount about the spanish royal family. They told us about how the royal family was son concerned with keeping the royal line pure that they became very inbred. Because of this they all developed what was known as the Bourbon chin. When the tour guides described how their chins grew really big, I was having a hard time picturing exactly what she meant. After going to the Prado and seeing hundreds of portraits of the royal family, I now know exactly what she meant. (It was not attractive.) Anyways, I really enjoyed the museum and all the history and culture that it had to offer.

Bullfight

Another thing I highly recommend is attending a bullfight. It can be bloody and rather shocking, but it is a very strong example of Spanish culture. The couple sitting behind me was explaining bullfighting to a boy seated in front of them, and when he asked about it being a sport, the woman replied that bullfighting is not a sport, but an art. It truly is. All involved face death and injury regularly, and do so with such grace and presence. The animals themselves are amazing, the bulls powerful and wild and beautiful, and the horses, oh the horses. They are blindfolded and are routinely hit by the bulls, and still they behave. The mules that haul out the bull at the end are very well trained as well, as they do not respond to the scent of blood in any way. Any one who knows horses knows that this in itself is amazing. Horses and mules do not like the smell of blood. It means danger to them, which causes them to run away. The mules at the bullfight behaved beautifully, and only ran when instructed to do so. The only part that truly bothered me was at the end when the bull was dead and being hauled out, it seemed to me that they were parading him out, until a friend pointed out that it was necessary to drag him to the center of the ring because they would not be able to get him out at any other angle.

All in all, the bullfight was a pleasant experience with wonderful people surrounding us, beautiful animals below, and unbelievably skilled and brave men using their talents for the sake of art.