¡Vamos a Valencia!

Wednesday 26 de Enero
TV: British lady who claims she can speak to the dead! ¡Que tonterias! Oh dear me.

Thursday 27 de enero
talking about how in Consuelo's "epoca" boys and girls had to be home by 9:30pm every night haha, but now everyone stays out until 6 or 7am. One of the Stanford professors was saying that, more than any other country, Spain has the biggest, most profound generation gap between the people who lived and experienced Franco's era and the people who were born afterwards.

Friday 28 de Enero
Bus to Valencia with Leigh, Annie and Shira (I'm lucky the autobus stop is just a few metro stops from Sainz de Baranda, so it takes me only 11 minutes from my house). Valencia, as I have just discovered, is the third largest city in Spain (after Madrid and Barcelona); it doesn't feel so big though. It's the capital of Comunidad Valenciana, a fertile agricultural province (it produces much of Europe's early vegetables) which, due to it's coastal location, also has large shipyards and factories. The city was founded by the Greeks in 138 BC but was later transferred to Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths and Arabs. It's prosperity waned after the discovery of the Americas (Spain concentrated on developing its Westerns ports and neglected eastern cities like Valencia) but a 17th century silk renaissance put it back on the map. For the past two centuries, Valencia's been involved in every single Spanish war and insurrection (in 1939, Valencia was the last refuge of the Republican forces once Catalunya fell). There are all sorts of Gothic architectural reminders of the 15th century (particularly the Cathedral and the Lonja--silk exchange venue) and Valencia was known for decorative arts (evidenced by all the ironwork and ceramics).


Arrived at 1:30, checked in at our hostel (The Purple Nest) at PLaza de Tetuan. The only map we could get had a bunch of El Cortes Ingles and McDonald's pinpoints, oh dear. Did a little walking tour through the old historic center, stopping at a Horchateria for homemade horchata (made from chufas -- tiger nuts-- not rice like in mexico) with "fartons" (unfortunate name, but they're basically like a sweet roll, kind of similar to a long finger-like brioche bread). It had been raining earlier, so everything was a little wet and sleepy. There were some impressive fortress walls around the historic center -- impressive graffiti too. Stopped for a visit at the Museo de Bellas Artes. They had a huge collection of pre-Renaissance religious paintings (lots of Virgen de la Leche with awkward/inaccurate anatomy), a Velasquez self-portrait, some Goya portraits and small paintings (a few of children playing that I recognized from the Bellas Artes San Fernando Museo in Madrid), an El Greco. I liked the 19th century impressionist landscapes from various places in Valencia -- you definitely feel as if we're closer culturally to France. In fact, many of the signs around here are in Catalan! No wonder we have more trouble navigating our way here...

Around the city center is a beautiful "greenbelt" -- it was once a river (there are lots of bridges --old and modern--hanging over)  but now it's like a long stretch of parkland with little groves of trees, sculptures, fountains (the fact that it's an old riverbed probably means it's quite fertile). We walked over to La Ciudad de Las Artes y Las Ciencias. There are several stunningly modern architectural structures -- mostly white, almost skeletal looking. It reminded me of the architectural equivalent of a white tuxedo. We checked out the display of enormous photos along the sleek turquiose pool. Lots of pictures of events in the various buildings (concerts, opening exhibits of the aquarium, animals, MTV music video shoots) We went to the Hemesferic -- giant IMAX theater -- to see the 6pm showing of "Monsters of the Sea." We wore these hilarious spiffy head sets (to hear the English translation of the audio) and 3D glasses -- I felt like an astronaut! The movie was about this little marine reptile that lived 30 million years ago (name: Dolly, about the size of a dolphin but with 4 legs/fins like a turtle). I loved the "scary" parts of the movie -- when some sea predator leapt out of the water to snap it's jaws at us, and I found myself flinching a few times because the 3D looked so real haha. It was also cool when they "fastforwarded" through time to give a quick view of how much the earth has changed in the last several million years. North America was divided in two by a giant sea/channel of water; Europe was fragmented into a bunch of little pieces. They tried to tug heartstrings and make us sympathize with this bizarre Dolly creature -- she had a little brother and a mother. They also pulled a "Bambi": the mother was killed off half way through the movie by some vicious shark-like animal. Dolly narrowly escaped death; the shark bit her rear fin, and that shark tooth actually remained stuck in her fin for the rest of her life (and apparently was still stuck between the bones when the paleontologists discovered her skeleton in Kansas millions of years later). Anyway, the seats were incredibly comfortable, and it was a welcome rest. After the film, everything was dark but beautifully lit up. We checked out the giant dinosaur sculpture that bobbed its head and made bizarre grunting noises. Lots of white cone structures -- not sure what their purpose was. (Laura, you should check out this architecht -- Santiago Calatrava; he's Valencian). The other big structures included the Oceanografic (aquariums), Museo de las Ciencias (very interactive, lots of huge biological models) and the Palau de Las Arts Reina Sofia (giant complex with 4 auditoriums and seating for 4400). I loved the Palau -- it's glossy, made of mosaic tiles which sparkled. I just wonder where the money for this enormous complex came from and why they decided to build this? It looks very new -- I wonder if the city is just trying to get itself on the tourist map (it's often overlooked, overshadowed by Madrid and Barcelona. Rick Steves, for example, doesn't mention the city at all.) Took the bus back towards the city center and stopped at the hostel to enjoy tea (I've missed tea!). Then went in search of "the corner store" for a simple dinner, but after several failed attempts, settled for a modern-looking tapas bar/restaurant. It was actually very classy inside, and we had an excellent meal with wine for less than 15 euros each. We had some sort of Ensalada Valenciana (lettuce, tomatos, peppers, olives, tuna, onions and cured ham), un ración of chorizo, excellent bread/tostas and local cheese. The waiter took the vino very seriously -- he washed out the glasses with the wine beforehand, presented us with the cork and had Leigh taste it. Finished off the evening with tart de manzanas  and complimentary Limoncello. Returned back to the hostel after spending nearly 2.5 hours in the restaurant, playing lots of "would you rather..." with various combinations of our program compadres. Spent a little more time in the hotel lounge, which was full of people! and then went upstairs for bed. Every room in this hostel is very brightly colored (I think they made a mistake with the yellow hue chosen for the men's bathroom). Fell asleep as soon as I hit the pillow.

Saturday January 29 2011
Woke up at 10am after an excellent night of sleep. Rolled out by 11 and walked through town to the Mercado Central, a beautiful building covered with white yellow and blue tiles. Tried some little empanada-shaped pastries filled with chestnut filling, a sugary dough-ball filled with custard, a light apple tart and some delicious oranges. Enjoyed our food outside (beautiful weather today! Blue skies, sunshine) listening to an accordian player. Cute little boy came up to us with his grandfather, clearly intrigued by our spontaneous picnic. Afterwards, we walked back to the main plaza to the Cathedral -- a wonderful melange of architecture: Puerta de Palau is very Romanesque (rounded arches, no-nonsense reddish-golden brick), the interior and Plaza de la Virgen are classically Gothic, Plaza de la Reina entrance is Baroque and inside are a view Renaissance chapels. The Cathedral actually stands at the site of a former mosque. Work on it began in 1262 but obviously continued for centuries. This Cathedral is the home of the Holy Grail -- the chalice, they claim, from which Christ sipped at the Last Supper. According to legend, the cup was brought to Spain in the 3rd century, became a possession of the Crown of Aragon, which gave it to Valencia's cathedral in the 15th century. We decided to climb up the 207 steps of the Miguelete bell tower (it's octagonal!) for the amazing 360 degree city views. Thanks to the glorious weather, we could see out to the blue ocean, but there were are many beautiful blue domed roofs all around the city! I've never seen any other city with so many blue-tiled domes, but it was absolutely beautiful. Next we checked out more of the old city streets. I am amazed and excited by how many bicycles they have here! The city has set up one of those urban bike systems in which people can rent bikes for the hour and park them in the designated city areas -- and lots of people seemed to be using these "bicis"! We explore the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, a giant square with the theater and municipal buildings, lots of palm trees too. There wasn't much action going on at the Plaza del Toros (bull fighting stadium) because bullfighting season is summer and fall, but they were already selling season passes with discounts for people under 20yrs and over 65 yrs. At 2pm we went to the restaurant recommended by our hostel (La Riuá) on Calle del Mar for paella (it's a typical lunch thing). Had 2 giant cast-iron dishes of Paella Marinero (seafood! rice with excellent prawns, mussels, squid and pulpo) and Paella Valenciana (rice with chicken, rabbit, green beans and gigante white beans). Both were good, but the seafood was particularly rico. Then back to the hostel, caught a cab to the autobus station, and now it's time for a 4-hour siesta back to Madrid haha). Adios to the city of blue tiled domes and oranges!

Vamos a ver...

Saturday 22 Jan. 2011
Woke up at 9 for coffee, pastry and pear. Ventured over to Cheuca by metro for another barrio walking tour. Chueca is considered one of the most lively and hip neighborhoods -- Lonely Planet calls it "a barrio of over-the-top sexuality and devil-may-care hedonism." I had seen it exploding with people in the night, but I wanted to catch a glimpse of the place in the morning hours too. It was frigid cold with very clear blue skies. I tried to stay on the sunny side of the street, haha. First major building was Sociedad General de Autores y Editores -- a giant modern architectural statement, decadent as a wedding cake. It looks very fluid, sort of like a stick of decorate butter that's been put in the microwave for 20 seconds. I found a delightful little tea shop that had free samples of piping hot chai -- I gladly helped myself! I miss chai haha! Next I came across the Museo de Historia which is closed for renovation but I could still see its very elaborate baroque doorway -- there are many of those here in Madrid, but this is definitely one of the most ornate. Looked around for a clock and noticed that the various buildings, shops, churches and bus stops all displayed very different times. (Funny, I've noticed the same thing in mi case -- there are at least 7 clocks in the room where we eat, and none of them show the correct time! I don't think the Spanish care too much about the exact hora...) Stumbled upon Plaza de Dos de Mayo ("heart of Malasaña") where I heard  some street musicians playing -- there were a couple families with little toddlers, bundled up in scarves, dancing to the drumbeat -- quite adorable. Here, in 1808, Madrileños made their final stand, defending the Monteléon barracks against Napoleon's troops (one remaining arch of the barracks is still here). In the 1960s, lots of hippies moved here because rent was cheap, and eventually this area became the center of "La Movida" -- starting around 1975, the new period of personal and artistic liberty that followed the death of Franca. Now, there are lots of vintage shops and cafés and music clubs around here -- all sort of funky and colorful.

Lastly, I came across a beautiful little museum -- Museo de dibujo y ilustración -- in a very modern red and white triangular building. They had a fascinating collection of drawings -- "El Efecto Iceberg"-- mostly magazine covers, from the late 19th century through the 20th century (Blanco y Negro and ABC magazines -- all done by Spanish artists). I loved the progression of the artwork over the decades. Lots of Parisian influence in the early 20th century, and most of the pieces depicted some elegant lady or couple of status. In the 30s emerged very strong communist, soviet and proletariat influences (los manos y los puños = hands and fists), with red scarves, bold block letters and fierce facial expressions. It was a beautifully arranged exhibit -- drawings along the walls and in little "discovery drawers" for people to open. I couldn't find this museum in any of my guidebooks, but I was so glad I stumbled across it!

Returned home for la comida -- my favorite meal so far. Vegetable ratatouille with prawns and salad and creme caramel flan for dessert. Then I headed out for the Reina Sofia, the local temple of modern art. Temperature was about 1 degree celsius, so I bundled up very warmly! The Reina Sofia used to be a hospital and it's enormous -- 4 floors filled to the brim with artwork; they actually recently built an extension because they couldn't fit any more of their collection in the existing building!

Of course I went to see Guernica by Pablo Picasso. The Spanish Republican gov commissioned it in 1937 for the Spanish Pavillion at the Paris World Fair. Picasso thought and pondered, looking for inspiration for his commission for a while until it literally came out of the sky: a mass air attack by Germans (working for the Nationalists) on Gernika in Basque country. Picasso depicts the horrors of the attack in this enormous mural (in the same room, there's also a cool series of photos taken by a girlfriend of Picasso that show him at work). Of course, everyone was crowded into the room to see the painting. I felt sorry for the museum employee whose job it was to police the room and reprimand the dopey tourists who couldn't see the signs (posted everywhere) indicating that photos were not allowed. Interesting note about Guernica, the Basque country actually wants the painting back (insisting that the Basque region is the painting's true home) but the Reina Sofia insists that the painting is too fragile to be moved haha. It already made a transatlantic voyage (the painting was in NYC until 1981 -- Picasso had willed that the painting not be returned to Spain until democracy was re-established). Clearly, the Reina Sofia is not going to give this piece up without a fight. In addition to the actual painting, I really liked all the studies (some drawn, some painted) Picasso made in preparation for the work -- there were some terrible screaming women and horses, their mouths open and gaping, eyes grotesquely enlarged with fear, features falling off faces in true cubist form.

After Guernica, I actually ran into Jessica and Jacquie as they hunted for the Dalí exhibition room. I explored some of the other war-time paintings and photography in the neighboring rooms, then lots of Joan Miró and Juan Gris paintings. Picasso's Woman in Blue made me laugh -- she just looks so frumpy! Apparently Picasso disowned it when it won only honorable mention in some national art competition. I love the Cadaqués paintings by Dalí, they remind me of Orientation trip to the coast. Alfonso Ponce de Léon's Accident is quite disturbing (it's a man lying dead--he hit is head on a rock after tumbling from his car in an accident -- the wound is illuminated by the car lamp) especially since the artist actually died in a car crash later that same year. There were several very dark paintings of religious scenes-- the Spanish explanations I read said something about some artists at the end of the 19th century "searching" for some sort of dark, austere, somber, backwards, medieval Spain in the countryside of the Iberian interior -- aiming to highlight some division between the traditional, boorish, almost medieval, extremely Catholic Spain and the modern, "blanca" optimistic Spain of the cities... curious. I was surprised by how much I really liked the Dalí paintings! Many of them are so huge too -- they're fabulous. I think Girl at the Window has been copied so many times it looks cliché in printbooks and postcards, but the actual painting was beautiful. I also love how some of his paintings have all those weird things going on in every corner--like a little treasure hunt haha, definitely trying to tap into and probe the subconscious I guess?

One of my favorite pieces in the museum collection wasn't a painting at all but a giant metronome (sculplture?) whose pendulum had this weird, enormous eye that looked as if it were open from some angles and closed at others... very cool! It's called "Indestructible Object" and it's by Man Ray.

Probably my favorite floor of the exhibit was the 4th (I almost didn't go bc I had already spent 3 hours in the museum, but then figured I might as well and I'm so glad I did!). It was a huge exposición de arte by Hans-Peter Feldman, a German contemporary artist. Lots of interesting paintings, photos, photocopies, found objects, sculpture... where to begin? There was a pistol-shaped object wrapped in a cute black crocheted cover, a teapot with a cardboard "shadow" at its base. I liked this one montage of images called "1 libra de fresas" (one pound of strawberries) -- it was a photo of 30 odd strawberries, each against a white background. There was also a series of photos of various hands holding personal/family photos -- so each hand was a kind of frame for each photo (makes you wonder whose hand is it? who are they showing the photo to? what is this person's relationship to this photo?...) Another very cool series was 101 photos of 101 different people of 101 different ages (so the first was a baby of 8 weeks, the second a girl age 1, the third a 2-yr-old boy, etc. all the way up to 100!). All of these people were friends of the artist, and together, they chronicled a lifespan! I thought it was a brilliant idea and so funny too how each person, each friend was "representing" an age that they would only be for one year.. I found myself looking for the 20 year old (it was boy who liked like a heavy metalhead... I have to say I was a little disappointed), the 18 year old (for my sisters) and the ages for my parents too -- for each photo, I also found myself subconciously judging, does this person look that age? Do they look older/younger than me/my friends/my sisters/my parents/my parents' friends. I was really shocked by how quickly the faces started to look old -- basically after age 22, everyone just looked old! There were a few anomaly people (one 30-something year old lady looked like a teenager) but for the most part, everyone looked older than I expected (maybe the people in my life are just unusually youthful for their ages? no sé...), and there were some periods of very rapid aging (in the 30s and 50s and 70s mostly). Very interesting look at age though, and made me realize how quickly we get older --  (something I feel myself becoming increasingly aware of now that I'm in my third decade of life ahh!!!) Luckily, those 90-year- olds seemed just as happy (if not happier) as the dozens of faces before them, so clearly aging isn't all that bad hahah... I'd like to see if I could do my own version of this portrait series one day... I wonder which age I would want to be/which age I'd like to represent?

A few other notable pieces: photographs of people except the actual person had been cut out so you only saw their outline. Yet, you could still infer so much about the person simply from the shape of the space they had occupied... Also a dark room with shadow sculptures--made of revolving random household objects and trash (including used pizza boxes) whose shadows were projected against a white wall behind them. Music played and it was like a shadow dance or performance-- I felt as if I were inside a music box, very calming.

After the Reina Sofia, returned home for dinner. Temperatures read -1 degrees celsius ahh!! Watched the noticias with Consuelo and talked about how China will become the master of the world one day, probably sooner rather than later haha... Went out to celebrate Leigh's bday in Plaza de España, botellon-ing in the square like all the Spanish youth. It was frigid outside though so eventually we took cover in the nearby McDonalds before braving the cold to stand out in line for Club SoloHeineken... got in just before 2am so it was free for girls (poor guys had to pay 12 euros each though!) music was a little too much techno so I decided to leave around 3am. Hopped on the Arguelles bus, which took me to Banco de España, asked some bus drivers how to get to Sainz de Baranda and they told me Bus 6, so I took bus 6. Unfortunately, my bus did not go to Sainz de Baranda, it went all the way out southeast to the old Olympic stadium in the outskirts of Madrid! Luckily the bus driver helped me figure out how to get home (I was ready to get the first taxi I saw but there weren't many taxis so far from the city center) but I wasn't in bed until 4:30am!! Ahh, lesson learned, take taxi or study bus routes well in advance.


Sunday 23 Jan. 2011
Took Metro over to Príncipe Pio station this morning to see the Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida. Beautiful fresco ceilings by Goya -- he painted them in just a few (4) months (in 1798), and was pretty much given free range to do what he wanted with them (received a commission from Carlos IV). I loved the dome because, unlike so many of the other domes out there, this dome featured beautiful blue, purple, green mountains surrounding the people (the scene is from the miracle of St. Anthony). To me, it was spiritual and respectful without being overbearingly religious. Furthermore, the mortal Spanish people depicted in the frescos are actually elevated above the cherubs and angels--highly unusual. Despite the fact that the ceiling is very irregular (all kinds of weird nooks and crannies) and Goya completed the painting in such a short time, all the figures in the fresco look exquisitely graceful, and the composition is incredibly balanced. Goya himself is actually buried inside this little church. And according to tradition, young Madrid women visit the church every June 13 to pray for a partner.

Next I took the metro over to Moncloa. When I emerged, I saw sweeping views of the city and also an enormous white arc -- the Arco de la Victoria. It was built in 1956 to celebrate Franco's Nationalist victory in the Spanish Civil War. (Apparently, Franco would pass by it every time he traveled between his home (Palacio de El Pardo) and the city of Madrid. It's 128 feet tall -- excessively enormous, in my opinion -- and certainly imposing. The cars zooming around it's base look like little toys (which is very dangerous for pedestrians like me who try to cross the street!). Walked over to Museo de América. It's a very grand building with a huge collection of artifacts from Spain's conquests of the Americas (basically, it's all their loot that they feel bad about having stolen, so now it's on display). To the museum's credit though, the exhibits were very well-designed and engaging, and it's clear that the curators are making an earnest effort to respect the native peoples of the Americas. The first few rooms were all about "El Conocimiento de América" -- the knowledge about America. They started off with the records that Columbus and other explorers kept, and went on to demonstrate (with old sketches and diary entries) how the Europeans developed/constructed the lop-sided, xenophobic, disrespecting perspective of the native people (there were pictures of natives that looked half animal, half animal, people who seemed to be cannibals, deformed, barbaric, etc. etc.) Then the rest of the exhibit went on to dispel those myths and stereotypes by showcasing the variety of clothing, tools, artwork of each region of North and South America. There were also rooms with amazing collections of maps (!!) and visuals to show the natural wildlife of America and also the routes that the first inhabitants took across the Bering Strait, and the subsequent migrations south and east. I really liked the hats and capes made out of macaw feathers -- so brilliantly colored! Loved the maps too, of course :)

Afterwards, returned home for lunch and some reading. Then I went over to the Atoche station to visit the Caixa forum -- a very cool building, made of brick, but suspended about 6 ft in the air! It looks like it's hovering above the ground! Also, at the top is a very intricate metal design -- reminds me of something you might find at the beach? Also, on the adjacent wall is a "jardín colgante" -- hanging garden. Basically, imagine a plot of land, covered with  plants. Now rotate the ground 90 and you have this garden. Very odd but very cool (it's almost 4 stories high!). Inside the Caixa Forum they have free art exhibits. I went to see one about the friendship between Salvador Dalí and Frederico García Lorca. It was cool to see how their ideas influenced each other and their sketches, their ideas about "pure" art, how they made fun of other artists (hated Monet's work, called anything that was too romantic or kitsch "putrid") and admired others (Cezanne). Often they drew sketches of one another on little scraps of paper -- very funny little things. To them, proportion and number were of the utmost importance in their artwork. One of their greatest compliments would be "there is clarity." Later, Dalí began to drift towards surrealism more than Lorca, and the two grew somewhat apart. After the exhibit, went to the railway station Atocha Renfe (from the 19th century but renovated in 1992) with its beautiful lush botanical garden (the iron and glass exterior make for a perfect greenhouse environment) and mini-expos featuring cool places to visit all over Spain (and the products for which each region is famous). There are more than 500 plant species in the garden, and even a turtle family too! This is also the station where the 2004 terrorist attack took place.

Returned home for la cena -- my favorite Madrid tortilla with salad and an orange -- and then off to bed by 11, still so tired!

Monday 24 Jan. 2011
I learned how to walk from my house to school -- I finally feel oriented!! Plus, I love walking along the "superguay" Calle de Serrano to observe "la gente." My favorite scenes of the day: the stern bankers in the middle of "charlas", the businessmen lunching with cashmere blankets draped oh-so-casually over their shoulders, the old ladies in fur coats that (in comparison) make Cruella DeVille look like an animal rights' activist, and the younger ladies clad in the latest leopard prints and 6" heels. In Madrid, even Monday is an occasion.

Tuesday 25 Jan. 2011 -- "¡Lo aprovecho!"
9am breakfast, caught the metro and read my "20 minutos" like the all the Madrileños to figure out what exactly happened in Moscow yesterday. Arrived in Chueca, all set to go to the contemporary art museum, but it's all in "las obras" -- construction -- and closed until the coming year! ¡Que lástima! Still, I wasn't going to let my beautiful morning and early head start deter me from seizing the day... I had my trusty Lonely Planet map with me and so I walked over to see Palacio de Liria -- an 18th century mansion (rebuilt in 1936 after it was destroyed in the Spanish civil war) representative of the many that used to line this Calle de Princesa. I peered through the iron gates (to join a guided tour, you have to send a formal request to the palace with your personal details, and your request must be reviewed and approved by the Duke and Duchess of Alba before you can gain permission). Next, over to Plaza de España with it's Cervantes statue and curious church with the rainbow copula... Then Templo de Debod -- the very bizarre Egyptian temple right in the middle of downtown Madrid. Apparently, construction of the temple began around 2200 BCE (in Southern Egypt). It was saved from flooding by a big dam that was built with the help of Spanish engineers. In 1968, Egypt demonstrated its thanks by sending the temple to Madrid so here it is! I walked inside to see the engravings and such (mostly about the god Amen) but what struck me most was that the pond surrounding the building was frozen over with a thick layer of ice (and it was already 11am -- the sun was high in the sky!) Afterwards, strolled through the Palacio Real gardens (that Palace is enormous and ornate--I find it hilarious that the present day Spanish king prefers to live in a different palace, somewhere a little more private and a little less in-your-face). 

Took a walk through the Church of San Ginés, one of Madrid's oldest churches (there's been one here ever since the 14th century). I took careful note of each of the Virgin Mary representations haha... there were a lot! They I had Charlas at school with one of the Spanish girls. She told a dreadful story about the time she and her friends went to Paris in March and didn't have a hotel and got stranded at a bus station and ended up sleeping in the street like homeless people with all their luggage! Yikes. Walked home afterwards and discovered a very intriguing Casa Árabe that I hope to explore soon... Comida: broccoli with potatoes and paprika, bread, fish and an orange. Then walked back to school, passing by the Biblioteca Nacional. Learned that today is the first day of the Gastronomy festival Madrid Fusión, so the library has a cool little expo about culinary history! They had a collection of paintings and drawings and prints about the role of food and food vendors and cooking and table manners over the past centuries. They gave visitors copies of the first recipes ever known to be recorded (some type of tortilla!) from the 14th century. They discussed how the most dramatic change in Spanish cuisine happened when Christopher Columbus brought potatoes and tomatoes and peppers from the New World (the historian in the film spoke in terms of colors: pre-Columbus, the Spanish diet was much more brown and green, after Columbus's voyage, Spain ate a lot more red things!). Apparently, potatoes were originally used as decoration though.. There were also large sections in the exhibit devoted to chocolate, the use of foods as medicine, the idea of the woman in the kitchen, etc. I liked looking at the cook books by the contemporary Spanish chefs -- Ferran Adriá's book was open to a page about a dessert which featured green apples. The apples had to be cut precisely into cubes (12 per person) and each cube was garnished with one spice (mint or saffron or pepper or cinnamon). Then the 12 apple pieces with their spices had to be arranged in a circle like numbers on a clock -- all I remember was that the mint leaf-apple combo had the spot of the 12. Very curious indeed. It was a fun little exhibit though! Apparently, the museums in Madrid are also giving guided tours about the role of food in artwork over the next few days...

From 5:30 to 7 I had Spanish. Our task today was to be detectives to figure out what happened in a whodunnit-type story about a man found dead in his bed. It was very bizarre -- the answer ended up being something like the guy worked for a circus and was the shortest man in the world. One day he measured himself, was taller than he thought and died of fright? Very odd, but fun haha. Walked home, stopping by the Biblioteca again. Then la cena: pepper-tomato-egg soup, omelette, salad and flan. Las noticias weren't functioning properly -- somehow the TV remotes always get screwed up and it always takes a few minutes to find "la Una" (public news channel) but today, the inputs or the satellite just wouldn't work.

However, Conseulo and I had our best dinner conversation yet! I mentioned the gastronomy exhibit I had gone to, and Consuelo spoke her mind about what she thinks of those chefs! She informed me that what they cook in those expensive restaurants is not real Spanish food -- real Spanish food is what you find in the streets. She joked that if Ferran Adria served "kaka" and decorated it with flowers, people would eat it and say it was delicious -- I had to laugh so hard -- her facial expressions as she tells these stories are incredible! She also told me about how she refused some sort of champagne that had gold in it, explaining that gold is a metal, why would I want to eat that? My favorite story was about how she went to this upscale restaurant with some friends or relatives of her -- it was a restaurant with a well-known chef, and the appetizer was fried potato skins (cáscaras de las patatas). Consuelo was clearly not impressed! Her friends, she said, urged her to eat them because they were delicious and made by this famous chef, but Consuelo assured me she was not fooled and she stood her ground. She said, give me a shrimp or a tomato, but don't give me the dirty cáscaras -- that's not food! Everyone else in the world throws that part of the potato away, why would I eat that? Next we somehow got onto the topic of plastic surgery. Consuelo started telling me about a program she saw as she was trying to fall asleep. Apparently, the lady in the program had big huge puffy lips and enormous breast implants. Consuelo was legit frightened by the sight of this lady on TV. She asked me (after fully describing this lady to me), if you were a man, and that was your girlfriend, wouldn't you be afraid to touch her?? Wouldn't you be afraid that when you kissed her, her lips would explode or when you touched her, she would "encender" (ignite) spontaneously?? I laughed so hard there were tears streaming down my face. Of course, as Consuelo and I walked back to the kitchen with our plates, we lament in Spanish, "what are we going to do? we'll have to see, what can we do? People these days... are we just crazy? I don't understand, I just don't get it. Me neither." Pues. Excellent day overall. ¡Hasta mañana!

Foreign Correspondence Article about Madrid

For a very amusing and beautifully written article about our first few days in España, check out this article by my friend Max:
http://www.stanforddaily.com/2011/01/20/foreign-correspondence-spain-country-of-contradictions/

Semana 2

Monday 17 Jan. 2011
Wake up 7:45, breakfast, catch my metro, pick up my coursereader from the photocopy store (I was very pleased because the shopkeeper understood me without needing to ask me to repeat myself; I'm hoping this is a sign my pronunciation is improving...). My flamenco class has only 6 people (apparently this is the first time the class has been so small). I actually can't imagine how the classroom could fit many more people (it's a very oddly shaped dance studio, made up of a narrow rectangle joined with a triangle)...
Afterwards, Health Systems Class with Baker -- we discussed the US health care system (or at least the components relating to American health care, since there isn't really a system) and started talking about the Social Insurance Model of Health Care designed by Otto Von Bismarck in 19th century Germany. Made me miss AP Euro with Mrs. McKee! Afterwards, returned home for some homework and lunch (lentejas y tortilla y manzana), then back to the Institute for Women in Art. Probably the phrase I heard most often was "pecado original" -- original sin. We continued talking about Eve for a bit and then moved on to the Virgin Mary and the whole debate/controversy about Immaculate Conception (which was declared dogma by the Pope in 1854). If the Virgin's Conception was Immaculate, is she exempt from original sin? If she doesn't have original sin, how could she be human? If she's a woman, how could she be exempt from the pains of childbirth to which all of Eve's descendants are condemned? Is she also exempt from death, did she die? But how could she be exempt from sin if Christ was her son and thus only redeemed humanity from sin upon his own death? If she was exempt from the "putrefecation" of death, does that make her "more divine" than Christ who spent 3 days dead? All these questions in Spanish, oh dear. What makes it difficult too is that our reading was in English but we have our discussions in Spanish. Trying to switch between languages tends to me very difficult for me haha. But at least I understand the reading :)
Afterwards, visited the library a bit to tackle my Spanish homework, then took the metro to Sol to meet Gustavo. We went to a café down Arenal street for coffee. At first we talked mostly in English; I asked my questions about expressions to use with Consuelo, differentiating between synonyms, colloquial Spanish, etc. Somehow we switched over to using only Spanish which was excellent practice. Gustavo highly recommended visiting the North of Spain (especially San Sebastian), Camino de Santiago and Sevilla, and we used up many little napkins writing names of places, words and drawing maps. He's still skeptical of the idea of biking to Toledo or Segovia, but hopefully he can help me find a bicycle so I can prove him wrong haha... Weather is cooling down a little here. Lots of "niebla" (fog) in the morning and evening.

Tuesday 18 Jan. 2011
Spent the morning at home, went for a run in El Retiro, then arrived at the Institute in time for "charlas" with the Spanish girls (Laura came today and talked about her favorite discotecas -- she recommended places in Moncloa and Arguelles? -- Spanish lifestyle, lack of sleep, the changing the tobacco laws here -- as of Jan. 1 2011, no more smoking in resturants or bars, which is excellent for all us Californians haha -- and a monument in El Retiro erected for victims of a terrorist attack in Madrid some years ago). After charlas, I got on the internet to buy a ticket for the upcoming Real Madrid v. Atletico Madrid on Thursday! It's supposed to be a good game and a bunch of us Stanford kids got seats together so hopefully we can't protect each other if things get vicious, and hopefully won't get trampled... We were warned to wear neutral colors in case we find ourselves somehow lost and in the wrong crowd. Last year, one of the Stanford students had to solicit protection from the police because he was wearing the wrong colors in the wrong part of the stadium... yikes. Anyway, purchasing these tickets was an adventure in itself because the tickets are not sent to you online. Once you buy them over the internet, you have to go to a particular kind of ATM machine (La Caixa?) in order to print your tickets. It's a very bizarre system, but apparently it's used for lots of events and ticket sales here. Maybe not many Spaniards have printers at home? Who knows. Luckily Alycia helped me figure it out over tapas at the Institute. It's funny how little things like printing out tickets can differ so greatly between countries, and I just have to allow for sufficient time to get accustomed to those kinds of things. Español class was super relaxed and fun -- we talked about las diversiónes of young Madrileños and all the things they do for fun :)
Afterwards, roamed the streets with Ashley and Annie in attempt to get Ashley's phone functioning. Those sim cards, pin numbers and prepaid plans can get confusing, and I'm just glad my phone is working. Then dinner with Consuelo (mixed vegetable rice, empanadas, pear, and some sort of curious fish/crab croquette which used the claw of the crab as the grasping utensil? No sé...). Consuelo has repeated many times over the last week how the most important issue for Spain right now is the lack of jobs and the fact that 20% of the population is unemployed. She says something about how the government is just talking and talking and the Spanish people are just watching partidos de fútbol all the time and now it's been 3 years of economic crisis and nothing is getting better for Spain. She listens to the news a lot, and she's mentioned that at times she can't sleep because she worries about her grandkids and her kids...
Talked to mamma on the phone for the first time in 3 weeks, then realized how tired I was and went to bed without finishing any homework haha

Wednesday 19 Jan. 2011
Early morning, breakfast at 8, read the free paper on the Metro (an article about some poor Spaniard with 2000 tumors and a rare genetic disorder who sought money from Spain's national health system to finance some experimental treatment in the US but was denied...). It was funny because the lady who stands outside my metro station passing out the papers has a tendency to lunge at people as she offers the paper. In fact, it almost looks like part of some modern dance routine-- she lunges to the right, then pirouettes and lunges to the left, then right, etc. I was a little scared of her the first time she lunged at me last week, but now I know that she's harmless and just wants to get rid of the huge stack of newspapers. She's probably cold too...
Anyway, flamenco class was excellent (I had my shoes and mi falda -- skirt -- for the first time!). Being able to pound the floor with proper heels and swish my skirt with gusto makes all the difference in flamenco... Our teacher gets really into the rhythm and tries to encourage us to use dramatic facial expressions to accompany our dance moves -- it's very entertaining!
After flamenco, Sistemas de salud with Baker. Talked all about the National Health System model pioneered by Great Britain -- Spain begin developing its own version of the NHS in 1986. It's still "in the works" and obviously very young, but at least it's a system with a design (unlike US) and with a core principle to provide universal, quality health care to everyone in Spain regardless of ability to pay. Also, for the most part (judging from the studies Baker has examined and the anecdotes we've heard from our host families), Spaniards like their health care system. Basically everyone gets the national health care for free, and that works quite well, but  if you want shorter lines or to do alternative treatment or something, you can also purchase your own private insurance. The Spanish health care system is also regionalized -- each of the 17 autonomous communities exerts some power over the health care in their region. Also, like Britain, the Spanish system is designed according to what the data indicates to be the needs of a population -- the system is designed to provide a lot of primary care, easily accessible throughout the region or city (everyone has to go through their general practitioner first), some secondary care in hospitals (the number of hospitals built depends on the number of people in the region) and tertiary care in a few selected locations (again, the number and location of specialized centers are determined according to population size). Then we talked a bit about philosophical goals of health care systems and philosophies of utilitarianism and liberalism...

Next I went to the Museo of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, right on Calle de Alcalá. They had some fascinating engraving by Goya (including the original copper plates that had been etched!). I recognized many of the grotesque, tortured, deformed faces from the Pinturas Negras in the Prada. I liked the Caprichos -- especially the derisive ones that made fun of the aristocracy and portrayed them as donkeys in suits... There were also a bunch of etchings depicting "desastres de la guerra" and heaps of twisted corpses and people suffering.

Upstairs there were many more paintings -- a very dignified-looking San Geronimo by El Greco, mythical scenes by Rubens, The Last Supper by Tintoretto, many small paintings by Goya (children playing) and large Goya portraits too. I really liked one painting called The Taking of Christ by Gerard Seghers. It reminded me of Rembrandt's "The Night Watchmen" because of the contrast of lights and dark -- only the faces of the men were illuminated by the light of a lantern of sorts. Exemplary of "Caravagism" -- Caravaggio's influence on the handling of light. The rest of the painting was so dark, in fact, that from certain angles it looked like the hands and faces of the men were floating in darkness. (I think this actually helped emphasize the expressions of the figures..) Anyway, of course, Christ's head was best illuminated, centrally located, and most carefully detailed -- as the heads got progressively further from him, they became darker and more loosely painted.

My favorite painting though was the 1815 Autorretrato (self-portrait) by Francisco Goya. He did it when he was about 70 yrs old, which was right after he had lost six of his children and his wife and it was around the time of the Peninsular War. He has painted himself very serene, stoic, calm, introspective and rather loosely. Light illuminates his forward, which gives him a somewhat humble appearance (as if he's below something or someone). His mouth is calm, relaxed and pensive, no indication that he needs or wants to speak. He gazes upwards ever so slightly, searching for answers? Curious? What struck me most about this painting was his somewhat tilted position. Goya appears to be leaning to the left a little -- his right side. I don't know if it's an indication of feeling off-balance or overwhelmed or just aging? The longer I looked though, it appeared to me he was perhaps leaning to left as if waiting for someone or listening to someone behind him. Perhaps leaning backwards and down a little to catch the words of a child, down to his right and out of sight? I don't know, but I like self-portraiture very much, and this one especially intrigued me -- especially after having seen all those Pinturas Negras and all those curious etchings alongside Goya's enormous portraits of noblemen, kings and generals.

After the museum, walked home (going through El Retiro is definitely my favorite route haha) for la comida (salad, broccoli, potatoes and shrimp omelette -- I was happy to have many vegetables haha). Then dashed off again through El Retiro for my art class in the Prado. Even though our group is a little large to walk through the Prado, museum visits are definitely the best part of the class. Started off studying the life-size panel paintings of Adam and Eve by Durer (or Durero as they call him in Spanish). The serpent looks like an evil snake--not like a woman. Eve is almost Adam's double/mirror image; she looks very infantile and innocent, even though she's holding the apple (our teacher suggested that this was one of the early examples of infantilization of the body of women). Durer was apparently a master of human anatomy and even wrote a book about human anatomy. Also interesting, Durer (as I think I've mentioned before) was very concerned about elevating the status of artists, and his signature appears quite prominently in the center of the Eve painting.

Next, another Adam and Eve painting, this time by Titian (known for his use of color and interest in mythology). This time, the serpent looks like/is disguised as a child (to deceive Eve). Adam is seated while Eve stands to take the apple (this arrangement is unusual because Eve clearly has the more active role and in fact towers above Adam, who makes a feeble attempt to stop Eve). Then some Flemish painters depicting the Virgin Mary with a crown or as the queen of a "new church" -- beginnings of the Cult of the Virgin Mary and the Immaculate Conception. More paintings in which the virgin looks like a flower in a garden -- stark contrast to Eve in the garden of Eden. Our professor suggests Mary succeeds where her predecessor (Eve) failed.

El Jardín de Las Delicias triptych by Hieronymous Bosch. Profesora said the center panel (of the wold in chaos, fighting, sin) looked like Disneyworld. Lots of figures of monstrous, dangerous women. Then a few enormous Immaculate Conception paintings by Murillo. He specialized in these kinds of pictures of the Virgin Mary as young, innocent girl, ensconced in divine light who resembled the angels more than humankind.

After class, it was 5pm and I still had 1.5 of daylight so I decided to go on a walking tour through the barrios Lavapiés (old Jewish quarter, full of 19th century corralas -- tenements-- and mostly populated by Moroccan, Indian and Chinese immigrants today, though there are over 50 nationalities in just a few dozen streets!) and Letras (which got its name because so many important Spanish writers lived here, close to the theaters and cultural venues). Started off at the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (museum which opened in 1992; before that, the building had been a hospital since the 18th century). Walked past many Arab tea rooms, Indian restaurants and stores selling goods from China towards the Plaza de Lavapiés, location of the very modern-lookingTeatro Valle-Inclán. Passed a beautiful old library Escuelas Pías and eventually found myself in the middle of a flower market in Plaza de Tirso Molina (which is also one of the entrance points to the Sunday El Rastro market). At the corner, there was a beautiful old café with Renoir-imitation paintings on the sides, and a former prison which had been turned into Bar Avapiés. Up on Calle de Santa Isabel I saw one of my program directors, Renata, on her way to her evening flamenco class! Passed by a very cute orange and white Art Deco-stye Cine Doré (which opened in 1923) and is one of the National Film Archive sites.

Once I reached Plaza de Antón Martín and crossed the Calle de Atocha, I entered the Letras district. Found the house where novelist/poet/playwright Miguel de Cervantes (author of Don Quijote) lived and died. When he died, his body was taken to the nearby Convento de las Trinitarias. Today, the convent is closed to the public, and according to Lonely Planet, nobody actually knows where Cervantes' bones are located in the convent -- they're just floating around somewhere so it's lucky for them that the public isn't allowed to go in haha. Continued my meandering over to Plaza de la Cortes, right across from the Congreso de los Diputados (Chamber of Deputies -- the lower chamber of Spanish Parliament) with its big old bronze lions at the entrance. The lions were "smelted from cannons" that Spain used in in battle in Africa in the 1800s. This is where, in 1981, some members of the Guardia Civil tried to stage a coup (and failed) -- many took it as a good sign that Spanish democracy was here to stay. Amazing views of the city at dusk from up on this street! The streets signs around here aren't so good, but eventually I found Teatro de la Zarzuela (Zarzeula is a typical 17th century Spanish light opera, characterized by singing, dancing and dialogue) and the Círculo de Bellas Artes (a huge, very active multidisciplinary arts center). It was a fun little adventure through many different worlds of Madrid -- from the old, international, working-class zone to the most classically Spanish, Madrileño institutions!

Thursday 20 de Enero 2011
Visited the "aire libre" (outdoor) Museo de La Escultura Abstracta, right outside my Rubén Darío metro stop. 17 abstract sculptures by Eduardo Chillida, Joan Miró and Alberto Sánchez. The sculptures are hidden under the overpass, but I enjoyed taking pictures of passers-by as they passed the sculptures. I really liked the water sculpture which ran parallel to the staircases -- it looked like a forceful river but somehow it was only a few feet long. Then I ventured over to Estación de Chamberí at the corner of Calles Santa Engracia and de Luchana. It took me a while to find the entrance to the museum until I realized it was just a tiny elevator going underground! It's actually a cute story: this was one of the early metro stations on Line 1 (between stops Bilbao and Iglesia) until 1966 when the Madrid metro trains (and platforms) were lengthened. Since Chamberí station is a curvy little place, the new metro trains couldn't fit and the station basically disappeared from the maps! Thus it was abandoned until 2008 when the station reopened again as a museum. It is set up to look like the early metro stops when the metro network was inaugurated in 1919. The walls are lined with the same white tiles used back in the day; there are big advertisements for lights to light up your home, and the ticket office and passage-points look so miniature haha. Today, Madrid's metro network is the 2nd largest in Europe (after London) and 3rd largest in the world; it has 14 lines, 292 stations and more than 700 million users annually. It's also been one of the fastest to expand, particularly in the last decade. It was a very cute little museum -- and I like it's name!

Then I had Spanish class -- we learned how and when to use the present perfect, preterite, imperfect and pluscuamperfecto. The theoretical timeline makes sense but I continue to get confused in practice... Afterwards, met up with Ashley, Adam, Jonathon, Annie and Shira at La Latina for a quick dinner "para llevar" (to take away). Then walked to the stadium for the fútbol game! 10pm Real Madrid vs. Atlético de Madrid in the Atlético Stadium. The stadium was absolutely packed and the fans were raging mad. Whole sections would chant and jump in unison, and practically everyone had a red, white and blue "bufanda" (scarf). Anything that vaguely resembles Real Madrid paraphernalia is justification for attack... One of the Stanford kids was wearing his blue Larkin (as in, Larkin the freshmen dorm at Stanford) scarf under his coat, and some drunk old guy behind us ripped the scarf from Adam's neck and threw it ten rows down. We were in the lower section in the cheaper seats so that probably explains why it was rougher--lots of swearing and snickering and sloshing of cervezas. At half time (around 10:45) everyone in the stadium took out their aluminum-foil-wrapped "bocadillo" (baguette sandwich) for dinner. It was almost cute how they all were eating the same thing at exactly the same time--it reminded me of elementary school when everyone brought a packed sandwich from home, haha! As for the game itself, it wasn't very exciting overall, but Real Madrid won 1-0.  Afterwards, we were freezing cold and so wandered over to El Tigre for drinks and tapas. It was packed with people, but somehow we squeezed in and reunited with other Stanford kids before heading over to the club Joy on Calle Arenal, right next to our former hotel. I definitely liked Joy better than Moondance--better music (Moondance played a weird mix of things including the YMCA song...) and sunken dance floor and also upstairs balconies around. They did have some weird people (I want to say they were "for decoration" but that sounds odd) dressed in all metallic just dancing on random pedestals throughout the club -- like backup dancers or animated statues? It was very bizarre. Anyway, stayed at Joy until 5:30am when the music stopped and we all went to San Gines until the metro opened at 6am. We were the first people into the station. Got home around 6:30 and fell asleep inmediatamente.

Friday 21 Jan. 2011
Woke up at 11am for breakfast but promptly fell back asleep afterwards until 1pm. Showered, had my comida (Spanish rice -- which Conseulo said was "picante" but it definitely wasn't spicy haha.. I don't think spicy Spanish food is possible -- fish, salad and one of the cute little pears). Bumbled around at home for a bit because I was still so tired but went out to meet Annie at 4:30pm to try to arrange weekend travel plans for the upcoming quarter. Weren't so successful but got the Paris tickets at least! Then I headed over to the Institute to meet up with Ariana, Brittany, Ravina, Meca and Xavier to get Mexican food. One of the guys had a rough night last night -- he took a cab home at 4am but didn't have any cash on him and couldn't really understand what the cab driver was saying, so he ended up giving the cab driver his phone because the driver started grabbing for things... oh dear. We had to laugh pretty hard. Anyway, the restaurant was a cute little place near the Chueca metro stop -- covered in murals and paintings and billboards, very colorful. It was impossible to recognize most things on the menu (only enchilada seemed to be the same) but we ordered and the food was pretty good. The salsa was not spicy though haha -- the "picante" stuff tasted like olive oil. Again, affirming what I had learned about spice at lunch! Anyway, it was fun to try out a new place. Went home and relaxed, did some Spanish homework and went to bed by midnight :)

¡Mi primero fin de semana en Madrid!

13 Jan. 2011
It's thursday but no class until 5:30pm! I could get used to this haha... Went for a long "get-myself-oriented" run but that became a "get-myself-lost" run because I was completely turned around and didn't realize that the maps posted in the streets do not correspond to the orientation of the viewer. Nevertheless, it was a good run, and I saw all kinds of things and people in the streets (did not make it to the famous Parque de Buen Retiro which was my destination, but I found a bunch of other parks and green spaces and schools -- and also a few garbage dumps and giant cemetery). Returned to mi casa by noon, and then went out to get a mobile telephone! I have a plan with "Movistar" -- in Spanish, of course, this sounds like "Movie Star" -- how glamorous! Unfortunately, the first time I tried to buy the phone, I didn't have my passport with me and thus was not allowed to make the purchase. So I had to go back, get all my proper documentation and return. Luckily the lady was nice. I didn't know exactly what I should get and I couldn't fully understand her, but I knew the price it should be and I wanted a flip phone that could text -- so far it's been working well. La comida at home, then off to the metro for class. I like my Spanish class -- it seems like it will be fun and very much integrated with the cultural life of Madrid. We went down to the library to get library cards and talked a bit about future projects, conversations with Spanish students, etc. After, went on a walk through the neighborhood surrounding the Institute with Alycia, bought my Spanish text from the fotocopia store (copyright laws here are really flexible apparently, so my books were so cheap) and then returned home for la cena with Consuelo and her grandson Sebastian, a first-year univerrsity student studying law. Consuelo talks about everything from global warming to Spanish shoppers, Chinese immigrants in Madrid, abortions, Franco, how lots of Spaniards actually don't like flamenco -- I often don't understand how one conversation topic devolves into another!

14 Jan. 2011
Went on a run through El Parque de Buen Retiro this time-- I actually found it! I love watching all the people in the park. And right behind it are all the big Madrid museums -- El Prado, La Sofia Reina and the Thyssen My group went to the Prado Museo -- it is spectacular!! My group talked specifically about Ribera (composition of diagonals, use of light, depictions of the backs of people, using fishermen as models, etc.) El Greco (long, stretched out figures, his color palette, paintings divided pretty distinctly between ground and sky), Velasquez (Las Meninas -- painted in such a way that the viewer appears to be standing in the place of the king and queen! -- prominently features the artist himself) and Goya (his painting of the Royal Family got him expelled from the court because he included one of the king's illegitimate children in the painting and he depicted the queen without a face!). I also went downstairs to view the Pinturas Negras of Goya -- very dark, lots of deformed faces and disturbing subjects. I really liked one painting of a dog staring up into space. Very enigmatic and oddly calming, especially in comparison to the other paintings of that period in Goya's life... I also went to see the paintings of Durer. Adam and Eve (they appear to be dancing, their bodies complement each other so perfectly yet the composition still seems intriguing and lively). I also like the self-portraits by Durer -- he depicts himself as a gentlemen of high status, wearing gloves to cover his "workman" hands. He was passionate about elevating the status of painters such as himself -- he insisted that painters were artists, not mere craftsmen. So much to learn from the Prado! I am looking forward to visiting it frecuentemente con mi clase de "Las mujeres en las artes."
Español clase in the afternoon and afterwards, a little bit of shopping with Annie on Gran Vía, recharging our phones, etc. Dinner with Consuelo, and un poco rest before la noche. Didn't go out until almost 1am, but met the girls in Sol. Went to the bar El Tigre for vino y tapas gratis y afterwards, la discoteca "Moondance" for Adam's birthday. It's a little difficult to go out with such a big group of us (close to 20 people, I think) but we all made it in and danced until 6:00am! Exhausting but the place was packed with people the whole night/morning. I was all ready to go and get on the first metro (which starts running again at 6am) but decided to join the group for Chocolate con churros at the famous San Gines -- which is open all night long. The churros were very crunchy and fresh -- definitely a different breed than the the sugar-coated ones you normally find in the US. Finally arrived home at 7:30am (I believe I was awake for a total of 23 hours and 45 minutes! A personal record, for sure.) My bed was wonderful.

15 Jan. 2011
Woke up at noon. Haha! Consuelo has a cleaning lady come in on Saturdays, so I woke up to them talking (and gossiping about someone's boyfriend, I think.) After my (very late) breakfast, I went to Arguelles to buy a book for my Spanish class. It's by a major shopping street, so there were lots of people out. Saturday seems to be a day for shopping -- ir de compras-- because Consuelo also did her grocery shopping this afternoon. When I returned home, had my lunch at 3pm (lentil soup, omelette and flan) and felt exhausted, unsurprisingly, and so did some reading and napped and then went out for a walk through Salamanca -- a ritzy neighborhood just north of mi casa. There were even more shoppers out on the main street (which featured stores like Prada...) , this time though, all were clad in designer labels, even the little babies and toddlers were well-dressed. I enjoy just watching the Madrileños as they stroll and sip café. Returned home to watch some noticias on the tv and do some Spanish homework. Then we had la cena -- ensalada y pescado y una manzana -- around 10pm and I rested again for a bit. At 11, went out to meet Eliana and Alex in Sol. We meandered through La Latina district -- which had exploded with people in the bars -- and found a relatively less-crowded one near Tirsa de Molina. Split a bottle of wine with olives and practiced our Spanish for a couple of hours, psychoanalyzing Stanford students and sharing news about our host family life. We all agreed we felt like "almas viejas" because none of us could really handle the "going-out-until-6am" routine that most estudiantes extranjeros follow when they come to Madrid. But all three of us admitted we preferred the more relaxed, conversation-filled evening, and I really enjoyed getting to know Eliana and Alex better. Alex shared stories about how the 90-yr-old mother of his host mother was recounting to him how her husband proposed to her by singing to her balcony; Eliana could recommend a bunch of places throughout the north and eastern parts of Spain to visit (she was here in Madrid last quarter too) -- sounds like the Bilbao Guggenheim museum is amazing, there's a cool wine culture museum in Briones, and I'm really excited to go to Barcelona! Of course, we lost track of time for a bit, but still managed to catch the last metro home! I was proud of myself for getting to bed so early (2am!) so I could get a full night's rest. This horario español has dramatically altered my sense of time :)

16 Jan. 2011
Went to El Rastro -- giant flea market, market of all types -- with Britanny and her housemate John. Legend goes, El Rastro got it's name because, back in the day, vendors selling meat or leather would drag recently-slaughtered animals up the hill to the market. The blood from the dead animals left a trail down the hill and into the river. "Rastro" means "trail" in Spanish -- so the market literally is named after this trail of animal blood. Today, this market is held every Sunday and holidays -- it's open air and since it was such a nice day, every street of the market (and yes, there are multiple streets and there must be hundreds of vendors!) was absolutely packed with people. I bought a scarf with leopard print on it (now I can officially say I'm living in Madrid, haha) in the Rastro and some little boots at one of the many shops with "Rebajas" (sales -- they are only legally allowed twice a year: after the New Year and in the summer time). Walked through El Retiro to marvel at all the cute couples out in the sunshine in rowboats. Also got a t-shirt from the rebajas in the store Custo-Barcelona on Gran Vía--everything in that store is extremely colorful! It was fun to just browse. Decided to walk to the Mercado de San Miguel and sample some frozen yogurt, then walked home (discovered there is a very direct route between my house and Puerta del Sol -- very convenient, and it passes by the famous Banco de Espana, which was gloriously lit at night!). Also passed by Eliana on the way -- amazing how this city is so huge but I invariably see people I know in the streets. In Spanish, we recounted our days and made tentative plans for traveling to Sevilla and Morocco. Home for la cena, and then un poco tarea and bedtime by midnight.

Catching up on "mi semana primera en España"

Jan. 7 2011
Took taxi from the airport to La Puerta del Sol. Biggest, most lively and exciting plaza I've ever seen in my life! I don't even know what all those people were doing, but at 1pm on a cloudy Friday afternoon, it seemed like everyone in Madrid was there, shopping, meeting up with friends, eating, waiting in line for lottery tickets... I managed to trudge with my enormous suitcase through the plaza to the hotel. Abandoned my luggage in the room and immediately went outside to marvel at the plaza a little more. I took tentative circular loops around the plaza, in order to explore a new street in each direction without losing my way (streets here are deceptively curvilinear), found a tiny mediterranean restaurant that seemed to be popular and ate at the counter, later stopped at another place called "llao llao" for frozen yogurt (couldn't resist, haha). Wandered through the Plaza Mayor -- incredible as well, and SO many artists and performers in the square! It seemed like everywhere I went there were more and more people outside, enjoying themselves! Found the bustling Mercado de San Miguel, stuffed with food, tapas and wine vendors selling every imaginable Spanish delicacy, and I also stumbled across the Royal Palace and giant Almudena Cathedral. So much Baroque architecture, dramatic columns and ornate decoration! Eventually had to return to the hotel at Calle Arenal 15 to meet with the group, go over logistics and go to dinner.

Jan. 8, 2011
Took the bus to Granada to explore the Alhambra. Wow, one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. I loved it because it was so peaceful and tranquil and had amazing 360 views of the pueblo blanco (village houses painted white), the white snow-capped mountains (the houses and snow mirrored each other) and dramatic green and brown mountains and valleys off in the distance. The decorations of the palace were so intricate and detailed, unlike anything I've ever seen before, but definitely the most spectacular thing about the Alhambra was the water and fountains. The sound of the water was so calming and peaceful, especially in the gardens, surrounded by trees and plants. I really liked the water staircase (water ran down along the handrail by the staircase), and walking along the pathways, glimpsing views of the city from behind the white arches while simultaneously listening to steady flow of water -- I can't imagine anything more soothing. My words seem really insufficient to describe the Alhambra.... hmm
Travel to Nerja, small coastal town in Andalucía -- lots of German and English tourists here! But our director, Santy, argues that it's important to see the touristic side of Spain too because this country (with a population of ~47 million) receives over 50 million tourists every year! We stayed at a hotel called "El Balcón de Europa" -- how perfect :)
Went dancing in the clubs in "Plaza de Tutty Frutty" only 3 minutes from the hotel. Fell asleep listening to the gentle rushing sounds of the ocean. Is this really winter???

9 Jan. 2011
Classes about Spain and Spanish history in the morning, then free time to explore the beaches and the town. Incredible weather -- so warm, blue skies, lots of sun -- I could be in Hawaii! Paella for lunch with fish, shrimp, clams, mussels, L'Augustines (sp??), vegetables, saffron and lots and lots of rice! Very delicious. Visited the town of Frigiliana in the afternoon. Jon joked that he would name his first daughter Frigiliana -- ¡qué horror! Climbed up to the top of the mountain so we could see the snow-covered mountains in the distance as well as the sea -- makes for a very temperate climate, excellent for growing things. It was domingo, but Santy insisted we try the specialty of Frigiliana (sherry) so we went in search of this alcoholic beverage. It took several tries but we finally found a place that was open. The sherry was very sweet -- like muscat grape juice with a hint of fermentation -- but I liked it. Back to Nerja then for dinner and more dancing

10 Jan. 2011
Off to Córdoba today. Definitely cooler now that we're more inland. City of 3 religions and of great importance to the Islamic rulers. The city is a candidate for 'cultural capital of Europe 2016' and I can definitely see why! We stayed in the historic district, right next to "La Mezquita" (the Mosque which now has a Cathedral inside and is actually a Cathedral officially). La Mezquita has an incredible inner courtyard with orange trees and fountains -- these tranquil patios clearly demonstrate the Arabic influence in the city, and I wish I could see them all! Perfect places to read, think, paint, and simply disfrutar la vida. Went in search of a birthday card with Annie, Jessica and Jackie (for Shira) but I don't think Spaniards "do" birthday cards haha. This is a city with a lot of students, and we saw them everywhere (I especially saw a lot of music students lugging around their instruments). I liked wandering through the crooked, narrow streets in search of "bolsas" (purses) and "bufandas" (scarves). I observed one car scrape through the narrow streets (calles estrechas); the sound of the paint being scraped off and rubber tires against stone was a little painful!

11 Jan. 2011
We continue our journey north. First topped at Las Molinas of Don Quixote fame. Great views of "la meseta" (the valley) and again, beautiful blue skies. The flatness of the surrounding farmlands reminded me of Holland, but then I saw mountains in the distance. The windmills were very small but cute, perched on the ridge. I wonder whether the Spanish "molina" or Dutch "molen" word came first?
Next stop: Toledo! Again, a city of 3 religions and tolerance and political significance. Very distinct architectural style (no more white villages like Frigiliana and no more sandy-colored buildings of Córdoba -- now we have light brown stone and brick). More narrow streets, lots of bustling shops, and cobblestones. Visited the Cathedral. I really liked the strange, comical gargoyles that stuck out from the roof of the inner courtyard (men doing gymnastics, men with bizarre beards, animals, etc) -- the artists definitely took advantage of their artistic license. Everywhere we saw the symbols of Ferdinand and Isabella (the letters Y and F and also symbols of el yugo y las flechas, a yoke, possibly a reference to the yoke tied with the Gordian knot, and a fasces (bundle) of arrows. They really wanted to hammer the point home about Spain being a unified, Catholic kingdom.
Saw a few different representations of the Cathedral in the form of "marzapán" (a specialty of Toledo) and on the bus ride home, had a chance to sample the sweet delicacy too.
At 8:30, we met our host families (las familias anfitrionas). Mi madre, Consuelo, greeted me by enveloping me in her arms (actually, her fur coat), kissing me and then leading me through the crowd with both hands towards the bus stop. Took the bus to get my other suitcase, then a taxi to my new home -- at Calle del Alcade Saínz de Baranda. It's near the famous Parque del Buen Retiro and a few different hospitals (historically, a lot of doctors have lived here to be close to work). Mi madre worked as a nurse with Alzheimers patients for many years. Had dinner -- ensalada y tortilla (classic Madrid dish -- potatoes with egg, like a quiche, sort of... muy deliciosa) y una naranja -- and talked a lot and settled in to bed!

12 Jan. 2011
First day of classes! So weird to have school. Found my way with the metro just fine. I have 1 stopover at Nuñez de Balboa but it's very straightforward. First flamenco class -- we started late because most of the class arrived 45 minutes late, but it was fun and I loved the music. The teacher is very enthusiastic and lively and smiles a lot. She and Xavier, one of the students who was a professional dancer, danced together and it was really fun to watch. Then I had my "sistemas de la salud" class with Baker (switching over to English was SO difficult!) and then tapas and more orientation. It was so much fun to talk with everyone again and compare stories about our host families! After, had my women in art art history class -- it's going to be hard to follow because it's in Spanish, but I can't wait to visit the museums. Then a paseo por la ciudad (walk through the city) to a few different neighborhoods, and returned home for dinner. I actually really like the Spanish horario (schedule)! I feel like I can do more things in the day when lunch and dinner are later and more people are out at night. I'm surprisingly not tired late in the evening. Mi madre and I had a great dinner conversation -- I think my ability to understand her is improving hahah! We talked about America and Spain and health and working schedules and stress and diabetes and hypertension and obesity and life expectancy and how Spaniards work to live, not live to work (trabajar para vivir, no vivir para trabajar) and it was really fun! I get a little hung up sometimes when I forget how to conjugate the very correctly, and then mi madre gives me a quizzical look, scrunching her eyes trying to help extract the word from my mouth, but all in all, we can communicate pretty well! She keeps telling me she talks very loudly and talks too much and that I should go to bed, but then she continues talking about something and soon it's 30 minutes later and she's still talking haha! She's so sweet though, like a grandmother, and her little dog Doko is adorable, always greeting me with kisses and friendly playful paws. Doko is eating the carpets though -- much to the dismay of Consuelo -- and has to cough a lot! Consuelo keeps saying "la alfombra, la alfombra" so I've now learned the word for rug/carpet!

¡España!

Friday January 7th, 2010

Woke up at 6am ready to heave the massive suitcase across Athens to the airport. Got on the metro just fine (phew, no strikes today!) and managed to crowd in even at the always-busy Syntagma square. Almost died laughing when Rachel toppled backwards over her rolly suitcase in the metro. Much to the horror of the elderly Greek ladies around us, Rachel and I were both laughing too hard to pull her up, so she flailed about for a little while like a fish on land until she was finally uprighted. We continued to burst into giggles periodically for the rest of the ride -- it really was the most epic "trip" of all her many tripping incidents here in Greece -- until we realized that the the metro we were sitting on had been evacuated and it was about to head into retirement for the terminal! We scrambled off and waited in some random station for the next airport metro to arrive. Once we boarded and took off, we rose above ground and were able to catch a magnificent sunrise -- a big bright orange-pink ball rising amidst perfectly puffy, glowing clouds.

At the airport, all went smoothly (luckily the Greek check-in attendants ignored my slightly overweight luggage. Said goodbye to Rachel and boarded my 9:15 plane to Madrid! My flight is about 1/2 full, and as soon as the fasten-seatbelt sign turned off, people started moving all over the place. One couple moved into the empty row across the aisle from me and proceeded to half-way undress and make out with each other....

Time to get into Spanish-speaking mode! I better practice :)

Epiphany!

Thursday, January 6th 2010

Our last full day in Greece. We decided to take it easy and rest up in preparation for our journeys to Madrid/Paris tomorrow. Woke up at 7:30am, got breakfast at the Anytime! market (bananas, rice pudding) and spent some leisurely time in our room repacking our suitcases, checking our flights, weather, blogging, etc. Around 11am we headed outside (beautiful sunny day! ) to tour the last sites we hadn't yet seen. Actually, first we tried to rent bicycles but every bicycle rental shop we had ever seen or searched for on the internet was closed down with grills. Is this a New Year's thing or just a Greek economic slowdown thing? Who knows, but I guess bicycling in Greece will just have to wait for another time.

Decided to photograph some aspects of modern Athens that particularly appealed to us -- splat ball tchotchkes, babushka ladies with massive bundles of inflatable (perhaps also re-inflatable since who knows how many of those things they actually sell each day?) balloons and pretzel bread guys.

We visited Hadrian's library, right near Monastiraki. Learned that parchment scrolls were kept there, and a church was also built on the site. I feel like Hadrian left one of the biggest legacies in Athens in terms of architecture -- sounds like quite a guy. Rachel and I observed a man meditating in the center of a circular ruin (probably part of the church). We thought he wasn't doing such a great job meditating because he got easily distracted by the birds, but we couldn't blame him -- it was such a beautiful day outside, why wouldn't you want to keep your eyes open and absorb the sunlight?

After Hadrian's library, Rachel and I decided to venture into the tourist shops to get little trinkets of our own. I set my eyes on earrings -- blue with round dangling things of Greek art inspiration. Rachel wanted a round head in the Cycladian art style. Once we knew exactly what we wanted, we sped through the shops, checking prices, asking gentlyuntil we found exactly what we wanted. Very efficient, we joked, and we managed to find these little tokens.

After shopping and warding off salespersons, we decided to return to cafe Abyssinia for lunch. We had visited there on New Year's Eve and we wanted one last meal with a view of the Acropolis. Rachel spilled coins (from her money belt) everywhere as we walked in, but the waiter recognized us and welcomed us with a smile anyway. We had the Santorini fava bean dip and an assortment of mushrooms, onions, peppers and other vegetables. There was a cute Italian family eating nearby -- the father wore sunglasses inside and talked on his cellphone loudly during the meal. They ordered way too much food, and their cute little girls couldn't finish their plates.

After lunch we decided to explore what we called "the bomb hill" -- the hill from which 17th century invaders launched the bomb that destroyed so much of the parthenon. We scrabbled up to the top and took lots of photos, as usual. Some creepy guy asked if we wanted our picture taken together and asked for our names. We used our code/fake name -- Marissa and Bella -- and quickly turned away from him. Managed to get some pictures of the 2 of us anyway -- and it was cool to have a straight shot view of not only the Acropolis but also the Hill of Wolves and the Port of Piraeus. It was really fun to be able to look all around the city from so high up and realize how much of it we had explored and how many stories we had from each part of the city.

Descended the hill and wandered around the rocky trails -- we imagine that rebellious Greek teens come to this part of the park to smoke, drink and vandalize (judging by the amount of grafitti we found). Then we walked the perimeter of the park, stopping at a couple of bakeries along the way. We got baklava (made of almonds this time) from one and a little dough puff soaked in something with cream on top at the second. We enjoyed our Greek sweets back to our hostel, unsuccessfully researching to find the name of the 2nd dessert, and then proceeded to do laundry (it was busy this afternoon), drink tea and pack up.

At 7:30pm we ventured out for Kolonaki for our 8pm reservation at Oikeio -- the Michelin recommended restaurant which was also an "our pick" in lonely planet. It was very cute and homey inside (Oikeio means "homey" in Greek) with all kinds of mismatched chairs, fabric decorations and soft lighting. Our table had a great sweeping view of the whole restaurant and we enjoyed observing our fellow restaurant patrons. Many of them had iphones (some men had both the 3 and 4 version) and we were very confused when, at one point in the evening, the girls from one table went to join the guys at another table (Even though they had showed no sign of recognition when they walked in). Curious Greeks indeed.

After much menu-perusing and asking the waitress for recommendations, we chose the special tomato pie (very delicious and flavorful), Oikeo salad (also very fresh, with Haloumi cheese, which I liked for its saltiness and Rachel liked despite its rubberiness haha), smoked salmon rolls with dill (our favorite herb!) and delicious bread with Katiki-olive cheese. The house wine paired nicely too -- light and spritely, perfect for our excitement about tomorrow. After dinner we tried the cheesecake -- very different from anything you'd find at the Cheesecake factory. The cheese was almost like a yogurt-goat cheese, the bottom layer was like a cookie, and the cake was studded with cherries (for a brief second, Rachel and I thought they were olives haha) and drizzled with strawberry puree. It took a little while for the waitress to "update" our receipt with the dessert charge (Greek waiters always seem to give us the bill when they serve our main meal, so the bill always needs to be updated if we order dessert), but we were amused to sit and observe and imagine all the places we plan to explore in France and Spain.

On our walk home, we noticed that the big Sofias street that we usually walk on was closed off to cars and pedestrians. We asked the police officer what was going on and he said there'd been a bomb threat, so we turned around and walked down Konstantinou back to our hostel. Apart from the traffic jams everywhere, it didn't seem like a big deal, but we were glad to get back to our room anyway. Set our alarm for 6am and went to bed by 11pm.

Knowing only the direction of the sea

Wednesday, January 5th 2011

Woke up at 7, showered, let Rachel sleep in her "cave" until 8:30. Funny how she likes to create a cave of blankets for herself while I "burrow." I was surprisingly productive this morning -- sending out a bunch of SAY emails. Perhaps the mountain air revived and inspired me. Went to the same café next door for breakfast (tried to go to another first but we can't tolerate so much cigarette smoke in one confined space!). We had our fresh yogurt from the terra cotta pot, tea and these huge homemade croissants that arrived via dumbwaiter from below. After a very leisurely breakfast, which lasted until almost 10, we checked out of Hotel Sibyllia (the two young boys at the front desk looked exactly like their father who had been working there yesterday). They pointed out the hiking trail to Kirra and helped us store our luggage on the very narrow stairway. 

Then we headed down the road toward the Sanctuary of Apollo. Before we reached the entrance, there was a giant "flock" of cats eating crumbs around the café table like pigeons! First we entered the archaeological site and started the 700 ft climb up the Sacred Way, the pathway that all pilgrims used to journey up towards the Oracle. Passed by ruins of columns where vendors once sold last-minute votives, offerings and trinkets. Reminded me of the pathways leading up towards the templed in Kyoto with all their vendors and mochi shops! Rick Steves guided us along the way, thought sometimes we paused for extra tidbits of information from the tour groups. There were some old treasuries along the way where city-states left treasures, loot, and souvenirs from battle to thank the Oracle for helping them achieve victory. There were also several pedestals where statues were once placed to honor Apollo (those remaining statues are all in the museum now). Lots of ionic columns, and remains of white and black marble -- pilgrims always brought their most precious marble stone. I liked the giant ionic column. The polygonal wall was also pretty cool (sort of like Incan walls -- rocks were fitted together perfectly without any mortar). The wall had without earthquakes perfects intact (even though Greece is the most seismically active European country!). Saw an "ompholos" -- a conical stone monument whose name means "navel" -- it was supposed to mark the center of the earth. Since Delphi was considered the center of the world, it was also the starting point of history, the Greeks believed. Then we ascended to the Temple of Apollo. The few remaining columns (made of a reddish stone that seemed to be the same stone as the surrounding mountains) were SO massive--it was incredible. The temple was the 3rd and the largest temple to be built on this site. Opposite the temple entrance was the giant altar of Apollo where pilgrims sacrificed goats and other animals (100 bulls were sacrificed at the start of every Pythian Games!). In the back chamber of the temple's "cella" (interior) was the Oracle, who sat in a bowl perched on a tripod (funny--I imagine it as if she was a witch sitting in her own cauldron haha). There was a hole in the temple floor right below her, and that's where the ravine bubbled up. Interesting that the Romans vacillated between preserving the Sanctuary (ie. Emperor Hadrian) and looting it. Around 400 CE, the Roman Emperor closed down the sanctuary altogether (along with other pagan worship sites). The site was covered up by landslides until the late 19th century when excavations began.

After circumnavigating the Sanctuary of Apollo, we wended up the staircase to the theater, where song contests were held in honor of Apollo. Theaters are semi-circular while stadiums and athletic venues are more "u-shaped." Rachel and I agreed that if we were ever in the audience of the theater, we'd probably be way too distracted by the incredible scenery in the backdrop to pay attention to the performance. The theater was remarkably intact too, which was pretty cool. Archaeolgists think the Bronze Charioteer statue (now in museum) stood at the entrance to this theater. There were LOTS of cats who purred and meandered along the steps. We continued climbing up and up, enjoying the view, which became more spectacular with each ascending bend in the road. We then entered a forested area and, slightly winded at this point, stumbled across the giant stadium where the Pythian Games were held every 4 years. The stone steps seated 7,000 people back in the day (we were surprised that so many spectators could make it up so high, and even more surprised that athletes would trek up so much before their competition! getting up to the stadium was exertion enough haha). Rachel and I both enjoyed the fresh mountainous air and both felt reminded of Yosemite -- the huge rock face that stood before us could be likened to Half Dome..

Then we visited the museum as it was starting to sprinkle a bit. Lots of little bronze statues and figurines, a very cool sphinx of naxos (I didn't realize the sphinx is made up of 4 animals: legs of a lion, body of a wolf, wings of an eagle and face of a human...) The twin Kouros statues made me laugh -- they are identical twins (rare in Greek statue work) who pulled their mother 5 miles in her chariot so she wouldn't be late for the women's athletic games. They were rewarded for their heroism by "death by blissful sleep" in the Sanctuary, so the legend goes. Perfect for Anna and Laura :)

The metopes and pediments from the sanctuary were cool and told stories like the judgment of Paris. Some things were really well-preserved because they had been covered in a layer of protective dirt from landslides. There were many statues of athletes and a statue of Emperor Hadrian's lover boy (who tragically drowned in the Nile...). Definitely the most amazing piece was the bronze charioteer. He had a very intense gaze-- some say his "stunned amazement" depicts the mood of the Greeks after they defeated the Persians... It was cool how he was holding reins for horses which had been lost in the rubble -- very ghostly. The sculptor was obviously very talented -- letting the folds of the fabric curve above the belted waist but letting them fall in very straight lines below -- the charioteer looked very upright and poised but not unrealistically rigid. 

After the Archaeology Museum, the sun was shining so Rachel and I went looking for the hiking path which Rick Steves promised was 100m from the Hotel Acropole. After a few wrong turns, we found it and began our descent down the rocky but grassy mountainside like the billy goats we saw. Actually, we heard their goat bells first (didn't even know goats wore bells!) and suddenly we realized we were in the midst of hundreds of goats! They swarmed around us, staring at us with small slit eyes and then darting off to strip bark off a tree or nibble some fruit. They left their droppings everywhere, and the cacophony of sounds from their clanging bells was almost dizzying. Rachel and I got a little weirded out by some goats and their very strange horns -- we made similes to describe the various shapes, which ranged from horns like our morning croissants to horns like screwdrivers (all the better to drill into us and attack us) and horns like Pippi Longstocking pigtails. What would be the evolutionary or functional advantages of these different horn shapes?? We were also a little disturbed by the gobble tufts hanging from the goats' necks -- like teats in the wrong place? Gross... Once we passed the goats, we kept checking behind us to catch glimpses of Delphi and imagine what it would be like for the ancient greeks who carried the marble up to the site of the sanctuary way back when. We stopped at a little church and sat on a beautiful ledge to eat our apples, gazing out over the silvery green olive groves beneath. Talking about our routines at Stanford, our past family travels, Castilleja, things we want to do at some point -- all the good stuff that hiking inspires. We decided the view had so many different colors of green that the word "green" was insufficient to encompass them all. We kept looking ahead to the town of Kirra, glowing in the sunlight and perched on the shore. Funny how we could walk so far, not knowing anything about our destination but knowing only the direction of the sea.

Finally we reached the olive groves. We came across old farmers on ladders whacking olives from the branches into nets spread on the ground. They didn't seem to speak English, but they kindly smiled and pointed us in the direction of the path when it periodically disappeared into the thick wet grass. Wending our way under the olive trees, we agreed that the color and shape of the trees reminded us of "Our Day With Thee" -- the olive branches like a "crown of silv'ry hair" of an aged person. Something very peaceful about the sound of goat bells and birds chirping and the graceful gnarliness of the olive tree trunks. Eventually we came upon the sleepy town of Kirra. I wonder if that's where the names Kyra and Kira came from? Who knows. We loped along the seaside, spotted a very cute couple way off in a distant rowboat, and began our hunt for a lunch place. Most things looked closed -- clearly, this is the off-season for tourists. But we found a little taberna open right on the water (continuing our streak of meals with fabulous views). The host was a little surprised to see us, but set up our table with the usual big paper napkin, salt and pepper, olive oil and cutlery. We opened up the menu with big plastic pages and pictures of dishes, and we decided on "mountain vegetable salad" and "shrimp saganaki." Saw the host scrubbing some giant leafy green vegetable that looked like it had just been uprooted -- our salad was very fresh. Saganaki apparently is the word for a cooking pan -- our shrimp saganaki turned out to be big prawns in a tomato and cheese sauce -- very delicious, especially with our fresh bread. We were the only customers in the whole place and I think in the whole town, but the food was still very fresh and tasty. Listened to some American pop songs as we ate -- as usual.

After lunch, we ventured out in search of the bus that our guide books had mentioned could bring us back to Delphi. We first asked a convenient store shopowner where the bus  stop was and he pointed us down the street. We waited at the curb which we thought was a bus stop for a while. A bus came by, we stepped in an asked, Delphus? but he waved us out of the bus indicating that the bus went in the other direction. So we crossed the street and tried hailing the next bus -- but that driver sped past and stopped at the next block to let out a passenger by some garbage dumpsters. We ran behind the bus, waving and yelling but he totally disregarded us! Dismayed and deflated in energy, we turned back to wait a little longer and try to find the actual bus stop. The shopowner (who had probably watched the whole episode in amusement) came out and walked over to the actual bus stop (probably thought we were idiots haha). It was right next to the dumpster bins, with no indication of that actually being a bus stop... typical. So there we waited for the next 20 minutes, during which time we learned a few more letters in the Greek alphabet to decipher the surrounding signs and wonder how the name 'Greece" came from the Greek word "Hellas." A question for the Oracle (or Wikipedia) for sure. Eventually we caught a bus, but soon realized that it only took us to Itea, the next coastal town. there we had to buy another ticket to get us to Delphi, but that bus didn't leave until 5:45, and it would be the same bus that would continue on to Athens. Clearly this was unacceptable, because it was only 4:45 and we needed to get to Delphi before 6pm in order to retrieve our luggage. We sat in a café to brainstorm over tea and hot water. Rachel thought up ways we could get a local person to let us hitchhike up to Delphi, but eventually we decided to try a taxi. Our barrista offered to order a taxi for us but couldn't reach his driver friend, so we walked out to the taxi stand and got an elderly taxi driver to give us a lift. 20 euros to get up the mountain, 16km. Definitely worth it to avoid missing the last bus back to Athens haha. Drove by a town halfway up the mountain called Crissa; our driver was very excited that we came from California (he chortled at the idea of how expensive it would be to take a taxi from California to Kirra), and he told us that the aquaduct that we had crossed while hiking brings water 320 km to Athens. Luckily we arrived in Delphi at 5:30 with plenty of time to get our bags and hang around the bus station until 6:15 when the bus rolled into town. Watched some street cats duke it out under a car with lots of high-pitched screeching. So happy to board the warm bus, warm up our hands, set down our heavy bags (lugging laptops around is heavy haha) and sleep for a bit. Rachel wrote a poem about our day -- so cute! It was probably my favorite day in Greece. Absolutely idyllic scenery, hiking, astounding views, kindly people helping us along our journey/odyssey, seaside towns, fresh air, Rachel's good humor and the natural tranquility. 

When we arrived in Athens, it almost felt like coming home. We arrived at 9:15pm, then boarded a bus to go down Loisson street, then the metro from Attiki to Evangelismos. Tried to get into that Michelin-recommended restaurant for the 3rd time in a week but they were so crowded they turned us away. We did get a reservation for tomorrow night though! Then trekked back to the Metro to go to Acropoli, and finally sat down to dinner at 10:30pm. Even though we ate at a touristic café, the food was good and service was friendly. And, most importantly, it was only a 3 minute walk from the hostel. When we finally got back to the hostel, we had the privilege of lugging our suitcases out of temporory storage and back into room 10, our old room. I crashed immediately at 11:30pm. We have the lower bunks this time. 

Again though, definitely my favorite day in Greece. From the mountains to the sea and back to Athina again!