Feels like summer

Friday 25 de febrero

Start of my 3-day weekend in Madrid -- I actually have trouble remembering that it's february because it's SO warm here! I'm all ready to sport my tanktops, summer skirts and colorful flats, but the Madrileños are still wearing fur coats, scarves and subdued winter tones of black, brown and grey! Anyway... after a run in Retiro, I headed down Álcala to: 

Portrait exhibit in Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando.
Highlights:
Félix Lope de Vega and his pointy mustache
Salvador Dalí holding starfish (he was a student at this academy)
Rey Carlos II -- always interesting to see how the artist attempted to strike a balance between idealizing the facial features and accurately depicting Carlos's face so that it was recognizable.
Miguel Ángel (aka Michelangelo) -- a depiction by Vasari, who famously wrote biographies of several Florentine artists and was actually one of Michelangelo's students
Recognizing King Fernando VII -- I'm getting better at quizzing myself on these Spanish royalty!

 Also I'm excited that I'm starting to recognize artistic styles, subjects and painting schools without looking at the labels -- Profesora Domenech has taught us well. Names like Zubarán, Coello, Sorolla and Chillida are now familiar.

Also explored the more modern collection upstairs. Juan Gris, Pablo Picasso, Benjamin Palencia. I think I found a new favorite sculptor: Julio López Hernández. He has a really fascinating sculpture of his daughter drinking a cup of tea, except the sculpture is only her hands (one holding the cup) hovering above a table top, on which there is a relief of her face being reflected on the table top. It's really cool!

We had amazing weather -- 80 degrees -- so everyone was outside. Kids had the day off from school for some reason, so Consuelo's little 3-year-old grandson came over. I went to El Retiro after lunch to read and lounge in the grass. I feel like I'm on vacation at the beach!

Today was the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Joy in Plaza del Sol. Annie and I met up at Chueca, went to El Tigre and then stood in line for a while at Joy. No luck getting in because it was too crowded, but I was glad to get home before 3am and even more pleased to have figured out the night bus system! Haha

"Hanami" de España

Miércoles 23 de febrero

Class was canceled this afternoon so I decided to check out the Palacio Real -- free on Wednesdays for EU citizens. First, of course, I had the opportunity to participate in the long-lasting European tradition of waiting in line for free services! However, the weather was beautiful (70 degrees at least), sunny and I really enjoyed listening to elderly, impatient British man behind me. He read the newspaper, made sarcastic comments and knew only one Spanish word (gracias). My 2 favorite comments he made to his wife:
- how we were moving "at the rapid rate of 200 meters per hour"
-about how if he had fainted in the line from sunstroke, he probably wouldn't have realized it until 45 minutes later because the line was so long

Anyway, I also had my book about myths of Spain to entertain me, so I was perfectly content. When I did enter the Palace grounds, I first made my way across the giant plaza to gaze at the enormity of the palace (3rd largest in Europe after Versailles and Schönbrunn). There used to be a Habsburg fortress here, but it burned down in 1734 and so King Phillip V (the first Bourbon king of Spain; he was born at Versailles and was King Louis XIV's grandson) had this monstrosity (over 2,000 rooms, which are filled with clocks, tapestries, overwhelming chandeliers and so many different styles of interior decór) built  to replace it. The Royal Family lived here until 1931, and today it's just used by the king for big dinners and receptions.

I entered through the enormous staircase to the Column Room (where Spain signed her membership into the European Community in 1985). It was first a ballroom and dining room (nice dance floor). Lots of Belgian tapestries and frescos on the ceiling -- common themes of this palace, as I would soon discover. Then over to the throne room, which actually had red velvet walls. The thrones were pretty cool because the chair backing of each had a gold gilded portrait on the back -- like an oversized gold coin. The ceiling fresco showed scenes and achievements from the Spanish Golden Age (including Christopher Columbus with a Native American). Adjacent were several rooms belonging to Carlos III (the one with the bird-like face)--I liked his big round lunching divan. The Goya portraits of Carlos IV and his wife Maria Luisa were very impressive but the lighting was so poor, you could barely see them! Carlos III had a giant Rococo dressing room -- monarchs dressed in public -- with very elaborate, Chinese-inspired silk wallpaper and ceiling decorations. I loved the dressing table (from Rome) -- it was a mosaic with miniscule pieces of colorful stone arranged in a floral design.

If the previous wall and ceiling decorations weren't evidence enough that the Spanish monarchs went all out, the next room dispelled all doubts: the walls and ceilings were made of porcelain!! (Obviously, the californian in me instinctively wanted to run away in case of an earthquake, but I guess they don't have those too often here haha). There are some several hundred porcelain plates with little angels and flowering vines that have been pieced together so meticulously that all the screws are actually hidden in the vine buds so it looks seamless. Never seen anything like this. Interestingly, they disassembled the room during the spanish civil war.

Gala dining room: enormous. This is where the king entertains guests, using over 900 lightbulbs to illuminate their faces. I was also impressed by the abundance of giant Chinese ceramic vases.

Several rooms were devoted to displaying the Royal silver and ceramic collections. It seemed like every occasion warranted a new ceramic set with the current monarch's monogram and some scene or emblem. My favorite set was actually the anomaly in this pattern: I liked the porcelain set in which each piece displayed a different plant with it's Latin name. I once toyed with the idea of doing something similar with t-shirts to encourage people to learn more about plants and botanical diversity haha

Breezed through the Stradivarius Rooms where they keep the 350-yr-old string instrument quartet made by Antonius Stradivarius. There are only 300 surviving in the world, and this is the only matching quartet (2 violins, 1 viola and a cello). The Billiards Room looked very British with its wooden paneling, and the Smoking Room did it's best to look "Oriental" -- it was designed to be like an Opium Den, apparently (the only furnishings were pillows). The silk wall coverings depicted embroidered, over-simplified Asians with pigtails. Continuing through the final rooms, took note of the clocks. There are over 700 clocks in this palace (yet still, not enough for every room!) because King Carlos IV (who looked a little like a George Washington caricature) collected them. 

Stopped by the Royal Pharmacy -- probably the most fascinating place in the Palace. Here they stored hundreds of ceramic pots and glass jars of every kind of herb, root and liquid that might possibly have medicinal value. I recognized some labels, cadmium and mercury, and I was reminded me of both 10th grade chemistry and Harry Potter potions. I noticed enormous jar of cinnamon sticks, and I was surprised to learn that the Spanish doctors used cinnamon to cure fevers -- I'll have to try that next time.

Lastly, visited the Royal Armory where the monarchs not only kept armor for use but also to commemorate past victories. I had to laugh at the armor "skirts" (I guess designed so that men could still run?). I was a little disturbed by the child-size armor -- heirs to the throne seemed to be outfitted with a new suit quite regularly so that they could practice battle skills from a young age.

Enjoying the beautiful warm weather, I went for a run in Retiro. There are SO many cherry blossoms blooming right now -- it's incredible! I felt like I was in Japan for Hanami season! I hear California might get snow, and I have to say, I'm really glad that the only things falling from the sky here in Madrid are flower petals.

Alcalá de Henares -- Citadel of Cervantes

Tuesday 22 de febrero

Early morning again to catch the train for Alcalá de Henares (meaning "citadel on the river Henares") with the whole gang of Stanford kids. We met at la Glorieta de Atocha, across from 2 giant baby head sculptures. Traveled 35 km via train to reach the town, which was once a Roman city called Complutum. Famous natives of Alcalá include Catherine of Aragon and -- the city's favorite son -- Miguel de Cervantes.

First: el edificio histórico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Has an impressive Renaissance facade with three clearly defined levels -- like in Kyoto, the 2nd level is reserved for nobility and the top (3rd) for royalty. It represents the humanist knowledge of the Renaissance men. The big shield of the Spanish royalty is flanked by 2 columns (representing Gibraltar, formerly thought to be the end of the world) and two little banners reading "plus" and "extra" which refer to the discovery of the Americas and the ironic reminder that Gibraltar is not the end of the world. Anyway, the university was founded in 1499 by Cardinal Cisneros to demonstrate Spain's commitment to Renaissance humanism and ecclesiastical "modernity".  It was also intended to educate future civil servants of the monarchy (remember, Spain's empire was expanding rapidly since 1492, requiring lots of administrators!) The emblem of the university contained a wordplay of Cisneros's name (2 swans = "cisnes" en español). It was considered the center of academic excellence --especially in the humanities -- for the next few centuries, and famous people like Ignatius Loyola taught here. Interestingly, in 1836 the university was translocated to Madrid because the queen thought that such a prestigious university must exist in the capital city. But in 1977, the university here in Alcalá was reopened with the historic buildings, which have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visited a beautiful, sunlit, "trilingual" square (classical Renaissance and Mudejar architecture) where students learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew. We stopped in the grand, high-ceilinged room (once a stable) where the King and Queen of Spain now present the prestigious Cervantes prize to an author of Spanish literature from around the world once each year.

Next stop: El Corral de Comedias. Built in 1601 by the Ayuntamiento de Alcalá, it's well-known for musical performances because the acoustics are so good. Originally, it was kind of like a Shakespeare theater -- the masses congregated, standing up, in front of the stage while the upper decks and balconies were reserved for the upper class and female spectators. We got to check out the backstage area and some of the machines used to make rumbling "rain" and "thunder" noises. The building spent a few decades as a cinema, but now it's used for live theater, dance and musical performances again.

Next, las capillas (chapels) de Antezana y del Oider, founded in the 15th century by Don Pedro Diaz de Toledo, advisor to the King Juan II. Inside are collections of publications and artwork related to Don Quixote because Cervantes was baptized here October 9th, 1547. We saw the document which recorded the baptism and watched a cheesy little movie (with background music that sounded gospelly) about Cervantes.

Centro histórico: wandered the main streets, old Jewish quarter, lots of old brick/clay buildings standing with wooden stilts and with wooden beams.

The Hospital Antezana where Cervantes's  father worked (as a "surgeon-bleeder") was under construction so we couldn't enter. However, I was impressed because it was founded in 1483 for the poor, sick and pilgrims and has operated continuously with that purpose since then! I believe it is the oldest, continuously running hospital in Europe.

Museo Casa Natal (birth place and childhood home) de Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. He was born in this beautiful little house (it has an inner courtyard and rooms all around -- like Cordoban patios!) in 1547. The lower floor was where daily life took place (women's sewing, embroidery room, a kitchen, dining room, surgeon's office) and above they had lounges and bedrooms (including children's bedroom). A few of the upper rooms are now devoted to displaying various editions of Don Quixote in different languages. Brief bio of Cervantes: went to Italy in his youth, enlisted in army, fought, was wounded, captured by Turks in 1575, taken to Algeria as a slave, but rescued five years later by Fathers  of the Holy Trinity. Published the first part of Don Quixote in 1605 and had immediate success with it. Published more in the next few years and died in 1616.

After visiting the house, we had free time. The only thing actually open, aside from some restaurants (since it was the hour of siesta) was McDonald's so we sat in the main square, enjoying beautiful sunshine and making sure the big dark clouds didn't come any closer!

Returned to Madrid, stopped by Hotel Mora to see Mamma and then I went for a run through Retiro since it was such a nice day. Met up again with Mamma and we went to a greek-ish-vegetarian restaurant called Artemesia -- how appropriate given lecture yesterday. I had an enormous salad with all kinds of tropical fruit and mamma had the eggplant specialty (thus I learned that the word for eggplant in Spanish is berejena.

Since Mamma had a taxi ordered for 4am, we called it a night after dinner. It was so nice to have her here and to be able to explore Madrid together!

El lunes séptimo

Monday 21 de febrero
Flamenco morning, health care class, met up with Mamma at Bilbao glorieta to explore the neighborhood Malasaña and its funky little boutiques. Had lunch at an Asian-vegetarian place called "Isla del Tesoro" on Manuela Malasaña that served macrobiotic salad (seaweed!). Afterwards I had my women in art class, in which we discussed the question "why have there been no great women artists?" The lecture on Artemisia Gentileschi reminded me so much of Intro with Ms. Trilling during sophomore year.
Afterwards, met up with Mamma at the Reina Sofia museum to see Guernica, other Picasso paintings, Dalí work, some explicit contemporary political cartoons about the economy, and then we went explore the top floor (once we finally figured out how the elevator system worked!). I do really like the glass elevators though... great views of the square.

On the top floor, I especially like the photos from the 1950s of Barcelona city life and from the LIFE magazine article about Extremadura! LIFE definitely portrayed the region as a curious, religious, backwards place, untouched by time, but I enjoyed being able to recognize names of villages and references to Guadalupe and Yuste. There were also some very modern pieces -- a stove bursting with brownie mix (?) and huge depictions of the death of Marcel Duchamp.

After spending nearly 3 hours in the Reina Sofia, Mamma and I went back to that salad place to get a bite to eat and then relax our weary feet in Hotel Mora. Noticed that the McDonald's on Paseo del Prado has such nice furniture! And it's always so crowded.

Bing Trip Day #3 -- Guadalupe y Céramica

Domingo 20 de Febrero
Woke up at 8, breakfast and then back on the road at 9:30am. First we stopped just outside of Mérida to marvel at the ruins of the giant Roman aquaduct. The water came from a source some 5km from the city, and it was used to transport water in a system that actually provided running water in all the Roman homes in Mérida! We talked about how the building was not only built to serve it's function but also to be aesthetically pleasing -- the giant cement columns were covered and supported by big grey granite stones, between which were bands of red brick. The brick was also used to make the arches between pillars. Really quite impressive how well they transported water... Then we stopped by a reservoir constructed by the Romans. It was and still is also a place for leisure -- bars, windsurfing, boats, bathing, everything is available. Sort of like Shoreline park in Mountain View haha.

Next stop: Guadalupe, a little town with some 2,000 residents. This is where the Guadalupe river begins. Apparently "gua" is the Arabic word for river, and this is why so many Spanish rivers start with this sound.

We arrived at the impressive Real Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe around 12:30pm and the plaza was filled with tourists and pilgrims, many of whom were nicely dressed. The monastery is a UNESCO world heritage site with origins in the 13th century. Story goes: a sheperd was attending his herd along the banks of the Guadalupe River. He sees a cow dies,  goes to cut off it's feet to salvage the leather, but then the cow rose up again, and the stone beneath it also rose up, and there appeared this Virgin Maria (the statue had probably been hidden by earlier Christians when Moors invaded the region in 714). At the site of the discovery, the monastery was built and the statue is still here today. After returning from his first voyage to the Americas, Christopher Columbus journeyed to this monastery to give thanks for his good fortune. 

 I really liked the architectural style of the monastery -- Gothic on the bottom with "Mudéjar" (Muslims posing as Christians in Spain to avoid expulsion) arches, tiling and thin columns on the upper parts of the building. We took a guided tour through the monastery, around the central courtyard (which was beautifully green, sunny and lush with a beautiful exemplary structure of the Gothic-Mudéjar mix): a collection of paintings -- some by El Greco, one by Goya but really just tokens -- carved statues of Christ dead, Christ on the cross, saints escaping lions (which were eaten by termites because they'd been carved of wood).

There was a great collection of GIANT hymn books made of leather pages sewn together and bound with gigantic metal clasps. Each page was illuminated with extremely detailed depictions of Biblical stories and had the hymn words and musical notes printed big for everyone to see. In my mind, these books functioned like 15th and 16th century powerpoints to help the monks practice their songs... Also saw a bunch of robes and capes, which were produced here in a semi-factory established at the monastery. Our guide was very enthusiastic about the five crowns of the virgin and the many many relics kept here at the monastery (I didn't look to closely, but most seemed to be fingers and portions of arms). Then entered the church as the organist commenced playing -- so much ornate Baroque decoration -- and also the Sacristo to see portraits of Spanish kings (every single Spanish king has visited here). I was pleased to recognize Charles II's hideous underbite! Then the room with Zubaran's enormous 8 paintings; I think depicting scenes from the life of St. Jeronimus. I'd never heard of this saint before, but he is all over Spain. It was cool to see that these rooms and the furniture is still being used -- we saw a monk putting on his cape and stuffing his "street clothes" into one of the exquisitely decorated drawers in preparation for Sunday mass. Then we went up to see a room with big painting depicting scenes of the life of the Virgin Mary and wooden statues of the 8 women from the Bible (like Judith). Finally, what we'd all been waiting for, we were lead into a tiny alcove. In front of us was a panel with some thirty odd enamel tiles depicting scenes of Spanish history (Cervantes appeared, as did several kings including Carlos V and Felipe II). We had to avert our eyes as the old men turned the pedastel. We we looked back, there was the main attraction, the Virgen de Guadalupe: basically a doll/statue of the Virgin Mary holding a very tiny Jesus. Both were adorned in ornate gold and green clothing. Made of wood, the faces of the statues appeared dark brown/black. The monk-guide told us that there are several theories as to why this is. One is that the sculptor was inspired by a sentence in some Biblical translation in which the Virgin Mary says "I am morena -- brown-skinned -- but I am beautiful". Our monk-guide told us he "doesn't like" this theory and instead prefers the theory that the craftsmen liked the natural look of the wood or could only find dark wood. Regardless, this is the original "Virgen" after which so many towns, rivers, neighborhoods, churches etc. are named after in Latinoamerica (mostly because so many explorers like Cortes came from this region of Spain). It's so important in Spanish history and to Catholics here that over time, the tiny monastery in which the statue was kept expanded and expanded each year, received more and more artistic commissions, etc. Interesting how one idea can spark and inspire so much labor and so many pilgrims (to this day!). Some of the people and families in our guided tour were clearly religious pilgrims, coming to bring their young babies to kiss the Virgen (the baby didn't want to). Really a beautiful place though.

We then had lunch in the monastery (it has a hotel too). We were served salchichón (some sort of sausage made of blood...) and then paella guadalupense (with seafood!) and roast chicken with potatoes and ice cream cake for dessert. Afterwards, had free time -- Brittany and I went wandering through the town to marvel at the beautiful hillsides covered in olive trees and the newly blooming cherry blossoms. Left Guadalupe, this hidden little village of many pilgrims, at 5pm.

Then visited a ceramics factory (Artesanía Talaverana) in Talavera de la Reina to see how they make those ceramics. I asked Isidro about differences between Spanish and Dutch pottery. He said all pottery, ceramics originally came from the Chinese. The Spanish probably were introduced to pottery by the Arabs because Spanish pottery traditionally includes very Arabic colors -- yellow, blue and green. The Dutch pottery is usually blue and white -- different coloring.

Returned to Madrid at 9:45 and reunited with Mamma for a brief salad dinner.

Bing Trip Day #2 -- Ruta de Jamón and Roman Vomitorios

Saturday 19 de febrero
Woke up at 8, showered, lovely bfast in the hotel. Local figs, fruit, goat cheese, sheep cheese, fresh bread, yogurt, strawberry juice. Then we left our castle hotel for a "Dehesa" -- a particular kind of free range farm. The name of the farm was Monfragüe I think (named after the Monfragüe wildlife reserve, declared a national park in 2007) and they raise pigs and cows. This was the first stop on our "Ruta del Jamón." We took a trek through the oak trees, crossing little streams to have a look at the cerdos ibericos (Iberian pigs, used to make Jamón Iberico). They are very active little pigs -- cute, black and brown. The ones we saw were 4 months old, so they had 14  more months to live. (To make Jamón Iberico, the pigs are killed 18months.) There are a few distinctions to make. First, between these pigs (which have black hooves) and the standard white-footed pigs which are raised in most of Europe and the US. The cerdos blancos tend to be much bigger and don't get nearly as much exercise because they are usually kept in some sort of pen. The second distinction we learned was between Jamón Iberico and Jamón Serrano, which is also classically Spanish. While the species of pig is the same for Jamón Serrano and Jamón Iberico, the Iberico pigs roam free and feed on roots, grass and most importantly, acorns (bellotas). These acorns (from the roble y encima trees) are what give the meat it's unique flavor. Serrano ham pigs, on the other hand, are generally just fed pig feed. Apparently, the higher the percentage of the pig's diet is acorns, the more they can sell the meat for.

After gawking at the pigs for a while, we returned to the farmhouse to marvel at the old farm tools (a ladder made out of one tree branch, a training potty for the fields) and then had a "degustación" to taste the difference between Jamón Iberico, Jamón Serrano and "lomo" of the two different pigs. The Jamón Iberico was a darker red color and had a more defined distinction between the red muscle and the white strips of fat. The Serrano ham was much more pink. I definitely preferred the Iberico -- more nutty and salty in flavor while the Serrano was more meaty, if that makes sense. I'm not the best connoisseur of meat, but the Iberico was more like a dried prosciutto to me.

Next we took the bus to a factory where the pig carcasses are processed and cured to actually make the Jamón Iberico that is sold in stores and restaurants. Though the lomo (loin or back of the pig) is removed separately, each leg of the pig retains its hoof (and sometimes pieces of dark wiry hair too...). Obviously the front leg is smaller than the hind leg, but the average time it takes to cure a piece of meat is about 2.5 years. First, the meat is put in a giant room flooded with salt. The amount of time spent in the salt room depends on the weight -- 1 day for each kilo the leg weighs. Then we saw a giant room with all  kinds of sausages, chorizos, salicios and something else that sounded like "chucilla" but was basically a mix of pig blood and pig fat. I think this might have been what Gustavo was insisting I try.

Then we saw another room with lots of meat hanging -- started to get accustomed to the smoky, meaty rancor of the factory. Then we descended to a room in which the floor was covered in a layer of grease and fat -- some from the Jamón, some from the olio and waxy stuff used to preserve them. The legs danged from the ceiling along with signs indicating the name of the farm from which they came. This is where the Jamón stays until it's ready for sale!

Next we took the bus to Mérida -- capital city of the community and one of the biggest, most important towns of the region. The "Archaelogical Ensemble of Mérida" was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. The Romans established it in 25 BCE with the name "Emerita Augusta" (which meant "discharged soldiers of the army of Emperor Augustus"). It got it's name because the town was built for retired soldiers of the Roman army (Mérida come from the same roots as "Emiritus"). It was the capital of the Lusitania Province of the Roman Empire, and was one of the most important Roman cities. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Visigoths took over and the city was the capital of Hispania. The Arabs conquered it in 713, and the Christians regained it in 1230.

Since this was a planned city, the streets are straight and the blocks are rectangular -- regimented like an army -- so it's much easier to navigate than all those winding little city centers we've seen so far! When we arrived it was raining, so we ducked into the hotel (Palacio Mérida) and descended into the cave-like hall for lunch: potato purée soup with bits of Jamón Ibérico, white fish with zuchinni and a creamy strawberry cake for dessert. Finished around 4:30 and then had our "visita" through the city. First stop: Templo de Diana -- a giant Roman temple that immediately reminded me of adventures with Rachel in Greece. Since so many retired Romans lived here, they needed plenty of spaces for leisure, worship and demonstrations of the glory of the Roman empire. Here in Mérida is the 2nd longest Roman bridge in Europe (la puente). I think the longest is somewhere along the Danube river.

Next we entered the teatro and anfiteatro. The Theater was a semicircular construction that has been restored using the original stones. This is where not only theatrical and musical performances were held but also elections, debates and political events. It held some 6,000 spectators back in the day. There were several grand columns supporting the backing of the theater, and some statues. Not many of the arches were preserved of the actual stage area. However, the arches of the "vomitorios" were still is good shape, or at least well-reconstructed. This was my favorite tidbit of the visit -- seeing these tiny entry/exit passages (the vomitorios) through which the entire audience had to exit the theater within 5 minutes (the theater "vomited" through these orifices). There are plenty of other connotations seeing that most sports stadiums have adopted the same architectural structure, but this is the original meaning of the word.

Passed by a little basilica constructed of building debris, leftover materials (used to be painted and decorated but everything of value was stripped from the building over the past two mileniums by locals wanting cheap building supplies for their own homes in town). I liked the mosaic on the floor -- this was a common practice among the Romans, and there were many more "mosaicos" to come! Then stepped into the anfiteatro (oval-shaped) which was basically an arena. This is where the lion fights and other sporting events took place. It also held thousands of spectators. It's not in as great of shape as the theater (which actually holds plays and performances now) but the inside of the arena is basically a giant mud pit.

Next visited the museum. I really liked how the architect/designer of the museum was so conscientious of the place and function of this museum -- to display Roman art. It was constructed to resemble Roman buildings -- huge rounded arches made of millions of bricks (ladrillo = brick en Español). Reminded me of the giant aquaduct in Borde's Hill in England. First went outside to check out this old Roman road that once stretched from Mérida to Córdoba and also excavations of old houses, courtyards and patios. Stopped to admire heads and bodies of emperors (heads and bodies were made in separate workshops by separate craftsmen. Basically, the body could be recycled and used for several different rulers as long as their heads were changed appropriately). These statues, and the coins depicting the heads of the emperors, were very important in ensuring that the citizens knew the face of their ruler. In fact, it's politically essential to have this instant facial recognition if you have to be elected for each term! We also admired needles, buttons, ceramic house lamps, glass bottles (glass = vidrio), and my favorite, enormous mosaics! The mosaics were actually used as floor tiling, but they're so enormous it's impossible to admire them fully unless they're hanging on a wall that spans 4 stories! The tiles were tiny and generally one of four colors. We saw a hunting mosaic, depicting a Roman killing a boar in the center with his javelin and personifications of the 4 seasons on the side. Then lots and lots of geometric patterns (obviously easy for historians to reconstruct).

After the museum, had some free time in which Eliana and I explored the town at dusk, mostly just finding roundabouts (glorietas en español), shopping streets and more Roman ruins. Reunited at the hotel to hunt for dinner -- ended up at an Italian place with the primos (cousins) "Duglas and Juanaton" -- and then I went to bed early, so tired from the full day!

Madura extrema -- Bing Trip Day #1 -- We go West

Friday 18 de febrero
Early morning wake up at 7am to shower, desayuno and catch the bus for Viaje Bing -- our weekend excursion sponsored by the generous Bing family. Drove a couple hours to reach Extremadura, the semi-south-western Spanish autonomous community (contains 2 provinces: Cáceres and Badajoz).  Extremadura, we're told, is the "least discovered" part of Spain. It's known for wildlife, places where kings retreated when they got tired, and for being the homeland of many Spanish explorers who would eventually become 'conquistadores' in the Americas. For example, Hernán Cortés (led expedition that conquered the Aztecs in Mexico), Francisco Pizarro (conquered the Incan Empire, established Lima, Peru), Hernando de Soto (led first European expedition deep into what's now the USA; first European to cross the MIssissippi River) and Vasco Nuñez de Balboa (first European to lead expedition that reached the Pacific Ocean from the New World) were all from Extremadura. The community shares a border with Portugal on the west, and is home to about 2.74% of the Spanish population today.

Our first stop was Cuacos de Yuste, in the northern part of Cáceres. We stopped outside of the monastery (order of Jeronomus -- friars (?) or monks which historically had very good relationships with the Spanish royalty). It's nestled in the mountains and we could see beautiful snow-covered mountaintops in the distance, but the weather was warm, sun was shining and all I could hear were birds singing. Very peaceful and a welcome respite from the city bustle. Suddenly immersed in the beauty of this region, I could understand why Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (aka King Carlos I de España from 1517 or 1519 until he abdicated to his son Felipe II) decided to spend the final (two) years of his life here. He was tired, suffering from gout and I think diabetes too, and needed somewhere peaceful and tranquil to rest and pray and be the best Catholic he could be. So he had this Casa-Palacio built adjacent to the monastery and lived here for those final days. We entered through his study -- this room and the adjacent dining room (where Carlos enjoyed 2 hour lunches and siestas) were filled with late morning sunlight. The furniture was Flemish and the walls were decorated with copies of famous portraits (for example, the post-mortem portrait of Isabel of Portugal, which we studied in Art class, that Carlos commissioned Titian to paint to memorialize her beauty). Isabel was Carlos's only wife, but he apparently had several amantes (lovers) after her death. Nevertheless, Isabel's death had a profound effect on Carlos and he remained in mourning (for both her and his mother -- Juana the Loca, who never got a chance to rule because her parents -- Isabel & Ferdinard -- passed the Spanish throne directly to Carlos) for the rest of his life, as evidenced by the black curtains all over the house.

Next we saw the dining room -- Carlos apparently loved to eat, ate lots of meat and drank lots of beer. He had a reclinable chair (like his son Felipe would have) to alleviate the pain of his gout. He also had a little transport chair/bed thing (lifted onto the shoulders of his carriers) in which he traveled for his final journeys. In his days, tapestries of course would have hung on the walls.

Being a devout Catholic, Carlos's bedroom was built right next to the church -- just like Felipe II built his bedroom in El Escorial. He wanted to be able to hear the Mass from his bed in case he was in too much pain to get out. His bed was relatively modest and lumpy too. From his room we climbed up the very narrow, low-ceiling passageway to the church. Frigid cold, all stone. Not very big though. There was a giant altar painting depicting the Judgement of Carlos I. I could recognize him by his signature beard; his wife Isabel was by his side and so was Felipe II, his son. They were all positioned to the right of the painting; up and to the left the artist had depicted god, the son and the holy spirit. How weird to have a picture of your death hanging in the church where you prayed everyday....

Also of note: Carlos wanted to be buried under the altar of this church, and described the exact manner in which he wanted his body to be kept. The body was kept under the altar for a few years (we went down to visit), but when Felipe II came to visit, he was very displeased and had his father's body moved to El Escorial instead.

It really is quite a modest place. We had a chance to peek at the courtyard, very beautiful, Roman style with lots of greenery. Apparently there is also a lower floor were Carlos spent the hot summer days. That lower floor now houses offices and occasionally (for example. last week) there are important politicians who visit and treaties or agreements signed here (Carlos V/I is often brought up whenever there are discussions about the EU because in a way, he ruled a prototype of the European Union back when it was the Holy Roman Empire).

Ate our bocadillos (sandwiches) outside under the trees on little stone stools and picnic tables. Then we were met by a guide in a bright blue jacket, crazy curly hair, hi-tech hiking clothes (brand: Quecha, I thought that was fitting given the whole conquistador tradition...) and a backpack full of dried apricots and first aid materials. He led us through the oak forests, pointing out all the different plants, acorns (bolletas), stones (eg. white quartz) and birds we saw. I think the hike was something like 5km, and we all walked 3/4 of it and rode the other 1/4 on horseback! There were ten horses so we rotated. I liked the walk -- especially since it was such a beautiful day and the ground was so soft with fallen, decomposing leaves -- but the horseback riding was really fun! I was reminded that many of the Spaniards who explored the Americas came from this region we were in -- Extremadura -- and probably learned how to ride horseback through these mountain trails too! I rode a beautiful chestnut-colored horse named "Miel" (honey) who walked at a nice brisk pace and liked to eat things along the way. Meca was in front of me and his horse was a bit slower, so Miel kept nudging the behind of Meca's horse--until that horse let off some gas in Miel's face, haha!

Our walk/ride ended at an old Roman bridge which led to a tiny little town called Garganta La Olla which had some 1500 residents. Very tiny, old and sleepy. I only saw old, weathered folk out and about. The "Plaza Mayor" was a tiny little square with a fountain with flowing water for humans and a pool of water for the horses. We talked a bit about the architecture -- clay bricks, mountain stone, wood -- many of the houses had appendages elevated up above the street on wooden stilts. There was a "Mueso de Inquisitión" which (luckily) was closed. Many of the buildings were 3 stories high. The first floor had big double doors so that the animals could enter (animals slept on the bottom floor; their body heat was used for climate-control). On the second floor the people slept, and on the third, they had their kitchens. Very cozy!

After stopping in a bar for bathrooms and drinks, we boarded the bus again and headed to our final stop for the day: our hotel, Parador de Jarandilla. But this wasn't an ordinary hotel -- it was a castle. And not just a castle but the castle where King/Emperor Charles I/V stayed for almost 2 years as he waited for his Casa-Palacio to be built in Yuste. It was a beautiful stone building, very well preserved, with towers, sweeping views of the village and countryside, and entrances slightly askew to delay possible enemies. I shared a room with Ashley and Leigh once again. After a brief tour of the castle, we went to the little market for snacks (food is incredibly cheap here) and then rest until dinner.

At 9pm we had our first "Bing dinner" of the quarter. We even received little menus explaining what we'd have to eat! Started off with an amuse bouche of goat cheese and quince, a little toast with sausage and sheep's cheese. I really liked the goat cheese -- very fresh. The sweet local wine was a delicious complement, as was the fresh walnut bread! Then a tomato soup with figs (unusual but tasty combination), and then a plate of stewed beef with red peppers and new potatoes. For dessert, something I'd never heard of but I'll definitely look for again: "Repápalos con Leche y Canela." Little balls of dough swimming in cinnamon milk -- kind of like soggy cereal haha! There was no way I was going to take coffee as it was already 10:45 and I fell asleep immediately.

Rewind -- catching up!

Miércoles 16 de febrero
Flamenco, learned 4th and final part of the Sevillanas. Then Health Care class, talked about different configurations of patient cost-sharing. After class, tried to visit the monastery of barefoot nuns (which royal Spanish women often joined if they disliked their husbands) but all tours were full for the day. Walked home along Alcala (raining a bit) and stumbled across an art gallery that had just opened!

An art exposition called "El Futuro del Pasado" by Yinka Shonibare, a London-born artist. I walked into the middle of the free guided tour. There was a giant piece that had been designed for one of the rooms: an 18th century cannon being loaded by 2 headless figures. The cannon balls were a little bigger than softballs and looked very soft, made of that stretchy fabric. The cannonballs and then late 18th-century suits of the men were made out of the same fabric -- which was not only cheap and stretchy-looking but  also decorated in garish bright colors. On the other side of the room, there was a giant pile of balls which, the piece implied, had been shot already and had collected in the corner of the room. I guess it was a commentary on our conceptions of violence and the happy-go-lucky, bombs-away attitude towards using weapons.

There were also lots of collages -- some featuring actual photos of dog shit -- with commentary about global warming, environmental destruction, consumerism and all sorts of fabric and newspaper clippings. I really liked the display of 3 statues -- again headless men in similar late 18th-century suits (reminded me of America's founding fathers) made of that bright stretchy fabric (though this time the fabric was worn and threadbare at the knees). The statues had wings and each represented one of the Big Three American car companies: Ford, GMC and Chrysler. The statues were bowing, as if asking for forgiveness, and they each had quotes engraved in their wooden bases which said things like "we have heard your message loud and clear" or "we are committed to the safety of employees" and other snippets of public relation-y spiels.

A similar series: 5 photographs of a man (dressed in the same weird colorful, 18th century costume, but this time with a head and wig) sleeping at a desk while owls and creepy animals of the night swarmed around him. Although you couldn't see the face of the men, you could tell that each man was of a different race. Each picture was entitled the same thing "The sleep of reason produces monsters in X" where X was one of five continents (Europe, America, Australia,  Asia, Africa). But interestingly, the apparent race of the man didn't correspond to the race one would commonly associate with that continent. For example, "The Sleep of Reason produces monsters in Africa" had a white guy sleeping; the Asia picture had a black man sleeping, etc.

Finally, there was a very graphic, grotesque series of photographs involving a group of about 12 naked adults depicted as slaves or prisoners -- covered in dirt, exposed, performing hard labor. It made me realize how weird and bizarre those old paintings which depict rape or exploitation (eg. Rubens or Delacroix) really are. I think because I've seen so many paintings of those subjects, I'm desensitized to the violence they depict, but when I see practically the same scene in photograph, it's much more shocking and real to me. Interesting how the manner of representation changes one's reaction and perception of the work.

Returned home for lunch -- fish and potatoes in yellow sauce, salad. Then packed up and headed to the Thyssen museum. First time visiting and it was beautiful! Very elegant -- and amazing to think this was once a private collection. Favorite pieces included:
-portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni -- now the primary image used for merchandise from the museum. The inscription in the background says something like "a depiction of the conduct of this lady's soul could not be more beautiful".
-Impressionists, Degas's "Dancer in Green"
-Rembrandt paintings
-many many portraits, especially Renaissance portraits
-Ernest Ludwig Kirchner paintings -- I especially liked "Fränzi in front of carved chair" (young girl with green face)
-Edward Hopper's "Hotel Room"

After museum, walked to Sol to meet Mamma! We found each other in the street, first had coffee and dessert at the Mallorquesa pastelleria in Sol. Then went for a stroll despite the rain, through La Latina, Lavapiés, Atocha, up the Paseo del Prado, in the Caixa Forum to watch a movie about an Indian orphan with AIDS (el SIDA), then to the Prado museum. Whirlwind tour of the Prado but saw Adán y Eva, El Jardín de las Delicias por El Bosco, Van Der Weyden's Descendimiento, Tiziano's Adán y Eva, Las Meninas por Velázquez, la estatua de Carlos V por Pompey Leoni and a few others in between. It was so wonderful to be able to share what I'd learned from my class and from Isabel with Mamma. But with so much to see were were pretty tired afterwards and went in search of food. Tried to use Lonely Planet to find a restaurant but all the ones recommended weren't open yet because it was only 8pm. Found a place near Plaza de Santa Ana called "El Grotto" and had some tostas, salad, and a delicious apple tart. Walked about a bit more through Las Huertas neighborhood and returned to Hotel Francisco Primero. I ended up staying the night -- too tired to return home!

Jueves 17 de febrero.
Woke up a little later than anticipated -- 8am! Showered, quick bfast on the run and then hopped on the metro for the Moncloa bus station. Caught a bus to El Escorial quite easily an enjoyed a very pleasant ride to the region Northwest of Madrid. It's amazing how quickly you find yourself among snow-covered mountains and small pueblos. Not knowing exactly where to disembark, we got off the bus a little too soon and had to trudge uphill in freezing cold weather -- snow from the trees blowing in our face, the icy wind almost knocking us off our feet, which already didn't have great gripping on the icy sidewalks. But soon we reached the pedestrian-friendly old town of El Escorial (elevation 3,500 feet) and made our way to the monastery.

Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial was built by King Felipe II during the Counter-Reformation -- Spain was trying to prove to the glory of Catholicism and defend Spain from the heretic Protestants. The construction of the palace was so expensive and labor-intensive it took 22 years to build (1562-1584) and basically bankrupted the country. It has 2,600 windows, 1,200 doors, over 100 miles of passageways and 1,600 tourists each year (many of whom are actually Madrileños and Spaniards). This was the palace from which Felipe II directed his own Inquisition. The building is supposed to house and represent Catholic piety, education and arts. The building also contains the grand mausoleum in which the deceased Spanish royalty (beginning with Felipe II's father, Carlos V/I) are kept. The monastery was built for the royal family and Spanish court to pray for all the royal souls, the chambers used for political counsels and gatherings, and the complex also has a massive library to support Catholic education.


It really is a beautiful location -- situated in the mountain side with a grand sweeping view of Madrid in the distance. Needing to warm up a bit, we had some coffee and very fresh orange juice in the café of the Monasterio. Even the café had enormous vaulted ceilings and was made of impressive granite stone. Then we began our visit.
First: Chamber of the Honor Guards -- room of tapestries from the 16th century. The first tapestry was a copy of El Jardín de las Delicias por El Bosco! How appropriate since we'd just seen the actual painting the day before. The tapestries were in excellent shape -- colors still vibrant, the yarn still taut. Mamma kept saying they looked like they'd been made yesterday. The information guard lady at the entrance was extremely enthusiastic about tapestries and obviously very proud of the room in which she was stationed. So nice to see how Spaniards are so proud of their heritage and so eager to share that pride with foreigners like us. In the adjacent room was a giant painting "Martyrdom of St. Maurice" by El Greco. Apparently, this is the first painting El Greco made after arriving in Spain from Venice. He had come to Spain, like many artists at the time did, to answer Felipe II's call for artists to depict religious scenes to bolster the efforts of the Counter Reformation. However, El Greco's painting was too complex and subtle for Felipe II's taste (Felipe II really liked El Bosco and some of the more classic Italian painters) and so El Greco moved on and established himself in Toledo instead.

Next came a giant room showing buildings from other cities that were used as inspiration for El Escorial, architectural designs, topographic plans, machinery and diagrams that were used to construct this massive project which lasted a generation, absorbed mucho dinero and basically bankrupted the Spanish empire. Clearly, this was THE building to establish Spain's commitment to the Counter-Reformation and it looks like they didn't cut many corners. We saw massive tongs to lift huge blocks of stone, models of the rooftop structures, tools, tiles, everything related to the construction.

Next entered the gallery of paintings which Felipe II and subsequent monarchs with which chose to decorate the palace and monastery. Felipe II really liked straightforward art that communicated religious virtues clearly and forcefully. Not much ambiguity or pushing boundaries. It was funny to see copies of some works (for example, Mary of Hungary, I think had Van Der Weyden's Descendimiento copied so the royal family could have one copy in Madrid and one in El Escorial). It became very clear which artists were most popular among different kings. I was pleased to start recognizing names of artists I'd never heard of before coming to Spain, but now I recognize because there are streets named after them (and I walk those streets on my way to school!). For example: Zurbarán, Claudio Coello, Ribera, Murillo.

Next up to the Hall of Battles. This hall contained enormous frescos of several different religious wars (against France, against Moors, capturing the Portugese capitals). It was a good "lesson in warfare" and very clearly demonstrated the battle formations of the times. It was interesting to see how they depicted Moors always with cloth wrapped around their hands, bulky facial features, dark skin and lots of facial hair. Mamma and I spotted one woman in the frescos. Apparently Felipe II didn't like warfare too much, and he only actually participated in one of the military excursions...

Walking towards the Royal living quarters, we passed by some very old, detailed family trees (literally trees with names written in the leaves sprouting from branches). First we saw the bedroom of Felipe II's daughter (she had a great view of the gardens, but her room was freezing cold!! I was shivering under my sweater, 2 coats, gloves and scarf). All the beds we saw were quite small and narrow (Felipe II was extremely pious and obviously didn't allow for indulgences or unnecessary comforts). She had a little writing desk though and beautiful drawer set. In her room were portraits. Mamma recognized Felipe II right away -- all those years in Catholic school certainly have had a powerful effect on her visual memory. Next we visited a chamber with a reclinable chair that Felipe II was carried in in his final days as he died of gout. He was carried to El Escorial from Madrid because he wanted to die here. The chair was creepy and though it had some cushioning, it was definitely barebones. Next we passed through the audience chamber which had a great selection of royal portraits. Mamma and I had to laugh at Rick Steves' descriptions: on the right of Carlos I/V was a guy wearing red tights to show off "his great legs". Facing him was an unfortunate portrait of a blond Carlos II who had a severe underbite, seems to have been a midget, was also epileptic, and died leaving no heirs, hence precipitating the Wars of Spanish Succession. You can tell by his facial features he was the product of too much inbreeding...

Next we entered a long gallery in which Felipe II used to stroll with his children for exercise. The room received lots of light and had a tile floor. There was a very innovate sundial on the floor: it was made of a metal strip positioned diagonally on the floor. Light entered from a tiny pinhole up above and the beam of light indicated the time of day and something about the zodiac too. Very nifty. I liked studying all the maps of the world displayed around this room (Mamma and I had fun looking for places we recognized in the many maps of Holland! It seems like there are connections to Holland wherever we go haha). I also liked seeing the 4x3 ft portable altar than belonged to Carlos I/V. It was very shiny and depicted about a dozen important religious scenes in relief. Must have been bulky to transport though!

Finally we made it to Felipe II's bedroom. I was pleased to see a portrait of Isabel of Portugal hanging nearby (we'd just talked about her in art class -- she was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time, but died relatively young and, not surprisingly, looked grotesque once her body started to decompose. Sparked many people to write and paint about how beauty is transitory and this ideas that the most beautiful people in life are the ugliest in death). Felipe II's bed looked like a twin bed and looked very lumpy and uncomfortable haha. I liked his desk area though -- especially all the exquisite renderings of plants and birds (by Albrecht Durer) hanging in his study. Education was extremely important to Felipe II.

Next passed by the tombs where all the Spanish kings and some of their mothers are buried. Interestingly, there is waiting line for the corpses to be entombed. They have to decompose for a few decades first and there's some sort of hold up in the line at the moment...

Entered the massive basilica -- enormous vaulted ceiling, beautiful round basilica ceiling, impressive frescos depicting hundreds of souls on the ceiling. In the center of the altar piece is a painting of San Lorenzo (saint after whom this Monasterio is named) being killed by Romans on a giant grill. Mamma says she never wants to eat BBQ again haha -- I liked hos Rick Steves said Lorenzo gives new meaning to the expression "turning the other cheek" -- Lorenzo is twisting on the grill, exposing bare buttocks. Seems a little indecent for the center of the altar but I have faith that Felipe II knew what was appropriate for Counter Reformation church décor. Also checked out a beautiful marble carving of Jesus on the cross (all one piece of stone). The artists, apparently, carved this piece for his own grave, if I understood the Spanish description correctly.

Finally investigated the Biblioteca. On the ceiling were giant frescos depicted the 7 disciplines (eg. geometry, theology, dialectic, philosophy). This library reminded me a lot of the library in Melk Monastery in Austria. Here they had a very impressive collection of books -- written in Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, German, Latin -- such a massive accumulation of knowledge! More portraits of Carlos V, Felipe II and Carlos II (I'm getting better at recognizing them now haha). There was also a big model of Ptolemy's conception of the universe: stationary earth at the center with celestial bodies revolving all around. So carefully manufactured but so inaccurate.

After spending the past 2 hours wandering through this giant building with its 100 miles of walkway, we decided to leave and venture into the town to see if we could find lunch at the absurdly early hour of 1pm. Not much was open and once it started to snow we became desperate to find a warm seat! But we discovered a well-lit hotel, Michelin-recommended, in which Spaniards were beginning to sit for lunch. Of course, food didn't arrive until 1:30 but it was nice to sit anyway haha. For Mamma, this was a good introduction to the way Spaniards do food. Delicious fresh bread, and plenty of it. If you order vino you'l get a bottle by default (need to specify a copa if that's what you want). I had a starter plate of grilled vegetables (mushrooms were delicious) and mamma had a set menu. Her starter was potato soup. We tried to signal to the waiters we were ready for mamma's second plate but they wouldn't bring hers until I had finished my plate (because it was a starter too). The segundo plato for mamma was basically fish and chips -- so typical. Dessert was a creamy tart, and again, Spaniards won't bring the bill until the dessert is finished. Of course, lunch ran much longer than we had anticipated, but after almost finishing the bottle of wine between the two of us, we weren't too worried. In fact, we arrived at the bus station just before the bus took off for Madrid -- perfect timing!!

Arrived in Madrid to catch the metro, pick up my school stuff and head to class -- leaving Mamma to tour the Palacio Real on her own. Spanish class was laid back as usual. At 7pm I met up with Mamma and we walked through Calle Serrano in the rain. Ducked into El Cortes Inglés for a bit and then a Basque pintxo place for wine and a couple of tapas. Then we meandered passed La Plaza de la Independencia, ending up in Santa Ana Plaza at another restaurant a little less swanky. Enjoyed tortilla, salad with mariscos and an empanada, then couldn't resist the homemade ducle de leche cake, but eventually made it back to Mamma's hotel. I then returned to Sain de Baranda to pack and get ready for Viaje Bing!

Library

Became a member of La Biblioteca Nacional on Monday. Very formal process -- had to leave everything but my passport in a little locked cubby, then speak with the information desk about the different types of membership, then fill out a form with all my information (I was proud that I actually remembered my Spanish address!), get my photo taken and was finally given a card. Sort of like getting a passport. I'm assuming the process was so lengthy because it's the National Library and usually people only come here if they need to research something really important or so.

Once I had my card, I perused the collections on display. They had a cool little room with a tiny book by Petrach, another tiny book with pictures used by the missionaries in South America to educate/convert the natives. There were also two beautiful notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci with sketches of machines and his backwards handwriting!

Next I checked out the computer room -- I was definitely the youngest person. All PCs, to my disappointment. I think the library gives computer classes (mostly for older people) here.

Took a peek at the adjacent hallway and discovered it was filled with card catalogs! I'd never seen all those rows and columns of tiny drawers with the little cards, all arranged alphabetically, but it was so much fun to browse through and see what they have in the library! Obviously the collection is enormous. I just looked in a few of the drawers -- like animals, Granada,  medicine -- but I'd have liked to stay longer.

Lastly, went to take a look at the giant, dark-wood-paneled reading room. Needed to request a "pupitre" (desk) in advance, which I definitely didn't want to do, so I just looked in, trying not to be too awkward and trying not to disturb all the intently studying researchers. Anyway, now I'm an international library card holder!

Time for a change in continent -- ¡Vamos a Marruecos!

Friday Feb. 11 2011

Flight from Madrid to Marrakech, Morocco on Ryanair. Wow, they really embrace the "dirt cheap, no-frills" ambiance haha. Morocco looks hot and desert-y from the sky, and we approached Marrakech, saw lots of olive tree groves and irrigated green spaces. When we got off the plan, we were greeted by strong sun and a gentle breeze rustling the palm trees. Feels like summer. Exchanged dollars to dirhams. The first cash exchange point in the airport ran out of dirhams so we were hastily redirected to a different counter.

Took a bus to  Djemaa el-Fna -- the giant main plaza in Medina, the Old city (outlined by a big wall). The name Djemaa el-Fna actually means "assembly of the dead" because originally (since 1050)  it was used for public executions. But it's anything but dead. There are so many carts with dates, nuts, apricots, orange juice (4 dh for a glass--delicious!). Musicians, monkeys, incense vendors -- everyone gathers in this square! In the evening, storytellers, street food "restaurants" and fortune tellers draw more crowds at night. We dodged the donkey carts and trudged with our luggage to the green canopy of Cafe Argana, as directed. Leaving the square, we entered the Derbs (= winding alleys, "urban labyrinth." There are some 3000 of them here!  Thanks to a paragraph of detailed instructions printed off the hostel website, we found "Equity point" -- our oasis of a hostel amidst the tiny winding shopping streets.

These were the directions we followed:
"Facing the cafe, take the street immediately to the left. Very soon you willget to an open space. Cross this taking the street on your left under the archway. Pass through the arch and you'll be in Mouassine street. This is a fairly wide street (for the Medina standards), with shops left and right. Walk straight down this street. Soon on your right you'll see a small corner shop called 'Fnaque Berber' followed by another arch, walk directly through it. After approximately 100 meters you'll get to a small open space (or a place where the street widens), once you enter this area you will find a small arch behind and to your right. This is a slight u-turn but do not worry as our street starts there! You can read its name at the top of the arch: 'Derb Laghnaiz Lamouassine'. Pass through the arch and walk down three steps. You're almost there. This street has no shops and in most parts is roofed. Walk and don't leave the wall on your left. After 50-60 meters of walking down this winding street, you'll find a door with our name on it: 'Equity Point'. Welcome!!"

Annie and I settled in our room -- a giant open space we shared with 6 other people. Our two beds we located under a tent-like canopy -- feels very Saharan haha. Then we went out to the streets to explore and find Jonathon, Adam and Ashley. Had some delicious tea from one of the vendors in the market. They offered 10 dh for the tea but I used my bartering skillzz to get 2 glasses of hot, extremely sweet mint tea for me and Jonathon for only 4 dh. Small victories.

Later, ran into Xavier, Britanny and John also at the main square. Got dinner on the square at one of the many food stalls -- they all tried to lure us in with offers in many languages. Had to roll my eyes when I heard one vendor call out "it's finger-lickin' good" in an attempt at an American accent and switch over to "it's bloody delicious, mate" with a British/Australian accent. Then they'd try speaking Spanish to Xavier and French to Brittany -- so confusing! Anyway, our dinner was delicious: genuine Moroccan Chickpea Soup (Castilleja's dining hall does a good job, I must say!), BBQd eggplant, tomato salsa, bread, spinach with olives and a vegetable tangine (a little oily but very flavorful). Enjoyed watching everything and everyone moving around us -- cooks, tourists, vendors, OJ squeezers, photographers, everyone haha. Went back to the hostel afterwards for dessert and lively conversation on the hostel rooftop with a sparkling view of the city.

Saturday Feb. 12 2011
Woke up early with the muezzin call. Actually heard the muezzin call for prayer (adhan) from the many towers around the city. Prayer happens 5 times each day. The big tower (our navigation landmark) is called Koutoubia Minaret and was built in the 12th century. It's name actually means "booksellers"  because when the tower was built, there were some 100 booksellers around the tower's base. Has scalloped keystone arches and inspired La Giralda in Seville among others. On top of the tower are three golden balls (now they're copper, but the originals were gold and supposedly given by the sultan's mother in attempt to redeem herself after having eaten during Ramadan). Funny thing about this tower, the original one was built just a little off it's required orientation (to Mecca) so the more pious rulers razed it and built a new one. The excavated remains of the foundation of the old one are on display just a few meters to the side of the existing building. Tried to enter the mosque, but weren't allowed in.

Anyway, had breakfast at the hostel: beghir = spongey pancakes, orange juice and coffee. Then Annie and I set off to explore. Marrakech is also known as "The Pink City." 40% of Moroccans live below the poverty line and it was evident on our morning walk. First visited Bahia Palace. Wood carved ceilings. Beautiful blue, green, white, orange and black tiles. Like the Alhambra but we went early so had it all to ourselves! So peaceful and tranquil. If I could design my own house and garden, it'd be something like this. La Bahia means "the beautiful." Palace construction began in the 1860s by Grand Vizier Si Moussa and then it was embellished by Abu Ahmed. So much intricate paint work, carving, woodwork, inlay. The French colonists also used the palace in the early 20th century. I love how you can get lost in the winding corridors and little rooms of these palaces. The longer and more winding the path to your host, the more important he is. Reminds me of the idea that the destination seems all the more wonderful after a long journey.

Next we wandered through the spice markets -- so many beautiful, colorful, pointed cones of spices! Cardamon, cinnamon, saffron and so many others I can't even name. Stopped at a café for a midmorning snack. Drank delicious banana juice; Annie had avocado juice!  Heard shouts of "Balek" = move it, donkey coming through. Exited the old city and came up the Nouvelle Ville, which was built in 1912 for the French colonial elites. This is where the Marrakshi upper-middle class hang out. Cyberpark = a royal garden from the early 18th century which now has free wifi! Lots of orange trees and palm trees.

The sun was high by the time we arrived at Jardin Mejorelle. These gardens were adopted and restored by Yves St. Laurent. YSL called Morocco his "adopted country" and second home after he arrived here in 1966. In fact, he often said "the city taught me color." In 1980 YSL bought the garden that had once belonged to landscape painter Jacques Majorelle. Majorelle had acquired an extensive collection of cacti, plants representing five different continents in his garden and added lots of bold colors (bougainvillea, goldfish, flowering cactus) in 1924. I loved the abundance of colbalt blue, especially right alongside the silvery-green cacti and yellow accents. YSL actually gave the gardens to the city I believe.... Anyway, we enjoyed the shade and the coolness of the colors. There was a beautiful exhibit of Yves St. Laurent's "Love" collages -- he made them and sent them to his friends for the New Year.

There was an excellent little exhibit of Moroccan-inspired fashion by YSL. My favorites:
-Fuschia bougainvillea embroidered cape, 1989
-Black organza dress with gold sequins -- sort of looked like a very elegant Halloween Harry Potter costume haha, 1990
-Yellow, red and pink crepe dress, 1991 -- lovely little capped sleeves. There was another similar dress that looked almost kimono-like too
-Blue green cardigan with crocodile-style embroidery, 1986
** my favorite: "Iridescent Neptune blue chiffon cape with Lichen and Moss-green chiffon dress" 1985 -- love the names of the colors in and of themselves haha

Lunch at a place that didn't hassle us. I was glad to have the peace and quiet.

Afterwards, wandered through the Souqs = covered market streets. Annie and I got a little lost in them as we meandered back from the Majorelle gardens. All the men call out to Annie "Japan" or "konichiwa." The vendors like to try to get you to laugh so they'll make all kind of jokes. Mint tea = "Berber whiskey." We saw lots of leather workers -- actually making shoes from skins that still looked by cows.

Passes by many Riads (Riad = mud-brick courtyard mansion) in the heat of midday. Enjoyed tea with a Moroccan couple at the same tea place in the main plaza. We had mint tea while they had some sort of rosemary brew. They shared salted, dried chickpeas and walnuts with us as a snack. The wife looked to be in her mid-20s while the man must have been at least 45 or 50. He did all the talking -- in French -- asking if we were married and if Annie was from China. Realized hand signals in Morocco are very different from the ones we're used to (I think rubbing two forefingers side by side means to walk?).

Next went to Musée de Marrakech. Saw all kinds of traditional pottery (clay is mixed by foot) and swords. The inner courtyard was beautiful and splendid, filled with leafy plants. Sampled a coconut cookie off the street for 2 dr. Also visited Ali Ben Youssef Medersa (Quranic School) which was founded in 14th century and used to be the biggest in North Africa. It had up to 900 students at a time living here (all sharing one bathroom) -- they had tiny little dorm rooms! Annie and I had fun with our cameras, the afternoon sunlight and al the mashrabiyya (wooden-lattice screen) balconies. The tiled mosaics (zellij) were beautiful.

After a full day of walking, I decided I wanted to spend my last dirhams on a foot massage. Went in search all over the city for a relatively cheap foot massage. Found one for 30 minutes for 100 dh and it felt fantastic after walking around all day! Hammam massages (mud massage) are very common here too though -- we saw them advertised all over the city.

Then met up with Logan at the hostel to go get OJ and then dinner at stall #25. Tangines, eggplant, soup, bread, vegetables and kebabs.

Dessert at Café Agrana. This is where locals come to watch over the square -- brilliantly lit up and busting with people at night. We split a plate of Moroccan pastries -- attempting to guess what kind of dried fruit or nut was featured in each of the seven we received. I like the wonton-shaped almond-rose flavored best. Definitely also tasted fig, cashew, sesame, date, walnuts and pistachio.

Bed at 10pm -- so exhausted.

Sunday 13 february
Woke up breakfast, packed up, last stop for tea, Annie got a henna tattoo and then we boarded our bus to the airport. Picked up a few more Moroccan pastries for the road! Returned to cold weather in Madrid -- maybe it just felt colder because I'd been so warm all weekend haha. but it was good to walk through Buen Retiro, admiring the new colorful "Torres del Alhambra" that were installed in the park over the weekend.

Thursday: ART!!

Jueves 10 de febrero

Running through Retiro -- I love listening to the accordion when I run past the St. Florida gate. Met up with Isabel (and her very cultured tour guests) at 12 at the Goya gate of the Prado. First we went to the the Adán y Eva by Durer -- the same one I'd just written an essay about yesterday for Mujeres en artes! Isabel talked about how Durer intended to display the beauty of the naked human body. Only their natural beauty could justify the fact that these figures were unclothed. Durer's Adam resembles Apollo while Eve resembles Venus. We also took time to study how the paintings had been restored. The Eve painting was completed on 3 wooden panels while Adam has 4. For this reason, Adam was in much worse shape than Eve a few years ago (all the cracks  between the panels caused paint to chip). The museum undertook a very intensive restoration effort to get the paintings back into tip-top shape.

Next we went into a room of 15th century Spanish paintings. Isabel is an *excellent* tour guide -- I learned so much from her even though I definitely didn't catch everything she said (guided tour was in Spanish). She talked about how Spain's "Renaissance" period is very short -- especially in comparison to Italy's. Spain has a lot of great works from the Medieval Period and several grand masters in the Baroque period, so the Spanish Renaissance period was a bit overshadowed and passed rather quickly. We saw the influence of the 15th century Flemish artists (Van Eyck, Van der Weyden) in the detailed minutia (eg. words of book appear to be magnified -- they're larger under the eyeglasses) and the depiction of the monsters and demons of hell (think Den Bosch). The Spanish Renaissance painters try to incorporate some architectural perspective, but it's a little off -- the building arches look a little bent and rubbery. There were some fabulous depictions of Santiago (beheaded, being loaded into a boat, I think) and various saints. One guy's face had been painted with such detail, the stubble on his face actually looked as if it'd be rough to touch. I think it was by Bartolomé Bermejo. Another painting Isabel said was "politically incorrect" depicted a saint standing on a screaming Moor. Yikes. Each painting was filled with so much detail -- you could spend so much time looking at each one!

After Isabel took me to the famous Cerveceria Cervantes, just a few blocks from the Prado. It's also close to the government buildings so it's frequented by politicians too. We had mussels and olives with our cañas and then serrano ham sandwiches with tomato. There are all sorts of drawings and ceramics on the walls, and the place was filled with the afternoon sunlight.

After we stopped by a beautiful little exposición of 20th century Spanish sculpture. I liked the idea of the sculptures being "drawings in the air". Interesting little aerodynamic sculpture by Dalí (woman looked like a dolphin fin haha). There was a really cool piece by Picasso ("Femme Debout") in which there were hands/arms made of metal, but no legs. Instead, the shadow of the hands projected onto the surface beneath the sculpture -- so the feet were "created" by the shadow. The Pablo Gargalio "Jeune fille a la frange" beautiful and delicate too. There were some cool 3D engravings of views of the Buen Retiro (actually the view from the artist's house). Isabel knows something about all the artists and how they influence one another. Many of the Spanish artists put references to Spanish culture in their work (for ex. the bottle of tio pepe on the slanted table).

Next we went to a famous "pastelería-cafetería" called La Mallorquina right in the Puerta del Sol. Had a quick coffee and little square cream pastry before dashing off to Plaza San Martín for 2:30 tour of the Jardines Impresionistas at Caja Madrid.

Fantastic exhibit!! It's an extension of the one in the Thyssen right now. First floor had mostly French artists: Pissarro's painting of Henri IV statue in Paris (beautiful subdued colors of autumn). There were paintings of exotic flowers -- chrysanthemums and dhalias  (having exotic flowers in your garden was a sign/symbol of modernity and culture). Isabel knew so much about the back stories of each painting too. For example, one painting called "undergrowth" by Vincent Van Gogh depicted the undergrowth of the foresty gardens of the mental hospital where he was interned. He wrote in his letters to Theo that the undergrowth reminded him of the sickness in his mind and how persistently it grew back. Another good back story: one of the artists painted his three daughters and an empty chair on the far right. Isabel informed us that the painter's wife had died giving birth to the youngest daughter -- the3 girls and the chair thus represented the entire family, the mother/wife still very present in their lives.

I loved the Sorolla paintings, once again. Many of the painters kept gardens of their own, and they felt strong pride in their work as gardeners. Sorolla painted his garden (I recognized it!) as well as the garden chair he would sit in. Monet said the work he was most proud of was his garden. We saw a great painting of the pond in his garden -- horizontal lines of the lily pads contrasted the vertical lines of the willow tree -- definitely towards the end of his career as his eyesight deteriorated. Isabel said Monet painted this, in part, by smelling the garden -- he knew the location of the plants by the scents he experienced while painting. What an interesting way to paint! So resourceful of Monet haha

Gustav Klimt was represented by 3 paintings as well. Interestingly, they looked flat when looked at head on, but from the 2nd floor, looking down at the paintings, they had profound depth! I actually preferred these garden paintings of his (especially La Casa del guardabosques) to those gold figures he painted so often later on. Saw a couple of Renoir paintings. Renoir also had a garden, and he painted one portrait of his gardener (who was the same age as the artist) and to him, it was somewhat of a self-portrait. I think Renoir and Cezanne were probably my two favorite painters here...

The exhibition highlighted three contrasting dimensions in the gardens represented in these paintings: the city garden vs. country garden, the public garden (eg. Luxembourg gardens of Paris) vs. the private gardens (there were several of girls reading, sewing, siestaing in the shade -- the shade and shadow always seems to indicate privacy), and finally thr decorative garden vs. the productive garden. Pissarro especially liked painting the productive gardens -- reflects his own collectivist political beliefs too and his faith in a agricultural workers' revolution.

There were some Americans and Scandinavians upstairs too. Mary Cassat's "Summer" painting of the 2 girls in the boat. The Americans tended to paint on on much bigger canvases than the Europeans -- so typical haha. One Scandinavian painted a garden covered in snow -- didn't look like a garden but I guess it was one! Often there were portraits of people in a garden-- sometimes artists gazing out into the garden, perhaps thinking about what aspect of the garden to paint? There was an odd one of a young mother pushing her daughter in a baby pram. She was looking at her daughter while the daughter looked at a doll. Behind them was a ball, discarded. Apparently this artist believed strongly in stages and progression of play or something. So the fact that the daughter had abandoned the ball and moved on to playing with the doll was symbolic of reaching some developmental milestone. Another way to look at the painting was to consider that the young mother depicted was pregnant with her second child -- was she choosing which child to focus her attention on? Is a picture about playing favorites with your children? Not sure...

Anyway, fabulous exhibit, and I'm so grateful to Isabel for letting me tag along! Next took metro home, finished Spanish homework, went to Spanish, talked about renting "pisos" (flats) walked home, dinner (fish in yellow sauce, potatoes, salad, pear) and news. Massive picture upload -- they're all up on facebook now!

Paris! And the Aftermath

Weekend in Paris

Friday afternoon.
Took metro and bus to the airport. Airplane left Madrid at 3:30pm; once we arrived in Paris we took the RER train to Chatelet-Les Halles and then walked around to find our MIJE hostel, near Hotel de VIlle. The MIJE hostels (there are 3) all used to be mansions or big houses of wealthy people hundreds of years ago (they are OLD buildings). MIJE fixed them up and preserves these historic houses, and obviously rents out the rooms. Walked past the actual Hotel de Ville --it's all lit up and sparkly with an ice skating rink in front. Paris is not as cold as I expected, which is nice. Annie and I went out for dinner at one of the nearby cafés (we're in the Mairet sp? district, which is one of the oldest in Paris -- used to be marshland!). The café was actually somewhat lounge-like, packed with people, full of music and dimly lit. We had a funny waiter who was very excited about his upcoming trip to Miami... The french bread was delicious; I had a Chevre Chaud salad (with honey)and Annie went for the foie gras. We let the waitress recommend a French wine for each of us (I got a red from Cote du Rhone because I recognized the name haha). After dinner, went back to the hostel to meet Rachel at 10 and had fun sneaking up on her from behind! When we tried to bring her up to the hostel, the security guard was very strict and said no. Then we made a poor life choice -- tried to run up the stairs with Rachel when he wasn't looking. Of course, he caught us and scolded us in French (I didn't understand it but Rachel seemed to appease him). It was an amusing start to the weekend haha! Rachel and I went to stand outside while Annie and Miriam got ready. The security guard then came outside to try to tell us he was a nice guy after all and that we should come out of the cold.

Anyway, we left the MIJE around 10:30 and walked along the Seine and then past Notre Dame to get to the neighborhood near the Odéon metro stop. Went to Bar Dix and met up with some of the other Stanford-in-Paris kids (Anneke, Merissa I knew from before). It was so crowded though so we went downstairs, underground, to get sangria (I know, we'd just left Spain, but this place is known for its sangria and it was delicious!) Talked to some Parisians and caught up with Rachel. Then we took the metro (barging through, 4 at a time) to Champs-Elysees to go to a club called Showcase. It was a really cool place -- under one of the bridges, right along the Seine. The whole Madrid gang was going there too, so there must have been at least 30 Stanford kids that night. Lots of electronic techno music and the place was packed--I loved how the pillars of the bridge were just part of the decor. Stayed until 3am when we took a taxi back to the MIJE (again, so grateful for Rachel and her excellent French skills). Went right to sleep!

Saturday 5 de febrero
Woke up at 9:30am just in time for the MIJE breakfast, which closed at 10. It was the largest breakfast I've had in while (bc Spaniards eat so simply in the morning!) -- yogurt, bread, apple tart, orange juice and tea. Then we went walking along the Seine in the daylight to the Louvre. Passed through several monumental Gothic towers and churches. Meandered through the big Louvre plazas and the glass pyramids at the main entrance. Lots of Scottish people were dressed in kilts, doing various dares around the fountains. Curious indeed! Met Rachel at the fountains and walked over to the mini Arc de Triomphe and the beautiful gardens around the Tuileries. Then we regrouped with Annie and Miriam to walk to the St. Germaine district. SO many cool art galleries and elegant cafés. There was a funny one by a transgender artist -- all sorts of inverted gender norms and meanings using objects ranging from Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs to lipstick,  and Tolberone boxes to soccer balls. Went by one old café which was frequented by Voltaire. Also walked through several covered pedestrian streets and the doorway where the guillotine doctor lived during the French Revolution! Stopped for crepes at a cozy little restaurant nearby -- I got my chevre cheese again. Then went to the patisserie Paul for desserts -- blueberry tart and an apple pastry, which we enjoyed in the Louxembourg Gardens. The fountains and statues strike me as more delicate and more floral than the Madrid ones -- maybe the Madrid ones are just so massive it's hard to notice much beyond their sheer size! Sat in the famous green chairs (my forced me into extreme reclination! and watched the little children feed birds and drive their little boats in the fountain. So many people were out and about even though the day was quite grey.

After our desserts, Annie and Miriam went back to rest while Rachel, Wyles and I set off on a mission to find this "maker's exposition". We didn't know exactly what it'd be but eventually we found the giant exposition hall at Port du Versailles. It was part career-fair, part craft festival. Basically, a whole bunch of craftspeople were gathered in this hall to compete with one another in their specialized craft. There were welding competitions (we saw the final products -- they looked like chunky versions of the Eiffel Tower), car-painting competitions, car part assembly competitions, landscaping competitions (everyone was given a plan and the materials and it looked like judging was according to skill in grout-work or smoothness of sand, etc), hairstyling competitions (the manekin heads were creepy!) , horticulture competitions, macaron-making demonstrations, chocolate scultpure competitions, road pavement competitions, clothes-making, electric car-making, chiminey-making -- basically everything that could possibly require some sort of specialized knowledge had a competition. We managed to get free scarves (they look like Real Madrid scarves!) which say something about "World Skills" haha

After the expo, we zipped over to the Pompidou Centre for a dose of modern art (free for students!). First went to the contemporary section -- lots of "feminist" art and art about gender. There was a room called "Genital Panic" and a film which displayed the torso of a naked person hula-hooping with a hoop made out of barbed wire! So cringe-worthy... I liked the glass table whose supporting "legs" were 4 bicycle tires which could roll around. There was another room about disfigurement -- a very striking photo (huge) of an old, leathery face (cheek, nose and mouths) with a big scar and stitches at the base of the nostril. Also a series of disturbing films: one called "climbing around my room" -- the artist slithered around her wall and bookcases and shelves. Another featured a naked lady holding a chicken upside down... This combination of nudity, grotesqueness and incomprehensibility -- in so many different creative forms -- could only be found in a Parisian museum. On a different note, I really liked this one film which featured a cellist sitting on a cliff, surrounded by enormous mountains (maybe Swutzerland?). The film was called Echo -- she'd play a line of music and pause -- the echo of the music swelled in the space. It was really cool to see and hear how this one instrument had such a magnificent, enduring sound. We also saw all sorts of kitchen designs and appliances -- reminded me of remodeling. After we'd had our fill of the super modern stuff, we went upstairs to see the big blue canvas (brilliant color!), a cool colorful piece which displayed different patterns of colors depending on whether you looked at it from the front, left or right. Found s couple of Balthus paintings which threw me back to AP Art in Senior year at Castilleja and all my attempts to create eerily mysterious compositions with Anna and Laura as my models. Breezed by the Picassos and went towards the back room to see this piece which consisted of: a guitar string, a magnet that turned on and off (some sort of electrical current), and a metal pin dangling from a string. When the electricity turned on, the magnet pulled the metal pin towards the string, the pin hit the string a few times, causing virbations through the string, which sounded like someone was strumming the guitar. When the electrical current turned off, the pin (having been pulled towards the string) swung away and then back towards the string, creating more vibrations. There were two of these contraptions -- sometimes they would play in unison, other times not. I'd love to have them in my house -- so soothing, and they'd definitely be helpful for falling asleep, haha. Might be disturbing to people who hear them for the first time.... They actually reminded me of Japanese koto instruments. Also saw another machine which could only be started up every 7 minutes (Rachel pushed the foot pedal, unknowing that 2 German tourists had been waiting for a while to do it themselves haha) -- it made such a ruckus! Rachel was particularly happy to find a series of canvases (with paintings of bird wings or something) which also had the palettes used for each canvas displayed alongside the completed painting! We had just been talking a few minutes earlier about how a cool art exhibit would be to show the palettes of several different artists who had all been instructed to paint the same thing (with the same colors). Their palettes at the end of the day would all be so different and beautiful!

Finally, the last Pompidou exhibit we went to see was the Mondrian & De Stijl exhbit upstairs. (Actually, in the gift shop was a table like the coffee table we have at home with four platforms that slide out in 4 directions -- except it was a Mondrian table so each of the surfaces was a primary color!) I really liked seeing the progression of Mondrian's style. In the beginning, he used a very wide variety of colors and used recognizable figures and objects (like a tree in the center of a painting) to divide the canvas into blocks of color. Then the black dividing lines became more prominent and more geometrical, and colors became more pure. These paintings often looked like mazes. Finally we came to the black, white, grey, yellow, blue and red rectangles -- he made so many of them!! I liked seeing the replica of his studio -- it basically looked like a giant 3D version of one of his paintings. He was working inside his paintings, to a certain extent. At the end of the exhibit came a slough of drawings and building plans by artists inspired by Mondrian and the De Stijl movement -- plans for a city in the air, skylines in which certain building facades would have one whole face painted red or blue -- so the city version of a Mondrian painting. It was very cool.

After the Pompidou, we went scouting down Rue de Rivoli for dinner. Ended up at Rue de Archives at an organic bakery -salad place with a giant communal table. I got the Salade de Roquette but the waiter definitely screwed up my order (Rachel's too actually) and I ended up with the side salad version, which was good but meager. So afterwards went to Crepe Suzette for dessert -- I got a fabulous fresh crepe with freshly cooked apples. Rachel and Wyles got a crepe with flaming Gran Manier haha! It was a very cute little place -- supposed to be one of the best creperies in Paris. Afterwards though, so tired and so I went back to the hostel. Met our fourth roommate (a girl from Quebec) and went promptly to sleep.

domingo 6 de febrero
Woke up at 8 for breakfast (eavesdropped on the leaders of a British school group who were also staying in in the hostel -- they were deciding between the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay). Then took the metro out to Port Dorée to the Vincennes park where I met up with Rachel and Wyles. We tried to rent bikes but the bike rental place wasn't open. Also tried to use the city bike system but it wouldn't take our money. So we walked around the lake, observing all the Parisian people out for a run that morning, greeting the swans who chased each other in the lake, exploring the little cave/grotto next to the lake. Found some very colorful, bundled people doing Tai Chi and another group doing martial arts. All sorts of people in this park.

Walking away from the lake, we reached a little petting zoo area and gardens. There was also a big carshow going on -- old cars and motorcycles and ladies with fabulously colorful fur coats! We stumbled upon a Giant Chateau -- de Vincennes or something. First visited the church (huge vaulted ceilings, Gothic design, rosette stained glass windows) -- it was built in the 15th century but was first used as an arsenal. Next we visited the giant towering Chateau. I liked the design -- four cyclinders bundled tightly. But the rooms were frigid and tiny! King Charles V worked in the studies. Some of the chapels had been used for prisoners at times -- their etched grafitti covered the walls. The latrines were interesting -- the urinals were square and we were only able to identify them because we found the little drainage hole on the side. After the Chateau, took metro back to the Mairait. The metros here are definitely older and a little more jerky than the metros in Madrid. As we disembarked the train, I almost tumbled over the lady at my left. Haha!

Walked down Rue de Rivoli (if I were to have a souvenir from my weekend in paris, it would probably be a road sign of Rue de Rivoli) to Dans Le Noir for lunch! Met up with Anneke & Chiar, put our coats and bags in the lockers and met our waiter (mondre? not sure how to spell it!). All of the waiters are blind. The food, we were informed, would be a surprise (after we ate, we'd be able to see a menu to see exactly what we'd tasted). Formed a congo-line/train and walked through the curtain into the pitch black room. The dining experience is supposed to replicate that of a blind person's. We sat around a table, I guess, it was a little hard to find my chair, I pulled it up close to the table to minimize the distance between me and my food haha. Once we were sitting, we talked to each other a lot, just trying to figure out how we were oriented, acting as a team to pass water around the table, fills our cups with water without overflowing them, locate forks and knives and napkins. We also tried to get an idea of who the other dining guests were. There were two other birthdays celebrated in the room --  they sang very loudly in French! We decided people sing more loudly when no one can tell who is singing haha. Then one of the French groups started singing "happy birthday" to Sonja! (our waiter would call us by name to give us our food, so they'd overheard my name a few times). We tried to correct the misinformed Frenchies and then they started singing happy birthday (with their funny French accents) to "Rachelle" -- very amusing!

Had some table conversations about whether it was easier or less tiring to close your eyes while we sat in the dark. I kept my eyes open the whole time. Saw those squiggly purple and yellow "worms" that you sometimes see when you close your eyes to fall alseep. Wyles was convinced that our eyes would eventually adjust and we'd be able to see something, but I never did.

As for the food, Wyles was the only one to get a starter. He described it as a pastry thing with green beans. On the side was a buttery-textured lump that we eventually decided must be foie gras. Rachel and Wyles got wine -- we weren't even informed if it was red or white, but I'm pretty sure it was white (tasted like a Riesling to me). Then we got our main dishes: discovered carrots first, then fish, then scallops. I thought there was beef too, but maybe not. We'd each say aloud each thing we thought we'd eaten. Definitely zuchinni too. I kept my face close to my plate and kept my left hand holding onto the plate as I speared my food. I felt so klutzy! As Wyles said, every other bite is air because sometimes you miss the food or it falls off the fork as it travels towards your mouth. I'd like to see what the plate looks like after each person is finished. I was afraid I might have pushed some of the food off my plate too because I had no idea where the food was at times. Sometimes I'd discover a whole new "pocket" of food on the far side of my dish. It was definitely a process of trial, error and discovery! My favorite part of the dish was the scallops and the carrot stuff.

Next we had dessert. I had told them ahead of time that I was allergic to chocolate, so I was given a slightly different plate. I thought I was eating dried apricots, but the menu afterwards said they were mandarin oranges. Also had a big profiterole-type cream puff. There was another fruit too that I have not yet been able to identify -- raspberry-mango-citron flavor but with lots of seeds inside and oblong in shape. The other diners had a chocolate cake thing, but Rachel never found hers I think, hahah! Who knows what we ate. I think I got a bit confused with all the different textures and flavors (at one point I thought the tropical fruit coulis on my dessert was sorbet, but clearly it wasn't cold so I was just confused).

After lunch, we got to look at the menus and see what we'd eaten which was amusing -- we mostly guessed correct! Then the group split off -- Rachel, Wyles and I went exploring through the Louvre area and the Marais -- everyone was out and about in the streets, which are closed off to cars. Almost made it to the Bastille but not quite. Instead, stopped at a cute little bakery for macarons. Sampled the raspberry and the caramel -- absolutely delicious!

Then back to the hostel to check out, grab my bags and take the RER to Charles de Gaulle. Unfortunately, this is where my happy weekend came to an abrupt halt. The LAN flight was supposed to take off at 7:40 pm. We boarded around that time, waited on the plane for 2 hours, were informed there was a technical problem and they were unable to get a mechanic. Seriously, the stewardesses were bringing passengers (who said they were engineers) up to the cockpit to see if they could get the plane to start. All in vain. So we got off the airplane, then waited in the airport for instructions which never came. Received sandwiches to eat. Called mi madre to tell her I probably wouldn't be home until tomorrow. Followed the other passengers when they crowded around the LAN desks, and again to wait in line for hotel vouchers. Took bus to hotel "All Seasons" 30 minutes from the airport. Got a room and went to bed, frustrated, confused and exhausted at 1:30 am. The only thing we were told was "maybe we'll have more information for you at 11am tomorrow."

Monday 7 de febrero

Woke up at 7:30am with the way-too-optimistic hope that we could get a plane by 9 to make it to my afternoon class in Madrid. Had breakfast -- started to recognize the other passengers -- everyone was hoarding the chocolate croissants (people took plates with 10, 11, 12 pastries!) in bitterness. Businessmen made phone calls, people tried to use wifi on their little cell phones to contact people. Many of these people were actually supposed to be going to Santiago, Chile with the airplane, so they were furious to missing hours of their vacations. We saw co-workers and workers with their bosses eating awkward breakfasts together... most people wearing the same clothes from the night before because no one could access their checked luggage. We weren't allowed to leave the hotel, so the smokers huddled around the parking lot to smoke. I planted myself on a coach and wrote this excruciatingly long blog post out of sheer boredom. Then tried to study for my "women in art" midterm on Wednesday. At 11am we heard we would get a bus at 1pm and a flight at 2:15. That didn't happen. Waited and waited and waited in buses and more lines until we FINALLY made it through the boarding gate. Except, there was no plane there! Instead, we boarded a bus which drove us to a plane. So we left at 4:15pm. The Spaniards clapped very loudly once our wheels left the ground.

Exhausted, arrived in Madrid, so happy to hear Spanish around me. Took metro home, checked email, had dinner (tortilla and salad! my favorite) and went straight to bed at 10pm. Consuelo didn't even try to have a conferencia because she said I looked like I was going to die of exhaustion. I appreciate the Spanish frankness.

Tuesday 8 de febrero
Run through Retiro park -- lovely weather, 16 degrees celsius!
Charlas turned into a one-on-one conversation with Macareña about her ex-boyfriend and my weekend in Paris. Caught up on some homework, had tapas, met with professor Baker about the material I'd missed. Spanish class was pretty relaxed -- we all gave presentations about different Spanish political parties. Annie and I presented on the Izquierda Unida (dominated by the Spanish communist party). They are exactly what they say they are -- The United Left -- and they're actually the 3rd strongest party (but only receive like 3% of the votes each election). They've been really riled up lately about pension reforms. They want to raise the retirement age to 67 while others want to maintain it at 65.
I like how all the acronyms for the political parties are pronounced as if they were words: PSOE, PP, IU, CiU.
After class, met up with the Spanish girls for the actividad con estudiantes españolas. We went to a bar called Chapandaz (looks like a cave inside; it's in the Moncloa area) to drink "leche de pantera" --  "panther's milk" -- basically the alcoholic equivalent of horchata. The bartender filled the glass from some sort of tap in the ceiling -- it looked like he was milking the cave somehow, haha -- then he added a whole bunch of other liquids. We ordered 2 liters (the glass was ENORMOUS but it ended up being a lot of ice) and we quickly polished it off with 9 people. The snack that accompanied the drink was gummy candy. I liked the gummy pulpo (octopus). Enjoyed the 90s music videos, tried to keep track of our own colorful straws in the giant glass... I liked how there was cinnamon in the drink!

Took the metro home, had dinner. Watched los políticos de España on the news. Consuelo me dijo que Zapatero es iluso (idealistic, naive, a dreamer) but that's because he's young. He's also very honest.
Consuelo has great respect for Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida of the CiU party (the Catalan party) -- says he's one of the best politicians. She also greatly respects the Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón because of all he's done for the city, it's metro, bus systems, etc.

 I have been wondering if I could ever see myself living in Spain, and the answer is definitely yes. I love the vibrancy of everything, the sincerity and fun-loving attitude of the people, the extended schedule of the day. About the people, my experience in the Paris airport was actually a great example: while the French and American people on our airplane scowled and huffed and puffed (as I was doing.. not gonna lie) the Spaniards congregated in groups, making jokes, laughing, taking the opportunity to just relax and have fun since there was nothing we could do. The plane just wasn't going to go anywhere and the airline wasn't going to explain anything to us, so why get more frustrated?

Wednesday 9 de febrero
Flamenco this morning -- learned the arms for the Sevillana dance, which was fun (they're very similar to ballet arms). Talked about intermediaries in Baker's health care class. Studied for women in art midterm as I walked home. Lunch, more studying, Consuleo went to a computer class!! Her first one ever! She was instructed by high school kids, and it sounds like she enjoyed it so far (the kids seem to be very encouraging even though she has literally never touched a computer and was nervous). I'm so happy for her. She was finally convinced to learn how to use computers when she realized there were all sorts of DVDs and photos of her grandkids that she wanted to be able to see. It sounds like the class is full of funny characters (lady with lots of bracelets, for example) too. Anyway, had my women in art midterm. It was challenging because we didn't actually have a question to write about -- we were just given the paintings and told to write. Oh well, glad it's over.

Afterwards, walked to La Casa Encendida near Ronda de Atocha. Saw some interesting videos made by "Generation 2011" -- students with banderas. Another cool exhibit by Elena García Jiménez -- she cut up maps and dictionaries and German grammar books into strips and then move the strips together -- almost like paper quilts. It turned out beautifully; I'd like to try to make something like that. Another interesting series of photos of people on "holiday" -- massive photos, people appeared like little ants in comparison to the spectacular natural sights (hot springs, water falls, melting glaciers) around them. Another photographer had a series of pictures from the outskirts of Valencia.

Downstairs was a big exhibit of "Desaparecidos" by Gervasio Sánchez. There were portraits of people from around the world holding pictures, mementos, teddy bears, bones belonging to their loved ones who had gone missing in any one of the wars or dictatorships that have plagued various countries over the last century. Lots of people from South America, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, also Cambodia, former Yugoslavia, and then, of course, Spain as well. The most striking picture I saw was of a very old lady (she had a respirator tube through her nose) sitting on her hospital bed, clutching a giant teddy bear that had belonged to her son who went missing decades ago as a teenager. There were also many photos of remains -- skeletons, fragments of bones -- lain out for identification. Reminded me of my forensic anthropology class back in freshman year. So many tragedies represented by these photos -- but they emphasize the importance of remembering these stories and "fighting forget" in hopes of a more tolerant, just future.

Afterwards, walked home. PHE interview. Dinner with Consuelo, talked for 3 hours afterwards about her computer class, my family (I showed photos on my computer and from my photo album), my midterm, politicians, technology in general. Consuelo says if her husband were to see the world now (he passed away in 1973) he wouldn't recognize the world because computers have changed it so much. Consuelo's grandson can use a computer and he's only 7 yet Consuelo is just starting to learn now. I can have a job interview from thousands of miles away.... yet when computers are down, the world is paralyzed, haha.