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.