March 11th Anniversary

Today marks the ninth anniversary of the March 11th Madrid train bombings.  On that day, a terrorist group placed several IEDs across the commuter trains in the morning, killing 191 people and injuring another 1,800.  Across the city you can find statues dedicated to the victims, and most prominent is the memorial located at the Atocha train station, where the most devastating explosion occurred.  The inside of the cylindrical memorial has messages in different languages of grief and of hope.

Photo from spottedbylocals.com

Since that day nine years ago, there has not been another attack.  I expected the trains to be emptier today, as people always tend to fear an anniversary repeat attack.  However, I was surprised to see the metro as full as always, with the attack not dictating their lives.  While this solitary tragedy often sticks out in people's minds, the trains are incredibly safe.  When we let the fear of an event dictate our lives, it gives strength to terrorism.  It is important to grieve and to remember the victims, but not to let terrorism control your decisions.

Midterms

Now that midterms are over, I've decided I can start enjoying my birthday weekend.  My friends are visiting for the next week, and a lot of preparation is in order.  I waded through the rain to find their hostel today, which is conveniently located between a homeless colony and what I assume would be a prime location for a meth lab.  Of course, in Madrid where everything seems so safe, they would choose the one place where I wouldn't be surprised if I was missing a kidney if I slept on those streets.

Approximate location of the hostel.

Luckily, the hostel is located close enough to less syringe-y places.  It is only a short walk from Sol and the metro system is connected to everywhere you would want to go in the city.  I'm hoping I can be a good enough host while they're here, and show them all the intricacies of Madrid.  The biggest problem I'll have is balancing my schoolwork with the crazy event-filled days that I'm expecting with them around.  I'm sure the especially strong coffee here will be my crutch to make it through the week.  At least there's the silver-lining that if they're actually good friends they may have brought me some American food that I've been craving so much.  It will be nice to have a taste of home amidst all this jamon.

Lisbon

I chose to go to Lisbon for this semester's school trip.  For those who are not the most up-to-date on geography, Lisbon's in Portugal, which is on the Iberian peninsula next to Spain.  It was about an eight hour drive from Madrid; an overnight trip forcing me to supplement sleep with gallons of coffee.

After the first day in the country, I could already see differences between Portugal and Spain.  The people in Lisbon were much more soft-spoken and friendly.  Everyone there spoke English, a change from Madrid where you're almost forced to learn the local language.  At the same time, the people there seemed sad when compared to the upbeat, high-energy nature of Madrid.

This friendly nut-salesman was photographed by Arianna Nava

We had a walking tour of the city on the first morning we arrived, but I was too tired to recall most of the things that happened.  Lisbon is situated on a hill and has the Santa Justa Lift to make travelling up and down the side of the city easier.  This tower is essentially a huge elevator that brings people up the face of the hill.

Photo by Lorna Lopez

We paused for lunch and what better way to immerse myself Portuguese culture than by eating at an Italian
café?

Always the best food no matter where you go, anyway.

We went to a nice Portuguese restaurant for dinner that night, where we were treated to the country's cuisine and national music, fado.  Fado is an old style of music that focuses on the laments of the poor and broken-hearted.  A description can't do the art justice, so who else better to show you then the Queen of Fado herself, Amalia Rodrigues:

It rained on the last day we were in Lisbon, but it did not stop us from seeing more of the city.  We began the day by climbing the cobblestone streets up to an old Church, which had survived the devastating earthquake of 1755.  Interestingly, the beautiful streets that are made of broken rock rather than pavement are due to this earthquake, and making use of the rubble it had created.

Continuing up the city we eventually came to the Castle of São Jorge.  This fortification overlooked the city from the top of the hill, giving the perfect view of the bay, and the beauty of Lisbon.

Photo by Caprice Serafine

Super Bowl

This year's Super Bowl was different than my previous ones.  For one, kickoff began at 12:30 am, making my 9:00 am class later that day more dreaded than ever.  Also, I had to head to an Irish bar in order to see the game.  The bar was a change from the family-event atmosphere I'm used to back home; the patrons were all smashed or at least trying their best to be, and all the yelling was done in Spanish.  I wasn't sure that everyone cheering knew what they were rooting for, but it didn't stop them from sharing some of the passion they have for soccer with our own football.

Although there was considerably less crying.

As the night went on, the Spaniards' drunk yelling increased, and the game seemed to gain more and more importance.  It became a matter of pride above all else.  Eventually the 49ers lost, as was expected, and all was right in the world.  Until I had to go to class three hours later, without sleep.  It's at times like those when the six hour time difference gets to you.

Residence Living

This semester I elected to switch from a host family to a residence.  As much as I love Nancy, I felt like I needed a change of location.

What an adorable woman.

When I got out of the airport, I did my best to find the new residence.  This was made harder by having to navigate two bags through the streets of Madrid, as I was able to have an extra bag for free, since I was moved up to business class.  This second bag, filled entirely with ramen noodles and Little Debbies, proved to be a hassle when moving through the impatient crowds.

My Spanish was rusty, having just gotten back to Spain, so I managed to have an incredibly awkward conversation with the doorman of my new residence.  This is the same man that I accidentally dumped a bag's worth of empty sunflower seeds on from the balcony a few days ago.  I now try to avoid him at every cost.

The room that I got assigned is a double but has sliding doors that divide the two halves of the large room.  However, these doors are functionally just windows as they're made almost entirely of glass, making their purpose completely unknown to me.  It's nice living with more people this semester, because you can always find something to do.

Overall, it's a different experience from my time with a host mom.  I live closer to the center of the city and go out and walk around my neighborhood more often.  I do miss Nancy and her delicious cooking, but I'm excited for the semester ahead.

Sevilla

While Madrid is much warmer than back home, I should have been smart enough not to leave my jacket at my host mom's house.  I suffered through the first few days in Madrid with little more than my self-pity and churros to keep me warm.  Luckily, this semester's orientation trip was to Sevilla, in the Andalusia region.  Even though still in Spain, it was noticeably warmer.  I have been there once before, but not with a group so big.

The orientation trip had more people this semester, a large number of them from Chapman.  It was strange recognizing so few people, when I had come to know almost everyone from last semester.  Almost all the freshmen came back , and although it was different than Salamanca, it was equally as fun.

The first day we had a short tour of the area around our hotel, which took us through the maze of apartments that made up the Jewish district and to the cathedral.

Photo by Sean Laffey

The Catedral de Sevilla is one of the largest in the world and overlooks Seville.  Aside from the cathedral itself, there is a tower that allows you to see across the entire city from the top.  The 30 something floor trip to the top was a reminder of how out of shape I've become, but the walk was well worth the view from the top.

Photo by Taylor Kunselman


The second day began with a trip to Las Grutas, caves with stalagmites and other formations.  We were not allowed to take pictures, so naturally, plenty of photos were taken.

    

Photo by a loose-cannon that doesn't play by the rules

Somehow, Spain chose the one weekend that we were supposed to hike to rain, so the rest of the day was mainly spent eating.  We went to a farm that specializes in jamon serrano, the disgusting-looking, yet delicious specialty of Spain.  I learned that this delicacy is created by salting pig legs and letting layers of mold grow, until it hardens and is ready to serve years later.

yum.

The last full day was spent focusing on flamenco dancing.  As amazing as I am at dancing, as anyone who is embarrassed in public with me can attest to, I was more into watching the shows than getting involved in them.

Everyone was too focused on how attractive the dancers were to take pictures, but here are some flamingos instead

At Cortijo Pino Montano, where the dancing took place, we saw a humane bullfight.  There was also horse dancing, but prancing around on a horse is often overshadowed by badasses fighting bulls.

Photo by Taylor Kunselman

Pictured: something not nearly as cool as bullfighting

My favorite place I visited when I was in Sevilla last time was Los Reales Alcazares.  I was glad to know my memory served me right, and that the palace was as elaborate as I remembered.

Photo by Taylor Kunselman

The palace was originally a Moorish fort, and features intricately decorated walls and an immense garden.

Photo by Taylor Kunselman

It was great to be back in Sevilla and I hope that in the future I can make my way to this city once more.

Madrid: Round 2

After being home for three weeks I began to miss being back in Madrid.  As much as I love my university hometown of Durham, NH, there's very little to do when the students aren't around and I was anxious to get back to Spain.

My trip began with my seat being upgraded to business class, where I was accompanied by serious businessmen, more legroom than I knew what to do with, and an open bar.  The flight went by too fast, and I was brought back to reality when my connecting flight involved a cramped seat next to a man with a serious sinus issue.  However, I knew that the 11 hour trip was worthwhile when I approached Madrid and saw the city stand out in the distance.

It feels great to be back and I'm looking for another semester in beautiful Madrid.  I just hope one year is enough time for me to experience the city.