Toledo, April 14-15

I just got back from a tour around Castilla (the Spanish provinces of Castilla La Mancha and Castilla y Leon), and it was so incredibly crammed that it seems the better part of valor to break it up into three episodes, one for each city (Toledo, Segovia, and Madrid). I was amazed by how little I repeated from when I visited Toledo and Madrid with my parents over Christmas, and my brain was going crazy from the sheer density of information presented to us by the end of the trip.

Our first day in Toledo was nice enough, at least. The only thing scheduled to do was the cathedral, and I'd seen that already, so afterwards my friend Jenny and I went looking around the sword shops trying to find her a perfect match. I wistfully thought of my grandfather, who would be really in his element here, and did my best to apply everything I'd ever learned about swords from him to help her find the best sword for her money. The one she settled on was a fantastic hand-and-a-half broadsword, a replica of the one carried by Carlos V, the first of the Hapsburg kings in Spain. I enjoyed watching her show it off, and bought myself a much more modestly priced Templar dagger--though I found myself wistfully eyeing the swords of the Catholic kings and Christopher Columbus.

That night, after a warm bath, I did something silly. As I was showering off the bath salts I was using, in the low light of the room, I reached for conditioner. I realized after a moment that it smelled strange to be conditioner, and realized I was washing my hair with body lotion. Yeah.

Our morning was packed. We walked out to where we could see the country side, and enjoyed it for a bit before our first museum of the day opened. It was the Sefardi Museum, which boasted of the best-preserved synagogue in Spain and many fascinating artifacts from the community of Sefardi Jews who lived in Spain before they were expulsed. I regretted not having taken biblical hebrew already as I peered over their texts--the Sefardi language is basically Spanish written in Hebrew characters, and seems like it would be fun to read. They also had fascinating footage on how the Jews celebrate various festivals in the Middle East.

From there we went to a beautiful Catholic monastery done in the same style as the Grand Place in Brussels. Its cloister captivated me in particular--it was absolutely gorgeous. We also saw El Greco's most famous work, El Entierro de Conde Orgaz, which has the entire Catholic religion's theology more or less in the same painting. I'm not much of a fan of El Greco, but the size of this one was impressive.

Then, after the school-sponsored visits were done with, I made the mistake of visiting the local Torture Museum. Yeah, nothing quite like that to make you sick to your stomach. It wasn't just seeing the instruments of torture themselves, but who the Inquisition used them on. Jews, gays, women, Waldenses, gnostics. . . the list goes on. Looking at a list of beliefs of so-called "Judaizers" who were sought out, tortured and killed by the Inquisition, I found more than half of them reflected in my own. I later bought a Star of David done in the local damasked style so I wouldn't forget what I'd learned, even though the impression was burned so strongly on my brain. I don't ever want to do that to anyone else. . . or forget how it happened to others who share my beliefs.

To cheer up a little from these weighty thoughts, I revisited one of the museums I'd gone to with my parents, this time taking Jenny with me. Even though I'd seen it before, it's beautiful exhibits on almost every subject from Spain in the nineteenth century captivated me. I discovered a room with a window of a beautiful view of the countryside. That was the thought I left Toledo on--the loveliness of its countryside.

I hope you all have a wonderful week, free of nausea-inducing torture museums.

Holy Week in Sagunto

First of all, Happy Easter to everyone! Spring has come out here in Spain, bringing rain and flowers at the same time. The last few weeks have been a strange cross between beautiful days of sun and torrential rain. Even this rain, however, could not dampen my friend Jenny and I's enthusiasm for going to Sagunto to discover how Holy Week is celebrated here in Spain.

The first processional we saw was on Monday night. We went after dinner, taking along a newly-arrived pastoral assistant from Argentina with us. The longer we stay here, the more painfully obvious newcomers get--the enthusiasm, taking pictures of absolutely everything, and complaints about the distance on foot between the school and the town all mark a person as "fresh off plane." Despite this guy's picture-taking, we somehow managed to get to the processional in time. The entire village was bedecked in purple banners, and the town cathedral was lit in purple as well. It was a small processional, with lines of men robed in black carrying long white candles. The effect was very dramatic. There was also one of the better marching bands I've heard out here playing. The two images in this processional were of Christ carrying the cross and of the virgin Mary.

By Wednesday, most of the ESDES students had left on various travels, so my conversation class was sent to the market in the morning for a "practical lesson." Unlike during Fallas, there wasn't anything there related to Holy Week, but it was still fun and there were more vendors there than I'd ever seen.

That night was the craziest Easter adventure I've ever had.

It started out well. Jenny and I left on foot to see the Tamborrada, a magnificent drum display, and even managed to get a ride with one of our teachers over there. He told us that the Procession of Silence I was interested in seeing would only last a half an hour, so we shouldn't have any troubles getting back to the dorm by curfew at 11:30 even though it wasn't scheduled to start until 10:30. So, we enjoyed the Tamborrada, following the strangely-dressed musicians across town. Their playing would be enough to make any percussionist grin ear to ear.

Afterwards, to kill time before the Procession of Silence, we had kebabs for dinner and got some necessities at the Mercadona. We sat on a bridge and saw a gorgeous sunset before we headed over to the center of town again to watch the black-robed men gather for the processional. I found us what I thought was a good spot to see it, leaning against a pillar right next to the purple paper provided to prevent the wax from ruining the old streets. It was a great place to see the procession from--but not to leave from.

Basically what happened is that the processional started twenty minutes late, and we were trapped in Sagunto with no way of contacting the school. We tried to call them with a cell phone, just to discover it had no minutes. Meanwhile, the gigantic Baroque image of Jesus that's being carried passed me nearly falls on me. Yeah. That was exciting. Eventually, we broke through the lines of candle-carrying men to walk back to the school.. . but then Jenny started getting dizzy spells, and that's where life got complicated.

We were already at the outskirts of Sagunto when I thought, "Hm, she might not make it on foot back to the school. Hey, there's a friendly police car! They're supposed to be helpful!" So, I flagged them down and explained our situation to them in brief. After asking us where the school was, they said, "We can't take you there because it's not in Sagunto city limits. We can take you to a phone, though." So, we got into the back of the police car, and they took us all the way to the train station--farther away than we were from the school before and handed us a number for a taxi. They left us alone in front of a phone booth.

Not exactly alone, though. Oh, no. There was a man jabbering away in some African language we didn't recognize for half an hour before we could finally use the phone. Then, once we did, the taxi number turned out to be a dud. Some helpful policemen! So, we wound up walking all the way back in the middle of the night, arriving at about 1:30 AM. Fortunately, we had told the dorm before we left that we might be a little late, so the dean on call was waiting for us at the window to let us in. She didn't tell us off--she could tell we'd paid for breaking curfew enough by the expressions on our faces. She was just relieved we'd made it back eventually and more than a little irritated at how the police had dealt with us.

Naturally, we spent the rest of Holy Week a little closer to home, doing nice, tranquil things like taking pictures in our one day of sun. There have only been two days of sun this entire vacation--Thursday and today, Easter. For this, I am glad--nothing expresses the joy of this holiday like a beautiful, clear day. I hope all of you have a very happy Easter, full of light and joy.

Valencia in Fallas

Well, Spring Break has gone by in the blink of the eye! The majority of it was taken up, ever so pleasantly, in the Valencia festival called Fallas. This is a very old, very awesome holiday, and this last week contained its culminating celebrations.

My first encounter with the Fallas this week was on Monday, when my friend Jenny and I decided we would walk from the school to the beach. This is an exceptionally long trek, but it was full of the large, wooden and plaster Fallas in all kinds of delightful shapes--mermaids, fairies, politicians--any shape imaginable. Also, we came upon a crowd of falleras, the women who officiate the festival, in their glittering gowns, the men next to them wearing colorful vests. Whenever I see them, I am mesmerized not just by their gowns, but by the confidence it gives them. In the blur of shapes, images, and flowers, we wound up at a rather different part of the shore than we had expected and never found the gelato we wanted. We went to a cafe and had ice cream there instead, as they were broadcasting a bull fight.

Two days later, our friend Lisa talked us in to going to see a bull fight live. It's one of those things that you just do when you go to Spain, just to say you've done it once, you know? Even though I had spent the morning at the market in Sagunto getting some much-needed sunglasses (how could I not pack something that important?), I was excited to go and see this interesting cultural experience. For lunch we had some smoothies, and I daresay, I had to fight to keep them down.

After the greeting blasts of a pasodoble, the fight began. It celebrated the work of three toreros--bull fighters--each killing two bulls. This took about three hours, and I've got to say, I've never felt more like a foreigner in Spain than I did during those three hours. At first I looked at it through my Californian eyes--poor bull, being killed for no good reason. Then, as visibility got better at night, I started to think more about the torero, of the guts it takes to face down a 576-kg bull. The flash of the sword, the confidence--it's easy to see why the sport has followers. However, the violence of it, the cheering of the crowd to watch the thing die--it was enough to churn anyone's stomach. I took video, intending it for the website, but on further review, I considered it too intense to show here.

We wandered at random through the streets of Valencia after that, looking ways to kill time before the Nit de Foc (Night of Fire). We went to Corte Ingles with the intention of trying on Fallera dresses, but, quite wisely, there were no fitting rooms there. So, we went to Starbucks, and on the way, we passed an absolutely gigantic parade of falleras marching on to give offerings to the Virgin. We watched them for a while, then followed their parade route, amazed at their long mantillas. Eventually, we arrived at the square where they offered their flowers to the Virgen, and that, I'll never forget.

It was full of lowers, of every color and shape. Even the side of the buildings nearby were covered with them. The Virgin stood over sixty feet high, and was robed in flowers, also. The scent was powerful, absolutely amazing and I was awestruck by the sheer quantity of blooms. From there, we went to a bridge over the Turia from which we could see the spectacular fireworks for the Nit de Foc. This was lovely, though we had to sprint to make it onto the last train of the night. It was five in the morning when I finally went to bed, and I did not wake up until noon the next day.

After lunch, as I sat down to write in my journal from my favorite spot on the side of the mountain, I was delighted to find that I had a balcony seat for the Mascleta in Sagunto. The sound must have been powerful, to reach me across so many orange orchards, and the smoke rising over Sagunto made it look like it was being attacked. Certainly a good opening to the last day of Fallas!

A large quantity crammed into a bus to get to Valencia, and it was PACKED. Jenny and I wandered the outskirts of the city for a bit, dodging kids with firecrackers and seeing some of the more out-of-the-way fallas. Then, we moved back into the center of things, where we ran into some of our Portuguese friends. We hung out with them for a while, watching the explosion of one of the smaller fallas, and following a marching band around. This was fun--it had quite a following of happy people, dancing and clapping along. When our group got a little too large to handle, Jenny and I broke off and went down to the cathedral to watch the falla outside of it burn.

Wow, they don't just light those, they blow them up. The noise was incredible, as was the light and the heat. Smoke billowed into the sky and ash fell, the crowd drawing back from the force of the blast. the flames were huge, like none I'd seen in my life. It was all I could do to keep my hands steady on the camera as I recorded it. As we walked away, I saw that it had blown some of the crowd barriers over with its force.

We made our way to the main plaza to watch the closing ceremonies. It was packed with thousands of people all pressed together--a person couldn't fall if they tried. The fireworks they lit off were probably the most impressive I've seen in my life, and in such an excessive quantity that surely no company in the US would be able to afford them. When they torched the enormous falla there, it was amazing. The flames were so tall, the fire so hot that even though I was a sizeable distance away from it, I could still feel its heat. Even though they sprayed water onto it immediately afterward to keep it under control, it continued to burn long after the Valencia musical suite had finished and the crowd had begun to disperse.

It took some time to leave the packed square, and then Jenny and I finished off the evening with some Fallas treats--churros and chocolate. The chocolate was warm and wonderful, and I was grateful that the school had provided us a bus--the train station was packed.

I didn't wake up until one thirty the next day, and since then, I've been gradually steeling myself for school to start tomorrow. Break went by so fast, it hardly felt like we had one. I can hardly believe that Fallas are over, but that is life. I hope you all have a wonderful week, whatever it brings.

Sagunto and Valencia, March 8

Ok, so I know it's been a while since I sent one of these, but in my defense, last week was Dead Week and the week to come is Test Week. Despite all the endless studying, there have been a few things worth mentioning in the last week and a half. Last week, for example, we went to a really good art museum in Valencia as a requirement for History of Art. Although I was already familiar with the style of the Gothic pieces (they had a triptych by Bosch himself) and the Rennaissance works, I had not seen or given much thought to Baroque art before. It's very dark, with an interesting use of light. We skipped ahead of what we were studying, too, to look at some Goya, Velazquez, and Greco paintings, too--I wish I'd had more time there, but it was only a quick visit. My favorite painting was one of Joshua stopping the sun--it uses the light in really cool ways.

The next day was one of our favorite teacher's birthdays, so we gave her a Hello Kitty bag as a class to celebrate it and had cake--it was fun to see her reaction. We like doing lighthearted things to break up the stress of Dead Week--on Tuesday, we had a self-proclaimed Hippie Day, much to the astonishment of the teachers, who rubbed their eyes in wonder to see so many clothes they had thought were extinct. On Wednesday, three girls randomly came dressed as the Powerpuff Girls, for the sheer fun of it. When asked why, they just shrugged and said, "We're bored."

Thursday, though, was a day of almost enforced relaxation. Group A, the beginning level of Spanish here, put on a play directed by my friend Jenny, Mermeleda de Fresa. It was absolutely hilarious, and I loved it. Shortly after, we were required to go to Valencia to start enjoying Fallas, the most important fiesta for Valencia. A lot of people were a bit angry about having to leave campus for so long during Dead Week, myself included, but now I'm so glad they did it because it was an experience I'll never forget.

First, the Mascleta, where they gather in the square at the center of the city and shoot as many fireworks as possible in the middle of the day to see how loud they can make it. Jenny and I stood in the packed square where we could see the Falleras, women who officiate the festival, their gorgeous dresses gleaming from afar. Then, after the blasting of the Valencia anthem, they began the Mascleta. Even the most intensely pyromaniacal friends I've ever had would appreciate this display--I reveled in the smell of gunpowder, in the sheer quantity fo shells they lit. I could feel the sound, not just hear it, as though the rhythm of the explosions and the beating of my heart were one. The ground shook, the plaza filled with the smoke of all these shells, looking like some kind of strangely festive war zone. . . and I LOVED it.

Unfortunately, outside the metro station afterwards, one of my classmates was so overcome with zeal to celebrate Fallas that he threw a firework a bit too close to me. When it exploded, it hurt my ears in a way the noise of the Mascleta hadn't, because I wasn't prepared for it--they were sore for hours afterward. At the very least, he apologized profusely and seemed sincere about it.

All of this was forgotten as we explored the exposition of the Ninots, the carved wooden statues that will be in the larger Fallas that they will put out on the streets later on in the holiday. It truly is amazing, the detail and craftsmanship, not to mention the imagination of the artists. They work so hard to create these--and yet only one won't be burned by the end of the festival. One gets saved by popular vote; I voted for a beautifully detailed one that looked so real, I almost thought it was alive.

After looking through all of these, I was fairly tired, and parked myself in a cafe to wait for the next event of the evening, another play. I amused myself by making a work of art with some crayons I'd bought earlier--it did my study-tired brain good to release some visual creativity. Then, when the play rolled around, I was really able to enjoy it. La Comedia Nueva y el Cafe is a classic Spanish work, and they used nationally-acclaimed actors, but don't let that fool you--it was hilarious. I laughed so hard, I thought I was going to burst. I loved in particular, the opening scene where they made fun of the history of Sagunto--all about people who should not be in the play-writing business.

Today was consumed with a project for Culture class, where we each made and presented meals from various countries. Jenny and I chose India, and made curry and lassi. There were also burritos, real salsa, empanadas, a good salad, fritters, pasta, and tiramisu for dessert. It was wonderfully tasty and filling, though more satisfying is knowing that I have that project, and several others, done now. This finals week, I will actually be able to study, instead of being bogged down by projects at the same time. I know that a lot of my friends are going through that final crunch before Spring Break, too, and I hope all of you do very well, with as little stress as possible.

Sagunto, February 25

Last Thursday, I had the wonderful luck to go to Valencia with the school to learn more about its history. Before entering the museum we were there to see, MUVIM, the history teacher showed us an archeological park of the ruins of Valencia and also the old powerful silk company that competed with China back in its heyday before they discovered that mandarins were a better choice. The mandarins they grow today right outside my school are actually Chinese mandarins grafted onto the local Spanish variety to make them sweet. The local ones are really bitter, though they carry many medicinal benefits. Also, we saw the Valencia public library, which is a spectacular building, a former hospital of Renaissance architecture. My eyes popped out to see so many wonderful books in one place.

In the basement of MUVIM, they have a section of the old Arab wall on display. The history teacher explained how the Arab walls were made by building two walls of wood, and then stuffing the space between them with rocks and their version of cement. The circular street around the older section of town is actually the imprint of the old city wall. The MUVIM building itself is interesting in its proportions, as it was constructed according to the Golden Ratio so that everyone inside it would feel at ease. Sadly, cameras were not allowed inside, so I will do my best to describe the experience that is MUVIM.

The visit began with a silent hooded monk beckoning us to follow him through exhibits of the doubts of scholars copying texts in the Middle Ages, the advent of the printing press, and how this changed the world. His last part was a choice of three doors reflecting the changing picture of God the Renaissance brought, along with the place of man in the universe--a shaking of his faith.

Our next guide was a very polite woman in colonial costume, who curtsied to us and led us through the Enlightenment and the revolutions that followed it. Many students recoiled at the horrors of slavery and the guillotine in the French Revolution. To contrast that, she led us into a well-furnished roccocco room and served us Valor chocolates with a polite flourish. The reproduction of the period furniture was absolutely magnificent.

In place of her, we got a labcoated scientist, who led us through the scientific developments of the twentieth century, then through a room of many screens. It started with the sound of a human heartbeat, but then changed to display several montages at once of the many bloody wars of that time. It was enough to turn anyone's stomach--the Holocaust, Vietnam, Rwanda. . . it ended poignantly with the explosion of the atomic bomb, too massive in its its destruction to contemplate. At the end of our visit, they showed us a montage of the hope for the future, how we have the potential to overcome the wounds and wars of previous generations.

We spent the rest of our time in Valencia visiting a cute candy shop and a really big, really cheap book store. I savored these few moments of fun, because the next day I had a project due that kept me up late into the night to finish, a newscast. I might've finished it sooner if my friend Jenny hadn't have sprained her wrist on the stairs and come to me for help, but I don't begrudge her that, naturally. The project turned out fine, and we had a good time looking at each other's newscasts in class. I have taped a few (not my own, sorry) if anyone cares to see them on the webpage.

Sabbath afternoon, a nice big group of us went up to the castle of Sagunto to look around a bit, because some of the new students hadn't seen it yet. Although I had been before, it was still fun to climb new things, get new angles, and to see, heh, a recently married couple taking photos, still in their wedding clothes. This week has been very relaxed, and thanks to a good deal of the school leaving to go skiing, my teachers cancelled class today and we went to the Sagunto market instead. I got a pair of flamenco shoes for only twelve euros. Afterwards, our teacher had us over for lunch, all twelve of us that remained, and it was a wonderful meal, very relaxing.

As for now, I'm gearing up for the end of the quarter, buckling down on end-of-quarter projects and getting my reading for class done. I can hardly believe this quarter has gone by so fast. I hope that life is treating you all well, and that you enjoy yourselves wherever you are.

Andorra and Barcelona, February 10-13

I'd like to start by saying Happy Valentine's, a bit belatedly, to all my beloved JJ readers. Circumstances involving cleaning for the coming of an accreditation committee made it impossible for me to write an episode at my usual time, but know that the sentiment is no less heartfelt, if late.

Coming to the small country of Andorra on the border of Spain and France, we had some free time before our spa visit (yes, spa!!!) to sample the local cheeses and the wonderfully thick drinking chocolate. This was warm and delicious, as it began to snow. The spa was marvelous. . . lights and fountains and all kinds of hot and cold pools composed Caldea, this marvel the school brought us to visit. It's kind of neat to swim in warm water outside while it's snowing. I particularly loved, too, the Turkish sauna with all of its warm, wet steam--and the feeling of the freezing cold water afterward. I also loved the black light room--I wish I could find an excuse to install something like it at home.

Andorra was covered in a thick blanquet of beautiful white snow the next morning. We all took pictures and had snow fights while waiting for the chains to be put on the bus so that we could leave for Barcelona. Fortunately, we didn't have to go the entire way in chains. Unfortunately, Montserrat was closed off from a landslide, so my classmates couldn't see it. I felt really grateful for having gone with my parents.

Instead, we went to the top of Tibidabo, a mountain said to be the one where Satan tempted Jesus to worship him and be the ruler of the world. Although it is just a legend, the view of Barcelona it offers is magnificent, as is the small church with its famous statue of Jesus on top. Although that is the main tourist attraction of the church, I liked the ceramic murals inside better--they are more colorful than anything I've ever seen inside a Catholic church. The other famous attraction at the top of Tibidabo is Europe's second oldest amusement park. We didn't go in, but it was interesting to see from the outside what the old school rides look like.

That evening, my friend Jenny and I walked down to the sea, past the famous statue of Christopher Colombus to look at the famous mall there. We also poked around the free parts of Barcelona's famous aquarium, which do not include fish swimming around in tanks, but do involve a store full of adorably plushy stuffed animals I can't afford. We finished our day dining at a restaurant on La Rambla with absolutely horrible service and pricey drinks (Jenny's Coke was four euros!!!!!).

The next day was packed with visits to the many wonderful Gaudi buildings. In addition to the buildings I saw over Christmas (of which I was able to take better pictures, thanks to the perfect weather), we saw a park he designed as a highly exclusive gated community. The project was such a financial disaster that Gaudi had to buy one of the homes himself, but as a public park is is absolutely gorgeous, with ceramic tiles glittering in the sunlight and a style which blends artfully with the natural surroundings in a way I have never seen another architect do so well.

I ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe with Jenny and Chelo, the teacher accompanying us on this trip. Chelo had never tried ranch dressing before, and she loved it--it was highly entertaining to watch her face when she saw the American proportions they serve there. For me, it was a way of remembering my mom and grandmother, who ate Christmas dinner there while Dad and I were at the Teatre Liceu. Afterward, I went shopping and managed to buy a really cute dress and matching shoes for less than twenty euros put together.

We saw the Picasso Museum shortly thereafter, which had a lot of his early works. I'm not a fan of cubism, but his early works are much more interesting; he seems to have dabbled in every style at some point or another. There are even a few brilliantly colored Impressionist works in that collection.

Our last day in Barcelona involved a walking tour of the Barrio Gotico, where we saw all the Roman ruins my mother had wanted to see when she was there, but we couldn't find. This included the Aqueduct (which was teasingly close to the cathedral), the temple, and the old Roman wall. I went with a group to see the interior of the cathedral. They have a very interesting Romanesque crucifix there which was on the prow of the flagship of some important battle I should remember. It is said that the Christ on it flinched when a cannonball came close to the ship. Yeah, right. Great story, at least.

We got back just in time for the Sabbath, and yeesh, we were all wiped. Sunday was spent cleaning for the AAA accreditation committee (kind of an equivalent to WASC for those of you out on the West Coast). They gave us a real gem in the student interviews when someone mentioned that the bikes provided to us to go to Sagunto are all broken and a member of the committee said, "Why don't you fix them yourselves?" At least they were impressed by our collective level of Spanish--they haven't had such luck at other ACA campuses, I've heard. We may not know how to fix bikes, but we can speak Spanish well!

Anyways, thanks for reading, once again, and happy belated Valentine's Day. Best wishes and much love to each of you.