Wow. In five days we saw five different Spanish cities: Segovia, Avila, Salamanca, Madrid, and Toledo. Here are some highlights:
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| Fairytale Castle |
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| The Cathedral |
SEGOVIA: The absolutely majestic Cathedral, built in the 1500s, was the last Gothic style cathedral to be built in Spain. The Alcázar is a castle that is said to have been an inspiration for Cinderella's castle. We climbed the tower, and the view from the top was astonishing.
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| La vista from the tower |
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| 2,000 years old and 15km long |
Last but not least, the aqueduct - 2,000 years old, and supposedly it could still function today. There is no cement or anything to hold the stones together. One member of our group is a civil engineer, and she could not understand how the structure could maintain static equilibrium without cement. Showing my Pennsylvania pride, I gave a lesson on the importance of the keystone!
ÁVILA: Home of St. Teresa of Ávila, the city is also known for its wall. I'm pretty sure you can't see it from space (like the Great Wall of China), but ít's definitely impressive.
This picture of Ávila's wall was taken from the spot where St. Teresa's father went to bring her home after she ran away at the age of seven. Apparently, she was hoping to become a martyr at the hands of the Moors. Today, a type of pastry called "Yemas" are made in honor of St. Teresa. "Yema" means egg yolk; the pastry is basically a mixture of egg yolk and syrup, soft boiled and coated in sugar. You either love them (if you don't think too hard about what's in them) or you can't stand them. Either way, it's very cultural.
SALAMANCA: There are some really cool pieces of history in Salamanca. Of course, there's another beautiful cathedral. If you look really closely, though, there are some funny things on the outside of the building. Look closely at these pictures; in the one on the left you will find an astronaut (added 'secretly' by a renovator in 1993), and in the one on the right the dragon looks like he's either singing karaoke or eating an ice cream cone. The university here was famous throughout history - apparently Columbus went to Salamanca for tips before his travels. On the outside of the university building, there is a frog about halfway up that has supposedly been a good luck charm for students over the years. Also, on the university building below you can see traces of red writing on the walls. That's the signature of successful students writing their initials on the walls, in an ink made of bull's blood. Quite a tradition.
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| Writing on the wall... |
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| Chapel across from the Palacio Real |
MADRID: Let's see...Madrid is the capital of Spain! We didn't have enough time there to do everything, but we made it to the Museo Reina Sofía, the Palacio Real, and the Prado. I don't have a lot of pictures because you can't really use a camera inside these places, but I'll share some of what I have. There was some amazing artwork in the museums, including pieces from Goya, Velázquez, Picasso, Dali, and many others. Unfortunately, although I can appreciate his work, I still just don't understand Picasso.
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| The Palace - 2800 rooms - currently used only for ceremonies (not for living). |
Personally, I had several other "firsts" in Madrid, all of them relating to food. I had my first paella, complete with a mini crab and shrimp with the heads still on. I also ate my first flan, which is a traditional Spanish experience, but one that I do not need to have again. Oh yes - I can't forget the hot chocolate. In Spain, hot chocolate is literally chocolate that is hot. None of this watery powdered mix stuff. It's kind of overwhelming, actually. Speaking of food, you don't tip at restaurants here, which is refreshing. They're sneaky, though. If you eat the bread that they have set out on the table, you get charged for it. And you have to be specific to order
tap water, or else they will bring you fancy bottled water that you have to pay for. If that's not enough, we also got charged one euro for using the bottle of ketchup! Ay caramba.
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| Stained-glass window reflections in the Cathedral |
TOLEDO: Last stop of the trip. By this point we were all exhausted, but Toledo is a really cool city. It's the "city of three cultures" - Muslim, Jewish, and Christian. Throughout the city you can find old synagogues and mosques that have been converted into churches. In fact, one of our stops was an old mosque that had been added onto and turned into a church. It was built on top of an ancient Roman road - talk about culture clash! You can also find plenty of sword shops, and the cathedral is beautiful.I'm not sure why, but I kept thinking of the Princess Bride movie the entire time we were here. I think I was waiting for Íñigo Montoya to challenge someone to a sword fight. Like I said, it was a long trip, and this was the last leg. It was so much fun though! Many more travels to come!
SALAMANCA: There are some really cool pieces of history in Salamanca. Of course, there's another beautiful cathedral. If you look really closely, though, there are some funny things on the outside of the building. Look closely at these pictures; in the one on the left you will find an astronaut (added 'secretly' by a renovator in 1993), and in the one on the right the dragon looks like he's either singing karaoke or eating an ice cream cone. The university here was famous throughout history - apparently Columbus went to Salamanca for tips before his travels. On the outside of the university building, there is a frog about halfway up that has supposedly been a good luck charm for students over the years. Also, on the university building below you can see traces of red writing on the walls. That's the signature of successful students writing their initials on the walls, in an ink made of bull's blood. Quite a tradition. 
