Madrid: Wrapping up Spain

I left Salamanca with quite a few tears, but hope that Madrid would bring some relief. I was excited for what I'd see there, but the 2-1/2 hour bus ride leaving Salamanca for the last time was tough one. We did some pretty sweet things while we were there, though. Here is me and TeeTee at dinner at this pretty sweet Indian Restaurant (it was the only spicy food I was able to find in Spain!!).

On day one in Madrid, I went on a loooong walk all over town and saw this bear and tree statue that I've always seen in other people's pictures. I'm still not sure the name or significance, but I got a picture (I was getting lazy at being a good tourist... after 6 weeks of it and all).

Here is the Stadium Santiago Bernabéu, where Real Madrid plays futbol. I did an exterior tour (aka self led around the outside, too broke to afford the actual tour) and got this sweet picture of me in front of it.

Here are a few more cool buildings/statues... once again I don't know the significance, but they sure are pretty!

On the final day, I made a much desired visit to the Prado Museum. I have been waiting a looong time to make it to this museum and see all of the famous works within. You can ask anyone in my Art History class last winter who knew I was going to Spain... every painting in our book that was listed in the "Prado" I was freaking out about. Oh, and I saw them all, you better believe it. It was my favorite thing about the city. Here is me in front of the Prado with the statue of Velazquez, arguably the most famous artists to come out of Spain (competing with Pablo Picasso, of course).

What else did I do in Madrid? Lots of great things! My other favorite thing, aside from the Prado, was the live Flamenco show, up close and personal. We had front row seats and literally got sprayed with the sweat of the dancers. It was incredible... all of it... the dancing, music, vocals, ahhh it was just great! What else? Dinner at a random terrace, walking around, befriending two guys on the street and taking randomly hilarious posed pictures, eating lots of ice cream (yeah, yeah, nothing new), and finding a pretty sweet Mexican restaurant (for those of you who didn't read my earlier post about Spanish food, it's much different! haha).

Catch me later :)

Change in Travel Plans

For those of you who have been lurking on my Facebook page (aka Facebook stalking me), you've seen now that I'm back in Seattle. I am confirming that I did have a change in my travel plans and I am temporarily in Seattle again. Don't you worry your pretty little heads, though, Colombia is calling my name loud and clear. I'll be headed there next month for 2-1/2 weeks and will surely have an amazing time.

Now, my story back from Spain is a fun one. So I left Salamanca and went to Madrid for a few days (PS pictures and blog update about Madrid is coming your way soon). While in Madrid, my plans to Colombia quicky changed. I found out two days before leaving Madrid that I would be landing in Seattle, not Bogota, after all, and I would have to reschedule my whole trip to one month later than originally planned. I crazily emailed Laura, my manager at Windworks, and begged for some work hours upon my return, just two days away. Then I took my flight back to Philadelphia and prepared to board for Seattle.

Then suddenly (oh, I know the suspense is killing you), the flight was overbooked back to Seattle and US Airways kindly offered me $550 in flight vouchers and a hotel for the night to get bumped to the flight the next morning. Heck, sure, why not? What did I have to get home to so urgently anyway? Pretty much no job, my bed was still going to be there just the same. So sure. Well, the hotel was a great and the next day I headed back to the airport at 5am. Well, it just so happens that once again, the flight was overbooked. I obliged to another $550 flight voucher and hopped a train to the historical district in Philly, where I spent the morning and early afternoon (pics to come from that mini-adventure, too!). That afternoon I caught my flight back to Seattle and was greeted at the airport by my lovely Leslie and then basically went straight to Mexican for margaritas and a reunion with most of my roommates. Lovely :)

I also had a surprise waiting for me upon my return to Seattle. Heather, my bestie that got engaged to Jon while I was gone, asked me to be her Maid of Honor in their wedding next March! I was (and AM) so freaking excited!!

Well, what's on the agenda for the next month? I was able to pick up some Windworks shifts (thanks to Holly and Laura), I have 3 papers to write (12 pages each in Spanish... eeeeek!), surely enjoying some Seattle sun, beach, sailing, hiking, friends, a trip to Yelm to visit the fam, my favorite bars, then my cousin's wedding in Portland, a weekend jaunt to SoCal for wedding dress shopping for Heather, and then Colombia! Oh, and missing Salamanca and all of the people who made it so amazing for me. I miss you all :(

So check for my updates coming soon: Madrid, Philadelphia, and a fun fact blog about cool Salamanca things. That sounds vauge, but it'll be great.

Catch me later :)

Salsa in Salamanca

I know you know by now that I spent a lot of time in Salamanca dancing... and not just any dancing... Latin dancing! I was vague enough before (and in the title of this post) to simply say Salsa dancing, but it was much more than just Salsa. Here's a little bit of what I learned about Latin dancing while in Salamanca (compliments of Zayrho De San Vicente and El Savor).

Salsa.

Salsa has its roots in Cuba but has many different styles from many different countries all over the world. The most important thing in Salsa music is the clave rhythm, which can be performed by many instruments, but is usually performed by congas, bongos, piano, or a few other instruments. Some think (and I would agree with this) that the best part of a Salsa song is the "venom" where the music changes from something more timid to something with bite. It really is beautiful. The most important thing in Salsa dancing is to never stop moving your feet and to keep stepping the next step (don't forget while turning!). The focus is in the steps and what the feet are doing, not necessarily the hips and turns (though that do make it very nice to watch). Salsa can be danced solo, in couples, or in groups, choreographed, free-style, or very close to follow the leader.

Cumbia.

Cumbia is a dance from the Caribbean coast of Colombia (yay Colombia). Originally the dance style was created by African slaves. The slaves often had chains around their feet, so the dance involves movement of the hips much more than the knees or feet, and the feet are usually pretty close together. In addition to Cumbia, Vallenato also come from Colombia.

Merengue.

Merengue is from the Dominican Republic, but of course its popularity has spread all over. It's quite different from Salsa and Cumbia because the beat is very different and the steps are quite different. I haven't decided if it's more simple or more difficult than Salsa, but it's certainly different. In my experienced, it is more easily danced close with a partner because you can feel where the leader will take you next with the steps. The music is generally fast, fun, and energetic.

Well, there is much more that I learned, but that's probably enough to chew on. Since I don't want to forget these great dance skills, I'm going to try to find some place with Latin dancing back here in Seattle, but at least I get to enjoy a few more weeks of dancing in Colombia when I go there next month. I can't wait!

Catch me later :)

Vasco: The Language of San Sebastián

For those of you who don't know, there are actually 4 languages spoken in Spain: Castillan (or Spanish), Gallega (spoken in Galicia), Catalan (spoken in Cataluña), and Vasco (spoken in País Vasco). San Sebastián, a destination beach town on the North Coast of Spain, is in the region of País Vasco. Well, that was the destination of our weekend vacation just before finals in Salamanca. Though some people do speak Vasco, most speak Spanish and many also speak English. It was funny to not know which language to use while still in Spain! hahah... Our 6-hour Renfe train ride allowed us to arrive in San Sebastián just in time to enjoy some street performers, have a great dinner, and get a glimpse of one of the two beautiful beaches in the town. Here's me at the Renfe station:

This is a picture of my favorite church in town, captured on film during my evening walk while chatting on the phone and cooling down from the day at the beach. So beautiful!

Me and the lovely TeeTee in front of our Hostel: Old City Luca. Our accommodations were pretty nice for the price and the owner and his co-worker were friendly and nice. Our place was pretty clean and had nice big bathrooms. I'd definitely recommend this place to someone traveling in San Sebastián:

Big waves at the beautiful surfing beach. TeeTee and I enjoyed this view from the sand while Stefanie, Brad, and Spencer went boogie boarding (yeah, yeah, I know, but we studied for finals on the beach instead). It was incredibly beautiful! Clear water, waves, hills, and beautiful people:

And this is the other beach in town, which is much more family oriented by equally beautiful: La Concha beach. The waves were much smaller but the view was incredible:

On our last night, TeeTee and I enjoyed ice cream on a walk and a photo shoot on the beach. For more pictures, check out my facebook album (which I will post very soon!). I hope all of you can enjoy the beautiful San Sebastián someday, too!

Catch me later :)

A Weekend In Roma

Hellooooooo Roma!! Can I just say first and foremost that I LOVE YOU!!?? Well, it's true. And the funny thing is, I never imagined that I would love Rome so much. Those of you who know me know that my dream traveling is in Latin America, not Europe. BUT, once I saw that beauty that was Rome, Italy, I loved it like nothing else I could explain. And what a perfect weekend... and I'm not exaggerating... perfect! Here are a few highlights, but for more pictures, checkout my facebook album for Rome.

Me and Zayrho at the Forum on Day 1. This is just as the clouds were rolling in when the giant thunder and lightning (and rain) storm began:

And here is the sky again just minutes later... literally 2 minutes before the torrential downpour that sent us running for cover, for temporary relief in a pizzeria for some Italian Pizza and Peroni before making a run for the hotel. Oh, and we were more or less 15 blocks from the hotel. The funniest part is how much we laughed and were truly humored by the whole situation:

The next day was amazing and beautiful (the weather and so much more). Here is the Pantheon from the front. Unfortunately the right side of the facade was under repair and the scaffolding was covering up and made for a not-so-attractive photo. Welp, at least I've been there!

Now (drum roll,please.......) the fountain that ties for favorite monument in Rome... the Trevi Fountain. I dreamed of wearing my pretty purpled dress in front of it for this picture, and look! It came true! So beautiful... here is me and Zayrho, once again:

And the monument that ties the Trevi Fountain for first place: Colosseum! It was more amazing in person than it ever seemed in movies or pictures. I think we spent at least 4 hours total there, between the exterior visit the first night to the self-guided tour and professional-guided tour just after. There was so much to learn and see, though, so I think it was time well spent and time well enjoyed.

Hmmm, what else about Rome I'd like to share? During the flight, I thought I'd get an Italy stamp in my passport, but I guess not since it's inside the EU. You're probably also wondering about Vatican City. I was there, saw, but did not conquer. My shorts were too short to be allowed entry into St. Peter's Basilica, so I had to opt out and enjoy the views elsewhere outside. I was pretty bummed not to see the amazing Bernini designed altar and the amazing dome. Well, something to see next time, for sure! What else are you wondering? Probably how long I was there for. 3 days! We were crazy busy running all over town trying to find everything on this great little map, trying to get all of the major monuments in. I'm pretty sure we accomplished all of that, though. Modes of transportation from Salamanca to Rome and back? Bus, Metro, Taxi, Shuttle, Flight, Bus, Bus, Metro, Flight, Metro, Bus. Whew!

I will never forget my spontaneous weekend trip to Rome, filled with wonderful and perfect memories that I will have forever. Lots more new in my life so keep posted and...

...catch me later :)

Update: Necessary!

Hey everyone! I have been majorly lacking in updating you all! You're so very patient and I cannot express how thankful I am for that ;)

Okay, enough corniness... this will be quick until I can write more. Today I had my first of two final exams. Today's was for my Spanish Culture class. It went pretty well, which either means it was easier than I was expecting or I just studied very well (I'm going to go with the latter). Tomorrow is my last final exams for Grammar and then I will be free to party away my last few nights in Salamanca. I'm not gonna lie, this place is like home now and I can't believe I have to leave. I could seriously live here (not only COULD I live here, I would LOVE to live here).

Here are the posts to look forward to VERY soon:

ROME

SAN SEBASTIAN

SALSA UPDATE

GOODBYE SALAMANCA

Now I am off to study for my Grammar test... wish me luck! I am gonna need it...

...catch me later :)