A Weekend in Valencia!

Hola amigos! So like I was saying in my last post, we took a bus from Madrid to Valencia on Friday night (July 11th). Unfortunately our bus left Madrid at 9:30pm and didn't arrive in Valencia until after 2am, but hey! We finally made it! We had no idea where our hostel was and don't have international phone plans to search via Google Maps, so we resorted to a taxi. Once the taxi driver discovered we are Americans, he began talking about Tesla cars like no other! Apparently he's thinking about getting one and says it will save him money in the long run. Of course we wished him good luck on this endeavor! We explained to him that we're studying in Toledo and then he proceeded to ask if we wanted to hook up with any Spanish boys to practice our Spanish. He emphasized that it's a great way to practice! I told him my boyfriend back in the States wouldn't be too happy about that, and then he said..."Uh oh, I wouldn't want a strong American guy coming over because he's mad at me!" Thankfully we arrived to our hostel fairly quickly after that comment!

After a good night's sleep (more or less), we got up to go to La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (The City of Arts and Sciences). I recently learned in my Art and Architecture class just how important this area truly is! The use of glass, white material, and blue water help create a very futuristic look! Below you can see an aerial view of L'Hemisfèric (an IMAX cinema), El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe (science museum), L'Umbracle (a garden walkway), L'Oceanogràfic (an aquarium), and more! Wondering why all of these names are not in Spanish? This is because Valencia has its own separate variety of the Spanish language called Valencian (in English) or valenciano (in Spanish). 

City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia! 

So in this area, our first stop=the science museum! Based on the pictures below, you can see we had too much fun!

Our good friend, Einstein

We came across an incubator with baby chicks that literally just hatched! I stood in front of them for at least 20 minutes...this was my favorite part of the science museum! SO CUTE.

Baby chicks that just hatched!

Having too much fun...

After a couple hours we left the science museum to go to Europe's largest aquarium! Here we saw beluga whales, walrus, sharks, fish (of course), penguins, dolphins, and more!

Baby beluga in the deep blue sea!

Oceànografic (Valencia's aquarium)

My wittle penguin fwend!

Then I had the most brilliant idea of brilliant ideas! I encouraged my friends to go with me to a dolphin show! We had a blast watching the dolphins and trainers perform tons of tricks!

Dolphin show!

Afterwards we hit up the Mediterranean Sea! We relaxed on the beach for several hours and shopped around in the local markets. I simply couldn't believe we were there!

I'm at the MEDITERRANEAN SEA!

Proud Buckeyes :)

So now you know how crazy busy of a day we had...but we weren't about to go to bed just yet! We headed out to explore the Valencia nightlife! And this is when we discovered that Valencia is a little more sketchy than expected. For instance, as one of my friends was taking money out of an ATM, a man was standing beside her begging her for money. We felt extremely awkward and overprivileged. It was very unsettling. 

In addition, we saw some strange stores and roads..and the city is dirty in some areas. But besides just the local area, we met some creepy tourists! It was especially interesting when a Bachelor party of 30+ year-old British men began talking to us. Some of my friends began to pretend they were from England by using their best British accent, and before we knew it, we were talking to these guys until 4am...with that said, it was very interesting to learn more about their interpretation of American girls. The men were very drunk and mocked shows like Jersey Shore and people like Britney Spears...so unfortunately it appeared that they had quite a few negative stereotypes. However, they did say that they love America because the USA saved everyone in WWII. The British men certainly seemed to admire our country as a whole, but loved mocking the American girls! It was a strange night...but nights like these are perfect for meeting people from all over the world...and in doing so, I have learned more about my country and others!

Valencia nightlife!

So yes, overall we had a fun time in Valencia! I personally don't think I would come back to Valencia because there are other cities I'd like to explore instead. While the science museum, aquarium, and beach were amazing, I think it would be even more fun to go to San Sebastían (where I hear the beach is even more beautiful!) I feel very lucky to have been able to go to Valencia that weekend and am grateful for the memories I made there! Pretty soon I'll FINALLY update my blog to include my weekend in Barcelona. Adiós for now!

Because why not add another O-H-I-O picture

to the end of my blog?! :)

Picture credits:

http://www.nevworldwonders.com/2013/08/preview-city-of-arts-and-sciences.html

A Day in Segovia!

Hola amigos! So these past few weeks have been crazy busy and once again I'm behind on my blog. While this may be the case, I have some fun times to recount nevertheless! 

So to begin…

We got on a bus Friday morning (July 11th) for our trip to Segovia! Thankfully the bus ride was about an hour and half, so not too bad at all! Our first stop was Alcázar of Segovia, a former royal palace that was originally built as a fortress. I recently learned that it was one of the inspirations for Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle! It started off as an Arab fort (sometime around 1120), but Christians conquered this area thereafter. Since then, Alcázar served as the residence of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Castile until the royal court eventually moved to Madrid. Check out the lovely pictures below :)

Alcázar 

Very welcoming knight as you walk through the palace doors

Beautiful stained-glass window 

The Throne Room

We learned that red was viewed as the most royal color during this time; therefore, the King's bed is completely red! Also, only the King slept here--the Queen slept in a different room. Royalty married the best person out there (in terms of wealth, nobility, etc.) instead of marrying for love.

The King's bed

View from the top of Alcázar

After touring the rooms of the palace, we took part in a major challenge...climbing a winding staircase with HUNDREDS of stairs to the top of a ginormous tower! There was no handrail to hold onto, the stairwell was about 3 feet in diameter (if that) and people were walking up the stairs and down the stairs at the same time. We were SCARED. I was GRIPPING the wall. But we made it! The adrenaline sure kicked in!

Finally made it to the top of the tower!

Then we ventured around the city for a while...

Catedral de Segovia

Former prison that is now a library...
check out the crazy windows!

And then we saw the amazing Aqueduct of Segovia! It is thought to have been built in the 1st century AD by the Romans. There are just under 200 arches and it's surely a sight to see! The entire structure is made with brick-like granite blocks, but no mortar! Our tour guide joked and said that we can't touch it or it might fall over! Amazingly, it kept functioning until the mid-19th century. LOCO!

Aqueduct of Segovia 

Ya know, just workin' it ;)

Shortly after seeing the aqueduct and taking a moment for a brief photo shoot, we had lunch and then got on a bus to Madrid! In Madrid we shopped around a bit, had dinner, and prepared for our next bus ride to Valencia! Check out my next post for more deets! Adiós for now!

Picture credits:
http://www.ignaciopara.com/?attachment_id=433

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Hola amigos! Just a few things to share about some good times and some bad times here in Toledo!

Let's start with the good things:
1. Sometime last week Paula (6 year-old host sister), Hailey (girl from Tennessee who lives here in my host family), and I all sat singing at the kitchen table. I just so happened to compose one of my best songs yet! It goes as follows... **snap, snap, snap, snap** "Paula, eres mi amiga...Hailey, eres mi amiga...Brittany, eres mi amiga...Paula, Hailey, Brittany, somos amigas!" Now in English...Paula, you're my friend...Hailey, you're my friend...Brittany, you're my friend...Paula, Hailey, Brittany, we're all friends!" As you can tell, I'm very advanced in terms of writing lyrics, but Paula got a big kick out of it! Our host mom even recorded us singing! Hopefully I can add the video to my blog sometime soon and you guys can check it out!

My Spanish is improving!

2. I went with my intercambio to eat at a restaurant the other day. As a reminder, my intercambio is a 28 year-old woman from Toledo and we talk in Spanish for one hour and then English for the next hour. She gave me some great advice about going to Valencia over the weekend and she told me my Spanish has improved from the week before! Yay for that! We also talked about weddings in Spain versus weddings in the US. She said that people in Spain don't feel the same need to get married that people in the US feel. Additionally, she said people in Spain usually don't get married until after their 30s. She personally never wants to get married, but does seem to want a life companion. My host mom confirmed that Spaniards don't get married until later in life--she also believes Americans get married too early. Interesting stuff, right?!

3. I talked to my host brother, Cristian (24 years old), about Lebron James coming back to Cleveland! He's a huge NBA fan! It was funny explaining to him how the "entire" city of Cleveland felt after Lebron left for Miami...especially because Cristian's favorite team is the Heat! I told him how my family burnt LBJ's jersey...but hey, who are we to hold a grudge! Everyone makes mistakes...LBJ owned up to how he mishandled the situation...and now he's coming back to Northeast Ohio! I cannot wait for the upcoming season! Hopefully I can convert Cristian into a Cavs fan before I leave in less than 2 weeks!

Whoop whoop!

Now we'll move on to the "not AS good things":

Paula and her Violeta microphone.

1. In an effort to play with Paula, I brought my laptop to her room to teach her how to karaoke with YouTube videos. She absolutely loves Violeta, a Spanish Disney Channel star, and sings Violeta's songs all the time. Using her Violeta microphone, Paula began belting out the lyrics. She was actually really good! I was genuinely impressed! I began to try to sing along, but quickly was told that I'm not singing the right way and that I shouldn't sing with her. This is the second time my voice isn't good enough for her! Haha! I then turned into her backup dancer, but when I started doing my own moves, I was told to mimic her moves and nothing else. I promise I'm a good dancer though! My singing is bad...but my dancing is good!

So I decided to pick my battles and let this one go....but she became very "grabby" with my laptop and I had to explain to her how expensive and important it is. After becoming a little strict, she got the picture! We then went to pack my backpack for my weekend trip and she helped me fold my clothes--that was really sweet! In return, I gave her a nearly empty bottle of lotion. She got really excited and went to tell her mom about it. That's the last I saw of Paula that night. So let me say again...it was the best of times, it was the worst of times!

2. The other day all the girls who lived with me and my host family left to go back to the United States. It was sad :( I really enjoyed getting to know Michaela, Molly, and Hailey and wish they were still here for my last 2 weeks in Spain. I hope to one day crash Hailey's wedding or have some sort of reunion! It's so crazy how close you can become during a short study abroad trip. I can confidently say that this trip wouldn't have been the same without them, so thanks to the three of you! Best of luck in the future and I hope to see you all one day!

3. The night after all of the girls who lived with me left, my host mom gave me somewhat of a lecture. She told me that I'm very organized, I work too hard, and I'm a perfectionist. I don't completely agree with all of these statements...I do feel that I am very organized, hardworking, and I always try my best. I know I study more often than some of her former host students, but I am determined to learn more Spanish and do well in my classes!

She went on to tell me that her husband is a workaholic and explained how sometimes working so hard can turn into a negative thing. I reassured her that I enjoy myself by traveling on the weekends, spending time with my friends at the University, and occasionally going out on weekdays. I definitely believe I have been taking advantage of my time here in Spain and doing my best to balance fun with schoolwork.

Based on our conversation, I think there may be a cultural difference here. Spaniards typically take a siesta (nap) right after lunch. During this time, nobody works. This is a national practice! In the US there is a stigma associated with taking naps because then one is wasting time in which s/he could be productive! I have yet to take a legitimate siesta here in Spain, and I truly believe that worries my host mom. My viewpoint is that there's so much to do here, that I shouldn't be sleeping! I can rest more when I go back to the US!

After discussing this for a while, we somehow switched topics. I began telling her how I feel when I experience something I really enjoy, such as when I travel somewhere, eat something delicious, or see a famous building! Almost every time I have one of these moments, I think of someone I love and wish s/he could be there with me. For instance, I wish my aunt and grandma could have been at the flamenco show...I wish my mom could have been at La Alhambra or the Arab baths...I wish I could have been walking around Granada with my boyfriend, etc. We ended our conversation with her telling me that she wishes she had a child who works as hard as I do...she apologized for lecturing me and giving me advice...but I really enjoyed our conversation and appreciate her perspective. There was no need to apologize at all! It's nice to know that she genuinely cares about my well-being and wants the best for me while I'm here in Spain!

Now the completely bad things:
1. The cat jumped through the window in my room last night and proceeded to puke on my floor...that is all.

Oh Messi...

2. It was over 102 degrees Fahrenheit in Toledo yesterday. It made the Spanish national news for one of the highest temperatures in the country...I just about died. There is no air conditioning in my host family's house and I sweat 24/7! The temperature isn't expected to drop until Friday. I am trying to be grateful that I'm living in Spain right now, but I am missing the air conditioning in my house! I'm even missing the cold Ohio winters...I NEVER thought I'd say that...but I'd kill for one cold day!

Things that have turned out okay:
1. Because I was so hot, I treated myself to cheesecake gelato yesterday. I may try a different flavor today.

2. My host mom brought a fan up to my bedroom last night.

3. I just found out that Hailey's boyfriend proposed to her and she said yes!

Congrats Hailey!

Picture credits:
http://chicagoagentmagazine.com/nahb-improving-markets-index-reaches-103-housing-markets-in-october/
http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2014/07/lebron-james-coming-home-to-join-the-cleveland-cavaliers/

A Weekend in Andalucía (Part 2)

Hola amigos! Hopefully you've had a chance to read my most recent post about my first day in Andalucía! Now it's time to recount my second and third day!

After a good night's sleep in a comfy bed and a delicious breakfast buffet in our hotel, we hopped on a bus to La Alhambra, a palace and fortress in Granada. If you read my last post you may remember that we saw La Alhambra from afar the night before! But to continue...La Alhambra was originally built in 889 and then converted into a royal palace in 1333 by a Muslim king. While no kings currently live here, it serves as a major tourist attraction in Spain and people from all over the world come to see the beautiful Islamic achitecture.

La Alhambra
But to be honest...I wish I had taken this picture myself!

Before entering the palace, we began our guided tour around the gardens. I took tons and tons of pictures...I have truly never seen gardens as gorgeous as these!

Exploring the gardens!

I wish my mom could have been there to see these!
She loves to garden! 

As we were walking around the gardens, we came across the Palacio de Generalife, which means "Garden of the Architect." It is one of the oldest surviving Moorish gardens! Back when this was built there really wasn't much of a difference between a gardener and an architect because architects were responsible for arranging the gardens as well as designing the building. Below you can see the long pool lined by beautiful plants and flowers! GORGEOUS.

Palacio de Generalife!

Over an hour later, we finally began our tour of the palace itself! Yeserías, or decorations made with clay, line the walls. These yeserías were once painted in vibrant colors, which you can still see to some extent. 

Yeserías with inscriptions
that read "The world is for God."

In addition to yeserías, there are azulejos (tiles) to add color and to protect the walls. 

Amazing tile work!

Check out this ceiling!!!

Now if you're not convinced that this is one of the most beautiful palaces in Spain, check out the picture below! Here a pool reflects the building above. The color of the pool has to be a dark color, such as this dark green, in order to show the reflection. Moreover, the yeserías on the walls of the tower used to be full of color, but after thousands of years that color has obviously faded from rain, wind, etc. I can't imagine how beautiful this was when it was first constructed!

B-E-A-UTIFUL!

Then as our tour was coming to an end, we visited the Patio de los Leones, or the Patio of the Lions. This is the heart of the palace's private section that served to protect the king's residence. In the center of the patio is the Fountain of Lions with 12 lions surrounding the basin. Each hour one lion would spew water. Think about that!!! This clearly demonstrates the Muslim's genius regarding engineering, architecture, and design--especially so many years ago! Furthermore, four small rivers extend from the basin of the fountain. In Islam and many other religions, water used in this manner symbolizes paradise.

Patio de los Leones!

View from the top of La Alhambra!

After nearly four hours, our time at La Alhambra came to a close. Needless to say, we were exhausted! For those of you who don't know, Granada is towards the south end of Spain and the northern part of Africa...so it was dreadfully hot! I really appreciated the air conditioning during the bus ride back! But overall, I really enjoyed our tour of La Alhambra and would love to go back one day! If returning to Spain ever happens, I'd definitely take my mom--I couldn't help but think of her the entire tour! She would have loved it! 

Later in the day we went to scope out a place for lunch and came across a cute outdoor restaurant. Not only did the menu of the day seem delicious, but every 5 minutes misting fans turned on as well! This made for a great lunch! For the first course: macaroni bolognese...second course: calamari...dessert: chocolate ice cream! I was extremely satisfied and EXTREMELY full! We then shopped around a bit to try to walk off our food comas! Later that night I was still too full to eat dinner, but knew I had to eat something. I'm somewhat embarrassed yet also proud to say that my friend Katelyn and I had a Coke, Lays Chips, and gelato for dinner. But hey! It was good!

Several hours later we went to one of my favorite places here in Granada--the Arab baths! We made an appointment for 10:30pm, and as we walked through the doors, simply the aroma made me feel relaxed! The building was absolutely beautiful! For 75 minutes we were free to use a hot pool, a warm pool, a cold pool, or a steam room. We also rested on a hot stone, drank some delicious tea, and picked out our favorite scent for a 15 minute massage. I chose lavender! ALL of this for only 35 US dollars! How can you beat that?! It was so worth it!!! Once again, I really wish my mom could have been there! She really deserves something like that for all the work she does day-in and day-out! I truly hope we can go together one day!

Arab baths! Took this picture off their website...
it wasn't exactly the place to take pictures...
but look at this relaxing environment!!!

After such a relaxing hour and a half, what else to do but head to a discoteca with some friends! We danced the night away to tons of 90s throwbacks! It always amazes me how nearly all of the music here in Spain is in English...but thankfully I love me some Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl," and the Spice Girl's "Wannabe"!

DISCOTECA! 

The next morning we went to a Catholic mass at Granada's most famous cathedral. I was exhausted and it was a little hard to keep up with, but I can finally say I attended a Spanish mass! Besides that, the cathedral was so much more beautiful than any church I've seen in the US! 

Catedral de Granada

Afterwards I went with my friends Mary and Katelyn to the house of Federico García Lorca, a famous Spanish author who wrote a play I just finished reading! Unfortunately he was executed during the Spanish Civil War because of his outspoken liberal views, but I personally love his work and believe he stood up for what was right during this controversial time period. 

La casa de Federico García Lorca

We then had lunch and boarded the bus yet again for our trip back to Toledo! Overall I'd have to say that Granada is one of my favorite cities here in Spain! Not only did I love the ice cream shops on every corner (much like the Starbucks in NYC), but I loved the romantic environment. It was definitely a relaxing yet fun-filled weekend! More posts to come soon, but adiós for now!

Picture credits:

http://www.ignaciopara.com/?attachment_id=433

http://granada.hammamalandalus.com/

http://www.spaniaguide.no/granada/severdigheter-og-attraksjoner-granada

A Weekend in Andalucía! (Part 1)

Hola amigos! Although it's a little over a week later, I'd like to recount my 4th of July weekend in Andalucía! While I was a little disappointed I couldn't spend my weekend celebrating in the U.S., I had a ton of fun in Spain!!!

Firstly, Andalucía is an autonomous community in Spain. In this region we went to two different cities--Córdoba and Granada!

We first woke up at 5am to catch our bus at 5:30am...that was rough! And the icing on the cake you ask? Someone threw up on our bus ride...

But 3 hours later we finally arrived in Córdoba! Our first stop was the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba, or the Mosque-Cathedral. It is a medieval Islamic mosque that was converted into a Roman Catholic cathedral in 1236. To be specific, it was under Islam from 784-1236 and has been a Catholic Church since 1236. CRAZY OLD.

Catedral part of the Mezquita-Catedral

Ah! Gorgeous!

So many beautiful double arches!

A forest of columns!

Surrounding the Mezquita-Catedral is a Jewish quarter, so we then strolled down the streets of the Jewish quarter! So many religions, I know! It was all very beautiful!

Exploring the Jewish quarters!

After our visit we had a delicious lunch and then boarded the bus yet again for Granada! Upon arriving, we first checked in to our hotel--it was so much nicer than the hostels we've been staying in! We had a huge walk-in shower, comfy beds, and AIR CONDITIONING!!!

I have never been so grateful for a hotel room!

Pure beauty!

We knew we didn't have much time for dinner, so we found a cheap Turkish restaurant close by. Who doesn't want to have Turkish food in Spain on the 4th of July, right?!

Turkish restaurant! 

Then we got ready to go to our first flamenco show! A small bus picked us up outside of our hotel and we began our drive down the narrow cobblestone streets. It was a little nerve-wrecking traveling by bus --I swear we almost hit every side of every building, but somehow arrived safely!

We then walked into the bar where the flamenco show was to take place...and it was basically inside this strange cave-like structure. It wasn't a true cave, but it was very dark, the walls were carved out, and plaster was falling off the ceiling. The stage was very small and the chairs were lined up very close to each other. For some reason nobody wanted to sit in the front row (perhaps because the front row was literally a foot from the stage), but as one of the last people to walk in, the front row was my only option. My friend sitting next to me and I began to get excited by this seating arrangement, agreeing that we could take the best pictures from this angle!

Before long, 2 female dancers, 1 male dancer, and 2 male singers took the stage. One of the men bursted out in a deep and loud voice, and the first woman began to dance. Her motions were strong and aggressive, and her face appeared angry. I never realized how fast and sharp the flamenco truly is. The next female dancer smiled more often, but maintained the strong dance moves. Then the male dancer performed by himself. There were never any couple dances unfortunately (perhaps because the stage was not big enough), but it was still fascinating to watch! However, there were some scary moments sitting in the front row! My friend and I kept leaning back in our chairs when the dancers decided to rapidly spin 6 inches from our faces!

So unbelievably close!

So dramatic!!!

Now there's a smile!

Work it!

Just when we thought the show was over, another set of dancers and singers entered the stage. I was very impressed by an older female dancer who appeared to be in her late 60s--I simply couldn't believe she could handle all of those sharp moves! Now here comes a twist....as I admired her and took many pictures, I noticed her staring at me kind of strangely. After she finished her dance, she walked off the stage and left the bar. I didn't find out why until the next day...

The other set of dancers/singers

According to my director, the older woman is a gypsy. Before the show she had asked that nobody take pictures of her because she believes pictures suck out her soul. Of course nobody relayed this information to little 'ole me sitting in the front row snapping dozens...and I mean DOZENS...of pictures. So needless to say, this woman believes I sucked out her soul and she had to go back home to her house to perform a ritual to cleanse it. I never thought I was capable of such evil...but I apparently surprise myself here in Spain. So gypsy woman...I apologize and it will never happen again...BELIEVE ME.

Gypsy woman...
I truly hope this does not come back to haunt me. 

On a more sentimental note...the whole time I was watching the flamenco show, I couldn't help but think of my aunt who passed away. Unfortunately she passed unexpectedly right before my trip to Spain, and was so excited for me to have this opportunity. I so badly want to talk to her on the phone and tell her about the flamenco show and all of my experiences here...I wish it were possible. All I can do is hope that she is somehow here with me, watching over me and seeing every special moment. If she were alive and back in the U.S., it would be impossible for her to see me right now...so perhaps it's almost a good thing that she can be a part of my trip. I will never know for sure, but I truly hope she is seeing all of the amazing things I am doing...I miss and love you so much Aunt Pixie <3

Alright...now I have to regain a little composure to type the rest! So after the flamenco show, we went on a tour to see a view of La Alhambra at night. Read my next post to find out more about La Alhambra!

La Alhambra! 

Then, to top off the night we went to Burger King to finally celebrate the 4th of July! I got a delicious Kit Kat blizzard with caramel! Why can't we have Kit Kat blizzards in the U.S.?!?!

So that about covers the first day in Andalucía! The next day was even better! Stay tuned for my next post (A Weekend in Andalucía Part 2) for more! Adiós for now!