The late morning started with a trip to the rastro. Katie and I learned that the rastro is a huge flea market set up in the streets. Imagine the Cullman flea market stretched out through the streets of Birmingham. We bought scarves and other souvenirs. At times we were packed together like sardines. The individual space that we enjoy in the States is not in evidence here in Spain.
For lunch, we stopped at a little shop and bought packaged sandwiches and water. Katie bought a Spanish Mountain Dew! We stopped and ate on the sidewalk.
Then we headed for the Prado Museum. Along with about a million other people. Hundreds of people were marching together with priests (or bishops) and maybe even a monk, carrying signs and at least one processional cross. Their signs said they were marching to fight for the strength of the Christian family. We wondered where all those people came from.
Sunday is free day at the Prado, but when we arrived at about 2:45, people were lined up all around the museum waiting to get in. It didn't look like the line moved at all while we watched. The marchers came by the Prado and marched on while we sat and rested. Craftspeople had their wares out for display and sale around the museum.
We left the Prado and decided to go to the huge Retiro Park in the city. It is acres and acres huge. It contains a man-made lake on which people like to paddle around in little blue boats. One show-off was standing up in his boat, rocking it, and Ginny hoped very strongly that he would fall into the water. That would have been funny. We walked around the lake and heard music. Yes, it was Ginny's favorite Andean music band. We stood and listened to their flutes, pan pipes, and drums until they took a break. She had already bought one of their CDs so we didn't feel as if we had to toss money into one of their instrument cases. As we were leaving the park, we noticed many, many buses parked around the edge of the park. I noticed that some were from Malaga and other southern cities. It dawned on us...that's where the marchers came from. They had bussed in on this day from all over Spain and carried out a huge march. Amazing. We're still not sure where all the people at the Prado came from though.
We came back to the apartment and rested for a while because we were going to be out late at a flamenco show tonight. It was a 10:00 show and, once again, when we arrived we became part of a can of sardines. But the show was fantastic! There were three dancers, a drummer, a guitarist, and a singer. It was a kind of singing like we'd never heard before. The dancers stomped and twirled and clapped. They danced solo and together. The show was not what I had imagined, but it was very good. We all three had a great time.
Now we are back and planning tomorrow. It will be New Year's Eve, so we plan to go (with everyone else in Spain) to the Puerta del Sol and ring in the new year. We've bought our sparkly hats, and today we bought boas also. Ginny has bought canned grapes for us. I'll tell you about that later. We don't plan on staying long after midnight, but I'm not really looking forward to all the crowds. It will be another totally new experience for all of us.
Other observations about Spain:
*strange hair styles (one is kind of like a mullet, but worse)
*weird clothing in weird combinations (some that shouldn't be worn in public)
*Other instruments we heard were accordions and mouth pianos (and a violinist got on the metro car with us).
*There are a lot of beggars here: one man with no arms who walked around rattling his cup of coins with his teeth, one man with no legs who sat at the side, and one woman who sat in the middle of the street at the rastro turning the crank of some kind of large music box. Those are in addition to the musicians in the metro and on the streets.
*many couples: old folks, young folks, and folks of the same gender. They are often very affectionate in public.
*others who are trying to "earn" money are street performers who dress up and paint their faces. They stand completely still until someone puts money in their collection boxes. Then they do robotic movements for a few seconds. They are very fascinating. One is dressed as Don Quixote and "rides" his horse, another woman is all in black (face and hands painted black, too), and one woman is covered in mud who does a good imitation of a clay statue.
*Have you taken down your Christmas tree and decorations yet? Well, in Spain it is still Christmas time. And it will be until January 6 when the Three Kings come to bring gifts to all the children. So the musicians are still playing Christmas carols and people are still saying "Feliz Navidad." There are lots of Christmas lights in the streets, but there are no Christmas trees. Ginny's small one is the only one I've seen in Spain.
More tomorrow...
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Two Days in Segovia
I finally woke Ginny and Katie up at about 10:45 yesterday. We decided to take a bus to Segovia and find a hostel when we got there. We'd looked on the Web, but couldn't find anything satisfactory nor under 60 Euros. So we went to the bus station by Metro then bought bus tickets for about 6 Euros each. As we waited for the bus, we ate some ham and cheese boccadillos
for lunch. We boarded the bus and rode for about 1 1/2 hours northwest to Segovia.
I've honestly never seen a town that was as lovely as that one is. Actually, we had to stroll through the new part before we reached the old section which was where all the beauty was. When you think of old Spanish houses, what do you picture? Tiled roofs, stucco walls, iron work balconies, flowers...right? Well, that's what we saw times about 200. We were awed at our first sight of the ancient Roman aqueduct that runs right through town. It is huge! And the city wall is attached to the aqueduct. We didn't notice the wall at first, but when we did a little more exploring we were able to see it. Houses were built next to it and it ran all the way around the old part of the city.
We decided to find a hostel first of all so we could get rid of the one small bag that we brought. Yes, three women can travel very lightly. We walked a little and found El Hidalgo Hostel and Restaurant. As we went in the door, we decided we wouldn't pay more than 60 Euros for the room. They offered us one that would sleep three for 55 Euros so we took it. Turns out, the Hidalgo is a restored 13th century palace and was fantastic! In the dining room is a wood-covered arch behind which is supposed to be the remains of Juan Bravo who was somebody special because there is a statue of him outside the San Martin Romanesque Church that is in front of El Hidalgo. Our room looked out (after opening old wooden shutters) onto a garden (Katie likes to think is was the palace courtyard). The passageways were narrow and furnished with old benches. The room was cold, but the lady who took us there turned on a heater. We're not convinced the heater worked all that well, because we were cold all night long. The tiny bathroom had a tiny tub. Katie liked that most of all! But we didn't complain about the cold, although it was hard to get Katie and Ginny to get out of the warm beds this morning.
Last night, we walked around old Segovia and found the places we wanted to visit today: the cathedral and the castle. We also found a small restaurant where we split a potato tortilla, a serrano ham sandwich with tomato and asparagus, and a ham and cheese boccadillo. Afterward, we had churros and chocolate again!
This morning, after I finally got the girls going, we found a restaurant that served breakfast. There, Katie and I had eggs, potatoes, and sausage and bread. Ginny had a bonita sandwich and discovered that it was made with canned fish. Not too yummy. We all had fresh-squeezed orange juice. (I'm giving all this detail for myself mostly. I just don't want to forget anything.)
Then we went to tour the Cathedral of Segovia. It was built in the 1500s. I've never seen such a collection of religious paintings, statues, tapestries, and mantles. That's right, each small chapel in the cathedral had a huge, carved mantle holding images of whoever the chapel was for.
Then we walked down several narrow streets and arrived at the castle which Walt Disney used as a model for Cinderella's castle at Disney World (at least that's the story we keep hearing). It is called Alcazar of Segovia. We saw everything that would be in a castle, armored knights, cannons, even a sundial clock high on the courtyard wall. Then we went up in the tower (152 steps up a narrow spiral staircase!) and came out on top. You should see our pictures. Just ask me, I'll be glad to share them! I said the streets are narrow, but that doesn't seem to bother the drivers around there. The speed limit is 20 kph but we didn't see anyone driving slower than 40 at least. Walkers have to be very careful because when sidewalks run out, you have to run across the street and keep walkin'! All the cars are tiny. You couldn't get a SUV through that town. And people park wherever they can...there is no such thing as a no-parking zone. They park in the street, too.
Before we left Segovia, we stopped at another restaurant and had lunch. Ginny and I had traditional Spanish paella (rice and meat) and Katie had patatas ali-oli (potatoes in a white sauce). It was all so good!
We caught the bus back to Madrid, went to the ATM to get more Euros, and came back to Gin's apartment to bake brownies and watch a movie. Tomorrow, we plan to go to the rostro (flea market) and the Prado Museum. I'll let you know about that later.
Katie and my observations about Spain:
*cooking is different (Celcius and the oven is hard to work)
*people come out at night and walk the streets late
*all those people walking the streets are crowded together but no one seems to mind.
*dogs are everywhere...on leashes and not on leashes. We saw a doggie poo park in Segovia. There was a special trash can for the doggie poo. But the dogs are all very well behaved.
*People here are not rude, but they don't go out of their way to be nice either. It's more of a "watch out for yourself" attitude.
*the cars are funny-looking but you don't even need a car because you can travel anywhere in the city on the metro. Speaking of the metro, there are musicians there (in the halls and on the metro) who play for any change you will give them. We've heard a pan pipe, an electric keyboard, a violin, and a horn. The metro sanitation workers are on strike right now, so the halls in the stations are covered in trash. Sometimes it smells, too. And there is graffiti everywhere.
That said, hasta manana!
for lunch. We boarded the bus and rode for about 1 1/2 hours northwest to Segovia.
I've honestly never seen a town that was as lovely as that one is. Actually, we had to stroll through the new part before we reached the old section which was where all the beauty was. When you think of old Spanish houses, what do you picture? Tiled roofs, stucco walls, iron work balconies, flowers...right? Well, that's what we saw times about 200. We were awed at our first sight of the ancient Roman aqueduct that runs right through town. It is huge! And the city wall is attached to the aqueduct. We didn't notice the wall at first, but when we did a little more exploring we were able to see it. Houses were built next to it and it ran all the way around the old part of the city.
We decided to find a hostel first of all so we could get rid of the one small bag that we brought. Yes, three women can travel very lightly. We walked a little and found El Hidalgo Hostel and Restaurant. As we went in the door, we decided we wouldn't pay more than 60 Euros for the room. They offered us one that would sleep three for 55 Euros so we took it. Turns out, the Hidalgo is a restored 13th century palace and was fantastic! In the dining room is a wood-covered arch behind which is supposed to be the remains of Juan Bravo who was somebody special because there is a statue of him outside the San Martin Romanesque Church that is in front of El Hidalgo. Our room looked out (after opening old wooden shutters) onto a garden (Katie likes to think is was the palace courtyard). The passageways were narrow and furnished with old benches. The room was cold, but the lady who took us there turned on a heater. We're not convinced the heater worked all that well, because we were cold all night long. The tiny bathroom had a tiny tub. Katie liked that most of all! But we didn't complain about the cold, although it was hard to get Katie and Ginny to get out of the warm beds this morning.
Last night, we walked around old Segovia and found the places we wanted to visit today: the cathedral and the castle. We also found a small restaurant where we split a potato tortilla, a serrano ham sandwich with tomato and asparagus, and a ham and cheese boccadillo. Afterward, we had churros and chocolate again!
This morning, after I finally got the girls going, we found a restaurant that served breakfast. There, Katie and I had eggs, potatoes, and sausage and bread. Ginny had a bonita sandwich and discovered that it was made with canned fish. Not too yummy. We all had fresh-squeezed orange juice. (I'm giving all this detail for myself mostly. I just don't want to forget anything.)
Then we went to tour the Cathedral of Segovia. It was built in the 1500s. I've never seen such a collection of religious paintings, statues, tapestries, and mantles. That's right, each small chapel in the cathedral had a huge, carved mantle holding images of whoever the chapel was for.
Then we walked down several narrow streets and arrived at the castle which Walt Disney used as a model for Cinderella's castle at Disney World (at least that's the story we keep hearing). It is called Alcazar of Segovia. We saw everything that would be in a castle, armored knights, cannons, even a sundial clock high on the courtyard wall. Then we went up in the tower (152 steps up a narrow spiral staircase!) and came out on top. You should see our pictures. Just ask me, I'll be glad to share them! I said the streets are narrow, but that doesn't seem to bother the drivers around there. The speed limit is 20 kph but we didn't see anyone driving slower than 40 at least. Walkers have to be very careful because when sidewalks run out, you have to run across the street and keep walkin'! All the cars are tiny. You couldn't get a SUV through that town. And people park wherever they can...there is no such thing as a no-parking zone. They park in the street, too.
Before we left Segovia, we stopped at another restaurant and had lunch. Ginny and I had traditional Spanish paella (rice and meat) and Katie had patatas ali-oli (potatoes in a white sauce). It was all so good!
We caught the bus back to Madrid, went to the ATM to get more Euros, and came back to Gin's apartment to bake brownies and watch a movie. Tomorrow, we plan to go to the rostro (flea market) and the Prado Museum. I'll let you know about that later.
Katie and my observations about Spain:
*cooking is different (Celcius and the oven is hard to work)
*people come out at night and walk the streets late
*all those people walking the streets are crowded together but no one seems to mind.
*dogs are everywhere...on leashes and not on leashes. We saw a doggie poo park in Segovia. There was a special trash can for the doggie poo. But the dogs are all very well behaved.
*People here are not rude, but they don't go out of their way to be nice either. It's more of a "watch out for yourself" attitude.
*the cars are funny-looking but you don't even need a car because you can travel anywhere in the city on the metro. Speaking of the metro, there are musicians there (in the halls and on the metro) who play for any change you will give them. We've heard a pan pipe, an electric keyboard, a violin, and a horn. The metro sanitation workers are on strike right now, so the halls in the stations are covered in trash. Sometimes it smells, too. And there is graffiti everywhere.
That said, hasta manana!
Friday, December 28, 2007
To Segovia...and Beyond!
We're planning to take a trip out to Segovia today to see the famous Roman aqueduct, a castle, and another cathedral . We don't know whether we will stay the night or not--depends on the cost. Will let you know more later.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
I'm in Madrid!
I will attempt to give an account of everything we are doing in Madrid through this blog. Here goes:
Wednesday, December 26, 2007--We arrived in Madrid at about 10:00 AM after a fitful night flight. Ginny met us at the station with a big sign reading "My Southern Belles Sonya & Katie." Then we walked through the airport to the Metro which is a huge system of underground trains (subway). It was tough hauling all our luggage that far but we were too cheap to hire a taxi. We took the Metro to Pueblo Nuevo (New Village) where Ginny has an apartment. After a brief rest, we left the apartment to go by Metro to Callao (a section of Madrid). Then we walked to the Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun) where we took lots of pictures of buildings and things. We kept walking to Plaza Mayor (Major Plaza) where lots of people were buying colorful wigs, masks, hats, and boas. Ginny said they would wear these for New Years. So we each bought a sparkly hat and wore them the rest of the day. We then walked to the Catedral de la Almudena. The cathedral was beautiful inside and out with stained-glass windows. Everything here is so much older than anything we have in the United States, so all the buildings are magnificent! We took pictures in the cathedral and wondered if we could even listen to a preacher in a place like that because we would just be looking around all the time.
We walked to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) but didn't go in because we aren't citizens of a European nation and we would have had to pay. We walked all around the palace to the Jardines de Sabatini (royal gardens) which were beautiful even at this time of year. Then we walked to the Plaza de Espana where we saw our first statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza (from the book written by Cervantes). We also got a close-up look at an olive tree (we think).Then we went back to Pueblo Nuevo where we bought three bocadillos (sandwiches): jamon serrano (cured ham and white cheese), Spanish tortilla, and salchicha (sausage, but it looked and tasted like a hot dog). Each sandwich cost about 3 Euros each. Then we stopped by a chino (Chinese-owned shop) where we bought a 2-liter Coke for 1.75 Euros. We brought our food home, watched Ginny's new "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" DVD on the computer, played an electronic Mad Libs game (it was hilarious), and then fell into bed at about 10:30. We all slept very good that night.
Thursday, December 27, 2007--We woke up very late--around 11:00, took showers, and got ready to go. We decided to go to Alcala de Henares, a town about a 45-minute train ride from Madrid (real train on top of the ground). When we got there, we walked to a fantastic chicken restaurant called Pollo de Alcala. It was a renovated ancient warehouse. For 7 Euros we each had consume (soup), bread, a salad, a quarter of a chicken, french fries, Coke, and a dessert. For dessert, Katie got a chocolate pudding, Ginny got flan, and I got a lemon pudding. We tried them all and enjoyed them all. Then we walked to the birthplace of Cervantes and toured the house. Lots of old stuff in there. Each room had a huge pot on the floor. We can only assume that they were fire pits.
When we left there, we went to the cathedral where Cervantes was baptized. Then we went to the University of Alcala. I have great pictures.
A highlight was when we went to a convent of cloistered nuns and bought candy-coated almonds from them. They weren't allowed to see us, but they could talk to us through a small rotating door. We each ordered almonds. I bought mine in a small wooden chest. Then we went to the train station, saw a fight between a drunken man and a woman (who tried to convince Katie that her Mom was, indeed, dead and you shouldn't talk about the dead...it's sacred) and saw her hit him with her purse. It was quite loud. Then we caught the train and, on the way back to Madrid, met Angeles, a woman who was quietly (at first) crocheting a bolsa (purse). I innocently inquired about the bolsa by saying, "Bolsa?" She had apparently been listening to us talk, so she said, "You speak English?" which made us think she spoke English, too. We were wrong. She then began to speak her limited English phrases, then launched into an unintelligible filibuster in Espanol. We all politely smiled and nodded, although Ginny did have some decent conversation with her. We got off at Atocha and walked up the Paseo del Prado and saw the Christmas lights. I've never seen a more beautiful display. We also saw the outside of the Prado Museum (we plan to go inside on Sunday), the Plaza de Canovas with the Neptune fountain, the Plaza de Cibeles, then walked back to the Puerta del Sol. Then we went to a local chocolateria called San Gines where we had churros and chocolate. Delicioso! We finally trudged back home where we called our families. Now we are going to bed. Good night!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007--We arrived in Madrid at about 10:00 AM after a fitful night flight. Ginny met us at the station with a big sign reading "My Southern Belles Sonya & Katie." Then we walked through the airport to the Metro which is a huge system of underground trains (subway). It was tough hauling all our luggage that far but we were too cheap to hire a taxi. We took the Metro to Pueblo Nuevo (New Village) where Ginny has an apartment. After a brief rest, we left the apartment to go by Metro to Callao (a section of Madrid). Then we walked to the Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun) where we took lots of pictures of buildings and things. We kept walking to Plaza Mayor (Major Plaza) where lots of people were buying colorful wigs, masks, hats, and boas. Ginny said they would wear these for New Years. So we each bought a sparkly hat and wore them the rest of the day. We then walked to the Catedral de la Almudena. The cathedral was beautiful inside and out with stained-glass windows. Everything here is so much older than anything we have in the United States, so all the buildings are magnificent! We took pictures in the cathedral and wondered if we could even listen to a preacher in a place like that because we would just be looking around all the time.
We walked to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) but didn't go in because we aren't citizens of a European nation and we would have had to pay. We walked all around the palace to the Jardines de Sabatini (royal gardens) which were beautiful even at this time of year. Then we walked to the Plaza de Espana where we saw our first statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza (from the book written by Cervantes). We also got a close-up look at an olive tree (we think).Then we went back to Pueblo Nuevo where we bought three bocadillos (sandwiches): jamon serrano (cured ham and white cheese), Spanish tortilla, and salchicha (sausage, but it looked and tasted like a hot dog). Each sandwich cost about 3 Euros each. Then we stopped by a chino (Chinese-owned shop) where we bought a 2-liter Coke for 1.75 Euros. We brought our food home, watched Ginny's new "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" DVD on the computer, played an electronic Mad Libs game (it was hilarious), and then fell into bed at about 10:30. We all slept very good that night.
Thursday, December 27, 2007--We woke up very late--around 11:00, took showers, and got ready to go. We decided to go to Alcala de Henares, a town about a 45-minute train ride from Madrid (real train on top of the ground). When we got there, we walked to a fantastic chicken restaurant called Pollo de Alcala. It was a renovated ancient warehouse. For 7 Euros we each had consume (soup), bread, a salad, a quarter of a chicken, french fries, Coke, and a dessert. For dessert, Katie got a chocolate pudding, Ginny got flan, and I got a lemon pudding. We tried them all and enjoyed them all. Then we walked to the birthplace of Cervantes and toured the house. Lots of old stuff in there. Each room had a huge pot on the floor. We can only assume that they were fire pits.
When we left there, we went to the cathedral where Cervantes was baptized. Then we went to the University of Alcala. I have great pictures.
A highlight was when we went to a convent of cloistered nuns and bought candy-coated almonds from them. They weren't allowed to see us, but they could talk to us through a small rotating door. We each ordered almonds. I bought mine in a small wooden chest. Then we went to the train station, saw a fight between a drunken man and a woman (who tried to convince Katie that her Mom was, indeed, dead and you shouldn't talk about the dead...it's sacred) and saw her hit him with her purse. It was quite loud. Then we caught the train and, on the way back to Madrid, met Angeles, a woman who was quietly (at first) crocheting a bolsa (purse). I innocently inquired about the bolsa by saying, "Bolsa?" She had apparently been listening to us talk, so she said, "You speak English?" which made us think she spoke English, too. We were wrong. She then began to speak her limited English phrases, then launched into an unintelligible filibuster in Espanol. We all politely smiled and nodded, although Ginny did have some decent conversation with her. We got off at Atocha and walked up the Paseo del Prado and saw the Christmas lights. I've never seen a more beautiful display. We also saw the outside of the Prado Museum (we plan to go inside on Sunday), the Plaza de Canovas with the Neptune fountain, the Plaza de Cibeles, then walked back to the Puerta del Sol. Then we went to a local chocolateria called San Gines where we had churros and chocolate. Delicioso! We finally trudged back home where we called our families. Now we are going to bed. Good night!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Merry Christmas!
We had a fun time today and I am very grateful for all the gifts and Christmas wishes I received today. Thank you all so much.
I'll be traveling to Spain over the holidays. I am very excited. Then we'll be back at it again on January 8.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
Love, Mrs. H
I'll be traveling to Spain over the holidays. I am very excited. Then we'll be back at it again on January 8.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
Love, Mrs. H
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Sleighbells Ring!
Homework:
Study spelling and vocabulary words.
Math--polygons test tomorrow. Remember the names for polygons with different numbers of sides, the different names for triangles based on their sides and angles, whether polygons are regular or not regular, and whether they are similar or congruent or neither.
History quiz--have your notes available, because you can use them on this quiz.
Reading--we'll finish our The Family Under the Bridge fancy folder book reports tomorrow. Make sure you have covered all five steps and done your best work.
Each student received a Christmas party invitation today for our class party. Read that invitation for all the answer to your questions. Merry Christmas!
Love, Mrs. H
Study spelling and vocabulary words.
Math--polygons test tomorrow. Remember the names for polygons with different numbers of sides, the different names for triangles based on their sides and angles, whether polygons are regular or not regular, and whether they are similar or congruent or neither.
History quiz--have your notes available, because you can use them on this quiz.
Reading--we'll finish our The Family Under the Bridge fancy folder book reports tomorrow. Make sure you have covered all five steps and done your best work.
Each student received a Christmas party invitation today for our class party. Read that invitation for all the answer to your questions. Merry Christmas!
Love, Mrs. H
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Jingle Bells!
Homework:
Math--triangles worksheet
Language--cheeseburger paragraph
Reading--complete summary of book
History--word search and fill-in-the-blank sheet
Remember our Christmas plans (see back of last two Weekly Previews).
See you tomorrow!
Love, Mrs. H
Math--triangles worksheet
Language--cheeseburger paragraph
Reading--complete summary of book
History--word search and fill-in-the-blank sheet
Remember our Christmas plans (see back of last two Weekly Previews).
See you tomorrow!
Love, Mrs. H
Monday, December 3, 2007
Stuff for You!
Homework:
Math--p. 365 (5-22)
Science--study for test
History--"Christmas Past" Interview due Thursday
Santa Shop is now open. If you would like to purchase inexpensive gifts for your family, bring money.
Santa pictures will be made on Wednesday. Look for order form/envelope to come home tomorrow.
Please keep the Hayden families in your prayers.
Math--p. 365 (5-22)
Science--study for test
History--"Christmas Past" Interview due Thursday
Santa Shop is now open. If you would like to purchase inexpensive gifts for your family, bring money.
Santa pictures will be made on Wednesday. Look for order form/envelope to come home tomorrow.
Please keep the Hayden families in your prayers.
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