So yeah....has been awhile since I blogged. Most sincere apologies! It wasn't my intention to go so long, I just haven't had a lot of time nor in a huge writing mood. But, it has gone on too long, so here's what's happened in the past few days:
Monday was our excursion to Salamanca & Avila!! We had to be ready about the same time as I usually have class, so wasn't too early. Plus, we had a two hour bus ride of sleeping! The first thing we saw in Salamanca was the cathedrals. Yes, plural, Salamanca actually has two. One was built in Roman (ish? something like that) times, and then when the university was build (like, the oldest in the world) there were so many people there that the cathedral wouldn't hold them anymore. But instead of destroying the one they had, the just constructed another one right next to it (literally only a few feet away, if that....they may actually be connected somehow, it was hard to tell) and kept the old one. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the inside of the old one, but the outside was pretty.
The new cathedral is *amazingly* beautiful. The outside is so very majestic, and then inside....wow. It's beyond words. So beautiful and awe-inspiring. I think 20 of me or so could have stood head to foot and been comfortable in there. Everything was so pretty. There were like 18 capillas along the two sides, will little mini-churches inside, so very beautifully decorated. Interestingly, the architecture is gothic, but the interior decoration is more baroque/renaissance. Originally, the capillas were purchased by rich families to be buried in the cathedral, and are called capillas after San Martín who was buried with his half-cape (he gave the other half to a beggar cuz he didn't have anything else), called a capilla (capa=cape, capilla=bitty cape). Now though, they're like little chapels with themes of different saints. One other interesting thing about the cathedral was that it seemed to have very little seating for an actual mass. I guess when it was built they performed mass in the center and then everyone else stood and watched, but I'd guess you still need to get there early to get a seat for mass these days.
After the cathedral, we visited the university, and what I think was the oldest building, but I'm not 100% sure. On the outside was this incredibly intricate decoration, and there was supposedly this little frog right above a skull that if you found it you would have good luck on your exams. I'm telling you, I looked and looked and looked and saw the skull but couldn't find a freakin frog. Oh well, guess I'm doomed :p The classrooms were incredible, so elegant. I can't imagine having class there. There was also a chapel in the school where students always used to get married way back when, and was only used for super special occasions such as this, not for daily or even weekly mass. Now, the waiting list is apparently 4 years long to get married there! Someone joked that you would need to book the church before you met your future husband :) The library was also really neat, although the books are super old so they don't let people in there much anymore. You have to have a special pass and be researching something to go in there, though they are in the process of digitizing everything.
After the university, we walked to the plaza mayor (omg, is the same plaza as in Vantage Point!!) where we were left to our own devices to have lunch and walk around. Unfortunately, by the time I'd eaten not much was open on account of siesta. Was still pretty cool to walk around though, Salamanca is quite pretty.
Next was a bus ride to Avila, about an hour (little less) away. Once there, we looked at the walls (quite pretty), but didn't get to walk around on them, something I'm told is pretty awesome. We also visited the museum of Saint Theresa, which had one of her fingers on display. They wouldn't allow photos, and I wasn't about to look! Apparently it's common to chop up a saint's undecomposed body and distribute it to different places :s Seems a little creepy to me though...
Once we got back, I had to stop at the travel agency to fix my borked travel plans for Barcelona, cuz I totally made them originally for the wrong weekend. After that, I had enough time to dash home, drop off my stuff, and head out to el Oso Blanco for Intercambios. Unfortunately, Ryan and I were the only Americans to attend, which was kinda awkward especially at first. It got better though, especially when Chris came and joined us and we compared the three cultures. Apparently the word "obnoxious" isn't much used in Britain, something I learned when he was trying to translate the Spanish equivalent for obnoxious into English. Now I can call Nathan obnoxious in Spanish AND English, mwahahaha :p
Then, let's see. Tuesday after grammar class I did a little shopping, but only bought one thing. I think I'm going to wait to buy much else until the end of my trip, when rebajas reach their terminal velocity and I know how much money I have left after my two weekend trips. I left for school after siesta to talk on Skype with my favoritest person, and then after dinner got to Skype with my family. Was pretty awesome. Other than that and classes though, didn't do too much on Tuesday.
Yesterday, relaxed during my morning break and then got to school early again after siesta, this time to work on a class project for UE. After art class, a group of us tried to go to el Oso Blanco to play euchre, but it was closed!! I guess Wednesday is a bad day to visit el Oso Blanco :( But it was okay, because we went to Ven Ven instead! There were three teams and only one deck of cards, so we had to play one game at a time. The first game I played was with Shelby against the two boys, Jake and Nathan...they totally squished us. Who gets two loners in as many hands?? Was ridiculous. Luckily, the second time we played them (they beat the other team twice), we kicked butt! Well okay, the score was actually pretty close, 10-9, but we still won! Euchred them once or twice too, mwahaha.
So, now I'm all caught up. Today haven't done too much, though did hang out in the library during my morning break and talk a little politics (not my initiation, but I can't help myself when it comes up) and thus wasn't all that productive. But, got my blog all done during siesta, and hopefully my pics too!!
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