Hola, y saludos desde Espana. Michael and I have spent the past 5 days traveling around central and southern Spain., from Madrid to Granada and back. Along the way, I have come to a few realizations. Firstly, I think the Spanish officially take the prize for the most exotic and beautiful people on earth. For over 2000 years, Spanish control has shifted between many different powers, from Western Europe to the Middle East, creating a melting pot of people and cultures. African, Arabic, Italian, and English traits are all evident, allowing for a very diverse-looking population, all gorgeous in their own way. Still, I haven’t had much luck meeting Spanish girls, which actually clumsily brings me to my next point.
Staying in hostels and participating in hostel activities has proven to be, by far, the best way to meet people. Coming into this trip, I had no idea what to expect from our stays in hostels, which was slightly concerning considering that we are staying in hostels for over 90% of the trip. If anything, I had a negative impression, thinking that it would be like freshman year in the dorms, except instead of 1-3 roommates, I’d have 3-9. I didn’t even want to think about the shared bathroom situation. However, overall it has been a really enjoyable experience which has allowed us to meet some awesome people from all around the world. We enjoyed traditional Irish music and dancing with 2 girls from Alaska while in Galway, met Zoe while on a tapas tour in Granada, (having some great conversation and getting tips about Spain and France along the way), and most recently met people from South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia while on a hostel organized bar-crawl. The next day, we went on a daytrip to Segovia with two new friends, Bridget and Neeharika, and will be meeting up with another, Sophie, while we are in Barcelona. Had it not been for the hostels (group bathrooms, rooms that smell like dirty feet, snoring roommates and all) we never would have had the opportunity to meet such like-minded, fun-loving people.
Lastly, traveling on Spain’s extensive and well-ran train system has convinced me that the US is in need of something similar. I absolutely LOVE traveling on the trains. Airport security is a pain in the ass, and I dread it every time. Already, I've suffered through long lines, in Dublin I was given a rough and, um, let’s say thorough pat down, and been charged $60 extra dollars to have my bag ever so lovingly taken care of by the airport’s luggage squad (good thing I brought that extra roll of duct tape). Security at train stations, however, is quick and efficient and leaves me surprisingly headache free. The trains themselves are modern, clean, decently spacious, and comfortable, and FAST (200-300KPH). The journeys are full of great views and have allowed me to see the astoundingly beautiful Spanish countryside. So far, I have seen double rainbows arcing over an olive tree grove, twisted through mountainous farming villages, and saw the sun set behind the rolling hills outside of Madrid. It is a complete departure from train travel in the US which, in my experience, is slow and full of delays. Amtrak has a less-than-glowing reputation and has only been able to stay afloat because of extensive aid from the US government. A high-speed rail system would allow for quicker travel between major US cities (particular the Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York, Boston corridor), alleviate traffic congestion in those major cities, and it would reduce the amount of air-traffic. The success of high-speed rail throughout Europe and Asia indicates that an efficient and well-maintained system would also do very well in the US. I know there was a brief mention of starting such a system in Obama’s State of the Union address this year, but I honestly never followed up to see what is happening with that.
Anyway, as for what Michael and I have done for the past week or so: Monday and Tuesday, we were in Galway, Ireland, a coastal city almost due west of Dublin. It is a really small town with a pretty vibrant night life. Everything was walkable from our hostel. We saw Cathedral of our Lady, a beautiful Roman-Catholic cathedral with several mosaics, towering vaulted ceilings, and many stained-glass windows. On Tuesday, we went on an 8 hour tour of the Cliffs of Moher, where we also stopped at a variety of castles and dolmens, which are ancient Irish tombs dating back to 3000BC (before the Great Pyramids were built). We saw some great Irish music while in Galway, which I actually hadn’t managed to catch much of in Dublin. Wednesday morning, we took a bus from Galway back to Dublin, and then caught a plane to Madrid, Spain in the evening. The next morning, we took a train to Granada, an Andalusiam city famous for the Alhambra, a 14th century Moorish fortification located on a mountain overlooking the city. That night, we went on a tapas tour and learned that the only way to see the Alhambra would be to line up early in the morning and hope to get a ticket (the tickets are often sold out days, if not weeks in advance). After coming back from the tour and getting to sleep around 3:00am, we were up and out the door at 6:45am. After a 30 minute steep uphill walk, we nervously waited in line for 1.5 hours and were luckily able to get tickets for both the garden and the Alhambra. It is impossible to describe exactly how beautiful the whole complex is. From the meticulously maintained gardens, to the 360 degree views of the city from the tops of 14th century guard towers, and the stonework/tilework of the interior buildings, it is all amazing to take in. For anyone who makes it to Spain, visiting the Alhambra is, in my opinion, one of the most spectacular things you could do in all of Spain. After hiking back down the mountain, we grabbed lunch and waited for our train back to Madrid. We returned around 11PM that evening, checked in to our hostel, and went for a late dinner. On Saturday afternoon, we visited 2 art museums, El Prado (European art from the 12th-19th centuries) and Reina Sophia (modern art, famous for tons of Picasso--including Guernica). That evening, we went on a bar crawl, where we met Sophie (from Australia), Bridget (New Zealand), Neeharika (Michigan), and Dylan (South Africa). After plenty of dancing (an extreme rarity for me, as anyone who has gone out with me knows), we came back around 3:30am and were up in time for an 11am daytrip with Bridget and Neeharika to Segovia. There we saw an aqueduct built by the ancient Romans and the last Gothic cathedral built in Spain. After changing hostels (thanks to my own error) we met back up with Bridget and Neeharika, as well as Sophie, and headed to a taperia recommended to me by our new hostel. For those who don’t know, tapas are traditional Spanish snacks (mostly in the form of finger foods) served alongside beer and sangria. Though they can be small, if you have a large enough group like we did, you can get enough to make up a meal. This particular taperia, El Tigre, was suggested because I asked for the most authentic, non-touristy place in Madrid. When we arrived, the place was PACKED with people, non of whom spoke English. All 5 of us stood crammed should to shoulder eating alongside Madrilenos, enjoying a huge mug of beer and 4 heaping plates of tapas, all for the modest price of 5 euros. After saying goodbye to everyone (and making tentative plans to meet Sophie here in Barcelona), we headed back to our hostel. This morning, we took another train to Barcelona and spent 4 hours eating our way across the city. We went to this gelato place twice, and with all due respect to Splendora’s, it is the best I have ever had. We also made it to a massive open air market, where we picked up some exotic fruit, Spanish chocolates, and decided to return tomorrow so we can pick up fresh ingredients to make our own supper. For dinner, we went to another tapas restaurant, where I had pulpos pequenos (baby octopi), un pincho de pescado (small fish sandwich topped with hearts of palm), and caracoles (I’ll let you look that one up). I hope this ridiculously long post makes up for the lack of updates I have been giving, but I will try to blog more often. Look for more pictures to come soon.
"Bear in mind that you should conduct yourself in life as at a feast"
--Epictetus
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