Adiós a Alcalá

19 December 2007

So my finals are done and this is my last day in Alcalá. It seems so surreal that four months have already past and it is now time to return home. The experiences I have had here and all over Europe have been some of the biggest blessings of my life. To be able to learn about and experience European culture first hand has been so exciting and enriching for me (given my major is European Studies at home), I really can't begin to explain. I have loved being forced to use Spanish on a daily basis, and although I am still FAR from fluent, I have become more brave in my attempts to speak. My brain is so confused now that I can't speak or write either language (Spanish or English) correctly...and I love that.

For some Alcalá wouldn't be a dream study abroad location, but for me...I couldn't have picked a better place in Spain to live for four months. As a tourist, there may not be a full day's activities to do in Alcalá, but living here for me had so much Romantic and historic beauty that I am often overwhelmed with how content I feel just walking the streets in the Plaza de Cervantes or people watching on the bus (the old men who walk around the plaza in cardigan sweaters are especially wonderful to observe ;)

My classes have been great, I have loved being in classes that only speak/teach in Spanish. The teachers here make learning in Spanish about different topics really enjoyable, and they really become your friends.

On top of all that, i have met so many wonderful individuals during my time here. First off: my 4 apartment mates. They are the most wonderful girls ever, heck, they put up with me for four months! ;0) In all seriousness though, i really couldn't have picked better girls to live with, they were such a blessing to me and made being away from home so much less lonely. I will miss them more than they know. I was part of an English-Speaking Bible study compiled of members from the U.S., the UK, and India. They gave me a sense of family and community while being abroad, something that was so valuable to my experience here. Their hospitality and generosity humbled me. I pray that God will continue to bless and guide them where ever they are on this globe. I also had an "intercambio" with one Spanish guy and three girls from Belfast (Northern Ireland). Basically a time to talk in Spanish and English to learn about our cultures but also to help each other with a foreign language. They were so fun to meet with and talk with once a week.

So adiós to Alcalá. It is very bitter sweet to be leaving you: I am excited to see my family and friends in the US, but also sad to end my experience here. I hope to return someday to see you once again and remember all the blessings I have found here.

Pictures of las Residencias (where I lived):





Pictures of my classes at Trinitarios/IUEN (my school, part of the Universidad de Alcalá):
1. Civilización y Cultura Española with Olvido Adújar!

2. Técnicas de Escritura with Mar Martín de Nicolás!

3. Gramática "Superior" with Javier de la Cruz

4. After graduation with Ernesto Filardi (Profesor de Literatura español del Siglo de Oro)

5. Not pictured: Yolanda (profesora de "España y la Unión Europea)

My Journey to School Each day...:
1. The bus stop:

2. Inside the Bus (2P or 2C :)

3. Sequence of shots from the bus stop in the Plaza to our school door:





Shots from the Plaza de Cervantes:
1.Modern Art Statue of Quixote

2. Tree Canopy with Christmas lights

3. The infamous Cervantes Statue! (Had been hidden from view until the last two weeks as it was being refurbished!)


4. Pavilion with Nativity Scene

5. The Christmas Tree!




6. Lights in the calles


MISC:
1. The storks have returned to Alcalá (kind of like the Swallows to San Juan if you will)

2. The Mercadona! (the grocery store I went to all the time)

3. Random statue in front of the Train Station

4. The RENFE (train station) I took all the time to get to Madrid or else where:


5. My Bible study (some members missing)

6. My intercambio girls from Belfast (missing our Spanish compañero):


7. Corral de Comedias (saw a play here for class)

Luxembourg: Vianden, Ettelbruck, Luxembourg City

7 -8 December 2007

Upon leaving Antwerp my friend and I took a 3-connection train route plus 1 bus to Vianden, Luxembourg. Our longest stop on the way there was in Liege, Belgium. We both decided it was Gollum's swamp as there was a large puddle/junk yard area right in front of the train station (see picture below). However, I did eat a Liege Waffle in Liege, so that was cool (not to mention delicious ;).

When we arrived in Vianden around 1500 it was already getting dark and we made the long up hill trek to our hostel, which turned out to be right across the street from the Vianden Castle. The guy working there spoke very little and broken English but he showed us to our "home" (room) and was very friendly. It was a fairly large hostel, at least 3 floors, clean rooms, a large cafeteria area, and hr restrictions on the showers (since normally there would be more customers). The best thing about being there though is that, as we would discover the next morning at breakfast, we were the ONLY people staying there! We also were the only college-aged tourists in town;) Love seeing a place that many miss out on and that isn't swarming with foreigners. I feel you get a more authentic look at it.

We went out to do some aimless exploring as Vianden isn't a big tourist destination so there were not many "must see" specific items we had to visit (except the castle). There were some hiking/biking trails in the wooden/rural area bordering the cobble-stoned city area so that is where we wandered. IT was really pretty to be so high up over the city (see pictures below) and at dusk the lighting was perfect. There were Christmas stars lighted up on the castle and a tower near a panoramic view point we stumbled upon.

The city itself was somewhat empty, in a charming sleepy-town sort of way. There were little shops, cafes, restaurants, and quite a few hotels. We wondered how so many hotels stay open (maybe the summer is more busy?). From the view above we could see the historically-preserved homes and shops, an old bridge (with a statue of Victor Hugo nearby), the surrounding Ardennes mountains, and the river below. The sound of the running water and the sight of smoke coming from the chimneys of the historic architecture below made me feel as if I'd gone back in time (Timeline by Crichton if you will;) and it was very spiritual and peaceful for me.

The next morning (the 8th) we ate breakfast with the two managers of the hostel (since we were the only customers ;)...well we didn't eat exactly with them but we sat nearby because they were speaking German and I, well, don't ;) Then we did some more random hiking around until we could go into the castle at 10am. The castle had a ton of rooms and was a lot bigger than I though. It had images of how it had been re-constructed after it had lay in ruins, photos of famous individuals who had visited in the past, the lineage of rulers over it, armor, catapult balls, and more. Additionally, 3 movies have been filmed there (or at least part of them), which I now have to see ;)

Next we caught our bus back to Ettelbruck, Luxembourg where we walked around for a bit and my friend got a Luxembourg-Bratwurst (red, and more spicy than the German variety) from the little Christmas market that was going on before we got on the train.

Although we were headed back to Brussels, we decided to spend some time in Luxembourg City since we were on an open/non-reservation type ticket and had to switch trains there anyway.

We walked from the station to the city center and saw a monument dedicated to soldiers of WWI (?), the flame of the unknown soldier (I think most European capitals have one of these), and a church along the way. There was a HUGE Christmas market and festival going on so we walked along there for a while checking out the booths. We each got a Liege-waffle that was especially delicious as it was very warm and the weather was colder that day. We then walked to where the fortress/moat/water area was and took A LOT of pictures. Luxembourg City was a very interesting place: tons of richy-rich shopping combined with cobble stoned streets and the ruins of an old fortress village. Something I love about the Benelux region is that they go all out for Christmas: Christmas markets in every town (some accompanied by a children's choir singing carols in German), Christmas trees (both gigantic and small), decorations in nearly every store window, etc. We walked back to the train station and returned to Brussels (see end of Brussels blog now ;)

HIGHLIGHT OF LUXEMBOURG: Being the only customers in a hostel for the first time and walking around a random-off-the-beaten-track town in a country many people miss as well.


1. Gollum's Swamp: "En el fondo de la galería había un lago helado, lejos de toda luz, y en una isla rocosa, en medio de las auas, vivía Gollum. Era una pequeña y aborrecible criatura; impulsaba un botecito con un pie ancho y plano, acechando con ojos pálidos y luminosos; metía los dedos largos en el agua, sacaba un pescado ciego, y se lo devoraba crudo." (started reading "Fellowship of the Ring" in Spanish...found this description fitting for the pic below ;)

VIANDEN, LUXEMBOURG
1. Various Pictures of the castle in different lighting:




2. Pictures of inside / surrounding the castle:


3. Scenes from our Random hiking adventures:







4. So I am a little bit creepy and took a picture of a locals home decorations...I just love Christmas okay? :)



ETTELBRUCK, LUXEMBOURG:
1. Man-hole cover with a coat of arms:

2. Shop that made me think: "Charlie-Brown Christmas"

3. Random Church:


LUXEMBOURG CITY, LUXEMBOURG:
1. Flame for the Unknown Soldier

2. Christmas Market:

3. Awesome symbol of the Christmas market/festival in Lux. City...wouldn't fit in my carry-on for home though :(

4. Beautiful Architecture:

5. Remnants of the Fortress City

6. Church built into the side of a hill:

Antwerp, Belguim

Night of 6 December to morning of 7th December 2007:

After leaving the movie early to catch our train, my friend and I went to Antwerp to meet up with a friend of his sisters who said that we could stay with him for a night. He met us at the train station and have us a great walking tour of Antwerp : from the more modern/shopping area, to the historic old town, and ending up in the non-touristy section he frequented most.

Apparently, Antwerp is known most for Rubens (the artist), Diamonds, its fishing port, and fashion. It is described as being a small city with all the elements of a large one. The architecture was really impressive: Gothic and historic with cobbled stoned streets. Everywhere was decorated for Christmas as well.

We went to eat at a non-touristy cafe that he liked. We stayed a long time talking about religion in Europe, European and Belgium history, differences in European and U.S. culture/education system, differences between Belgium and other EU countries, music, books (always ;) and much more. It was especially funny because it turns out that Peter (the guy we stayed with) and I like a lot of the same music including: Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Ros, Belle & Sebastian, the Flaming Lips, etc. He even made us both a CD of some of his favorite music (that we didn't have or hadn't heard of, mostly other European bands/Belgium bands) and recommended good books/authors ;).

After the cafe we went to a bar that a famous Flemish author Peter liked used to frequent and that hosts literary events during the summer. As I said in an earlier blog, Belgium is known for its beer and Peter explained also that each comes in a different shaped/size glass which somehow enhances the flavor or something. I got a rose hip tea served with an orange slice and Belgium chocolate and we stayed here awhile talking more about the topics above.

Then we walked and took a short tram ride back to his apartment where we listened to music and talked some more before bed. It was wonderful to stay with a local and not feel like such a tourist for once! I was sad to say goodbye to him the next morning as my friend and I headed to Luxembourg as he was just so fun to be around and interesting to talk to. I hope our paths will cross again someday in future travels.

HIGHLIGHT OF ANTWERP: Getting to see the non-touristy side of a city with a local and having intellectual discussions about Europe.


1. Various Night Scenes of "old town" Antwerp with authentic Belgian rain (see last photo)!

Brussels, Belguim

5-6 December & night of 8 December 2007

Some of my classmates from my "Spain and the European Union" class and I left early on a 0615 RyanAir flight from Madrid to Brussels, Belgium. We then took a bus to the city center (and hour from the airport RyanAir goes into) and then a metro/walk to our hostel where we left our bags.

Our first stop was to go to the information center near the EU Parliament building (since the initial desire to go to Brussels was to see some of the EU institutions since we were all in the class). There was a lot of free stuff in the info center including posters, pamphlets, and a mini EU Fundamental Rights book all available in various languages of the EU. We decided to come back Thursday (6th) morning to get a tour of the Parliament and then went in search of waffles.

We found a cool place in the historic city center that looked like an old ice cream parlor/American diner inside. This (first) time i got the "Belgium" variety which you can see below. Then we went next door where there was a fries place (start the revolution where you are, they should be called "Belgium" fries not "French" since they originated here) and I knew that this was a place I HAD to bring mom back to since they are infamous for Fries in Belgium! (More details on fries with the pics below).

We walked around the historic part of town checking out the Christmas Market which sold Belgium crafts, Christmas items, chocolates, sausages, beer, waffles, and more. There was even a huge tree in front of the Grand/Royal Palace. There were decorations in all the store windows, an art contest of wooden Christmas trees (all with different designs on them), and tons of lights. It made me so excited for Christmas time being in such a little Christmas village of sorts.

The weather was not the best, but I guess that is typically Belgium. We struggled through the elements as we walked around: sporadic rain showers, strong winds, soggy toes...all part of the traveling experience...I am sure we were quite a comical sight at times with our umbrellas turned inside out ;)

We made a stop to buy Belgium chocolates and there were chocolate shops EVERYWHERE all which usually gave free samples. We also made a trip to see the infamous statue of a peeing little boy (Manneken Pis). I guess there is a museum with a bunch of outfits various heads of state which have visited Brussels have given him. The tradition goes that when they come they give him a little outfit of what is culturally worn in their country. Such a random tourist attraction ;)

The next morning we took an audio guide tour of the European Parliament. The audio guides were available in a ton of languages (I think all the official languages of the EU) and it was activated by where you were standing in the building. It was a really informative and interesting audio guide I think, and it had a bunch of amazing remixes of "Ode to Joy" (the anthem of the European Union). I would have bought a CD of them if they would have sold it there ;)

After the tour we went and got waffles and fries again (they are just so good, this time I got the "Liege" waffle...I am addicted for life ;) We got a metro to try to go to a museum called "Mini-Europe" (which is just what you would think it is) only to discover, to my chagrin, that it was outdoors and over 12 euros to go in...we weren't about to pay over 12 euros to walk out in the pouring rain so we went to a movie instead.

Then our group parted ways, one from the group of 5 headed to Amsterdam, two others were off to Bruges, and the fourth and I went to Antwerp to stay with a friend of his sisters.

**SEE ANTWERP AND LUXEMBOURG BLOGS BEFORE READING THE END OF THIS ONE**

After our stop in Luxembourg City we got back to Brussels around 1830. We dropped our stuff at our hostel and then went back to the Christmas market for some last minute shopping and to get dinner (went to a Thai/Vietnamese place).

HIGHLIGHT OF BRUSSELS: Liege waffles and being in the capital of the EU (which is exciting for me given what my academic and intrinsic passions are)




1. Parliament of the European Union





2. Christmas in Brussels!
-Nativity Scene

-Christmas Tree Art Contest (various wooden trees with different designs)

-Christmas Market!


3. Scenes and sights of Brussels:
-The infamous statue of a little boy peeing

-Comic Strip Row (Brussels is known for its Comic Strip art including the Smurfs and TinTin)

-Harry Potter in French (i think?)

-Night Scenes!



4. Food of Brussels:
-"Belgium" Type Waffle

-Liege Type Waffle (my favorite type)

Belgium Fries (I am staring the revolution since fries really came from Belgium and that is what they should be called. Additionally Belgium is famous for really good fries-for you mom-which are fried twice for extra crispiness)

-One can have them in a "cone" holder with various sauce options: ketchup, cocktail sauce, or mayonnaise (the usual for Belgians)

-OR one can have a fries sandwich!

Madrid and Alcalá for a weekend ;)

29 November-2 December 2007

So, I finally left myself a weekend to explore Madrid. Sadly, up to this point, my only time in Madrid has been the beginning of the program and going to the airport.

Thursday night I went to a poetry/music event in Alcalá called "Ambigu". There were performances in both English and Spanish, my favorite being my professor Ernesto reading some of his poetry (published and written in Spanish).

Friday I headed into Madrid in the morning and began by going to the Prado museum. I got there 30 minutes after it opened which allowed me to get inside with hardly any wait at all (good thing too because when I came out there was a huge line!). My favorite pieces I saw were: Las Meninas by Velázquez, The 3rd of May 1808 by Goya, The Family of Carlos IV by Velázquez, and La Maja Desnuda right next to La Maja Vestida by Goya.

After the Prado I went to explore Retiro park. It is beautiful and massive! This park alone made me love Madrid so much more. The first time I experienced Madrid I was really overwhelmed by how urban and "big city" it was, and I didn't really like it. But this Park made me see the beauty in Madrid, it was a place of serenity and peace...I could have spent days in there.

Next I headed to check out the Royal Palace. I intended to go inside and take a tour, but I am bit museumed-out at this point, and don't care to pay too many more entrance fees anymore...so I decided that I was content just to see the outside and did some more aimless wandering around Madrid instead.

At 3:30 I went to an apartment owned by a couple that is part of this church called "Oasis" in Madrid. I have been part of a Bible study here that meets in Alcalá that is connected to this church. Anyway, this couple leads a ministry that gives sandwiches/sack lunches to homeless in their neighborhood each Friday. It is a really cool ministry because they don't just go and give food and walk away, but they try to meet the same people each week and talk with them, establish relationships with them, and make them feel loved. It was a very cool experience to be able to help out for a week. It makes one be very thankful for what one has, and it made me personally think more about helping homeless and not just looking away or walking by without buying them at least a hot meal. I pray God continues to bless this ministry and the dedication they have to helping homeless.

On Saturday I went in later in the afternoon to Madrid to check out the Reina Sofia museum. I think i prefer this one to the Prado only because it is a bit smaller and it had more artists I was familiar with. My favorite pieces I saw were: Guernica by Picasso (along with a series of photos which showed the progression/various steps of the creation of this massive work), other various works by Picasso, works by Miró, various works by Dalí, and a photo exhibit of images of the Civil War in Spain.

After the museum I went to the Oasis church service that meets in the St. Louis University Campus in Madrid. The service was really wonderful, the first of advent. I really like how the service was set up. The congregation sits at cafe-sized chairs and tables for the service. It made me realize how much my soul misses church and how much i need to be more involved with a church at home (and hopefully when I am abroad in the future). I would recommend this church to anyone passing through Madrid or who will be spending a longer time here: www.oasismadrid.org. I got a ride home from a wonderful Irish couple that are part of my Bible Study, which was so nice (and so much faster than public transportation!) We drove by the Christmas lights that are displayed in Madrid at the moment...I am getting really excited for Christmas time!

Sunday I came in and went to the Rastro flea market which happens every Sunday. It was very crowded and HUGE! I definitely didn't see it all, but it was fun to buy a few Christmas gifts and be part of the chaos.

HIGHLIGHT OF MADRID: Walking through serene Retiro park and being part of the Oasis sandwich route/service.

Thursday:
1. "Ambigu" in Alcalá


-My Professor, Ernesto, reading some of his poetry at Ambigu


Friday:
2. Path leading to the Prado

3. The Facade of the Prado

4. Retiro Park




-Anchor in Retiro Park(for dad...GO NAVY!!!)


5. The Royal Palace

6. Evidence of the love of Jamón (Ham) in Madrid:



7. Roasted corn, chestnuts, and SWEET POTATO (for you mama:)

8. Evidence of Christmas coming soon!




Saturday:
9.Reina Sofia Museum

Sunday:
10. Rastro Flea Market