Granada

I apologize for the time between posts...no real excuse.

...but if I had to come up with a couple, I'd say that school is hitting midterm season and I have quite the burden to see as much of Europe as I possibly can. Don't worry, I'm doing alright. I know, I know, it's a tough gig. No Bojangles, sweet tea, bbq, country music, Duke football/basketball (okay all of those are legitimate hardships I'm enduring)...but I'll find a way to survive and make the best of my tough position as a student in Madrid.

All joking aside, I need to provide an update on several trips...the first being the second half of the NYU trip...Granada!

Granada is one of my favorite cities of the semester so far. We took a few hours bus trip from Cordoba (where we heard the news that Madrid had been eliminated from the race to host the 2016 Olympics...sad news here) and got to Granada at night. Granada is a much bigger city than I expected...it's in the hills/mountains of Andalusia (Southern Spain) and is home to about a quarter of a million people. Again, Andalusia was once Al-Andalus...during the Muslim reign of Spain (didn't quite stay mainly on the plains...oooooh good one, Graham.). NYU-Madrid hooked us up with a very nice hotel...I was rooming with Robert and we headed out to get kebab (I've fallen in love with this Turkish sandwich/burrito and they're everywhere) and then a drink and some tapas.

The next morning, our group went to the Alhambra -- the most visited tourist site in Spain. It was the palace/castle/fortification for the Moors while they ruled Spain. It is one of the coolest things I've seen this semester. It was interesting to learn about one room specifically. The sultan used it as his meeting room for foreigners...he sat against the wall, where he was completely in the shadows and the visitor would walk in and see his silhouette, bright stars on the ceiling, and writing on the high walls that announced that the sultan ruled with God's blessing. Very cool place and it allowed for some fun pictures and great views. After that visit, we ate a good lunch and a few of us guys walked around the old city, seeing more views of the Alhambra (on its hilltop) until going to a flamenco show that night. The flamenco was very impressive and it's always fun to get a taste of the local traditions...even if they seem to be very aimed at tourists. That's what we're here for.

Had a little bit of time on Sunday morning to explore the cathedral and the spot where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella are buried (they sent Columbus westward). Absolutely gorgeous cathedral...the best I had ever seen until I got to Salamanca. After that we headed back to Madrid...five hours on a bus through some of the rockiest, driest, most uninviting terrain I've ever seen. Still, I'm enjoying Spain even more than I thought I would. I thought it would be a fun place, but better as a good launching pad to other countries....but each city has a great spin to the Spanish culture and lifestyle that is really growing on me in a seriously good way.

Thanks again for reading and please leave a comment if you have a second!

Cordoba (with an accent on that first "o"!)

Last Friday, Robert and I went with a big group from NYU (it's one of the NYU-sponsored excursions) to Cordoba and Granada in southern Spain. Southern Spain was controlled for 800 years (in the Middle Ages) by Muslims from Northern Africa and was called al-Andalus (now called Andalusia).

Very fun trip. We started with an early morning at NYU, a 5 hour bus ride, and our arrival in Cordoba. Personally, Cordoba was an important place to go, but I'm glad we didn't spend a ton of time there. La Mezquita (the Mosque) is the focal point of the city...by the way, Cordoba used to be the largest city in Europe and possibly the world. La Mezquita is a giant building that surrounds a courtyard of orange trees. The inside is beautifully dark with red and white stripes adorning countless arches. After the Muslims were expelled from Spain in 1492 (big year for Spain), the building was converted into a cathedral. By converted, I mean that a cathedral setting was place smack in the middle of this mosque and chapels were built all around. We got to walk around the city some, but La Mezquita was clearly the reason for going to Cordoba...and well worth it!

Cultural note...so far I'm loving Spanish food. They eat a good bit of food and it's all very tasty, but I finally found something I'm not very fond of. Tortilla espanola is like an omelette with potatoes...and it's great. However, a popular sandwich in Spain is a tortilla sandwich (egg on white bread). It may sound okay, but when it's been sitting around for hours, is cold soggy, and just not quite what you want (even though your host was so kind to fix it for you), well, let's just say I found one thing I won't be ordering!

Thank you for reading! Please leave me a comment to let me know what you think!

Dachau

After our tour of Munich on Sunday, we took another guided tour, but this one took us away from the city, to the notorious city of Dachau.

Our tour group took a train for about 45 minutes (I think) away from Munich to the small town and then a bus for about 15 minutes to the visitor's center. The entrance to the former concentration camp is very unassuming...you would think you were going to a park, a library, or just some other regular part of any town. There is no pomp or circumstance (and rightly so, I think), but we started the tour at the remains of the old SS (Hitler's secret police) offices and the railroad. Our first bit of trivia was that the people being shipped to Dachau were not dropped off at the front gate, but were paraded around town (locals were encouraged to physically and verbally harass them) on the way to the prison camp. That set the tone for what we were about to see -- the Nazis did everything they could to humiliate, de-humanize, hurt, and make "life" miserable for the people (Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, criminals, political prisoners, outcasts, etc.) imprisoned at Dachau during World War II.

Our tour guide was great at setting the tone of respect for the lives lost at that camp. He asked for our respect and admired that our group took the time out of Oktoberfest to learn more about what terrors of which humanity is capable...all of this in hopes that it would never happen again. Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp and originally set up in 1933 (and lasted until American liberation in 1945) for prisoners of the Nazi party (keeping opponents there helped Nazis run unopposed for whatever they wanted). Eventually, it became what we know now as a concentration camp...it was not a death camp, but a work camp. The prisoners were sent to different sites to do hard labor on Nazi projects, all the while they were mistreated, abused, and killed at the whim of the guards. Over 200,000 people were imprisoned there, with over 25,000 dying at camp and 10,000 at the work sites.

An example of the terrors at Dachau was the fact that all prisoners had to wear hats. If they were not wearing their hats, they were subject to beatings, torture, and probably death. Guards, whenever they wanted, would take a man's hat off and toss it into "no man's land". The prisoner had a choice...he/she could go get the hat and risk getting shot (it looks like an attempted escape), or take the punishment of not wearing a hat. The motto on the gates "Arbeit macht frei" (Work sets you free) turned into that punishment on a seemingly daily basis...an example of how this Nazi system dehumanized the people they took prisoner.

It was a moving tour, complete with a museum (following step by step what the new prisoners went through), a film, and a walk around the barracks, religious memorials, and finally, the crematorium and gas chamber. Officially, the gas chamber was never used, but several reports of it "working great" lead us to believe that individuals were killed in that room that was labeled "showers."

A very powerful experience. The motto is "never again", but unfortunately genocides and mass killings still happen (ex: Darfur). If you have an opportunity to go to a concentration camp or learn more about it, I'd highly recommend it. It's not a fun thing to learn or talk about, but it's important that we learn how things like that happen, so we can keep it from happening in the future.

Munich

After we finished at Oktoberfest, we brought our fun into a tour or two of the city of Munich. This was my first time in Germany and the first time I heard the language, my mind was blown! As culturally aware as I think I am, it's kind of hard not to laugh when you hear harsh, throaty German contrasted with the smooth, romantic Spanish that I've gotten used to over the last month.

Our group walked around a bit on our own, exploring Marienplatz (city center) and the surrounding areas, even climbing to the top of the Frauenkirche (big church). Worn out, we returned to our apartment Saturday evening, went grocery shopping, and had a good "The Big Chill"-esque night of cooking and eating dinner (although Liz and Robert did the cooking, we all enjoyed the food and had a blast sitting at the table together).

Sunday, we headed back to Marienplatz for a free tour. Yes, I said it -- a free tour of Munich. There is a company called Sandeman's New Europe Tours. The guides work completely on tips (there are some paid tours, but several European cities have free tours) and are young, fun, and very knowledgeable. If you're in Europe, find one of these! Anyway, we met up with our guide and group and walked around Marienplatz (where we saw the city hall and its famous Glockenspiel). We continued through other parts of the city, seeing the building from which Adolf Hitler ordered the destruction that occurred on Kristallnacht. Munich was a hub of Nazi Germany and it was fascinating (and terrifying) to learn of all that went on. On Kristallnacht (rioting and burning of Jewish businesses), most Jewish-owned businesses were destroyed. There are very minor memorials in present-day Munich...they don't call much attention to themselves, but one building has a plaque commemorating the perseverance of that family to restore its business over the years. There is also a great Jewish community center and memorial building that I wish we could have had more time for. I'll explain more in my post about Dachau, but Germany seems to be handling its past in a good way---acknowledging what happened and opening itself to show the world the capabilities of humanity gone wrong.

Our tour was great, then we went to Dachau (next post), but came back for dinner at the famed Hofbrau Haus (royal brewery). It is a giant beer hall, but the food was great too. We each got one beer, but I also got a roast pork loin with potatoes, all covered in gravy...and a pretzel on the side. Great meal (Germany food is very hearty).

At first, it seemed a little bit average, but I ended up really falling for Munich. It helps so much to get the history (even just a little bit) of a city to know why certain buildings and churches (which can start to run together in Europe) are unique and important. The tour really helped and I learned how interesting and fun Munich and Germany both are!

Oktoberfest

Well, it's been about a week or so since the last post, but I promise this one does not have the blood and gore of the bullfighting update...

This past weekend, I went with Elise, Matthew Keshian (Kesh), Robert (my roommate), Grant Guenther, and Liz Christenbury to Munich, Germany! We left on an AirBerlin flight Friday afternoon, had about a one hour layover in Palma de Mallorca (I've got to admit, we weren't going to complain if we got stranded there), then finished the trip to Munich. Upon arriving, we changed terminals to find Grant (who was flying in from his study abroad location in Glasgow, Scotland) and got on a train to head into the city. Over the summer (still too late for good hotel/hostel bookings for Oktoberfest weekends), I worked really hard to find a place for all of us to stay and ended up getting a really good deal on an apartment in a pretty quiet part of the city. It was perfect for us (big bed for the two girls, then the four guys were scattered on two cots and a pull-out sofa). We had a great little kitchen, a bathroom, and we were only about twenty minutes (via subway) from the city center!

A quick cultural update...Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival in Munich (Bavaria). Oddly enough it is held mostly in September. It was originally a celebration for a German royal wedding (in 1810). It is held on a fairgrounds (reminded me an awful lot of the NC State Fair that I'll be missing this year) called Theresienwiese. Giant tents (I mean, this suckers can hold thousands of people) are sponsored by the best local breweries and host traditional bands, traditional foods (pretzels, chicken, pork, etc.), and of course, beer.

We woke up early Saturday morning and headed to the 'Wiese for the opening of the tents at 9am. It wasn't much of a surprise to find tens of thousands of people had the same idea, but we slithered into a tent (Hofbrau) and found our own table upstairs. The rest is pretty much what we thought it would be. We ordered our giant beer steins (9 Euro a pop!), had them delivered by our beefy German waitress in her traditional dress (drindl, I believe) and enjoyed our drinks as we yelled "Prost!" (cheers!) to all of the honest men in honest leiderhosen. We were surrounded by Italians, French, Germans, and even a group of girls from Wake Forest University and had a great few hours of drinks, prost-ing, and just enjoying our surroundings.

After a few hours, we decided to find a different tent. We used the bathroom, then headed and grabbed a table outside of a nearby tent. We ordered another round and talked with a group of people from Oregon, and then a group of Germans who were about our age. It was a really great atmosphere for conversation (granted, some of these people were more friendly than they usually are) and we enjoyed learning a bit about the lives of German students.

Oktoberfest lasted just long enough for us. It was absolutely great, but we also had hopes of touring the city, so we spent a few hours, enjoyed the beer and the scenery and headed out to see Munich!

El Rastro and the Bullfight!

On Sunday morning, a group of us went to to El Rastro, a historically huge and diverse flea market in Madrid. It is only open on Sundays and puts any market I've ever seen to shame. The main drag was a street (maybe a mile long) with three rows of vendors...and it still branched off into side streets and plazas. It was full of people the whole time we were there. The scared shopper in me left me pretty overwhelmed by the options (antique vendors, knife/sword sellers, music, clothes, purses, leather, table cloths, souvenirs, etc.), but it was a great experience.

That night, we trekked over to Las Ventas for my first bullfight. What an experience! It felt so nice to be back in an arena/stadium to watch a sport, but I had no idea what I was in for. There is a great deal of pageantry as trumpets sound to welcome the matadors into the stadium. They are all presented to the president of the league/club (Las Ventas is like the Yankee Stadium of the bullfighting world), and so are the armored horses and supporting cast. The first bull runs out as 6 or 7 matadors wield bright pink capes to steer the bull into the center of the ring (right in front of us...we were about 4 rows up!) and the main matador of that fight goes and gets control of the bull. The president waves a white cloth when the matador has control and two armored horses walk out, each carrying a man with a spear. The matador then aims the bull into those horses (they ram the horses pretty hard, but the horses are protected from the horns, I think) and the man on the horse spears the bull between the shoulders. The president waves the flag again when enough damage has been done, then special matadors come out and run up to the charging bull to spear it again (in the shoulders to weaken the bull). When all six spears are in (and the bull is bleeding a lot!...sorry Mom if you're reading this), the matador comes back out for the main event. He has a red cape (along with his very traditional uniform), walks to the center, flips his hat to the sand, presents himself to the president, then goes to work.

He brings the toro (bull) close to him, but under the cape several times. I think this is to examine how that specific bull attacks and to wear the bull down a little bit. He gains control and makes sure the bull is focused on the cape. Wherever that focus is, it is amazing how the matador will brush up to the charging animal, then turn his back to it as he plays to the crowd. Then, he changes to a heavier sword, continues drawing the bull close to him, then goes for the attack where he drives the sword into the bull's back. After that, several matadors run out until the bull finally drops.

This is one of the bloodiest and most gruesome things I've ever experienced. The three of us who saw the fight (each night, there are 6 of these...one matador is crowned "torrero" and keeps the bull's ear because he was the best) were appalled at the cruelty. Still, we were amazed at the courage of these matadors to be close enough to this bull to have its blood on their uniforms (and get flipped as one matador did...took a horn to the chest!). It's a sport that I'd rather not see again and a big part of me wishes it didn't happen, but it's a big part of Spanish tradition that I think we're all glad we know more about.

Thank you for continuing to read this...leave me comments to let me know what you think...or that you're reading it at all!

La Noche en Blanco

On Saturday night of this past weekend, we (along with everyone else in Madrid) got to enjoy an annual celebration called La Noche en Blanco (the White Night). On this night, people flood the streets, museums stay open and free all night, the palace is open, restaurants are open late, there are art exhibits and concerts and dance lessons out in the streets....and all of the streets in central Madrid look like Times Square on New Year's Eve. From Plaza Mayor (where we joined in on a jazz parade that reminded me of New Orleans but led us to what we learned was a concert where they were making fun of the US) to the Prado to Gran Via to Sol, the city was packed!

Even us college students couldn't quite handle the hours as 3 am came with the party in full swing, but we were beginning to wear down. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen--people spent hours just walking through the streets, waiting in lines to get into buildings, or just enjoying the cool September night.

Very fun time and I'm glad we were able to be in Madrid to experience it.