Curiosa Alyssa está en CALIFORNIA!

     Hey readers! I'm back home! Just went to yoga with Dad today, then we took a stroll around the block with Ginger to visit the alpacas and now it is back to unpacking my boxes from the move. I like my new home here and am excited to start new routines and find a job. One thing we all love about this place is the wonderful view out the back of the house. When we all arrived home from Spain there was a full moon and we got to see it rise over the horizon. I will likely post photos of the view as the seasons change. For now, here is a view from our front porch of the wild sunset last night. As time continues I will post some more stories and photos from Spain.

Sunset January 11, 2012

Curiosa Alyssa canta villancicos. Yikes!

      Today we set up the arbol de Navidad! Purple and Gold is this years theme. We listened to an english Christmas album and dispersed miniature angels all around the house. Also, today is Alejandra´s birthday party, Marina´s mejor amiga! She turns 11 tomorrow. So after tennis, we took the girls to Alejandra´s for la comida and the three of us ate at the cafeteria in the development. I met some of their neighbors and they promised to introduce me to their children when they come home for Madrid because of the holiday. More spanish practice! After siesta, Carlos, Carmen, and I went to a small pueblo called El Carpio de Tajo. Here we succeeded in our hunt for mazapán. This place is unique because it is a factory that is open only 1 month out of the year. They make a TON of mazapán to sell and when everything is sold they shut up shop until next year! The ingredients to this mazapan is almonds, sugar, and water. There are no preservatives so with time the mazapán will become harder and harder. It tastes pretty good but I can´t say that I would choose it over a good ole cup of hot chocolate. After this I went to the medieval market that is held every first Saturday of the month. This market is held in the oldest streets of Talavera and meanders through the Roman wall to a large square. The tents and vendors are all decked out in medieval clothes too! I went to buy some souvenirs and Christmas presents and to meet up with my intercambio amiga Marionela and her 5 year old son Mario and her friend Mario. The Marios, Marionela, and I had a great time tasting the dried fruits, perusing the bracelets, and warming our hands at the random firepits placed on the streets. The girls had a great time at Alejandra´s and we spent the night together while Carmen and Carlos went to a dinner with friends.

You can see Mario with the white scarf, Marionela with the stroller, and little Mario next to her.  Behind me is the wooden carousel and the puppet show booth!

A picture with light from the marcadillo in October. The women are making something fried and delicious!

Madre mia

A whole month without posting. I just need to take what is in my journal and transfer it onto here but it takes effort! Do you even care?

Off to spinning at the Wellness Center!! 

Curiosa Alyssa ve Asturias

Gijon, Asturias

The harbor in Gijon

     This weekend worked out so perfectly! I got a weekend off because Carmen and Carlos had a wedding in Santander (north of Spain). The girl´s grandparents were to watch the girls for the weekend at their home in Madrid, so I took advantage of the time and went to Oviedo, Asturias. Nick highly recommended that I go to Oviedo to see his friend Eva and know Aturias. I woke up super early Friday morning, got in a taxi to the bus station, a bus to Madrid, a metro to the train station, and was greeted after about 7 hours of travelling by Eva and sunshine! We immediately drove to Gijon, a coastal city, to share a cafe con leche, a walk on the beach, more walking through town, and lunch. Eva could not stop telling me how rare it was that this was a sunny weekend. It has been a hot fall in Spain and everybody is talking about it! Many people were in their bathing suits and swimming or kite surfing! Our walk and talk was beautiful because I brought my english-spanish dictionary and through many attempts we communicated :) It was a really beneficial weekend for me because I felt truly forced to speak in conversation in spanish with someone. We left Gijon just by sunset and went back to Oviedo. The landscape looked like Ireland if I could guess or maybe northern California (Petaluma, perhaps?). We took a great walk around the old town of Oviedo, I saw clean sidewalks, buildings made of wood and stone with balconies, and many flowers. Kids and families were out playing fútbol and talking loudly. We bought some vegetables to make dinner with and made a stirfry. I was pretty tired from the day despite sleeping many hours in the train so we watched a movie in spanish. During the movie, Oscar, Eva´s friend, came over. He was super interesting and we stayed up pretty late talking about the crisis or TV or Spain in general.

Plaza de la Constitución, Oviedo

     The next day I woke up, borrowed Eva´s keys and strolled around old town Oviedo again. I saw girls walking home, shop keepers opening their stores, and street cleaners (yes, they water the streets here, too) cleaning up the glass and trash from the night before. It was almost dangerous to walk because the water on the slick ground made for a very slippery walk. I stopped by El Fontan, a market just around the corner from Eva´s place. The building was filled with different vendors selling bread, fish, jamón, fruit, veggies, you name it. I bought some tea for Eva as a thank you for having me for the weekend and by the time I left the building there were more vendors on the street selling belts, CDs, rugs, and more! The flower stalls were my favorite part because they masked the smell of cigarette smoke expelled by the vendors. I went back up to Eva´s apartment and we eventually met her friend Alvaro to go to the Asturian coast. Alvaro played U2 really loudly and I looked out the open window at the amazing landscape. If he didn´t drive so fast maybe I could have snapped a good picture. After about 20 minutes we were in a small town called La Isla to enjoy some bomb fresh seafood! We ate calamari, pulpo, and rape. The view was spectacular and unbelievable. The beach was precious to the north and to the south giant mountains about 1 mile high. The sun was pure, the air was fresh, and the wind was light. We walked along the beach and sat for a while to soak it in. On our drive home, we took the scenic route and listened to Tracy Chapman. Once again we were able to communicate and I suprised myself with how much I knew how to say. With Eva´s help, we talked and had a marvelous time on the coast.

Eva, me, Alvaro in La Isla, Asturias

The market in Oviedo

     That afternoon Eva and I went to the musuem of Bellas Artes and checked out a Picasso, a Dali, and some beautiful Sorolla paintings. We only had 1 hour before the museum closed so we went through pretty quickly, met up with Oscar again and they showed me more of Oviedo. We checked out the Woody Allen statue, saw the young spaniards going out on the town, and got some dinner. We spent another evening talking about deeper issues, which again was difficult in spanish. The next morning I literally ran to the train station because my direct route had an event which closed the street. Thanks to Eva´s generosity and wonderful friends, this weekend  was unforgettable!

Curiosa Alyssa se está divirtiendo en Talavera de la Reina (3)

On my walk home everyday

     Classes have been going well for me so far. I have made some friends, learned some Chinese and Morrocan Arabic, and enjoyed some chilly mornings waiting for the school doors to open. I am able to hitch a ride with the girls when they go to school in the morning. Carmen takes them and we walk them to their class and then hop into the car and she drops me off in front of school. Unfortunately the doors don´t open until about 9:10 and I usually get there around 8:45. Luckily I have my ipod and I stay upwind from the other students smoking before class. Class gets out about 11:00 and I either "tomar algo" (drink some juice at a cafe with classmates) or walk home. My walk home takes about 30 minutes and I pass many cafes, the park from the picture above, fountains in the roundabouts, and then walk on a bridge over some train tracks. That is my favorite part of the walk because there is just enough wind that I can´t smell the exhaust coming from the cars next to me. I usually see people walking on the bridge for exercise. When I get back I grab a morning snack, review my new words, and go on a jog or walk. I walk back over the bridge to a neighborhood on the otherside. Sometimes a school holds their physical education class in a park in the neighborhood and I run alongside the students. Around 2, we eat delicious lunch and have a lesson in english/spanish. We pick up the girls from school around 5 and I play with them until 8or 9 for dinner. After dinner, Carlos, Carmen, and I talk for a while until they go into the living room to watch their show. I go downstairs and write this blog or read and sleep. There you have my usual day! I enjoy routine sometimes and one of my greatest joys is picking the girls up from school.

Inside Ruiz de la Luna

     One day, spontaneously, Ana (a German Au Pair, she went home this Wednesday) and I went to the ceramic museum. Talavera is known for its classic ceramic tiles and plates in all of Spain. The style is almost always with blue and a dark yellow. The museum is called Museo de Cerámica Ruiz de Luna. Ruiz de Luna is a very famous ceramista from near Talavera. We continued on a walk in the old town of Talavera de la Reina. It was very peaceful and quiet as no cars were allowed to drive throught the old roads.

Iglesia de S. Agustin el Viejo. 17th Century

Torre de Reloj 

    I cannot believe that more than 2 months have passed since I started with this family. Time has flown by and I feel that there is still so much for me to see and do and learn! It is also strange to me to be so alone while so many things in the world are happening. Yes, Carlos and I talk about deeper topics, but our language barrier limits us sometimes and we generally agree on things making the conversations shorter and easier. I have been able to spend time reading the news, in english, and I happened upon a wonderful picture of someone meditating. Below the picture the caption read: Occupy the present.

Curiosa Alyssa va a Madrid

Plaza Mayor

     Earlier I mentioned I made a friend named Emily from Wisconsin with Nina at ferias. Luckily I kept in contact with her and she invited me to stay in her piso in Madrid for a night. I accepted the offer and together we went on a free walking tour of Madrid. I learned a lot more about spanish history, some funny stories about spaniards, and the reason Tapas are called Tapas. Our tour guide was from Israel and was small but had a large head of hair (see picture below). When he talked his hair bounced. Our guide came to Madrid to persue his passion of playing flamenco guitar! We walked from one of the oldest main plazas in the city, and through different neighborhoods learning about the conquistadores and the spanish civil war.

Palacio Real de Madrid

 

Palacio Real de Madrid 

    We walked by the Royal Palace but never went inside. I have heard it is spectacular inside so maybe I will come back and check it out. I hesitate because I think it may be overwhelming to see all 2,800 rooms. (Nope, that is not a typo!)

Calle de Vergara 

     We did some more walking, of course, and worked up an appetite. So mid-tour we stopped for a snack. The tour goers enjoyed some beer and I enjoyed a mini bocadillo made with four delicious cheeses. We had the fuel we needed to complete the rest of the tour. We learned about footballers, bullfighters, and other noteworthy people of spanish history. The statue below is of a poet, but I was distracted and didn´t catch his name. Some Belgians distrupted the tour with a dance. All the while I couldn´t help but think about how cool it was that Earnest Hemmingway frequently dined in the restaurant behind this statue. I came out of the tour knowing more about the life of a spaniard in Madrid and the recent history of the government in Spain.

Drunken tour crashers from Belgium

      Later, Emily and I shared some dinner and went to a bar with Nina and her amigo. I feel so lucky to have made Emily as a friend and contact in Madrid and I hope to visit her more. I would love to see more art in the city and visit more with someone so funny and girly and incredibly nice.

Curiosa Alyssa explora Toledo

TOE LEE DOUGH

     Because I don´t have classes on Wednesdays, I decided to take advantage of my time and hit the road to Toledo. There is a bus from Talavera to Toledo that lasts about 1.5 hours. I woke up with the family, took the girls to school, and stayed downtown to wait for the next bus out. On the bus ride we passed through about 8 different pueblos, continually picking up older people as we travelled along. The bus arrived at the station at the very bottom of the hill where the old part of town sits on top. I visited the tourist information office, made a strategic agenda, and began my accent to everything old, narrow, and ornate.

Just outside the walls of the city

Starting my trek up to the old city

   

Key-hole doorway of a mosque

This street turns into nothing!

Getting lost in Toledo is okay with me

     Because I caught such an early bus, the only people around were hurrying on their way to work or school. I passed a few mosques and convents to arrive at a bridge that would provide a good view of the city from outside.

Puente de San Martin

The view from the other side of the bridge. You can see Monasterio de San Juan de los  Reyes.

     I went inside Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca y Parroquia Santo Tome. Inside Parroquia Santo Tome, I saw the magnificent piece, The Burial of the Count Orgaz by El Greco. After that I immediately went the Casa Museo de El Greco and learned about the painter and sculptor. His art can be found all over the city of Toledo. I learned about his technique too because the little blurps next to each picture were translated into english. Interesting fact: I have observed all four of the apostle series by El Greco. The museum mentions that in his workshop he allowed contributors to his paintings, but painted 4 apostle series. I saw it first in the Prado Museum in Madrid, second in the museum of El Greco, third in the Toledo Cathedral, and fourth this past weekend in Oviedo at the Museo de Bellas Artes!

The Cathedral bell tower. 

      I was starving after the museum and hopped over to a cafeteria to eat and then over to the Sinagoga del Transito. This was a very beautiful synagogue and museum about the history of judios in Spain. I managed to get lost a little bit more until I happened upon the Toledo Cathedral. This is by far the coolest cathedral I have been to in my life. Everything about it was ornate and giant and holy. Had I felt more comfortable taking pictures inside, I would show them here. Instead, I decided to see everything with both eyeballs and take in all of its shininess. Maybe one day you will be lucky enough to see it for yourself. With that, I will finish writing and start living.