Curiosa Alyssa está muy enamoradA de Nicotito.

My spanish lover and I in Sevilla! Not the best photo...

     I want to dedicate this post to the best boyfriend I have ever had ;) It also happens to be his 22nd birthday today so I think I am allowed to be this cheesy. I wanted to let you all know how Mr. Nick decided to surprise me during my time here and was successfully sneaky about doing so. I really did not know why he kept pestering me about my address in Salamanca, as I would only be there for 2 weeks. I was doubtful that any parcel would make it from California to Salamanca, Spain during my last week there. (Little did I know my parcel was hand delivered.)  After talking to my family on their Sunday morning about how spectacular their cooking event was the previous day I was missing home. They told me about how Nick and some friends performed some music together for the participants. It sounded like too much fun that I almost wish I had been there. By Wednesday of my second week in Salamanca, I was already feeling homesick. I decided to break plans to go to the pool so that I could try calling my family and hear some voices and hear somebody tell me that they miss me back. I headed down to the locotorio a block away and proceeded to check my email. I saw that Nick had emailed me 5 minutes before I signed on and immediately tried calling him on skype. No answer. I tried my mother, father, sister, grandparents. No answer. Frustrated that no one was available, I began to cry. I continued to sit in the computer booth and check my facebook, pictures, etc. while I regained composure. Some time later I walked back to my apartment to get ready to meet up with some people to check out the sweet cathedrals. When I got home, the love beanie that Nick and I share was hanging onto my doorknob. I did not understand because if a package had come for me, why did someone open it and hang it on my door? The thought that maybe Nick had delivered it didn´t even cross my mind as I walked to Jenny´s room to ask her if she knew anything about it. At that moment, a very tired Nick was standing in the hallway waiting to see my shocked face. Of course I immediately started crying. For one of the very rare times in my life did I question whether I was dreaming or not. Was this real life? Nick wasn´t supposed to be able to come to Spain this fall, what is he doing in my hallway? So he didn´t surprise me at the locotorio or punch me in the face or anything crazy but it was perfect. Talking about it later, we decided it was probably the best surprise I would ever receive in my life!!

     Nick and I spent a couple of days together in Salamanca. We had to part ways though, because I was to report for duty with the family in Talavera de la Reina that weekend. He did not know that my time would be so constricted and that maybe we would be able to travel together. Luckily, the family is awesome and let me take off my first weekend to meet him in Sevilla. (I will share about my weekend in Sevilla in a later post.) Not only that, but they also invited him to stay at the home for a few days before he did more travelling on his own to Italy. The family LOVED his company and the girls still talk about Nick with a big smile on their faces. We also said goodbye in Madrid before his flight back home. Spending time with him in Spain was so fantastic! MUCHISIMAS GRACIAS NICK!

Secret jetsetting lovers that meet in Spain to hide their relationship at home.

Curiosa Alyssa extraña a sus amigos de Salamanca

My deserted street in Salamanca

Questionable, right?

     My last week in Salamanca was unforgettable! I had made significant progress developing my language during my time at the school and was able to finally start to converse with my schoolmates that were not experienced with english. I welcomed a new roommate, Jennifer, from Bavaria. She was Ninja´s replacement, and was equally as kind and enthusiastic. Together I showed her some things that I had discovered during my time before she arrived. We went to the river again with Chloe and Victoria, played on the playgrounds and walked over the Puente Romano.

I saw this on the way to the Rio Tormes with the ladies. I couldn´t help myself  but to take a picture!

     They are always cleaning the streets in Salamanca! Not a day went by that I didn´t see someone in lime green picking up trash, vacuuming the sidewalk, or watering the streets. Every night they watered the streets to clean them. Such a waste but I guess it is necessary when people don´t pick up their dog´s poop.

This gem of a mosaic was on the way to school for me. The road you see is leading to an underground parking garage. 

I found Nick´s twin in Spain!

Maite, my spanish professor. Such a stellar teacher!

More tapas were consumed (and churros, but shhh!), more monuments were seen, and more people to say good-bye to. In all, my time with friends I made in Salamanca  is cherished dearly. 

Curiosa Alyssa viaja a Segovia y Ávila

One of the great things about my language school was that they provided trips to different places surrounding Salamanca with a tour of the destination. The weekend of August 20th, I was able to visit Segovia and Ávila with many other language schools in the area. I went by myself, but quickly got to know Jan, another German student from my school. As we drove about 2 hours by bus, we passed the beautiful landscape of Castilla y León. Views of more corn, sunflowers, cuestas, and trees filled the bus windows. Our first stop in Segovia was Álcazar, a very impressive castle thought to be constructed as far back as the time the Celts were in Spain. Álcazar was the palace of many Castilian monarchs and an artillery academy. I remember Nick´s review of the castle and made sure to marvel at the stained glass. I did not remember reading about the Modejár ceilings. (here) The castle was such a typical castle, which made it awesome!! As tourists walk over the moat to enter, they soon see the suits of armor in the first room they enter, then the dining room, and next the royal throne! The tour was in spanish, so much of what our guide said I did not understand, but it was still impressive to think that Ferdinand and Isabella lived in these rooms..sort of... Unfortunately, the castle suffered severe damage from a fire. Another miraculous thing about the place is that I don´t recall any lights, and it was so bright inside. The flowers were lovely along our path to Segovia´s Plaza Mayor and Catedral. Our group had a break to wander Segovia and enjoy lunch, so Jan and I broke away to find food and see what we saw. By simply wandering the streets we went inside Convento de Corpus Christi and then continued down a calle called Juan Bravo to come across Il Fiesta Del Pulpo- a Galician fiesta held in Segovia for most of the month of August. Not knowing what Pulpo was, I walked past assuming it was just another excuse for the Spaniards to eat ham in a different way (The picture is not appetizing). Luckily, Jan happened to love Pulpo and explained to me that it was octopus. Wow!! Nick told me to try octopus if I had the chance, and boy did I do it! A whole fiesta dedicated to pulpo, how lucky could I be. Han and I shared a plate of Pulpo a feria, the signature dish of the fair. It was delicious and exciting! We enjoyed a lovely view because Segovia sits on a top of a limestone elevation. After eating, we wandered through the small streets to see many of the monuments on the map. Segovia seems to be stuck in, I don´t know, the 1500´s. With the way the streets curve around and the presence of dozens of churches in Romanesque style and many homes that appear to date back to around then. After our wandering, we went to the Cathedral and spent the rest of our free time marveling at this amazing structure. With 23 decorated chapels, a choir, and an organ- I think I could have spent all day looking at the details of each. Jan and I met up with the group and recieved a tour of the acqueduct. Segovia, as I understand, is known for its acqueduct- as it appears in nearly every city symbol and postcard. Thought to be erected in the 1st century, the structure provided water for the high lying part of town from its source 14 km away. Over 20,000 granite rocks stand unsupported by concrete. I will let the picture impress you. 

166 arches supported by 120 pillars

     At this point in the day it was so hot- ´hace mucho calor´. As we walked to the bus, Jan and I were taking bets as to who would fall asleep first. Before an hour passed, we were in Ávila. If you could picture the most perfect Spanish town to time travel to, you wouldn´t need to- just visit Ávila. This walled city is filled with churches and convents from the Romanessque period., We spent most of our time wandering the small streets past church after monastery after convent after mansion. I think we made an apropriate lap around the city, in and out of the walls from the 12th centure. In true German fashion, Jan bought some sausage and we caught the bus for home, counting the lightening on the horizon.

The walls of Ávila