Week in Review, Andalucia Part I

Hola Chicos! Sorry it has taken me so long to get back with you all! You deserve better! Last week we were on a school field trip through southern Spain, in a province called Andalucia. The next few posts will be a review of that trip. However, this week, I've been pretty lazy, but have managed to accomplish a few things: celebrate my birthday, catch up with LOST, get addicted to Grey's Anatomy and finish the first season, visit the Sorolla Museum (he is my FAVORITE painter of all time!), and manage to get really sick yesterday and feel a lot better today. Busy week if you ask me.

Anyways, here goes on Andalucia.

Last Tuesday I got to wake up before dawn (the weird time zone in Spain means that it's always dark in the morning) and head off to school. Once there, we all piled into our favorite (sarcasm) coach bus for what would be the longest bus ride of my life. 6 Hours in all. We stopped for a half hour at a little roadside pension for a coffee. Also, they played a Spanish film in the bus which helped pass the time. I don't fit into buses very well (being tall and lanky does that to you) so the trip was tough, but the Spanish countryside is beautiful.

The trip we were taking is called "The Route of Washington Irving." You may have heard of this fellow, he was an American diplomat and author that travelled through southern Spain in the early-19th Century. He travelled between Sevilla, Córdoba, and Granada, the three cities that we visited. He wrote about his travels and research and thus introduced America to the "romantic" Spain that most people know: flamenco, bullfighting, passion, rural lifestyle. Southern Spain is definitely representative of this, however the rest of Spain reflects other cultures and modernity.

Anyways, we got to Córdoba early, which is kind of odd for us. Córdoba is a small, quiet town of cobblestone streets and brown buildings. We got to walk around before lunch, so a small group of us went off in search of postcards. We had a lot of luck and went to lunch at a small restaurant with the entire class. All I remember is that the gazpacho-like soup was very tasty. At these restaurants, some of the dishes are served community style, where you just stick your fork in with everyone else at your table and eat. The salad was served this way. It's kind of odd as an American to be sharing food like that with someone else, we always have our defined spaces for eating; our own plates.

After lunch we toured the Mezquita-Catedral. What was originally a massive mosque for the Caliphate of Al Andalus, or the Muslim Kingdom in Spain, was added on to extensively throughout time by the Muslims and then converted into a Cathedral by the Christian Kings once they reconquered. The mosque is absolutely stunning. It's a large hall, filled with pillars of various materials that support beautiful double-arches of brick and stone. The effect is a "forrest of stone" in every direction. When the Muslims came in to Spain, they used the old Roman and Visigothic remnants (pillars) to construct their own buildings. When the Catholics came, they used the building and converted the center into a Cathedral. I find it fascinating that though there may not have been absolute respect for one another's religions, the civilizations of Spain respected and admired the art and architecture of the other cultures.

Also, in the center of the mezquita is a beautiful orange orchard on a patio. The trees are all connected by a beautiful latticework of irrigation canals set within the patio. Orange trees abound all over southern Spain (as do olive orchards). Though the orange trees in the cities and mezquitas are used for cosmetics and spices (not good for just eating), the oranges that you can eat in Spain are much more tasty than those in the U.S. I don't know if you've heard of a Valencian Orange, but they originated in Valencia, Spain. The mandarins, tangerines, and other oranges are very sweet here.

After Córdoba, we hopped back on the bus for our trip to our hotel in Sevilla. I'm impressed with the nice accomodations that we get on our trips; I always feel very comfortable and safe in the hotels we get to stay in. We stayed at the Hotel Fernando III in Sevilla, which is just tucked into one of the small streets.

It was rainy and wet in the evening so we just went out to a tapas restaurant for dinner. My friend and I split the black spaghetti with scallops and crab pie. The black spaghetti was VERY good, it's colored and flavored with octopus ink, how exotic! We expected the crab pie to be like crab cakes, but it was more like a crap pate, which was a weird consistency, didn't enjoy that one so much. Afterwards we just went home in the rain.

It's weird because Andalucia is semi-arid yet this winter has been the strangest one for all of Spain in many years. It downpoured, at least once, in every city we visited in Andalucia! The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain!

That was the end of the first day, I'll fill you in on the other days later this weekend! Sorry again that you had to wait so long for a new post! Hope you enjoyed this one!

El Kapital

Hello All,

Sorry I don't update my blog nearly as much as you or I would both like to! I've been very busy with a variety of activities and tomorrow we head out to Andalucia. Andalucia's practically a desert but there's a 100% chance of rain for the next three days, go figure, but that's an entirely different post.

Anyways, Friday could be considered my true introduction into the Madrid nightlife. On Thursday my friends and I were planning on going dancing, but we were all worn out so we decided to take it easy and just do tapas. I had a great time, but I was definitely itching to get out. Friday night I had my chance. We first started by hanging out at the apartment of several students in my program. Their Señora was gone, so we figured it would be cool if we chilled there for a while. At 1:15 AM we decided it was about time to head to El Kapital, Spain’s most famed discoteca (nightclub). We hopped into a Taxi with a Kenyan who lived his whole life in Madrid. Random taxi ride; all I understood is that he was excited Obama is now President.

After our taxi to downtown, we hopped in line with a variety of other folks. We weren’t “on the list”, so the “non-list” line is a bit longer. However, it was still moving quickly so I didn’t wait long. We get in the door and pay the cover charge. I think it was 15€ for the ladies but I think I got charged 20€, you’ll see why in a sec. We walked in to a nice little lobby and the girls checked their coats. Then I was ready to see if this club was all it was cracked up to be.

El Kapital is a theater in addition to a club. The main dance floor has a stage (in which no band was playing, but rather some Chippendale-esque dancers found their groove). The ceiling was 5 stories tall and on the sides all the way up were private VIP rooms, like theater boxes, overlooking the floor. In the back, each consecutive story had a different theme (hip hop, latin, pop, lounge) and were sealed off from the main room by walls of clear plexiglass. Pretty much in every direction you could find music to dance to and have a good time. At 1:30, the party was just starting, so things were hopping.

When you dance for hours on end you tend to get really hot. Instead of trying to air-condition the whole building (most buildings in Spain don’t have central AC), every 5 minutes or so a MASSIVE blast of chilled CO2 would be blown in from the ceiling in one gigantic pillar of cloud! It was a really cool idea and it was nice to get a blast of cool air while dancing the night away.

Additionally, I would consider myself lucky to have such a fun group of people to go out with. Since 35 out of 40 people in our group are girls, whenever we all go out, all of us guys look like total studs. All the Spanish guys were extremely jealous because, as I looked around, I saw that the dance club was over 95% men. Yes, that’s correct. Let’s just say, if you’re a desperate Spanish guy, you’ll have better luck getting a dance at a nunnery than at a club in Madrid! I spent a lot of my time “rescuing” my friends from creepy drunk guys. It was pretty funny; if some guy came up and danced with one of my friends and she enjoyed the partner, all was good. But as soon as I got “the look” I’d grab her arm and pull her over to me as though she was “taken.” I’m sure that to some of these Spanish crazies I looked like a true player, but really I was just making sure we were all having a good, safe time!

At 4:30AM, several friends and I decided that 3 hours of dancing to heart-pumping music was more than our euro’s worth and decided to hail a taxi home. The taxi home was quite a humorous experience. One of my friends was slightly inebriated and in “desperate” need of a hamburger. It’s odd because though everyone parties ‘til the morning light in Madrid, there’s absolutely NO place like Sonic, Whataburger, or Taco Cabana to pig out at when you’re in caloric deprivation after dancing. Our oddball taxi driver pulled over on a side street and told us to hop out and see the lady “over there” for a good Peruvian sandwich. We couldn’t find this sandwich lady at all so we gave up. Ends up, the sandwich lady is illegal, so she runs around the block with a bag of homemade sandwiches and sells them to whoever can catch her. Yeah right, like I’m going to buy a sandwich out of a random plastic bag at 4:45 AM from a Peruvian lady in Madrid!!! Way funny. So, we got back in the car and headed home, disappointed in the taxi driver’s choice of post-party food.

After getting home, I was desperate for a shower, there’s no way I can sleep smelling like an ashtray. I showered and went to bed. Concha finally woke me up at 3 PM, afraid I had died or something since she didn’t hear me come in! All in all, it was a very fun cultural experience, but I don’t exactly think I can maintain the clubbing lifestyle. Madrid young adults are famous for being able to party all night, come home and shower, chug an espresso, and head back to work! No way in the world I could pull that off!

Well, good night, and I’ll update you from Andalucia!

El Rincon de Esteban

This week has been busy, last night I went to the prayer service at Amistad which was great again. On Monday night I went to dinner with a partner from Ernst & Young who is from the States but has been working in Madrid for 4 years.

The dinner reservations didn't start until 9:30PM which is very typical in Spain. The restaurant was Rincón de Esteban which was very close to the Plaza de Sol, the main hub of Madrid. Like most good restaurants here, you'd probably pass it by, but once you walk inside it is a formal restaurant. As soon as I sat down, Esteban himself, the owner, came over and introduced himself and said that *Matt (name changed), the partner, is his sobrino (nephew). Not his real nephew, but because Matt has held several dinners there, Esteban has practically adopted him!

Our meal started with red wine and a wonderful tapas of dark and light anchovies fillets that you put on pieces of bread that was toasted with a tomato sauce. Not sure how I would normally like anchovies, but these were delicious. Next we had a plate of thinly sliced sausages and olives, more tapas fare. There was also bread and a foie gras (pureed goose liver), but none of us had any. After that we had a hot skillet with spicy, garlic shrimp. It was very tasty. The next dish was a small shot glass of lemon sorbet served with an equally small spoon. To cleanse the palette for our main dish.

Being in Spain for the first time, I've made it my goal to try as many new foods as possible. As a result, I tried Roasted Red Partridge for my main plate. The meat was extremely tender and I don't know if it was Esteban's magic, while it had the texture of chicken, it tasted much more flavorful. I wouldn't describe at all as "game-y" but it definitely tasted a little edgier than bland old chicken. I also had cooked potatoes, which are a pretty typical side dish.

For dessert, we had a variety plate, the especialidad de la casa. I'm not really sure what all was on it, but it tasted great! Sweets aren't very common here, so it was nice to get a dulce for dessert. Also, they served champagne in chilled glasses to Matt and the other student at the dinner.

After dessert (there's more!) you typically have a cafe (coffee). Coffee here is really espresso, so if you want an Americano (half coffee, half hot water) you definitely have to ask for it. Matt had a cortado which is half espresso and half milk. I didn't want any coffee (hoping to sleep later that night!) so I just enjoyed the additional round of sweet treats to go with the coffee. And after the coffee (!) they served shots of a liquor made from yerba (no clue what that is, but the liquor was green). Esteban was taken back by the fact that I didn't drink alcohol (waiting til my 21st), so he took it upon himself to serve me a wonderful liqueour (sp?) made from apples that was sin alcohol (without alcohol). It was wonderful and he served me like 3 shots at least!

Then, we were finally done and Matt took the tab. I looked at my watch and realized it was already 12:30 in the morning! As we were leaving, people were just starting their main course! Dinners here last forever; Matt told me that many people get caught up enjoying everyone's company and going back and forth between a coffee and pastry round, and a shot round.

As we were leaving, Esteban made sure to tell us goodbye, giving us his restaurant's pen and business card. He named me sobrino segundo (second nephew) and I promised him I'd be back! Hopefully I'll go for my birthday!

In the end, it was one of the best dinners I've ever had. Of course it was a little expensive, probably 35 Euros for my meal, but when you get food like that and service that's incomparable, I'd be more than willing to head back there once a week (don't worry, I definitely don't have the budget for it!)! The U.S. needs more restaurants like this, ones with unique flavor, with changing menus, with real service and owners that love each of their customers. Esteban is very successful and very happy. Matt told me that the difference between Madrid and the U.S. is that for restaurant staff in Madrid, this is their career. It's not something they just do to pay the bills, it's what they chose to do because they love it, whether as a camarero (waiter) or the owner. Gotta love it.

Sorry for making y'all hungry, because I know I'm hungry after this post!

Dios

First off, sorry for taking several days off from blogging. A couple days I was really tired and a couple other days I was trying to organize my thoughts on what my next post was going to be. Get excited because you'll get several posts in the next couple of days. The following post may make you think, make you mad, make you happy, make you sad. I tried to take my time writing it the best I can, so please don't dismiss it, even if you don't necessarily agree or know where you stand. It's a long post, but it has to do with my recent experiences in Spain, so read on...

The title of this post is Dios, the Spanish word for God. On Tuesday, I attended a prayer service for young adults at a local non-denominational church (Amistad Cristiana). My friend Danielle from back home had recommended this church as she studied abroad in Madrid several semesters ago. During the service, I experienced a feeling of safety that I haven't felt anywhere else in Spain. I don't know how to explain it, you just have to experience it. I've been a Christian for a long time, but I don't think you can truly understand the depth and breadth of the Father's love for mankind until you listen to other people, from other cultures and other languages, yearning to be closer to the source of the only unconditional love in the universe, Jesus Christ. God didn't just set the world in motion and abandon it. God is real, dynamic. His love is ever-reaching and knows no race, ethnicity, sex, nation, political party or social status. Sure, Christians are imperfect at times (okay, many times, I admit!), but the Lord is perfect, and even better yet, He has a plan for the world and He wants us, as individuals, to be a part of it.

This service reminded me of that fact, that God is waiting to meet us no matter where we are in life. I was also reminded of what the cab driver in Dallas told me before I left, something to the effect of "No matter where you go in the world, you'll find that all people are just like you and me." It's true. No matter how you try to convince yourself, you are not the only one struggling. There are others around the world wrestling with the same issues, doubting the same things, questioning the same ideas, having the same hurts, hang ups and addictions. Believe me, I've had them too. It's the human curse. But, there is hope. There is something so much greater that reaches you in all those corners of the world, in all those times you find your back up against the wall, all those times you think you are alone: God's love as demonstrated to us through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. He loved us so much as to send his son as the perfect sacrifice so that we might have a real, personal relationship with the living God.

One of my friends from school told me before I left that Europe is a relatively God-less place and that I would be challenged to grow in my personal relationship with the Lord. He was right. Though most Spaniards claim to be Catholic, most only go to church for baptism and marriage. As a result, not many people here know what it really means to be a Christian, to be a follower of Christ. I'll admit that I turned my back on God last semester, didn't want to listen to him, didn't want to spend time praying or meditating on His word. But going through life on your own sucks. This semester I'm hoping to get back on track; I hope to come back different than when I left.

Today I went to the official Sunday service. I don't know that I've ever been to a more genuine service. First, the church doesn't have enough space to fit everybody in it's building, so they meet in a nearby bar. Yes, a bar that smells a bit like ammonia because members of the church have worked tirelessly to clean it from the night before and set everything up for service. The worship team, mostly young people my age, stands on a stage that is set up and taken down every week, a stage where who knows what was performing the night before. But to have the opportunity to worship the Lord right in the community means so much to the members of Amistad Cristiana that they are willing to devote themselves to this. When I walked in, I was greeted by many new people, Rebekah, Ana, Esteban, and others. They recognized I was new and wanted to connect with me. It was all in Spanish, but all the better. During the service, I was amazed to see such praise devoted to the same Lord that I worship each week back home; that I worship here as well. There weren't any formalities here, no attempt for perfectionism, no attempt to "look trendy", no endless liturgies or "traditions", etc. Instead, the microphone kept slipping on the worship leader who was playing the piano so someone went up and fixed it. The offering plates were tupperware containers with a hole in the top. In other words, people were devoting their hearts to the Lord alone; no one was trying to sell you an image or a facade. They let their love for others, coming from the love that Christ first showed us, speak for their message.

I hope that you all have the chance to think about what I just posted. I hope you mull it over and think about it. Respond if you want. I know that so many times church in the States can just seem like either going through the motions or appears like a production, one doubts if there really is any life in the body of Christ sometimes. Believe me, I've had the same thoughts! But again, Christians are humans too, which means they tend to do stupid things, but Christ alone is perfect and we can rest assured in that. At the same time, questioning and considering are not wrong, instead they help you to seek truth and not become lazy and apathetic towards that which you may or may not claim to believe. I'm sorry for those of you who may have a negative view of Christianity, I'm sorry that it may have been an imperfect Christian (maybe even me) who somehow did something to hurt you or turn you away from the Lord. But remember, He alone is perfect.

If you have questions, comments, concerns, or would like to check out this whole God-thing out when I get back, please don't hesitate to let me know via comment on this post, e-mail, or facebook. I hope you all have a wonderful day. Hasta Luego.

Dejé la Corazón Mia en Segovia, Parte II

[The following post is a continuation of the previous post, so read that one first!]

Next, lunch requires nearly a post of itself. After walking around so much, everyone was starving. It was the first time I’ve been cranky a here in Spain; I wanted something good to eat. We decided on a very traditional restaurant in Segovia, near the main plaza. After we all got situated, I ordered the specialty of the house, which was a three-course menu of Segovian specialties. First we had a wonderful soup, judiones de la granja, also known as “Beans of the Grange.” These beans are large beans that were created by the gardeners of the Palacio Real de La Granja that I talked about in my last post. The soup was perfect for a frigid day. Next came the main course: Cochinillo Asado, or Roasted Suckling Pig. This is a very tasty, very expensive dish that is made in Segovia. A young pig is roasted whole and the meat is so tender, being such a young pig, that they bring it out to your table and hack it into 4-6 servings using plates. A very strange mental picture, but the plates demonstrate the skills of the cook (and of the waiter who dices as well!). Luckily for us, the pig was already served diced up, because Chelsi started crying over the poor dead piglet and my friend Melissa nearly swooned (I was actually pretty worried because she was getting hot, flushed, and had trouble breathing! Luckily when she stopped thinking about Poor Piglet, we were good to go!). We definitely looked like inexperienced tourists! Anyways, the meat was absolutely delicious, very tender. The skin had baked into a crunchy, glorified pork-rind that I found tasty as well. For dessert, we had Torta/Ponche de Segovia which is a rich cake that has been soaked in a liqueur and topped with a marzipan icing layer. Overall, it was one of the most unique and delicious meals I’ve experienced. I say experienced, because you don’t really “try” new foods in another culture. Everything about the experience is new. Also, I won’t tell you how much the meal cost, but let’s just say I’ll be eating sandwiches for lunch from here until eternity.

After lunch, the whole group met up in the Plaza Mayor for our tour of El Alcázar, or The Castle. The world used is of Arabic derivation, as are many words in the Spanish language, due to the presence of Moors during much of the Medieval Ages. Anyways, this castle was used by the Catholic King and Queen, Fernando and Isabella. Think Christopher Columbus. Anyways, this castle is absolutely gorgeous, with a very deep moat, towers, and slate roofs. Though not the official castle that Disney modeled, he used El Alázar as a reference. The interior was MUCH different from El Palacio Real de La Granja, which could be a result of the two centuries gap between constructions. Though much more Medieval, this castle had a beautiful interior, with original tapestries, thrones, suits of armor, woodwork and stained glass. Also, with our ticket, we got to climb the 141 steps to the top of the highest tower and look out over the countryside. Everything was absolutely beautiful in the crisp, cold winter air.

I think that was about all for our trip to Segovia. Everyone had a wonderful time, though we were exhausted by the time we got to the bus and everyone was asleep by the time we got back in Madrid. Our sleepy arrival and departure from Segovia made the trip seem much like a dream. I hope the pictures show how beautiful I found the city to be. Maybe you can see why I Left My Heart in Segovia!

Dejé la Corazón Mia en Segovia, Parte I

Hola Chicos,

For those of you who don’t understand the title, Dejé la Corazón Mia en Segovia, it means “I left my heart in Segovia.” Sorry it has taken me so long to post about our trip to Segovia, but being the most beautiful place I have ever visited, I wanted to make sure I was posting an entry without being in a hurry. Anyways, here’s why my heart is in Segovia.

[I started writing so much that I decided to divide this into two posts, so read this one first and get psyched for the next one which I’ll post tomorrow. I didn’t want to overwhelm anyone!]

We started our adventure early in the morning at 8:45AM; it was early considering I went out to celebrate my friends’ birthdays the night before and posted a nice entry on the blog in the middle of the night. We drove for about an hour and a half outside of Madrid with snow on the ground and partly cloudy skies. Many of us took a nap and rested so when we arrived in Segovia, it was like an entry into a whole new world. Unlike the DFW or Philadelphia metoplexes, when you go an hour and a half away from Madrid you are no longer even close to a suburb. All around us were rolling farm fields, rich with the brown that remains between harvests, a hue that I have never seen in America. First, however, we stopped a little bit outside of Segovia in the mountains at La Granja, which was the vacation palace of Felipe II. His family ties to Versaille encouraged him to construct a beautiful palace and gardens in the French style that were revolutionary in incorporating nature with indoors, using arcades of fully-opening French doors to allow light and air in. When we visited, there was a guard in every room to protect the immense beauty of the collections, so I didn’t get many photos of the inside, but let's just say that they're priceless. Gorgeous paintings on every ceiling and gilded everything. Also, lacquer art from Asia was very popular at the time. But for the pictures you see here, there are immense gardens and over 20 fountains. What's unbelieveable is that without any use of electricity or motors, the engineers at the time used the pressure of mountain streams to force water through the fountains, one after the other. The bottom one gets all the pressure of the ones before and shoots 40 METERS into the sky. It wasn't on because of winter, but wow.

Next, we began our walk down the cobbled streets in what is considered Spain’s most preserved medieval city. It feels very weird to walk down streets that haven’t changed much in 500 years. They aren’t knockoffs made by Disney or Universal studios. Everywhere we go, I feel like I’m going to turn the corner and see that the beautiful scene is just a plywood façade, but it hasn’t happened yet.

The first sight to see was the Roman Aqueduct constructed in who knows when, I think it was 100 B.C. or A.D. Can’t remember which, but it doesn’t really matter, because the granite structure has not decayed nearly at all and is one of the most complete structures of Roman construction. It’s in considerably better shape than the Aqueduct in Italy. This one was once 15 km long (nearly 9 miles), but luckily the part that remains is the most beautiful section, nearly four stories tall! The Aqueduct was not constructed with any nails, pegs, cement, or mortar; simply stones that were cut and arranged to fit perfectly with one another. Many years ago, preservation efforts thought it would be a good idea to nail it together. They got one pillar done and then realized that it was stronger to leave it, so the took out all the nails and left it as it was before!

Next, we walked through the city streets to see another Gothic Cathedral. We didn’t have the chance to go inside, but the outside was one of the most beautiful pieces of art you can imagine: soaring tiers of stained glass and ornate stonework. The Cathedral continues to shout the power of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. The Cathedral was mind-blowingly intense. You seem so insignificant when facing such beauty and compilation of capital and labor. And what’s most amazing is that the Church continues to use it for services, hundreds of years later.

Well, that's it for tonight, check back tomorrow for the rest of my day, including my lunch of a Segovian specialty Cochinillo Asado, or Roasted Suckling Pig...

A Week of Firsts & Madrilenos Part I

Hello All,

This week has been a really busy one! A group of us realized tonight that our program has really only been going on for about a week now! Crazy. We all have become such great friends in such a little time. I really look forward to the rest of the semester!

So on with this week. I did end up dropping that lit class, though now I'm thinking commercial spanish might be worse. But hey, if I want to work in Buenos Aires some day, I better sure as heck get my act together before then! These classes are, without a doubt, much more work than the ones in Dallas. Earlier this week I was pretty stressed, but living with a family has definitely helped. Somehow Concha is able to read my mind a little bit. I guess as a mother of four grown children, she knows a little about how to read young people. I appreciate it a lot.

For an abrubt change in topic, here's a list of firsts for this week: changing money in a foreign bank (by the way, you need your real passport, no copies!), eating in a Spanish sandwich chain (Rodilla and Quartertime), going out in Madrid (we closed the restaurant down!), using the Metro (which is actually the safest transportation I've ever used! There are always people on it and even at 1:30, there aren't any sketchballs that I've seen), watching a dubbed American film (deja vu in Spanish), buying from a Spanish convenience store, walking to school in the city, giving Spanish besos without feeling completely awkward (Concha's daughter Silvia and another sen~ora, Pilar, expected them!). I think that's a pretty good run down.

Also, I just hopped out of the shower. I went to celebrate the birthdays of a few friends and came back smelling like an ashtray. Granted, I really don't mind people smoking, but in Madrid, you just have to accept that whatever restaurant you go in or street you walk down, you're going to be smokey. I was working on a post about the differences between Madrileños and Americans. I think I'll start with this one: people here smoke like chimneys. However, I have to admit, they do it in style. I can see why smoking here is a big issue, because the common society seems to support it. Whenever I see Madrileños smoking, they seem to do it in such a devil-may-care way that they all look good doing it! I know, it's crazy, but they do! It also helps when all of the middle age-plus women have beautiful fur coats. PETA doesn't exist here and thank God. That's another difference, people just look dang good here. Americans stick out when we wear jeans and a sweater. Everyone here is wearing something either fashionable or at least well put together. Even the painter I saw walking down the street looked good. Concha and others have told me that brands don't really matter here, there are so many different places to get your clothes that people truly go for quality and price. The only "brand" that is truly popular are the sweatshirts that have "GAP" plastered on the front. Weird, I know.

Well, that's a quick update, I have to go to bed so I can wake up in 5.5 hours and head off to Segovia to take lots more beautiful photos for y'all to enjoy!

Ciao!