Way back on the 3rd we took our first legit excursion. We went first to Segovia and after to Avila which are both about an hour or so away from Madrid. Both towns are just completely beautiful. In Segovia, the capital city of Castilla y Leon, we got to see the oldest and greatest Roman Aqueducts in existence as well as the huge wall built to protect the city. We also got to visit the Alcazar castle, and let me tell you...who needs to visit Disney Land when you can just see the real castle there?! It was really quite awesome. While there we also got to see our fair share of churches and cathedrals but they have kind of all meshed together in my brain at this point unfortunately. But definitely one of the highlights of being in Segovia was the food experience. One of the choices was Suckling Pig which Segovia is famous for. One of the traditions is to bring out the entire piglet, quite cute if I do say so myself, and in order to show how tender it is, the waiter will cut the pig with a plate. I think most of us were expecting just one cut through the pig to demonstrate this, but no...after the first and showing it off. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM! The pig is completely cut up...all with a plate. It was pretttty crazy, and awesome.
Avila was great as well. They also have an impressive wall surrounding the city. We also got to see another impressive gothic cathedral. But I'm pretty sure after the pig, nothing could blow my mind like that.
On the 4th we went to Toledo. Besides having a breath-taking view of the surrounding area, we got to see the greatest Gothic Cathedral of Spain. And it was quite impressive. Seeing all these towns with so much history in them makes me feel so jipped living in the US with such little history. I want to live in a town where you are just surround by a thousand years of history. *Sigh*
By far the greatest occurrence of the 4th was the parade I got to go to. Parade you might ask? They had a 4th of July parade in Spain? Welll...not quite. The 4th was the 2009 Madrid Gay Pride Parade. And this was hands down one of the craziest things I have ever witnessed in my life. There were just an inexpressible number of people all in the best of moods. The parade was the longest one Ive ever seen (we were there for more than 2 hours and it started before we got there and wasn't even close to being done when we left). I will never see anything close to the ridiculous stuff I saw during that parade. It was seriously a once in a lifetime experience I am so glad I got to enjoy.
Finally on the 5th we made the 6 hour trek up north to Oviedo, the capital of the province of Austurias after the joy of trying to move out of the hotel. Lets just say when you live on the 5th floor of the hotel and the elevator decides not to function when you are running late to catch your bus to leave at 8 in the morning, it's not the most fun start to the day. But it was made up for later. This ride was one of the most beautiful things I've experienced. This province is called the "Natural Paradise" and let me tell you...it is true. Just imagine traveling through the mountains seeing some of the most breath-taking vistas of the mountains and lakes. It was so beautiful.
Once we arrived in Oviedo, I was met by my host family who took me back to their house which is an apartment just outside the heart of the city. They are some of the nicest people ever. The first night we were there they took me to a fiesta...a festival that was about 20 minutes outside Oviedo. It was Renaissance Faire-esque but with the added bonus of a full concert by a band that was very popular in Spain during the 60s and 70s. It was so much fun! Plus I got the added bonus of enjoying the famous Cider for the first time. Oviedo is well known for their cider and it is quite delish! It's poured from up high into a glass held at an angle. When the cider hits the glass from so high it mixes the air into it making it taste better. You get just a about an inch or two of cider in your glass and you drink it all at once leaving just a little bit remaining. Once you are done you dump the remaining on the ground and hand back the glass so the next person can have a glass. It is very enjoyable and a fun experience.
Monday I made the 3o minute walk to the University for the first time. Phew it is tiring...especially when this city is like San Francisco with how their roads go up and down. The campus is nice..pretty small but like the rest of the town it has an amazing view. Monday night we went to another festival, this time with my friend Laura as well. This one was up in the hills of Oviedo and much more like a carnival, but also with a concert (a ridiculous but great band from Cuba) and some fireworks this time (see I got pretty much all aspects of the 4th of july here)!
Well I think that is all the time I have for now. I'll update asap with the birthday celebrations and anything else exciting that happens!
Hasta Luego!
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