On Friday night, there was a meet-and-greet for the study-abroad students at Comillas University. Having been surrounded by only Paloma and other Americans, I was really looking forward to meeting more Madrileños and international students. The gathering was to take place in this dinky, hole-in-the-wall bar in the center of town, accurately named, "The Hole". It was Atari/old-school video game themed, with pixilated Space Invader ships and colored Pac Man ghosts plastering the walls. Even though I had arrived half an hour after the stated start time, I was, awkwardly, the first person there. It took only another half hour, however, until the place was packed, with fragmented conversations in French, Spanish, German, and English filling the air. I talked about the Spanish culture with several French guys (all of them quite the stereotype), reminisced about Austin with another American, conversed about cultural differences in America with a French girl who had studied in San Francisco, as well as chit-chatted with people from Sweden, Germany, and Spain. Needless to say, I felt incredibly cool all the while.
On Saturday, I met up with a fellow American and trekked along the Western side of the city. We began the day by heading southwest, to see La Puerta del Toledo.
On Paloma´s recommendation, we visited Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande. Located off La Gran Vía de San Francisco, it sits next to a beautiful park that offers not only respite from the city, but also a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside.
And the Church itself was pretty awesome too.
Striking as it was from the outside, we decided to spend the two euro and take a tour of the inside. The Basilica, like most Basilicas, had a main, circular worship space, with the ceiling stretching far overhead into a dome. Seven to eight alcoves then clustered around this central space, each of them having its own alter. It was incredible! Neoclassical paintings were everywhere; almost every ceiling and wall was covered with an elaborate picture. Six foot statues of Saints lined the outer rim of the central room. Due to the no-flash policy, my pictures didn´t turn out very well, and they definitely do not capture the overwhelming sense of awe. I did get some good pictures of the detailing and specific alters, though.
Something I think is worth noting was the endurance our tour guide. Because the onlookers trickle in, as opposed to having set tour time, this poor man just goes around and around the Basilica and the individual alcoves all day long, endlessly repeating the same forty minute monologue. And I thought Cinemark was monotonous .
Inspired by the Basilica, we decided to go to La Catedral de La Almudena (while I had been here the other day, I had yet to go inside). As it turns out, the cathedral is both a place of worship and a very large crypt. Check out the hallways:
While we were looking at the statues of Mary and the intricate crosses, we kept getting distracted by the fact that the floor was little more than an array of marble coffins (not the best of feelings).
What´s more, mass was going on while we were looking around, and so we just felt awkward and loud and out of place.
On Sunday, I met up with Yvonne, a lovely German girl I had met on Friday, and she and I went to El Rastro, a giant flea market that surrounds the La Latina metro stop. Much like many markets and fairs in Austin, artisans from all around the area had brought their homemade jewelry, knickknacks, and clothes to sell to tourists and local alike. Unlike Austin, however, there was a much wider array of items for sale. For example, one vendor was selling unpolished brass candlesticks. Another sold Levi´s. Another sold blank CDs and cables. I lucked out with a tent of overstocked shoes, where I bought grey high heels for 3 euros! Such a steal!But the only problem was that the streets were just a huge mass of people, and so Yvonne and I had to push and elbow our way out of the market. I'd say while it was an extremely interesting experience, I won't be going back for a while.
Since then, I've started classes and I'm just trying to be a student(more to come on school, classmates and Comillas in another blog!). I've somewhat settled into a routine, I'm getting better at Spanish, and I'm continuing to make friends. It's getting to the point where I'm no longer perpetually on edge, not always worried about the next task to overcome. It's getting to the point where I can relax and enjoy the adventure. While I still have moments of loneliness and homesickness, they're outnumbered by ones of joy and excitement. Going out into the streets, talking to strangers, even trying to order foodm is hard. But I'm getting better at it. So bring on the bullfights and soccer games, bring on the sangria, bring on the tapas and train rides! I'm ready.
With love from Spain,
Krista
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