and so it begins!

January 16, 2009

Day 1:

We landed today after a flight where we all should have slept but I most likely just got around 4 hours of sleep. I was so excited to get here and to see everything (and very uncomfortable) that I was unable to sleep. We landed and we put our bags into separate cars, one going to Madrid and one going with us on the pre-trip. Then all 64 of us got onto a bus for an hour to Toledo. Jordan and I sat together listening to really annoying people behind us and just looking out the window at the new world that we have to explore (highways, fields, stores, and giant bulls on the side of the road)! We made it to Hotel Alfonzo, where it had a medieval theme and our room (Jacqueline, Kendall, Jordan and I) happens to be right next to all of it. We then put our stuff down (took care of the smelly room situation) and started to explore the city!

We walk around this amazing old city that we only know a little about to look for some lunch and to get lost. It reminded a lot of my friends of Italy and there were these magnificent Churches and stone roads. It was like nothing I have ever seen before. We found somewhere to eat (ovi for cheap) and I got a tuna sandwich on a French beget (for 3 Euros) and my friends got a hamburger (which had purple meat) and ham sandwiches (which just looked weird with red meat, looked as if they just killed it). To say the least we were hysterical laughing the whole time (not sure if it was because we were over tired).

We just kept walking not even thinking but after 2 hours we started to think…. Where are we? (don’t worry mom and grandma this city is very small and can be walked in 15 min. and I took a map form the hotel on our way out) after being very cranky and 3 hours of walking around this gorgeous city, asking polish people for directions (good story) we found our way (ovi it was right in front of us) then we came back and all passed out for about 2 hours before our first lecture at six.

I have heard great things about the professor who spoke so I am very excited even though I need to remember I am here for school. Now dinner is in 30 min (9:00) and a bunch of us are going to be going out tonight to a bar close just for a little bit. But we have a packed schedule and I am very excited to be here with the people I am with, this is the start to a new and amazing adventure in my life and I could not be more excited!

P.S. a fun fact about this city is there are a lot of Jewish things here because they say that many Jews visit here (and there are synagogues that we are going to). I feel like that is a very rare thing in Spain.

January 17, 2010

Day 2:

Last night we went to an Irish pub nearby and our entire azahar trip (60 of us) wound up there. It was very crowded and a small place. It was fun but we decided to not be out too late and left first to go home. We got up this morning around 8 to be up for breakfast and a lecture that we had from 9:00 to 11 it was very interesting about the different Roman Empire invasions of Europe and northern Africa. It included the spreading of Christianity and Islamic. And ovi I am excited for the lecture on the movement of Judaism tomorrow! (I am a loser…I know) we also learned about the different architecture we might see in this city and others around Europe. For example the different arches and patterns of them and what they mean and what religions use them.

Then a couple of my friends and I really needed coffee before we went off to see different sites with our professors. So we decided instead of laying down before we go on our tours to go find a coffee place nearby that has to go cups. (very rare here because everyone sits down to have coffee, but we needed some and fast!) so we went to the McDonalds and it opened at 11:30 (it was about 11:25) so we decided to wait outside. They refused to open though until later than 11:30 when they saw us standing there. But we needed to be back to be with the group! So we tried a different place instead, and they gave us like blue dentist cups with coffee in it and we asked for lids but they gave us tin foil instead, it was pretty funny, but I decided not to get it after all.

Then we were walking around and all the streets they were leading us through we have been through before. My friends and I were like our own tour guides leading our way through, since we got lost earlier the day before. We saw this old mask?? Which then was taken over by the Christians and was one of the oldest things in Toledo! It was really cool because it should us everything we just learned in out lecture out the art on it. Then we went to this tower and the steps were so steep that you had to hold on just to make sure you were going to make it to the next one! We finally had our lunch break and found this restaurant where I had paella and salmon. It was good but nothing like my mom’s salmon…to say the least, I miss American food, but I hopefully will get used to it here.

Now my friends decided to take a nap but I thought that I would just be more tired if I only slept for 45 min. so I am just going to wait it out until the next tour and lecture start. But we are going to this explores bar tonight which I hear was very fun so we will see how it goes! But for now adios amigos!