Caceres - Trujillo - Guadalupe

We spent this past weekend on an API trip through the Extremadura region of Spain. Our first stop was a 2.5 hour bus ride to Caceres. We only stopped for a few hours to explore the city and as it was a bright and sunny day we enjoyed our time eating ice cream and strolling around. Not much too unique to see but it was a cute town. Then we hopped back on the bus and took a 45 minute drive to the Vostell Museum - a modern art museum created by German artist, Wolf Vostell. We had a tour which explained the meanings of the quite abstract pieces of art, mostly compiled of cars, cement and televisions. By the time we finished there it was almost 8pm and we still had an hour drive to Trujillo where we stayed the night. We arrived exhausted from the heat of the long day to find the most comfortable beds at our favorite NH hotel (converted from a castle!) Trujillo was a small village we didn't even have time to explore as we passed out by 10pm!

Map of trails

The next morning was our hiking day. We left Trujillo around 10am and drove to our starting point a few towns away. We stopped to grab water and snacks, then set off.

View from thehike

It was about a 5 hour hike to total, with some quick breaks and a lunch stop half way. The views were beautiful and the weather was ideal - sunny and hot! We stopped to eat lunch at el castaño, a one-thousand year old chestnut tree! Our hike had led us to a small town called Guadalupe, where we would be staying that night in the Monastary (partly converted into a hotel). Again, we were pretty beat. We showered and then crawled into bed for a bit, only waiting for dinner a few hours later. We were pretty tired but getting pretty hungry as well. We decided to grab a quick caña and tapa and explore the town while waiting for dinner. Well our "exploring" the town took about 10 minutes before we realized there was only a tiny downtown and the rest was residential. We wasted an hour chatting and munching and then headed back for dinner (with API at the hotel).

Our last day was pretty low key as well. We had a short tour of the monastery before more free time in the center. Since there wasn't much too do there we were all pretty eager to just hop in the bus and fall asleep as it was a long trip. Although it wasn't the most busy of trips it was definitely one of my favorites so far. It was a relaxing time all weekend and I was so exhausted each night that I had the most peaceful sleeps.

A few day trips here and there...

I thought I would have a break from traveling after Amsterdam but I still had a few short trips here and there before my most recent one to Caceres, Spain.

The Sunday after Amsterdam I went on a volunteer trip with API to a small town called San Estevan about an hour away in the mountains. We worked clearing a trail in the mountains with a few members of the community from the village. Then they invited us to their house for lunch after which was a great way to relax and regroup before heading out on a hike on another trail that brought us to the next town. The weather has gone from being rainy and cool to being summer in Vermont and it feels great! It was a beautiful day to be outside and the hike had really great views. Maria my director sent us an attachment that there was an article from the local paper there about our work...

Another day trip was a field trip we took to Madrid with our art history classes. The trip was meant to be to the Prado museum but we had the whole day and a free bus ride so Emily and I took advantage of it. We did actually visit the museum... for about 1.5 hours (as we've been there before) and looked at all the Spanish artists we've been studying - Federico de Madrazo, Vicente Lopez, Goya as well as the temporary exhibition on de Ribera. Then we left to get lunch - again at the little Thai place where we enjoyed spring rolls, Pad thai and sauted veggies with rice. It was a beautiful warm day so we headed off to visit the main park in the city, Parque del Retiro. On the way there we found a small book fair where we feeded off 1 and 2 euro books translated into Spanish. We spent the rest of the afternoon in el parque napping, walking, sunbathing and relaxing. It was a great way to spend our Wednesday free of classes and give us a break from our first real week in Salamanca since January.

Iamsterdam

A quick 4 days of classes, yoga & hanging out in Salamanca and then I was off again - to Amsterdam!
Thursday after class Emily and I scurried to make the bus to the airport. The first one was sold out so we were set back an hour and after last weeks scare of missing our flight home I was a frusterated and anxious to get to Madrid on time. All worked out in the end and after enjoying the commodities of our first real airline since arriving in Europe (aside from ryanair) we arrived in Amsterdam late that night. Reunion number 3! My friend Ali from UVM was our host this weekend as she had been studying in Amsterdam since January. She met us at the train station on bike and then directed us onto the right tram to get to her stop. We made it back to her apartment and although pretty tired we were excited to start our trip in Amsterdam by heading out for a bit that night. Unfortunately we were still on Spanish time where nightlife begins around 2am and around 2:30 we decided it wasn't worth it try and go out. Although I tried not to distract Ali too much from the schoolwork she needed to get done for Friday, we were up pretty late chatting and catching up which was nice for me.

Friday morning Emily and I ventured off to find some museums and explore a bit. Of course we first stopped at a grocery store and spent some time in there ooh-ing and aww-ing at all the goodies we can't find in Spain. As we left the supermarket to go picnic lunch the beautiful day we were expecting turned into cold grey clouds so we ate quickly and moved on to the museums. We visited the Rijksmuseum briefly as only one exhibit was opened and then spent a few hours at the Van Gogh Museum where they hosted a Picasso's Blue period exhibition as well. We then walked back towards the center to meet up with Ali. Ali showed us around a bit more and introduced me to some delicious fresh mint tea which I need to start making here. Although we did lots of exploring I have little to show for it, as my technology failed me that weekend. My phone died as Ali and I were speaking to meet up and my camera died later that day. The weather wasn't the best either this weekend but we managed to make it to an outside market where I found a tapestry to help warm up my room here in Spain. She also brought me to a bagel shop which may have been the highlight of my trip!

3 days in Salamanca, 3 days traveling!

Well again I have been slacking. It's been a busy past month of travels. It barely even felt like I was living nor studying in Salamanca anymore. Here begins my recap of the last month...

After arriving back from Rome on Sunday I had 3 days of classes and recouperating in Salamanca. That Wednesday I left for Madrid where I met my friend and fellow coworker chocolate lover, Ashleigh. Although I was a little groggy from a late night out on Tuesday I found my second wind as I got off the metro in Puerta del Sol and saw her waiting for me there. This was my first reunion with a fellow UVMer since January and I was so pleased to see a friendly familiar, face here in my new home. We had a lovely evening in Madrid, where Sam (Mom's cousin) and her fiancee took us to a cute and delicious Thai restaurant for dinner. This was the beginning of a very nostalgic weekend between food and friends.

Ashleigh and I strolled along some hip streets and stopped for coffee and to chat before we headed to the airport. We scheduled an early flight (6am) which had brought me to Madrid the eve before, and in addition to finding the cheapest flight possible we agreed to stay at the airport for the night rather than spending on a hostel. Around 12:30, the cafe was closing so we meandered off to find the bus stop for the all night shuttle to the hotel. We passed a few lovely, lit up fountains along the way before finding the landmark fountain we were searching for. After about a 20 minute wait the bus arrived. We arrived at the airport around 1 am. Here comes the surprise. It was packed with budget travelers like ourselves ready to settle in for the night for early flights. We couldn't even find a corner or wall spot and had to settle in by a pole. Unlike the other experienced airport bums, we lacked blow up water loungers and sleeping bags, and therefore had to make do with using our jackets to warm our bums on the cold floor. Fortunately I was so exhausted I managed to sleep for most of the early morning and around 5 we were able to get our tickets and move through security. The flight was nearly empty so we caught up on some more sleep sprawled out across a row of seats each.

Still exhausted when we finally landed in Valencia, we stopped by the hostel to drop off our luggage (couldn't check in for another hour) and wandered off in search of some breakfast. We wandered pretty well and found our new breakfast spot for the next two days - toast with oil and tomatoe and a coffe for only 2 euros! After breakfast we were able to check into our room where we proceeded to take a 5 hour siesta! Most of our Thursday had passed but we were now well rested for the rest of our trip. That night we met up with my friend Chantal from Germany whom I had studied with in Costa Rica almost 3 years prior. Reunion number 2! We strolled around for a while enjoying the warm Valencian coastal scene until spotting a cute outside seating area where we decided to grab dinner. We split a couple rounds of Sangria and I enjoyed ordering a custom salad with lots of fresh veggies. Dinner and good conversation was a great way to end our first night in Valencia.

Sangria & Salad Dinner Outside w/ Heat Lamps

Beach!

Friday we decided to venture to the beach! After about an hour of searching for the right bus stop though we were finally on route and it looked like the weather was not on our side. When hopped off the bus, excited to see the infinite ocean awaiting our arrival, the grey clouds had completely filled the sky and it had begun to drizzle on us. We made the most of it and walked along the beach searching for shells - although mostly found washed up cement. When the wind and drizzly rain finally got to be a bit much we amused ourselves by playing with the old excercise equiptment while waiting again for the bus.

One of the many parts of the market I enjoyed - cheese!

Earlier that morning though we had managed to take a shopping spree at the famous market. It was much bigger and more diverse than the market here in Salamanca, and I was in heaven! There we bought most of our food for the next few days. After our rainy adventure to the beach it was about 3pm and everything was closed for siesta so we headed back to the hostel to make lunch. We enjoyed cooking a delicous meal of grilled mushrooms, potatoes and asparagus, with cheese (pesto, herb, and semi-curado) and bread. With our bellys full and the goal of a relaxing weekend on the mind, we took another nap. Later we met up with Chantal again and got churros and chocolate before checking out the Iglesia in the center.

View of the church

Churro Stand!

Saturday was our last day in Valencia. We visited the Museum of Art and finally saw some sunshine as we were walking to the metro to head to the airport. I got my last churro (as I forgot to mention Churro stands were everywhere in Valencia) which I guess distracted me from our mapping. We ended up walking 20 minutes past the metro stop which led to lots of stress and anxiety 40 minutes later when we backtracked and realized we were cutting it pretty short to make it to our plane. After counting minutes and seconds for the many metro stops, running up escalators, cutting Ryanair check in lines, running to security, more running to the gate, we finally made it - on time! With the stress of missing our plane behind us, we relaxed and settled in for a quick journey back to Salamanca. After another weekend of travelling I was happy to be home again in Salamanca, although my next trip was planned 4 days later so I didn't have too much time to relax.

Prego, Roma!!!

We had a wonderful weekend in Rome and were very sad to leave it for Spain again.
We went out to a lovely pizza and bruschetta dinner that Thursday evening when we arrived. It was our first glimpse of delicious Italian food and a great way to start off our weekend.

Friday began our 3 day Roman art/history intensive. We started off strong, heading to the Vatican in the morning. We spent several hours exploring the Church, Museum and of course the Sistine Chapel. Emily lead me and gave me a lovely and education tour of the Vatican city. From there we grabbed a quick street panini and headed off to wander the streets to our afternoon plans of visiting the Roman Forum and Collosseum. As we ambled around and poked into the shops, then stopped for lunch for some more pizzas, by the time we got to the sights they were closing! At that point, the rainy and cold day had caught up to us and we realized we were quite exhausted. We headed back to the hotel to rest before having another nice dinner out.

Lots of head statues

Rafael and Michelangelo

Saturday we attempted to wake up early as we had lots to visit. We were hoping to get to visit the Borghese Museum of art but unfortunately we hadn't made a reservation soon enough and it was booked for the weekend. With that in mind we headed straight towards the Forum and Collosseum. We spent quite a bit of time at each of those, as the Forum was huge and ideally we could have spent an entire day there. After the sightseeing we had planned to seek out the Jewish ghetto of Rome. It mainly consisted of one short street and the synagogue. With all of our excitement and exhaustion of the trip we forgot to keep in mind that Saturday is the day of rest. The synagogue was closed as well as most of the street. Fortunately we found one small hole in the wall restaurant at the end of the street where we had the most amazing authentic Italian lunch - Pasta and Caprese salads.

View from the Forum of the Collosseum

Outside the Collosseum

The Collosseum!

Saturday night we went out with some friends and explored the Rome night life, using a mixture of Spanish, English and a few words in Italian to get around - quite the adventure. We met a new friend, Dr. Gabo who became our tour guide Sunday as we ran around the city one last time before we had to leave in the afternoon. We went to several churches to see important works as well as the Trevi Fountain, before the most exciting adventure of all - search for the best gelateria in Rome! ... unfortunately we failed. But we did find a top quality place with muffin flavored, so that could be #2?
We sadly made our way back to the hotel to meet the group. We said our goodbyes to Rome and hopped on the bus to the airport...

Sevilla y Segovia

Wow I am behind!
So February 18-20 we went to Sevilla, Spain. It was a long bus ride there and Emily and I nearly missed it. Although we seemed to be the only people in our group not to go out Thursday night, somehow our alarm didn't go off and I woke up at 9:10 am to a call from our director Maria asking if we were coming to Sevilla. Groggily I told her we were on our way RIGHT NOW and ran to Emily's room to wake her up and pack our bags. After a 5 minute sprint across the city we made it to the bus where everyone else had been waiting. We made it! - and proceeded to fall back asleep for a few hours.

We got to Sevilla later that day and checked in to the hotel. The weather was a little rainy, as it has been on all of our weekend trips, so we lounged at the hotel for a few hours before heading to a Flamenco show in the evening with our group. The dancing, singing and clapping was all traditional Flamenco and they put on quite a show. It was a nice start to the Andalucian culture of southern Spain.

After the show we ventured off to find our way back to the hotel and see a bit of the city. Of course I thought I knew where we were going... but we ended up getting lost for about 2 hours. At least I found a yogurtlandia which kept me in good spirits - delicious frozen yogurt with lots of toppings to add :)
After wandering through the city we were a little exhausted and lounged again at the hotel. We met up with Emily's friend a few hours later and got a late night tapa where we experienced some other aspects of the Andalucian culture - the accent and the hospitatlity. Must be the sun because the people were so friendly and nice and helpful, although half the time we couldn't really understand them becaue of the strong accent and dropping of letters. Friday was a quiet night but we had to get ready for a busy Saturday.

Saturday morning we woke up early for a bike tour of the city. It lasted almost 3 hours but we saw a fair amount of the city and visited some prime spots like Plaza de España and la Catredal. By the end it started to get a little drizzly but it was still a beautiful tour. The only downside was the cobblestone streets - quite pleasing to the quaint european city, but quite painful after 3 hours of bobbing up and down. After the tour we decided to go shopping as rebajas in Spain was going to end and we had to get some final deals. Then we ventured down a quiet street and found an Indian restaurant - after our success in Porto we had to try another one. It was a small place and the food was delicious, and apparently I fit in very well there. The Indian man asked me if I was from India, which conflicted with the many other people from Sevilla who thought I was from Andalucia.

I accompanied Emily to the art museum where we found our most famous painting so far on this trip. We spent a few hours in the museum; sitting, pondering, discussing what we have learned so far in our Spanish Art History course. We headed back to the hotel after this long day and picked up some dinner.

This trip just flew by and Sunday morning came around. We only had a few hours before we had to meet our group to head back home. We had a relaxing Sunday afternoon as has become our rutine and once again our final day proved to have lovely weather. We strolled around the city on back streets and visited the Cathedral again, before grabbing a tapa and lounging in the sun. Then we headed back to the hotel to spend the next 6 hours again on the bus (I'll add some pictures when I have some more time!)

Segovia!
The following Sunday we took a day trip to Segovia. Of course I lacked doing some research and was not quite dressed appropriately for the snow tipped mountain climate. It was a beautiful city though and reminded me of the cold home.
We took a guided tour of the city seeing the famous Aqueducto and the Alcazar. We climbed in a teeny one lane tower to get to the top of the Alcazar and see a nice view of the city. Although by the end of this tour I was freezing and hungry and ready for a few hours to relax. Some kids wanted to try the famous suckling pig of Segovia, but of course I did not and found a nice little cafe to get a delicious tortilla sandwich. We spent an hour or so there chatting and then walked around a bit more in the cold before heading back to Salamanca.
It was a nice day trip and I was exhausted by the end of it, but glad I made it there after once again a hectic start to the morning. (pictures will come too!)

Porto, Portugal

Our travels have finally begun!
Emily, our friend Anna, and I made a quick weekend trip to Porto, Portugal this past weekend. We left early Friday morning and it was about a 6 hour bus ride, with some odd stops on the way - 45 minute break to wash the bus?

We arrived in Porto, unfortunately with some bad weather. The skies had turned grey while we were napping on the bus and when we pulled up to the bus stop the weather was quite drizzly and chilly - and none of us had brought rain coats! I asked the bus driver where the taxis were, only to learn our first Portugal custom - they like to drag. Instead of just pointing me around the corner, he takes my arm and as I'm turning to try to motion to the girls, he drags me over to the stand.

We get in the taxi where we have our first Portugese lesson. I learned two words by the end of the trip: abrigada and tris. Abrigada means thank you. Although it seems easy now, it took us the whole three days to learn. We said quite a number of variations and it wasn't until the 2nd afternoon that someone finally corrected us. As the taxi dropped us off at the hostel we tried one of those variations... and I think he somewhat understood.

The hostel was great! The people were really friendly and helpful, and we felt right at home. We lounged for a few hours as the rain poured down, and finally headed out to explore the city. The location was great, and we quickly found our new favorite pastry shop.

Saturday the weather cleared up and we used it to our advantage. We walked down by the river and crossed the famous bridge to head to a wine tour. We tried 2 types of port wine and then went on a half hour tour of the wine cellar. Of course we had to buy a bottle to accompany all the pastries we were to bring back. After the wine tasting we had lunch at an Indian restaurant right by the river. It was delicious and just what we were all craving! We hurried back to the hostel where we were meeting to go to a Faro show at a local cafe. Faro is the traditional music in Portugal. This is where we learned the word tris, which means sad. Although we could not understand all of it, the main themes seemed to be love and sadness. After 3 hours, Faro was lulling us to sleep. We munched on some pan and then decided to nap, which turned into a sleep for the rest of the night.

Sunday was supposed to be quite the rainy day again, but our luck turned around. We started off headed to the modern museum of art. On the way we stopped at the famous Casa da Musica, a well known architectural site of a music hall. We passed some time there, exploring the exotic architecture of the building. From there we headed to the museum. The bus didn't seem to be coming, as it was Sunday and most of the transportation was a little slower, so we decided to walk - good choice! The sun came out and warmed us up from the rainy cold, and we enjoyed a nice Sunday stroll to the museum. After the museum, thanks to the change in weather, we decided to venture down to the beach. Ofcourse on the way we just had to stop in to a fabulous looking cafe. We got some pan and the most delicious cheese, and something that was supposed to be like pita. Great pit stop! We finally made it down to the beach at a beautiful time to watch the beginning of the sun set. After some time exploring the beach and picking stones, we ventured back to the hostel to have a quick dinner before heading off to catch our bus home.

It was a busy weekend, and lots of fun. This weekend we will head to Sevilla, Spain and from here on we are pretty much booked for the next few months!