For some reason, everyone asks me if I went back to England for the holidays. First, no... I'm American... and second although I did miss my american home more than usual during the holidays I was ecstatic to be able to experience las navedades here in Spain.
We spent Christmas in Gata, the village in the very north of Extremadura where my host mom grew up. It is a typical tiny european village that seems lost in time. I went on a horseback ride and except for the occasional car I could have sworn we had stepped through a time machine. There were cobblestone streets and old buildings and people I could only explain as peasants. How they celebrate christmas here is way different, but not in a bad way. It was very simple, we just ate dinner and lunch with family and had a chill weekend. I was missing home pretty bad but talking to Steven made my day much better :)
New Years Eve or Nochevieja is the most important holiday of the year. My favorite tradition is in the last 12 seconds of the year you eat 12 grapes and it brings good luck or something like that. And oh boy I ate those grapes like a champ! We ate dinner with family in Merida, and 4 girls had to cram into a tiny bathroom in my abuela's house to get ready in-between dinner and midnight. We had a great time though. Later my host sister and I went to a party in a real medieval castle! It was an amazing night! The only problem was it was soooo cold, -3 degrees Celsius and walking around in our dresses and heels was not comfortable in that weather.
Dia de los Reyes Magos is a holiday in Spain that celebrates when the wisemen brought gifts to the baby Jesus, and it is when the children receive presents. I love it and I think it makes way more sense, and it keeps Christmas more christ-centered. The night before, my friend Marina and I watched the parade in the main street of Caceres and later we had dinner with some friends of my host parents. In the morning we opened presents and went to Merida again to be with family.
These three days are the most important holidays this time of year and I had a blast! I am so grateful for this opportunity to experience another culture and way of life and these things show even more during the holidays. I love and miss you all back there in the states! Happy holidays from your favorite strange-speaking blonde spaniard
Besos!
Bailey
Monday, January 12, 2015
Madrid
Yes, my family and I finally made it to Madrid! After rescheduling the trip three or four times, I didn't believe we were actually going until we started the car and drove off. It was a short trip, we just went for the weekend and the weather kinda sucked so we didn't have time to do as much as i would have liked, but it was a great weekend!
The first night we said "hola" to my host family's family and then went out to se Madrid by night. It was especially interesting because the city was lit up with impressive christmas lights. There was an enormous christmas tree in the Puerta del Sol and these cool box-shapped lights in the Plaza Mayor. We also walked down some of the main streets. I really liked the feel of Madrid, it is a huge city but that doesn't make it lose its Spanish charm.
The next day we say an Egyptian temple that was built originally in Egypt and brought here brick by brick and reconstructed. We didn't go inside because it was raining and there was a long line, but it was cool to see even just from the exterior. Next we saw the Palacio Real, or royal palace. This blew me away! IT was enormous, the tour didn't go through a fraction of it, but the parts of it that we did see were so luxurious and full of history. We saw the armory, chapel, a bunch of different dining halls, sitting rooms, and bedrooms, and the room where they sign all the important documents, the throne room, and a huge nativity set that they put up for the first time in about 60 years. It was amazing and excessive and full of history I loved it. Finally we ant to the Prado after eating the typical Madrileno calimari sandwiches. This was a completely new experience for me because I had never really been to an art museum before. It was amazing to see masterpiece after masterpiece line the walls and again, it was impossible to see all of it. My favorite part was an exhibit on this painter whose name escapes me who painted portraits of people that looked like a light was shining on them, but it was just his technique with the paint. Also I liked the replica of the Mona Lisa that was painted by one of Da Vinci's students (shhh don't tell the french, but this one is better than the original. she has eyebrows and everything).
Over all, I had a really great weekend. We will definitely be returning so I can see more of this city!
The first night we said "hola" to my host family's family and then went out to se Madrid by night. It was especially interesting because the city was lit up with impressive christmas lights. There was an enormous christmas tree in the Puerta del Sol and these cool box-shapped lights in the Plaza Mayor. We also walked down some of the main streets. I really liked the feel of Madrid, it is a huge city but that doesn't make it lose its Spanish charm.
The next day we say an Egyptian temple that was built originally in Egypt and brought here brick by brick and reconstructed. We didn't go inside because it was raining and there was a long line, but it was cool to see even just from the exterior. Next we saw the Palacio Real, or royal palace. This blew me away! IT was enormous, the tour didn't go through a fraction of it, but the parts of it that we did see were so luxurious and full of history. We saw the armory, chapel, a bunch of different dining halls, sitting rooms, and bedrooms, and the room where they sign all the important documents, the throne room, and a huge nativity set that they put up for the first time in about 60 years. It was amazing and excessive and full of history I loved it. Finally we ant to the Prado after eating the typical Madrileno calimari sandwiches. This was a completely new experience for me because I had never really been to an art museum before. It was amazing to see masterpiece after masterpiece line the walls and again, it was impossible to see all of it. My favorite part was an exhibit on this painter whose name escapes me who painted portraits of people that looked like a light was shining on them, but it was just his technique with the paint. Also I liked the replica of the Mona Lisa that was painted by one of Da Vinci's students (shhh don't tell the french, but this one is better than the original. she has eyebrows and everything).
Over all, I had a really great weekend. We will definitely be returning so I can see more of this city!
The squad: left to right- cousin Clara, cousin Claudia, Carmen, Carmen, Me, Aunt, Uncle
A cute pic of me and Carmen and if you look close you can see the Egyptian temple in the background ;)
Claudia, me, and Carmen in front of the Palacio Real
Calamari sandwiches <3
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