Monday, June 7, 2010

This morning I noticed that next to every metro door there is a paper laminated and posted that has a different famous Spanish poem or short story. These people are literature junkies! But it’s awesome and now I have something to do on my 30 minute ride to school.

Today in class we watched the most typical dance of Spain, jota. Turns out Flamenco used to be just for gypsies in Andalusia. Jota is a jumpy dance and is all over Spain with different variations and music depending on the cultures that influenced that area. And they really do use castanets (those clappers) and also to note, Spanish women really do use fans ALL THE TIME! I thought it was just a tourist purchase now, but it’s not!

After class I came home to eat quickly before our activity downtown. My grandmother made me soup with potatoes and beef, and I was so proud that I finally finished a meal when she brought out fried chicken or fish fillets and fries. And melon.

Then we met in Sol, which we’ve already toured several times but this time we had a guide from the school who pointed out some things we’d never noticed and told some background stories about the city. Turns out there used to be bears in Madrid, and strawberry trees, but now there aren’t. Then I thought he said except in Parque de Retire, but there can’t be any there, can there? Now I’m going to have to clap when I walk in that park!

For New Years, the people crowd into Sol and when the clock chimes midnight, the people have to eat one grape at eat chime. If they miss the 2nd chime, for instance, they will have a horrible February. The trick is not to chew. Then we saw the oldest still-standing/working restaurant in Europe (maybe even the world) that Goya served as a waiter at in his younger years. We went to a lot of restaurant places that I didn’t really understand their significance. Then we went to the city cathedral, which was pretty but really recently built and not as impressive as Segovia or Toledo.

Then we went to a tapas bar where I got helado (gelato) and we all got a drink and a tapa for 1 Euro. Yay Spain. Now I’m home and so tired and I have a lot of homework. I’m going to start on that, eat dinner, then go to bed. Tomorrow I don’t think I have anything planned, but that’ll probably change soon! I have a lost of things I have to do in the next 5 weeks and there’s so many restaurants and parks and things to see!