Titirimundi Begins! (Day 10)

Friday May 10^th marks the beginning of the theater festival known as Titirimundi. People come from all over the world to show their special theater performances to those who live in and visit Segovia! In the following 5 days, the street will be filled with traveling puppet shows, actors, and other performers!

On our walk to school today, many of us saw different groups setting up for Titirimundi on various streets! Then, today in class, we learned about the Spanish Civil War and the Franco Dictatorship in Spain afterward. Both were very difficult and violent eras in Spain. It was interesting to learn about the events that occurred during this time with the different political groups and the economic situation. However, it is also sad to learn of all of the atrocities that occurred, resulting in thousands of deaths. Either way, it is crucial to be aware of the Spanish Civil War (ending in 1939) and the Franco Dictatorship (ending in 1975) while staying in Spain, since these two periods still effect politics and the lives of many in the country today.

After class, we walked to the main street near the aqueduct to see a small Titirimundi show in the “Teatro de Autúmatas,” a traveling theater of electronic, moving puppets. This small theater was created in 1947, and is the only traveling automatic theater that still exists today. Inside of the theater, there are various different scenes with small moving puppets that depict different commonalities during the mid 20^th century. Many of the puppets looked very realistic with an abundance of detail and color. This theater was a great introduction to the festival of Titirimundi. We are all excited to experience more entertaining shows like this one!

After spending some time at this theater, we all were allowed free time for shopping, lunch, or relaxing at Cafés for the rest of the day! We always make good use of this time since there is so much to do and see in Segovia! A few of us spent the beginning of our free time at a tent called “Tierra de Sabor” (Land of Flavor, in English) which offers samples of a wide variety of Spanish foods including cheese, ham, honey, and wine! It was fun to test-taste some of these foods (the cheese here is so good!).

Here are some photos from Teatro de Autúmatas:

Class & Relaxing Afternoon

Wednesday May 8th - One week in Segovia!!  We had a nice class with Ricardo, our professor here, just like every morning. This day we learned about the causes of the Spanish Civil War and the politics involved.  

After comida (lunch) with our families, we were free to do whatever we pleased until dinner with our families later that night.  Many of us took our time with our comida and siesta (nap) since our afternoon was free.  Some of us met up and went souvenir shopping to pick up special things for everyone at home, followed by café (coffee) and some sweets before heading home for cena (dinner).

One of the souvenir shops, this one in El Plaza Mayor

The hot chocolate here is wonderful – it’s so rich and creamy that it is basically melted chocolate!  The hot chocolate is especially good if you dip churros in it – yum!!  As we spend more time here in Spain, we are exposed to more and more foods and sweets, all of which have been delicious!

Wandering around the streets of Segovia during our free time has been a real treat as well.  There are countless shops, restaurants, and cafés.  The shops are small and more personal than the big department stores we have in the United States.  Along with all of the cafés and restaurants, the atmosphere of Segovia makes us never want to leave!

Part of the Calle Real (Royal Street) leading to El Plaza Mayor, the main street of Segovia with most of the shops!

Our Second (and final) Day in Madrid

On Sunday, May 5th, our second day in Madrid, we traveled by subway to El Museo Reina Sofia (Princess Sofia Museum) after a fantastic breakfast at our fancy hotel.  In El Museo Reina Sofia, we saw Picasso's Guernica, one of his most famous paintings, and learned some of the history behind it.  Guernica is a town in northern Spain that was bombed by German planes through Franco's orders during the Spanish Civil War.  Meanwhile, Picasso was given the task of creating a mural for the Paris Exhibition, but he did not know what to paint.  While he was trying to figure this out, Picasso became aware of the bombing at Guernica and was inspired to create his mural.

Here are just a few of the famous artists we saw in El Museo Reina Sofia:  

Picasso

Dalí

Diego Rivera

After our visit to Reina Sofia, we had comida (lunch) together as a group at el Restaurante/Pizzería Pinnochio in front of the museum.  Some of us had our own delicious pizzas while others had various types of pasta, followed by dessert, of course!!  The food here has yet to disappoint!

Once we were all done with comida, we had free time until we met back at the hotel to gather our bags and head to the bus station.  Some of us spent the rest of the afternoon shopping in Puerta del Sol, while some of us went back to el Parque del Retiro (Retiro Park) to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather.  No matter what we were doing, being in small groups in Madrid forced us to use our Spanish at all times - from asking how much a shirt cost, to asking what kind of ice cream was available, to travelling around the subway by ourselves.  We are all learning so much being completely surrounded by Spanish!

Before we knew it, it was time to gather our things, head to the bus station and back to Segovia!  I think I can speak for the whole group when I say we loved experiencing Madrid!  

The Cathedral

Today we visited the cathedral that is in the heart of Segovia, at the Plaza Mayor. The cathedral is of the gothic architecture style, so it is very ornate and has a lot of arches. This was not the original cathedral of Segovia, however. The original cathedral was closer to the outskirts of town, near the castle Alcazar. This cathedral was ruined in the civil war, so another was built and per the bishops request, it was built in a different location.

The Cathedral is massive: 105 yards long, 50 yards wide, and 33 yards tall. Imagine those dimensions, like a football field! It took over 200 years to construct because of lack of funds and difficulty to build. They had to construct it all by hand with these little tools which gripped the large stones by two little holes on each side of the stone:

This is a magnificent alter that holds the urn with San Fruto's ashes.

The entrance to the castle. The little man statue on top is the patron saint of Segovia: San Fruto

 Besides the main section that contains the alter and some pews, there are 17 capillas. Families were able to purchase a capilla, which is like a little chapel to hold the tombs of their family members. This created a private space for the family to be buried together and space for the family to visit and pray. These tombs are in the floor of the capilla. Also each of these capillas has specific art that tells a story from the bible.

This is an example of a capilla. A tomb and ornate art and statues.

Some of the tombs are in the floor and labeled like this!

Day 2: First Day of Class & a Visit to Our Castle!

Thursday, May 2nd started our first day of class at El Centro de Estudios Hipánicos de Segovia.  Class was filled with basic information to familiarize ourselves with Spain so we can learn the most possible over the course of our three weeks here.  We learned about the geography of Spain, how the country is divided into autonomous communities and provinces, with one city per province, along other towns.  We also had an overview on the politics in Spain, all of which will make learning about the history of Spain easier as we continue.

El Centro de Estudios Hipánicos de Segovia

After comida (lunch) with our host families, we all met in the Plaza Mayor to go visit the Alcázar, the castle here in Segovia that inspired Walt Disney! The Alcázar is absolutely breathtaking and is filled with history!  After being awed by it's beauty on the outside, we headed inside for a tour.  Our professor here in Segovia, Ricardo, told us everything we could possibly want to know about this castle and it's vital role in the history of Spain.  

El Alcázar! It is so big it is hard to capture in one shot!

El Alcázar has been occupied by various groups throughout its history, originally being a Roman fort before it served as an Arab fort until Spain was taken back by the Christians.  Each time the Alcázar changed hands, it was built up and added to, eventually making it the masterpiece that it is today.  The Alázar was the first castle of the Castilian Monarchy - makes it sound very important to me!  The main central tower (the largest tower in the picture above - which we climbed!) of the Alcázar served as the royal prison at one point in its history.    

The view of our beautiful Segovia from the top of the Alcázar.

Enrique IV is considered the most "Segovian" king, as he spent the most amount of time during his reign here at the Alcázar.  In 1474 when the news of King Henry IV's death in Madrid reached Segovia, his sister Isabella took refuge within the Alcázar and planned with her supporters to declare herself Queen.  Sure enough, the very next day, Isabella became Queen Isabella I right here in Segovia! 

Mural of the coronation of Queen Isabella I , right here in Segovia

Another important piece of Spain's history can be found here in Segovia's Alcázar - Spain was united for the first time here in Segovia with the marriage of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, later Ferdinand V of Spain.  While we are still trying to get the hang of all of these kings and queens that make up Spain's history, it was awe-inspiring to see the room in the Alcázar where many of the monarchs are lined around the walls in order of when they ruled, knowing that Segovia played a huge role in that history!

During the Castilian War, Juan Bravo led the rebel Comuneros against the monarchy.  One of the battles of this war took place here at Segovia's Alcázar.  Juan Bravo and his men were stationed in the tower of the cathedral at the foot of the Alcázar, with the Monarchy's forces at the top of the main tower of the Alcázar.  The Monarchy won this battle and the cathedral was almost entirely destroyed.  After some time, the people asked the King if they could rebuild the cathedral so they could have a place to worship.  The King allowed it, under the conditions that the cathedral was built elsewhere within Segovia so that this battle between towers could never happen again. 

The Throne Room

One more interesting fact about the Alcázar?  It is said that Fernando II and Isabella I, los Reyes Católicos (the Catholic Monarchs) gave the money to Christopher Columbus for his voyages right here in this very castle!  It's as if we have the beginning of American history right here with us in Spain!

It is incredible to think of all of the history that has taken place in this very spot, and we are fortunate enough to have it right in our backyard for three weeks!!

Day 7: The Romanesque Experience!

We’ve already spent an entire week in Spain! It is going by so fast. The days have been filled with class, excursions, eating, and so much more! It seems like we’re all starting to feel pretty comfortable here, too! Today in class we learned about the beginning of the 20^th century in Spain in which its government changed from a Liberal Monarchy to a Dictatorship with a Monarchy, and then a Republic in only 30 years. It is a little bit confusing, but interesting, to learn about all of the different regime changes and different political parties that have existed throughout Spain’s contemporary history.

After class, some of the group went to a café for a snack before returning home for lunch and a siesta. We tried Dulce de Leche Crepes—very thin pancake-type desserts with a very sweet consistency in the middle. They were delicious!

Our group met back up around 4:30 at the aqueducts to begin our tour of the Romanesque churches of Segovia. We visited two very old churches constructed in the 12^th century! The first was La Iglesia de San Millán (San Millán Church). It is the biggest Roman-style church in Segovia. Here, we learned a lot about the characteristics of Roman architecture, which consists of arcos (arches), vidriera (stained glass), semicírculos (semicircular structures), torres (towers), techumbres (detailed ceilings), and capiteles (small carved figures near the ceiling). Since most people were illiterate at the time of its construction, there are many capiteles and paintings inside and outside of San Millán to communicate religious messages with all. Although Romanesque churches tend to have one main aisle (nave in Spanish) and one entrance at the back of the church, San Millán has three naves (aisles), as well as three doors in which one may enter. Thus, it is very unique to this style. It does follow the tradition in which the head of the Roman-style churches face the east where the sun rises, while the back faces the west were the sun sets. Thus, in the morning, upon entering the church from the back, its darker side, people may walk toward the front of the church to get closer to the “light of God.” This concept is enhanced even further because the church is shaped like a cross, where the entrance is at the foot of the cross and the main alter or head of the church is at the cross’ top. Thus, when people walk on the cross, from dark to light, it symbolizes the walk of life.

San Millán, like many other Romanesque churches contains an architectural style that symbolizes many different aspects of the religion. It was amazing to see the old statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary at the front of this church, and all of the other elaborate pieces inside, as well. We received a tour from a Don Miguel, a man with close ties to the church. He explained to us how San Martín has changed throughout the different centuries. The changes in architecture throughout its existence are extremely interesting and sometimes unbelievable! The techumbre (ceiling) of San Millán used to be an intricate, carved piece painted in red, blue and yellow, but after deteriorating over time, a wooden ceiling was put in its place. However, the church has saved many pieces of the old ceiling in hopes of restoring it someday.

Following San Millán we walked to La Iglesia de San Justo y Pastor (San Justo and Pastor Church), another very old Romanesque church built in the 12^th century. This church was a bit simpler than San Millán, but it contained a large, colorful mural in the mandrola (the quarter sphere at the front alter of the church), which depicts numerous stories and figures from the Bible. This mural was only discovered very recently after the church’s walls were scrubbed. Before its finding, San Justo was much less popular, as it was just a simple, old church. We enjoyed looking at the large mural and finding the stories and people we knew. The left wing inside the church looks extremely different from the rest. It is much more modern, as it was constructed much later than the 11^th century. This smaller church also contains an extremely old, mechanical-type carving of a life-size Christ with rotatable arms, so that it is able to move in many forms. It is known as the Santo Cristo de los Gascones. Overall, it was very interesting to see such an old church. The Romanesque style is very appealing. It will be interesting to compare it to the Gothic Style which we will be studying in a couple days!

After the Romanesque tour, we stopped by a small café near the aqueduct for some ice cream, smoothies, and hot drinks. Today was a nice, relaxed day full of learning in Segovia!

Ancient wall mural in San Millán

The Church of San Justo and Pastor

The Mandrola in San Justo and Pastor

Part of the Mandrola's mural in a window
--San Justo y Pastor

Santo Cristo de los Gascones
--12th Century wooden figure in San Justo y Pastor 

Romanesque arches on the South side of San Millán
--these constitute an outdoor porch

The Church of San Millán
--showing the Romanesque semi-circle structures and tower 

The head of San Millán

Wooden Statue of Christ in San Millán
--preserved since the 13th century

Un día de descanso (A day for Rest)

Monday we had class as usual, but from the looks on our faces, our professor decided to give us the afternoon off. We all needed to recover from a fun-filled weekend in Madrid! So after Comida and una Siesta, we all did our own thing. Many of us went to the Alameda again and lounged on the lawn. I also spent time sitting at a little cafe and watching people pass by, like a local. The excitement and busyness will once again continue, I promise you! Until then...