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...

Our First Day in Madrid

We’ve been a little behind in updating the blog since we have been extremely busy this weekend visiting Madrid, the capital of Spain! On Saturday morning (May 4th) the group woke up very early to catch the 7:30 bus ride to Madrid! Upon arrival, we dropped our suitcases at the hotel Madrileño and then began our tour of the Old Madrid! Riccardo (our program director and guide), led the tour and taught us how to use the metro system to travel throughout the city.

Our first stop on the tour was Puerta del Sol, a plaza very similar to Times Square in New York City with many shops and cafés. This plaza also holds the Casa del Presidente de Madrid, where the head official of Madrid works. During the period of the Franco dictatorship in the mid to late 20th century, this building was a prison for many people who suffered under the hand of the dictator. Atop this building is a large clock that is of great significance during the New Years celebration in Madrid. When the clock strikes midnight on January 1^st of the new year, it is Spanish tradition to eat one grape for each ring of the clock to bring in the new year.

After visiting Puerta del Sol, our group headed down a popular street for shopping in the direction of Palacio Real (Royal Palace). Before reaching the palace, we passed by an old church and a large theater. Palacio Real was built in the mid-18^th century. It is located on the grounds of the 9^th century fortress, maryit, which was then turned into the old Alcázar (Castle) in the 16^th century. When it burned in the 1730s, kind Philip V ordered the construction of a new palace, Palacio Real. Its front contains a large fountain and the sides of the palace hold an abundance of greenery and landscaping. Although this grand building is the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family, it is only used for state ceremonies and King Juan Carlos and his family do not actually live there.

Shortly after observing the lovely classic baroque-styled palace, our group traveled down the street to see the Catedral Santa Maria Real de la Almudena (Almudena Cathedral). Construction of this cathedral began in the late 19^th century and was not completed until 1993. Due to the long period of time in which the cathedral was built, it contains many different styles. The outside evokes a baroque-style, while the interior is more Gothic and the crypt beneath it, which was the first part of the cathedral built, has a Romanesque style. We were able to go inside both the cathedral and the crypt where we viewed the grandiose aspects of Catholicism in Spain. The inside of the Cathedral had a very colorful ceiling with many patterns, and held one of the largest organs I have ever seen. In the crypt, it was interesting to see the tombs of members of the Roman Catholic Church and the detailed decor as well.

Our next stop was in Plaza de la Villa. In this case, Villa means village or small town, which makes sense since this Plaza is where the city of Madrid began as a smaller village. It contains the oldest building in Madrid, Torre de los Lujanes (Lujanes Tower), which was constructed in the 15^th century. From this plaza, we moved on to the Plaza Mayor, which was constructed beginning in the early 17^th century. This plaza, an enclosed rectangle surrounded by an abundance of apartment buildings with balconies, is normally used for large public events such as bull fights and was used in the past for the Inquisition. It was exciting to see the abundance of people in the Plaza Mayor. We even saw a small protest, of mostly older people, walking around the plaza.

By the end of the visit to the Plaza Mayor, our group began making its way to the Parque de Retiro (Retiro Park) to eat lunch. This large park contains an abundance of greenery, interesting trees and gardens, and a large pond with a fountain, where you can rent rowboats. We were able to get ice cream at one of the many food kiosks in the park. Most of the people either walk the paths within the park or just relax in the patches of grass to enjoy the sun.

After lunch, we headed to the Prado, one of the most famous art museums in the world! In the museum, we split up into groups to walk around and look at all of the amazing classical artwork. As directed by our teacher, we focused mainly on painters like Goya, Velásquez, El Bosco, and Greco. We were unable to take photos of the paintings, but it was an amazing experience to see such old pieces of artwork depicting many different aspects of Spanish history and culture. The group tended to like the famous painting “Las Meninas” by Velásquez, a very large, intricate painting that depicts various artistic dimensions. After a day full of experience, learning, and walking, we were allowed some free time in Madrid. Most of the group decided to go see a Real Madrid soccer game against the Barcelona team (Madrid won!), while others went shopping near Puerta del Sol. Both were a great end to our first day in Madrid!

La Casa del Presidente de Madrid
The House of the Madrid President

The front of Palacio Real (Royal Palace) in Madrid

A side view of the Palacio Real and some of its landscape

The Almudena Cathedral

The large organ inside of the Almudena Cathedral

Colorfully detailed and patterned ceilings in the Almudena Cathedral 

Part of the Crypt beneath the Almudena Cathedral

Torre de los Lujanes
--the oldest building in Madrid

The Plaza Mayor

Another part of the Plaza Mayor

El Parque de Retiro (Retiro Park)

The pond and row boats in Parque de Retiro

Day 3! Already?!

I am really starting to settle in to life in Segovia, and i love it! I am now getting used to the schedules and hours because they are very different here. Most people go to work/school in the morning and return to the house at like 2 for a meal and to rest (siesta). Then they return to work or school for a few more hours. And dinner is at 9 or 10 at night! The mid day meal is the largest and its called "La Comida". Today I had Arroz a la Cubana (my favorite). This is white rice, with an over easy egg and a light tomato sauce on top. Can you tell I love the food here?! 

Today after siesta the group met and we walked the "Alameda", which is a walking path outside the walls of the city. It amazing because it is like a little paradise inside the city. There are large lawns for laying and hanging out with friends. Many Segovians walk or run this path and the views are fantastic. The castle (Alcazar) is on a hill right above the path and a pretty splashing river next to it. 

The group had a really good time walking together and relaxing on the lawn. 

                                               This is the view of the castle from the lawn!

                         and this is the river and an old, pretty bridge. I feel like a photographer!