Wow, I had only been here two weeks last time I posted, and now I’ve been here for almost two months. I really don’t know how that’s possible. It seems like I’ve been here half that time, at most. I’m trying to enjoy every second of this experience! Here’s some copies and pastes from my personal blog. (In reverse order)
Salamanca and Sevilla
BLOGGING IS HARD! Now that I am into a schedule with university classes and my English tutoring classes, finding time to write seems impossible. Once I organize my pictures from a trip, I seem to run out of time to write a blog post before I’m off to the next place. I suppose it’s not so bad a problem to have, but I apologize that I’ve been a bit absent here. I still owe you all a post about my trip to Galicia, which is almost a month ago now (oops!). I have it half-written, so it’s coming soon, I promise. As you can see by the title, I went to Salamanca and Sevilla last weekend, and I wanted to write a post about this while it was still fresh in my mind. I think Sevilla is my favorite city I’ve ever been to! So, here is a post about my trip to two beautiful cities in Spain: Salamanca and Sevilla (click for pictures.)
Since last Thursday was a holiday here, my friend Catey and I decided to hit the road and head on south for the weekend. Our first stop was the college town of Salamanca, which is about three hours south of Oviedo. We stayed in a youth hostel, and met pretty much every stereotypical person you would expect to find in such a place. Salamanca is a precious, small city with some really amazing architecture. I’ve talked a little about the ~vibes~ of different places, and this city had a very interesting vibe for me. I didn’t have déjà vu, but the city felt homey and familiar somehow. I get a similar feeling when I go to Tallahassee, which is where I lived until I was 8, or to St. Augustine, a city I’ve visited about once a year since I was little. It had that feeling of familiarity, but I didn’t feel like I had been there or seen it before. I think this might be because it reminded me of other places in Spain, and everyone was really friendly. It was weird, but pleasant.
We saw lots of amazing places in Salamanca, like the Universidad Pontificia, the cathedral, and La Plaza Mayor. The University had a great tour which included going up to the bell towers to see the whole city, and that was an amazing view. The Cathedral in Salamanca might be my favorite one I’ve been to since I’ve been here.
It was absolutely breathtaking inside architecturally, and featured some of the most beautiful art and statues I’ve seen in Spain. It is a truly special place. Aside from those amazing buildings, we also thoroughly enjoyed the Plaza Mayor. This is the heart of the old city, and it is circled by tons of cafes, restaurants, and bars. We ate lunch here alfresco, and felt very fancy. We decided to return that night, just to see how it looked in the dark, and we were astounded. It was filled with people, because it was a holiday, and the plaza was not only lit up, but illuminated with the colors of the Spanish flag. It was so special!
The next day, Friday, we had the morning to complete one essential task: find the astronaut. Yes, you read that right. During restoration work on the Cathedral, some cheeky artists added a tiny astronaut in the work around the main doors, nestled in between the seraphim and cherubim. We looked and looked and thought we would never find him, until we saw a man pointing it out to his kids. We were almost out of time before we had to leave, so we were really happy that we finally found it (or rather, that man found it.) He’s hiding in this picture.
By Friday evening, we were settled into our Airbnb in Sevilla, which is another 4+ hours south from Salamanca. By this point, we were pretty deep into southern Spain, and it was hot and dry, which is pretty much the exact opposite of Asturias. It was a nice change. Sevilla embodies exactly what I thought Spain was before I came here. There are palm trees, Arab-influenced architecture, tapas, flamenco, and everything has a slightly dramatic flare. On top of that, it was absolutely beautiful. 
The colors seem more vibrant, and every detail is exquisite. That is a picture from the Parque de Maria Lusia which is gargantuan and beautiful. Other than that, the gems of Sevilla are the cathedral (obviously), the Real Alcázar , and the Plaza de Espana. Sadly, we didn’t get to do a full tour of the cathedral because it was closed on Saturday for a ceremony, but we did get to go to mass there on Sunday. We had to wait in line to get in to the the Real Alcázar, which is a royal palace which was originally constructed by Moorish Muslim kings. Every square inch of the interior of this place is filled with detail, and the expansive gardens are meticulously cared for. By the time we were exploring the gardens, it was a hefty 94 degrees, but we enjoyed it all the same. The Plaza de Espana feels absolutely otherworldly, so much so that it is featured in Star Wars Episode II as an exterior shot on Naboo in this scene.
It’s one of those places that’s so amazing that it’s hard to process what you’re seeing. After walking around all day, Catey and I returned here to put our feet in the water and rest, and it was one of the best feelings ever. This plaza is so amazing!
Sevilla is such an amazing place to just walk around. Everything smells like honeysuckle. Well, except for the horses. (There are tons of horse and buggy tours around the city.) But everything that doesn’t smell like horses smells like honeysuckle. The Barrio de Santa Cruz is known for its little shops and its abundance of restaurants and bars, all with lots of seating outside. After dark, it is filled with locals and tourists all enjoying tapas and the warm night air. During the day, Catey and I bought some fans and blended right in by drinking coffee in the shade while practicing our fanning skills. One night, when we were eating dinner outside, we were serenaded by a group of students raising money who were really good! And there were tons of different groups of them walking through the streets and singing. It’s literally like a fantasy world. Everything smells like flowers, and there’s minstrels, mild weather, and delicious food. Living here would be like being on vacation 24/7. For me, the “toursty-ness” of this city doesn’t not detract from it’s beauty at all, it simply adds to its vibrancy.
One of the major highlights of our trip was the flamenco show we went to Saturday night at the Flamenco Museum. If you’re ever in Sevilla, I would highly recommend this show. It is reasonably priced, especially for students, and it was so amazing! The dancers, singers, and the guitar player were incredibly talented and we had a great time. It was a sold out, intimate show and the energy of the performers was palpable. I have never seen another dance form able to portray such raw emotion so effectively. I think it appeals to me especially because of how rooted it is in improvisation. Flamenco doesn’t really exist in northern Spain so it was great to be able to experience it. Unfortunately, no pictures or videos were allowed so I will just have to cherish that memory in my mind. It was a great way to wrap up our whirlwind trip.
On Sunday, we had an 8 hour ride home, but it was so worth it for all the amazing things we saw. Southern Spain, especially Andalusia (where Sevilla is), is so incredibly different from the part of Spain where I live, it’s hard to believe they’re only a few hours away from each other. I would love to come back and see more of this part of the country one day. The buildings are amazing, the flora is beautiful, and the people are friendly. Overall, it was a very successful weekend; Catey and I had a great time. I enjoyed Salamanca, but I fell in love with Sevilla. I will be back someday.
I promise my long overdue post about my trip to Galicia will be up soon! Thanks for staying tuned!
Paraíso Natural
Asturias’s tagline is “Paraíso Natural,” or Natural Paradise, because despite its small size, it has both the mountains and the ocean. In the past few weeks, I have experienced just how beautiful Asturias really is. We are lucky to have weekend excursions organized for us by our program coordinator, so we don’t miss out on all of the gems the northernmost province of Spain has to offer. Two weeks ago, the day before my birthday, we went to Los Lagos en Los Picos de Europa and Covadonga. As I said in my last post, this was without a doubt the most beautiful place I have ever seen. And just this past weekend, we visited Ribadesella, and not only did we 15,000-year-old cave paintings, we also went up to a cliff on the sea that is one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. They each deserve their own post, but for now I am rolling them into one. Remember, all of my pictures are available on my flickr. You can access the individual albums for these two excursions here and here.
Los Lagos and Covadonga
On Sunday, September 17th, the six of us and our coordinator Ana, piled into a rented van to drive to Los Picos de Europa. This is the mountain range that separates Asturias from the rest of Spain. I knew they were going to be beautiful, but I wasn’t totally sure what to expect. We stopped on the way to see El Puente Romano, which is an ancient bridge. (The sky looks washed out here, but it was just cloud coverage.) After about an hour of driving, we began our ascent up the mountain (in the van, thankfully). The driver started to look worried, and after about twenty minutes he pulled over to let the engine cool down before we continued up. We got out and walked around while we waited. This is what we saw: 
I was awestruck. The colors, the staggering heights, and the lack of buildings, as far as the eye can see. I had never seen anything like it in my life. After a few minutes of letting the van cool down, we continued our ascent to Los Lagos. I had already seen enough to make my day, but the lakes took it to a different level.
I feel like I say this every time, but the pictures really do not do this justice. Standing here, I was surrounded by these gorgeous mountains on all sides, with two lakes. It felt like I was in another world, and like some sort of fictional creature was going to come around the bend. It literally took my breath away, and that was only partly because I was walking uphill in high altitude. Looking at the pictures, I hope you understand why I feel like this was the most beautiful place I have ever been, but you have to take my word for it. It was absolutely other worldly. I could have spent all day here. There was even snow on the mountain top!
As we walked down to meet the van, we were greeted by a herd of goats! They were absolutely adorable. Here is a video of them. So cute! If you don’t hear from me, I have probably moved to the mountains to become a goat herder.
Like I said, my mind had already been totally blown by what I had seen. I actually said out loud that my brain was having a hard time comprehending what I was seeing. It did not feel real. But we were not done! We still had to visit Covadonga, which is an unassuming little pueblo which became famous about a century ago. La Virgen de Covadonga (so, Mother Mary) appeared there 99 years ago, and there is a shrine in the side of a cave there dedicated to her. There is also an absolutely staggering cathedral. This is all just down the mountain where Los Lagos is. We walked into the shrine, and tourists and pilgrims were participating in a rosary, led by a man with a microphone. Looking around the natural cave, feeling the warmth of the wall of votive candles, and reading the prayers hung on the walls, all while hearing the Hail Mary said over and over again in Spanish was rather emotional for me. I don’t know if a place can be extra reverent, but this one was. This is the view from inside the cave.
You can see the cathedral in that picture, and that’s where we were headed next. 
This is one of my favorite pictures from my entire time in Spain so far (thanks for taking it, Catey!). I posted it on instagram with the caption ” i feel small.” And I really, really did. Dedication to Mother Mary always makes me emotional, but this cathedral was really something else. I have already seen so many amazing cathedrals, churches, and chapels since I’ve been here, but something about this church on this day really hit me. While the art and the architecture were beautiful, it’s not that they were significantly more beautiful than the other gorgeous churches here. It was just everything combined that made this cathedral strike me in a special way. I knelt in front of the tabernacle in the cathedral and was overwhelmed by the beauty of God’s mountains and the lakes, and the conviction and faith of the people who built the cathedral and the shrine. I got teary eyed from trying to comprehend the amazing beauty I had seen, and from realizing how even though it was the best thing I had ever witnessed, it pales unimaginably against the true beauty of heaven. (Is anyone counting how many times I’ve said beauty/beautiful?) I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around how gorgeous things can be on earth, and I am simultaneously overwhelmed by the realization of how much more there is than this. That’s not a bad problem to have, I suppose! This is an ongoing spiritual theme with me since I’ve been here, and I’m sure I will make some sort of breakthrough with it before I’m home. I will try to write about it more coherently and cohesively at some point.
So, long story short, it was an amazing day. It was one of those days where you feel like a better person at the end of it- and it wasn’t even because of anything I did, but because of things I’d seen. People told me that when I went abroad I would see things that would change me, and I’m not sure I understood what they meant until today.
Ribadesella
Honestly, that felt like a good place to stop, but these two trips fit together thematically so I’m going to keep them in one post! Just this past weekend, we went to go see cave painting in Ribadesella. In the cave Tito Bustillo, the oldest cave paintings are over 30,000 years old. The oldest ones open to the public are a 15,000 years old. Again, my brain just can’t comprehend that. I has no way of visualizing that amount of time because I have nothing to compare it to. So, to imagine people living and painting in the dark cave you are walking around in an unfathomably long time ago is pretty cool. The 5-to-7-year-old Mary inside me, who wanted to be archaeologist, was freaking out a little. We had a great tour guide, who spoke very clear Spanish, and made it feel like she was telling a story. (Also, she’s our van driver’s wife! Asturias is very small.) The cave paintings were amazing, and included reindeer, which no longer live in Asturias, and a giant purple horse. We weren’t allowed to take pictures in the cave, but they have some photos on Asturias’s tourism website. It was a very cool experience.
After lunch, we took a walk up to a cliff, where there is a chapel dedicated to La Virgen de La Guia, which the Virgin Mary dedicated to mariners. (Mary is everywhere here- one of my favorite things about Spain.) I didn’t take a picture of the chapel because I couldn’t get far enough back from it to take a decent one. It was also closed so we couldn’t go inside. But oh my goodness-this cliff was one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. 
(Here for more pictures.) Water, the Cantabrian Sea, surrounds the point on both sides. On my left, I could see the town of Ribadesella, and on my right there was nothing but ocean. You would think I would be used to seeing the water, considering I have lived in Florida my entire life, but this was different. When you are higher up, the ocean seems to stretch even further into the distance, and from where we were it seemed to go on forever in every direction. I sat on the stone wall and watched with a sense of complete calm, and I was mesmerized by the water breaking over the sharp rocks at the bottom of the cliffs. I took a video to try and capture the ~vibe~ of this amazing place. I’m so happy I have it to look back at. The thick green grass, the persistent wind, the stark black cliffs, and the complete immensity and relentlessness of the ocean created such a peacefulness in me that I didn’t want to leave. There is a very particular feeling I get when I am completely relaxed, and it washed over me as soon as I stepped foot onto the point. It is one of the places I know I cannot see only once in my life.
As I said when talking about Covadonga, I felt small standing in front of the cathedral. I felt small standing among the giant mountains. I felt small looking at paintings created by people who lived 150 centuries ago. I felt small facing the enormity of the Atlantic Ocean in a way I had never done before. And I love feeling small. I love being reminded that there are things much greater and grander than me, and I am blessed to live in the same world as them, and to have the chance to witness them. I get the same feeling looking up at a very starry sky. It makes me feel insignificant and important all at once. If you have seen any great work of nature or man, I think you know what I mean. It would take a more talented writer than me to precisely define it. But to feel small is to know that the world is big, and that even the most evil and hateful people in the world are also small. And in times like these, that is a very comforting thought.
Warning: Lots of Words, No Pictures
If you ever want to motivate yourself to write in English, try writing in Spanish for an hour first. It will make writing in English seem so easy! Joking aside, writing in Spanish is becoming more and more natural to me, and my absence here has not been lack of motivation but lack of time. Two weekends ago, we visited Covadonga and Los Lagos, and it was without a doubt the most beautiful place I have ever been. When we got back, it was the start of San Mateo, which is a ten-day-long festival “venerating Saint Matthew, the patron saint of Oviedo” (read: an excuse to have concerts, parties, and days off). So we had a short three-day-week, and before I could deal with any photos or write something Covadonga or San Mateo, I was off to Galicia (the neighboring province) for a four day weekend. And now nearly another week has gone by!
I have today off (Note: I wrote this on Friday, I am just proofing and uploading it Sunday), and I start at the university on Monday, so thing’s are a’changin’ for me here. My host mother is somewhat appalled that I am not taking advantage of two free days (we have an excursion on Sunday so I have to be here) by traveling somewhere. I know I’m young, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and all that, but sometimes a girl just needs two days to explore the beautiful city she lives in and recharge her batteries. I’ve had a little bit of a cold for about a week now, and I just need this weekend to (quite literally) clear my head before university classes start. So, this post is going to be a little bit of a “life update”/culture discussion/reminder that I’m not dead, and I will update with posts about Galicia and Covadonga soon.
I have been in Oviedo for nearly a month now, and it is starting to feel more and more like home. It is a remarkable place for many reasons, but one the most amazing things to me is that it is small enough that you can walk from one side to the other in less than an hour, yet there is always events going on and things to do. It is such a polar opposite of the sprawling, sleepy beach towns I am used to. This morning, for instance, I went to the absolutely gorgeous Campo de San Francisco to do some writing in Spanish. This park is in the center of town, and is about a 15 minute walk from my apartment. The weather has been absolutely perfect the past few days (sunny, 70s, breezy), and I wanted to take advantage of it. Not long after I sat down on the bench, I heard one of the many “buskers” of Oviedo start playing his trumpet from across the street. He is one of favorites of the musicians who I see nearly every day here, although between him, the elderly man with his violin, and the tenor who sings English songs with a heavy accent, it’s hard to pick a favorite. (Side note: It is seriously magical to have live music on every corner. It makes me feel like I’m in a movie!) Anyway, after hearing “What a Wonderful World” and “Ave Maria” from the trumpeter, I heard the unmistakable sounds of traditional Asturian music. Asturian music is drums and gaitas, which are bagpipes. Now, before I got here, I was about as fond of bagpipes as the average American, but Asturias has converted me. You might be surprised that there are bagpipes in Spain, but northern Spain has a lot of Celtic influence, and lot of things here have a very Irish/Scottish feel, just like southern Spain has a lot of Arabic influences. The gaitas are played by large choruses, and their reedy sound is surprisingly pleasant. So, I could hear the Asturian music getting closer, and I could see through the trees that there was a group of people in traditional dress giving a little performance, marching through the streets. As far as I know, it’s not a holiday or anything- just your average Friday morning. There might be places in the US that stuff like this happens, but I sure haven’t been there. And so, as I sat in the park journaling about Spanish culture, I was serenaded by a traditional Asturian band. And no one else in the park blinked an eye! This kind of stuff is super normal here. I think this morning is a good example of what it’s like to live here in general.
And now, I am holed up in a cafe, drinking a café solo and eating a croissant as big as my head. Café solo is espresso, and I am addicted to it. Brewed coffee is not a thing here, so the only coffee you can get is espresso, or café con leche, which is espresso with milk. And since I don’t drink milk, I have had an insane amount of espresso with sugar since I’ve been here. I have found one cafe that has soy milk, and I enjoyed an giant, creamy coffee there last week ( I will be back). Luckily for me, I really enjoy the taste of espresso, so it hasn’t been a problem for me. The cafe is full right now, but not with people getting lunch, even though it’s 12:45. Between 11 and 1 is the time to “tomar un pincho y un café,” which basically means snack time. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day here, but it doesn’t happen until 2-3:30, which means that a snack is almost imperative. Sometimes, I just have a piece of fruit (they are really into fresh fruit here) with my coffee, but other days I have a proper pincho. This is basically a small(ish) sandwich with any type of filling. My favorite pincho is jamón serrano y tomate, which is amazing thinly sliced ham and a little tomato on fresh bread. Yum. But today, I opted for a croissant. The croissants here are huge and dusted with sugar, so it’s hard to say no to them. I haven’t payed the bill yet, but it will probably be about 2.50€. Food here is very cheap, which is nice, since a lot of the culture here revolves around “tomar algo” with your friends. Tomar is a verb which means to eat or to drink, and algo just means “something.” So if you ask your friends if they want to tomar algo, it can mean anything. Do you want to go get a coffee, some ice cream, tapas, sidra, etc. So, it’s nice that snacks and drinks are more or less affordable. That being said, it does add up, which is one of the reasons I actually have a job here!
I’m not sure it’s fair to actually call what I’m doing a job, because it’s not really work. It’s very common for international students to tutor Spanish children in English for about an hour a week. My host mom has lots of friends with little kids, and so I am “tutoring” English to several families. It is super fun. They start learning English when they start school here, but a lot of parents like to make sure their kids have extra practice, because it’s such an important skill to have. The smallest kids I have are 4 and 5, and I play with them in Spanish, while pointing to things and saying the English word for it. They are very sweet. I have a seven-year-old girl who speaks not only excellent English, but great French. She makes me feel inadequate! Then I have some boys who are between 9 and 11, and I’m helping them with their science homework, because apparently it’s common here to take science class in English, while your other classes are in Spanish. And then I have some teenagers whose English is way better than my Spanish, and we just talk about whatever we want for an hour. Like I said, it’s a pretty sweet gig, and it pays for my espresso habit.
This is turning into a bit of a novela, so I better wrap it up. Life here is so different, as I think you can probably tell from the little bit I just shared. I promise to update again soon with pictures of the beautiful places I’ve been recently. If you read this whole thing, I hope you enjoyed it! I am going to try to write about the culture and lifestyle here more often, and hopefully a little more focused, and less rambly than this was. Thanks for reading 