I realized today as I was walking around Cordoba that I have been in Spain for two weeks already! Time really does go fast. As I was thinking about the last two weeks, I thought I would do another entry to write about some other parts of Spanish life I've experienced so far.
During the past two weeks:
- I've journeyed 1,061 miles on buses ... from Madrid to Segovia and Avila, from Madrid to Toledo, from Madrid to Salamanca, from Salamanca to Leon, from Leon to Oviedo, from Oviedo to Sevilla and from Sevilla to Cordoba. That's about the same distance as making four round trips between Homestead and Lucas Oil Stadium ... and a one-way trip.
- I've spent 27 hours on those buses to cover the 1,601 miles
- I've walked about 84 miles the past two weeks visiting monuments, cathedrals, mosques, gardens, ruins, universities, parks cities and more, an average of 6 miles per day.
- I've stayed in six different hotels or hostels in the nine cities I've explored.
- I've traveled 4,344 miles on planes ... 156 miles from Fort Wayne to Chicago and then 4,188 miles from Chicago to Madrid.
- I've taken 751 pictures so far, and shot about 11 short video clips at the places I've visited.
Buses have been my main form of transportation between cities, but I am planning to use a couple of trains toward the end of my trip. One of the big bus companies here is ALSA, and ALSA buses go almost anywhere in Spain. It has been easy to get from place to place with the bus system. I've learned that it is a good idea to buy your bus tickets at least one day in advance, if not two or three, to ensure you can leave at the time you want to depart. You can buy them online or at any of the bus stations. Just like on an airplane, they give you an assigned seat. The buses have all been air conditioned and most of them have had TVs that played movies between cities. A few have even had radios built into the seats. One of the buses even had free WiFi. The bus drivers always wear dress pants and shoes with polo shirts.
Spain's schedule is both similar and different from our way of doing things. Breakfast is always between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and normally includes coffee with milk, juice and bread or croissants. I ate breakfast at my hotel in Madrid the first few days I arrived, and for 2 euros I received a glass of orange juice, coffee (which I declined ... not a coffee drinker) and two different types of bread. Most people eat lunch around 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. I have visited a lot of cafes for lunch, where I have eaten ham sandwiches or Spanish omelets. Most restaurants also serve tapas in the afternoon. Tapas are little plates of appetizers that are famous throughout Spain. More about those later. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. or 5 p.m., a lot of places in the smaller cities (not Madrid) close their doors. In Cordoba, for example, the Alcazar is closed between 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. People either go out for lunch or go home for awhile before returning to work. In Madrid, I discovered that the banks all closed around 2 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. I think the workers stay on for a few more hours but that the bank is closed to the public.
Most people eat dinner here much later than we are used to. Eating dinner around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. is considered early, I have discovered. Most people just begin to come out around then to visit the cafes, restaurants and tapas places. It's normal to go from place to place eating tapas, the small plates of appetizers. And there are plenty of tapas to choose from. One of the places I saw last night boasted having more than 100 selections of tapas on its menu. I've eaten tapas for dinners many nights. Some of my favorites are patatas bravas (white potatoes that have been cut, fried and served with a spicy tomato sauce); tortilla espanola (a Spanish omelet that has potatoes and onions inside. A whole tortilla espanol arrives on your plate in a circular shape ... or they also serve smaller portions that come in the shape of a piece of pie. This is probably my favorite tapa); ham and chicken croquetas (basically a fried roll that contains one to several ingredients); and albondigas (meat balls) that are normally a little spicy but very tasty. There are a variety of other tapas on most menus, from cold plates such as olives, cheeses, tomatoes, etc., to warm plates, such as fried squid. I've also tried paella, a rice dish that normally contains a lot of seafood. I'm not a big seafood eater so it wasn't my favorite but I still had to try it one night. Of course, there are also plenty of other types of food here. I've had pizza and pasta, as well as Indian food. Everything has been delicious. A popular dessert is flan, a carmel custard. I've ordered it many nights and have never been disappointed. Ice cream is also popular here and I've seen countless ice cream stores in almost every city.
It's also more normal to see people out late at night. Most of the small restaurants that serve tapas are open into the early hours of the morning. When I was in Sevilla last weekend, for example, my hotel was located along a pedestrian avenue that was home to several little restaurants. They were open until 2 or 3 in the morning, and people were still there talking, laughing and enjoying the tapas that late. The nightlife here is very active, and people enjoy being out later and eating later than what I am used to, especially since my college days are over!
It's been hot and dry most every day since I arrived, with the exception of the two days I spent in Oviedo, located in northern Spain just 30 minutes from the coast. There it was cloudy, cool (comfortable) and rained on and off both days. Everyplace else, however, has been warm, especially southern Spain. The temperature has climbed to nearly 100 every day since I arrived last Wednesday.
Speaking of temperatures, I'm finally getting used to seeing everything in Celsius, as well as road signs in kilometers. It's easy to do the math to change from kilometers to miles but takes a little more time to convert back from Celsius. But I've stopped converting back from Celsius, as I just know now that it will be a scorcher when the temperatures climbs to 40 degrees Celsius ... 30 degrees Celsius is so much more comfortable. Around 8 p.m. or so, however, as the temperature drops, it's perfect weather for walking around.
During the next two weeks, I plan to travel to five more cities. I am hoping to visit with another former student who is living in southern Spain for the next two years. I'll spend the last six days of my journey in Barcelona -- the first Spanish-speaking city I ever visited when I was 16 years old. It was because of that trip that I wanted to learn Spanish, and I can't wait to return there July 27 or July 28. I am even going to stay in the same hostel in which my classmates and I stayed when we visited Spain in June 1997. Two of my colleagues who are also Spanish teachers will be in Barcelona as well, and we're planning on spending our time there together visiting what many say is Spain's most beautiful city.
And thanks to everyone for following my blog and sending e-mails about my posts. It is exciting to know that so many people are following my trip through Spain, and your notes and e-mails have encouraged me to keep updating my blog each night after exploring Spain's cities during the day. Mil gracias!
Nos vemos pronto!
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