San Sebastián

My final trip destination, San Sebastián, was so enchanting that this blog wouldn't be complete without a description of it! It was definitely in my top three favorite cities in Spain, along with Sevilla and Granada.

San Sebastián is located in Northern Spain, in the Basque region bordering France. País Vasco, as is is known as in Castellano Spanish, has a language and culture so distinct that it's like its own country. The Spanish and French Basque regions share the same Union-jack style flag.



Many people who live in this region consider themselves Basque rather than Spanish. The language (Euskara) sounds the way you'd expect it to -- like a blend of Spanish and French. My friend Sheri and I were in the region for just a couple of days, so we stuck to good ol' español the whole time.

The Basque region is famous for its gourmet food. There are lots of bars around, and the bars all serve several varieties of tapas, which are called "pinchos." Like most bars in Spain, you point and tell the bartender what you want, eat it, then pay after.



San Sebastián is the jewel of the Basque region. It's a popular tourist destination that is famous for its beaches. Our first day there, we lay out the main stretch of beach, the shell-shaped Playa de la Concha.





If you look closely in the photo above, way up in the trees on the left, you can see the top of a castle, Castilla de la Mota, topped by a small statue overlooking the ocean.

Here is a closer view of the statue, which is of Jesús. You'll see more of him later.



After sitting around in the sun and kicking up some waves, we took the Monte Igueldo funicular up to the top of a hill. Once we arrived at the summit, we saw a breathtaking view of the beach, and found ourselves smack in the middle of an amusement park.











That night we checked out the cathedral (below) then wandered around the Old Town and enjoyed some more pinchos and Tinto de Verano, which is similar to sangría, but fizzy like a soda.



The next day, we hiked up a tall hill to see the castle where Jesús lived.









I've been back from Spain for about a month now. I've had some amazing experiences and some really difficult ones. At this moment, I don't think I wanna look at a suitcase ever again, let alone pack or unpack another one! Still, I don't regret a thing and I'm so glad I spent those ten months abroad. It definitely opened my mind and gave me a new perspective of looking at the world.

*** Thanks to anyone and everyone who has ever looked at this blog -- friends, family, and random strangers alike. It seems as though everybody has a blah blah blog these days. I hope you enjoyed this one! You just wasted moments of your life reading it. ***

Ávila: Parte Dos

Saint Teresa was born in Ávila, Spain (not to be confused with Mother Teresa, who was born in Italy). In my last entry, I talked about Saint Teresa and her illustrious finger, which has been preserved and is kept in the gift shop in Ávila near el Convento de Santa Teresa. I went there recently and wanted to post a picture of the finger, but couldn't, because taking pictures in the souvenir and the adjacent museum is strictly prohibited. This rule is enforced by the man who works in the tiny gift shop where the relic is kept.

Well, I decided to go back and sneak a picture anyway. My friend Sheri was visiting so we took a day-trip to Ávila. We walked up the stairs of the city wall to get a better view, and then ate some tapas at a bar we found on the way to El Convento del Santa Teresa. We each ordered two drinks and tapas, and the total only came to 9 euros, because the tapas were included with the drinks. (Why can't bars give out free food in Boston?)

Here's what our walk to the convent and gift shop looked like:







Finally, we stepped inside La Sala de Recuerdos (the giftshop).





Below is a display case containing several items that belonged to Santa Teresa. Her walking stick is there and so is her finger. It's right in the center, in the middle of something that looks like a candelabra. (The sign right above the display is hard to read but it says: "Fotos No - Videos No.")





After quickly snapping these pictures without flash, I zoomed in on the finger. But just before I was able to capture it in all of its ringed glory, the light which lit up the display case shut off, and everything inside it went dark! Needless to say, that last picture didn't come out.

Evidently, the man who worked behind the counter of the store had caught onto my plan, and had turned off the light. He must have heard the clicking of my camera. I kind of felt like a jerk but I'm sure it happens all the time there. The store clerk was really nice and nonconfrontational about it. I knew that he knew that I took pictures. He knew that I knew that he knew. But we didn't say anything about it. As I was leaving, all we said to each other was Adios, and my friend and I went on our way.

At last, the quest for the holy finger has come to an end. A special thanks to Sheri, my partner in crime, for helping to make this all possible.

Ávila

Just an hour-and-a-half long bus or train ride away, Ávila is a popular side trip from Madrid. It is famous for its perfectly preserved medieval walls, for being the birthplace of Saint Teresa, and for a sugary yellow pastry called yema.

I had Thursday off from work, so I took a train there from Chamartín Station in Madrid. From the train station in Ávila, I walked straight ahead and followed that road for ten or fifteen minutes to arrive at the city wall (la muralla).



It was odd seeing the cars and motorcycles up against the backdrop of an ancient city wall, like being in some weird vortex where the past and present collide into coexistence. The muralla is an anachronism, a piece of history left over from around 1100. According to Rick Steve's Guide to Spain, it is the "oldest, most complete and best preserved" fortified wall in Spain.



From the entrance, it was just a five or ten minute walk to the cathedral and Plaza de la Catedral.







Next, I stopped at a bakery on Calle de los Reyes Católicos to try some yemas (see below).



Yemas are pastries made from sugar and egg yolk. As you can see, only one of the pastries in the box is missing, because I didn't like them very much. (More on this later.)

My next objective was to get to the convent: El Convento de Santa Teresa. But my touristic instincts told me to stop at the plaza below and pay two euros to climb the stairs up to the top of the muralla to get more a better view of the city.





It was definitely worth it!









I also noticed a lot of storks nesting on the top of the cathedral.



Next stop: the convent and its adjacent museum and gift shop. It was a scenic five-minute walk to the convent.







Here is el Convento de Santa Teresa.



There was something in a display case at the gift shop next to the convent that I was dying to see. It's bizarre and kind of gross, but fascinating nonetheless. The ring finger of Santa Teresa! Complete with a fancy emerald ring. I'm not kidding. But photography is strictly prohibited.

So anyway, that's Ávila in a nutshell. I went back to work the next day and talked to one of the other teachers about it. A native of Madrid, she asked me if I tried the yemas while I was there and if I liked them. I said that I had but that I didn't like them.

Her reply was "Es cómo MacDónals." In other words, the yemas are like something from McDonalds. Yes, it's true; They are sugary and full of cholesterol. Kind of like sugar-coated Egg McMuffins without the bread.

Parks in Madrid

Spain's capital is a huge city with an estimated population of 6.2 million people. It has a population density of roughly 5,161 inhabitants per square kilometer. In other words, there are people everywhere. However, a large chunk of the city is devoted to parks, and they are far more elaborate than any other parks I've ever seen before. I'll focus on my two favorites: El Parque de Retiro and Templo de Debód. The statue above is known as El Ángel Caído, or The Fallen Angel.


Parque de Retiro

The largest and most famous of these is El Parque del Retiro. During the day, there are always people on bikes and on roller blades, or lounging on the grass. On weekends, you can find musicians playing instruments there, and at night, impromptu jam sessions.













Here are a few pictures of Parque del Retiro and the view from inside its gates at night:











Templo de Tebód




Below is a photo of Palacio Real, as visible from Templo de Debód.



The next picture is of part of an Egyptian temple rebuilt in Spain during the second century BC. This was because Spain had intervened in the building of the Aswan Dam in Egypt. During the construction of the dam, several monuments and archeological sites were displaced and Spain was one of the countries who helped to rescue the temples of Abu Simbel. Thus, Templo de Debód was a gift of gratitude.



Here is a picture of what it looks like at dusk, along with a view of the palace from the adjacent viewpoint.