Southbound

"I love places that make you realize

how tiny you and your problems are"

 -Anonymous

Couldn't have said it better myself. The feeling of being infinitesimally small, a blip on the map, a footnote on the page that is history. This feeling lingered in the back of my mind as we spent eight days traveling through the south of Spain last week. Architectural wonders that I've been learning about for years in my classes, breathtaking sunsets, the Sierra Nevada mountains, and picture-perfect little towns left me feeling awestruck and humbled.

A little over two months have come and gone here in Salamanca and the luster of this trip has yet to wear off. The views have become no less impressive, the trips, no less exciting and the memories, no less wonderful. Even on a not-so-good day, life really ain't so bad. I'm living my dream, halfway around the world from where I like to call home, and that in itself is enough. Counting my blessings each and every day for this place, this trip and the memories I'm making (a bit cliche, I know).

A few of my favorites from our trip down to Andalucía:

La Mezquita de Córdoba

Gardens in Córdoba

Sunset over Alcaudete

Overlook of Granada

 
La Alhambra de Granada

 
Granada from La Alhambra


Hiking the Sierra Nevadas

Fall in the Sierra Nevadas

Plaza de España, Sevilla

Cádiz

After spending upwards of a week in a place where views like these exist day in and day out, I found myself marveling at the beauty surrounding me. More than once I was rendered speechless and was pinching myself. This cannot be real life. I never want to go home.  After a while I realized that the way I was feeling, the attitude I had towards life in general didn't necessarily have to stop when I came back to Salamanca, or even when I head back home to Texas. There are beautiful things that surround us every day, and sometimes we just have to pick our heads up and take a look around to notice them.

"Once in a while it really hits people
that they don't have to experience the world
in the way they have been told to."
-Alan Keightley

Adventures afuera de Salamanca

The one-month anniversary of my time here in Salamanca has come and gone (what?) and since being here we've been lucky enough to get to venture outside of our cozy little city to see a bit more of Spain. We took an amazing four day trip, stopping in Ávila, Toledo, Madrid and Segovia about three weeks ago. And last weekend we took a day trip up to the Río Duero, the river that is the natural border between Portugal and Spain, and visited some smaller surrounding towns. Counting my blessings that I picked such an amazing program that has these trips planned down to the minute. All we have to do is show up, hop on the bus with our favorite driver, Jose Luís, and we're off (with wifi...always a bonus)!

 

A few highlights from each of the places we have visited:

Ávila
Best memory: climbing and exploring the old wall of the city (pictured below)
 

Picture perfect

 

Friends on the wall

Such a tourist...

 

Valle de los Caídos

A massive monument built by Franco as a tribute to/resting place for thousands of soldiers who lost their lives during the civil war. Built on a mountain, the views are beyond breathtaking and the behemoth of a cross can be spotted from kilometers in any direction (so euro with my units). At its core, a controversial place because it is a functioning church and also the resting place for Franco himself. Political pilgrimage to visit former dictator coupled with a place of worship, therein lies the controversy.

 

 

 The cross

 

Breathtaking view

 

Madrid

We crammed a lot into our relatively short stay in Madrid. El Escorial, El Palacio Real, the Plaza Mayor (Salamanca's is prettier...), The Reina Sofia, The Prado and a famous desserteria for churros con chocolate. Not to mention free time milling about the city and experiencing la vida en Madrid. Safe to say that I am officially a small town girl (there's a first time for everything) thanks to my time here in Salamanca and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

A view from El Escorial

 

  A camera shy Palacio Real

 

Toledo

What hits you first is the jaw-dropping overlook of the city. At first glance, it didn't even look real. "The city of three cultures." Named as such for the peaceful coexistence of Muslims, Jews and Christians within its walls, Toledo is a charming city, rich in history. Complete with an incredible gothic Cathedral, friendly locals and hole-in-the-wall artisan shops around every corner, our day in Toledo was nothing short of an absolute joy.

 

Fun fact: Toledo is famous for its sword-making and all of the swords used in the Lord of the Rings movies were made in Toledo...does it get any better?

 

The overlook

 

 

Amigas at the overlook :)

 

The Cathedral

 

Segovia

Our last stop before our return to Salamanca. Most notable for the Roman aqueduct running through the middle of the city, Segovia did not disappoint. Standing in front of this massive architectural and engineering feat, you wonder how is it even possible to build something like this. After our fair share of pictures of and with the main attraction, we lunched as a group at a local restaurant. The local dish of choice is a roasted baby pig. And when I say baby pig, I mean the whole thing. Ears, tail, cute little face. This could only topped by the fact that there literally is a tradition that consists of chopping the poor thing in half using a plate and then shattering said plate on the floor. This also happened...shout out to my friend Linnet for performing the ritual. Afterwards, we stopped by El Alcazar and then were headed back to Salamanca.

 

 

The aqueduct

  

 In front of El Alcazar

 

El Río Duero

A quick day trip up to the Río Duero which forms a natural border between Portugal and Spain. What started as a scenic boat ride ended in violent wind and rain. We made a few stops in small towns on the way back to Salamanca and to say that it was absolutely pouring would be an understatement...the rain was miserable, but we made the most of it!

 

 One side Portugal, one side Spain

 

Pre-wind and rain

 

And so it began...

 

 

 No explanation even needed

 

The whirlwind of an experience that this trip has been has yet to let up and I'm loving every second of it. Off on our next adventure this Thursday up to the northwest of Spain. More to come.

 

"It is in all of us to defy expectations,

to go into the world and to be brave

and to want, to need, to hunger for adventures,

to embrace change and chance and risk,

so that we may breathe and know what it is to be free..."

When in Spain...do as the Spanish do

Hola amigos! Bienvenidos, otra vez, a mi blog!

 

Today marks the beginning of week four here in Salamanca. Still having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that I'm living here. I was expecting things to settle into a routine here after a week or so, but Spain continues to keep me on my toes. And I am absolutely loving every minute of it.

 

Since I last posted, the festivals of Salamanca have come and gone, we have finished our two-week crash course to Spanish culture, climbed to see more breathtaking rooftop views of Salamanca, attended a traditional bull fight, took an incredible four day trip to Ávila, Madrid, Toledo and Segovia (a separate post is coming for this trip alone), visited some of the most famous architectural and historic sites in Spain, attended our first Spanish movie (beyond mentally exhausting), sat 11th ROW at a Real Madrid soccer game and have begun classes at the local university (yes, I actually am going to school...barely). With this sheer quantity of activity comes exhaustion, but I try to remind myself daily to push through and make the most of every moment. Opportunities like these truly are once in a lifetime.

 

 Quickly approaching the one-month marker of my time here in Salamanca, the hours, days and weeks have flown by. But when I stop to reflect on my time spent here, one phrase in particular jumps out at me: an open mind. Whether it's trying a dinner course that actually scares you (pasta soaked in squid ink topped with baby eels...) or attending a bullfight, Spain reminds me daily of the benefits you can reap by approaching life with an open mind. In stepping outside your comfort zone and trying new things, I have found firsthand, that you can learn a surprising amount about yourself and the type of person you hope to one day be. Even though I may never fully understand or appreciate life the way the Spanish do, I can confidently say that I will leave this place forever changed.

Highlight reel weeks 2 and 3:

View from the apartment of the festival fireworks

Rooftop at Las Torres de la Clerecía

 View from balcony at la Clerecía

La corrida de Torros

El matador

Our view at the Real Madrid game

Cheesin' so hard because our seats were AMAZING

Another post coming soon detailing our amazing four-day trek through Castilla y León, highlights including the stops in Ávila, Madrid, Toledo and Segovia and visits to The Prado, El Palacio Real, El Alcázar and much, much more.

 "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all..."



Getting Settled In

These first few days here in Salamanca have absolutely flown by! It feels like we've been here for weeks. I'm convinced this is partly due to the fact that the Spanish day is so much longer than that of America. My family doesn't eat "la cena" (dinner) until 22:30 or 22:40 PM (still adjusting to using a 24 hour clock) every night, so there's a lot of that can be crammed into the day before dinnertime even rolls around.  And my program has done a wonderful job of doing just that. We have class everyday from 11:00-13:00 and then organized activities every afternoon.

 

Our first day here, our program directors walked us around Salamanca to help us get our bearings in our new city. All this did was pretty much just confuse me because I had missed the first big outing in Salamanca (gracias, American Airlines for the flight delay), but thanks to my madre I quickly learned how to get from my house to the Centro (where we're taking classes) and from my house to the Plaza Mayor which is pretty much the center for social gatherings here in Salamanca.

I find myself falling more and more in love with Salamanca and its culture each day. If you head to the Plaza Mayor around 7 or 8 at night, everyone, and I do mean everyone, will be there. Moms with strollers, students, pre-teens, grandparents, they're all there meeting and chatting with friends, having some tapas and a drink or just taking a stroll. The Spanish social life is centered outside of the home, in the Plaza, in bars, in the streets and the home is a much more intimate, private setting (ex: I would never invite friends from my program to come hang out at my casa). But despite the intimacy of the home life, I've had a surprisingly smooth and un-awkward transition into life with my host family. My madre and padre are wonderful people, very extroverted and love to talk. About anything and everything. This is when I knew we were going to get along :) My sister, Claudia (age 14), is pretty shy (I was too at 14) but I'm determined to become best friends with her by the end of my time here. The fact that I'm pretty sure she's scared of me is but a minor detail and will not interfere my plan to become friends. I tease her that I'm only going to speak to her in English (she takes an English class at school) and she laughs, embarrassed, and begs me not to. I'm taking the liberty to assume that this is an inside joke we share though I'm unsure if the feeling is actually mutual...baby steps, baby steps. The fourth member of my family is Chuli (pictured below). Fluffy, lovable and only understands Spanish. The only member of my family I can talk to with no fear of sounding foolish.

Chuli

 

Classes began on Monday. Snooze. But our afternoon/evening activity that day was our welcome dinner at a local restaurant where we were to sample all of the popular Salamancan dishes. And when I say all of the popular local dishes...I mean all of them. We tried literally 13 different dishes and 4 different desserts. To say we were stuffed is the understatement of the century. We washed this down with a small taste of popular liquor...the first and last time I will ever partake. My friends and I have since mastered the art of clearing your mind before taking a bite of food so that you can enjoy the dish despite its contents. Example: Morcilla. Definition: Pig's blood and rice...in sausage form. I ended up actually really liking this dish...


Friends at dinner :)

Cheers!

Since the welcome dinner, our afternoon activities have included two separate walking tours of Salamanca. We meet at 17:00 in the Plaza, the hottest part of the day (during which all of the Spanish people are observing the daily siesta...yep, everyone naps for hours every day after lunch) and go from there. So far we have visited the majority of the historical sites here in Salamanca and have learned an enormous amount of local history, thanks to our adorable tour guide, Marta.

Most of what we have seen has truly left me awestruck. The detail and craftsmanship put into these cathedrals and buildings cannot be done justice with just a photograph. And what floors me even more is the fact that these cultural wonders are scattered amidst bars, boutiques and convenience stores. Juxtaposition is everywhere and I'm loving it. Nerd alert.

The Catedral Nueva has probably been my favorite site so far. We got to climb up into the towers and get a rooftop view of Salamanca. Amazing.

Here are a few of my favs:

La Catedral Nueva
 

View from the front steps of the Catedral

 

 

 View from the top

 

Another rooftop view

 

A closing thought:

 

"Travel is rebellion in its purest form

We follow our hearts

We free ourselves of labels

We lose control willingly

We trade a role for reality

We love the unfamiliar

We trust strangers

We own only what we can carry

We search for better questions, not answers

We truly graduate

We, sometimes, choose never to come back."

 

Until next time, my friends. Tchau.

Just when you thought you had a plan...

My oh-so-anticipated journey to Spain began with a phone call. A phone call telling me that my flight had been delayed and would arrive in Spain about an hour and twenty minutes after it was originally scheduled to land. My group of fellow students and resident professor had a set meeting time and place in the  Madrid airport so that we could all hop on a bus to Salamanca together. If our flights got in late, we were on our own and had to get a ticket to Salamanca on the public bus. So after receiving this phone call, the panic begins to set it in. I'm going to be alone in a city I barely speak the language. I've never been to this airport. What if I get on the wrong bus and end up in the wrong city. My mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusions.

 

So I scramble to email my profesora and tell her that my flight is delayed and asked if there was any way the group could wait for me. After receiving the "yes, we will wait for you" response, I began to let myself relax. I weighed my suitcases (barely scraping by the weight limit), headed off to the airport, cruised through security and was España bound! Until over the loud speaker I heard an announcement about the flight to Madrid. There was a maintenance issue and it would probably be another hour and a half before we would be ready to take off.

 

Fast forward about two hours.

 

Antsy in my seat on the airplane, hoping there's some sliver of hope we can take off and make up time in the air so I won't be left to fend for myself in a strange city, the captain comes over the loudspeaker with what I hope is good news. Wrong. "You may notice that the cabin is a little warm ladies and gentleman, the air conditioning has been turned down to try to cool a temperature censor that is preventing us from taking off." You can't be serious. Flight attendants start circulating with trays full of ice water. Sweat is beginning to form. And finally. Finally. The fasten seat belt sign clicks on and it's time for take off (only 3 hours late).

 

A little over nine hours later, we're touching down in Madrid. I take a deep breath and mentally run myself through where I am going when I got off the plane, where I am supposed to get my bags and how you ask for directions and order a bus ticket. As I step into the airport I hear, "Hi, are you Cameron?" In English. Hallelujah. Turns out there was another girl from my program also on my plane. Okay good, so I won't have to do this alone. We introduce ourselves and follow the crowds through customs, get our passport stamps (tried to play it cool, but was grinning like a little kid), and made our way out the terminal exit. Bam. Smack in the middle of the sea of people is a sign that says Wake Forest. Thank you, Jesus. In swoops Marta, an adorable Salamantina who proceeds to introduce herself, treat us to a little paella, and let us know she's helping us get back to Salamanca. Good news? We have bus tickets. Bad news? Bus doesn't come for another four hours. So after killing four hours in the terminal (with the scare of a lost backpack (not mine)...), we boarded the bus and strapped in for about a 3 hour ride to Salamanca.

 

So exhausted we were literally going cross-eyed, we hear someone on the bus say something about Salamanca and immediately perk up. We were finally here! We hop off the bus and grab our bags and there I am greeted by my host mom. A kiss on each cheek, as is customary, a quick introduction and she grabs my bag and whisks me away to her car. Five minutes later, she's whipping her car into a parallel parking spot and I find myself in a small elevator that deposits me at the front door of my home-to-be for the next three months. Greeted by dog, Chuli, and my host dad, I stumble over my Spanish a bit during the introductions but am swept with a sense of relief that I am finally here. A couple hours of conversation later, I'm already feeling a bit more confident with my Spanish and am sitting down for my first home-cooked Spanish meal (at 10:40 PM...). I unpack some of my things, climb in bed and here I am. Exhausted, caught a little between Spanish and English and beyond giddy at the fact that I'm finally here.  

 

Tomorrow I am scheduled to meet up with my group for an orientation of the city but who knows what the day will truly hold.

 

"Respond to every call that excites your spirit."

-Rumi

 



Adventure Time

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." -Saint Augustine

 

Well the time has finally come to pack my life into two suitcases and ship off to España. It's hard to believe that today is here. It seems like just yesterday that this trip was just a blip on the horizon, six months away, and now it's time to hop on that plane.  The mix of emotions that has been simmering for the past few months has finally culminated to something I find hard to actually pinpoint. It's as if someone threw nervousness, excitement, stress, jitters and adventure all into a bowl, mixed it up, and has been spoon feeding it to me for the past week. Needless to say, I have PLENTY of energy going in to this trip.

For those of you who don't know, I'm going to be staying in Salamanca, Spain, which is about 215 km northwest of Madrid. I'm going to be taking classes with my fellow Deacons and living with a family. We're about to see how good my Spanish really is....(side note: I've had more than one nightmare that I get over there and the only thing I can remember how to say is "Hola, me llamo Cameron.")...so here's to hoping that my years of Spanish classes don't fail me now. A flexible class schedule coupled with three day weekends should give me the chance to explore, get to know and fall in love with Salamanca and its unique culture. To dig deeper than the average tourist, and learn a little about myself and a little about life.

 The fact that I'm going to be living in another country for the next three and a half months hasn't really sunken in. This isn't vacation or even an extended stay. I'm going to be living in another country halfway around the world starting tomorrow. It's beyond surreal. But I'm ready to go. With my neutral wardrobe (barely packing in to 2 pretty big suitcases), passport in hand, and 95% certainty that everyone on my program will label me the resident diva (because of said suitcases), I am ready to go.

"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition.
What you'll discover will be wonderful.
What you'll discover is yourself."
-Alan Aida
 

As my one of my very dearest friends would say, "it's adventure time". And so I'm off. Off to meet new people. Off to see new places. Off on my next adventure.