Real Madrid!

Last week I made my way to a soccer game. I saw REAL MADRID play against Getafe. It was an exciting game. Real Madrid came back in the last few minutes to win the game 3-2, even though they were playing with 1 less player. I was so surprised to see that almost the entire stadium was full on a Tuesday night for a 9pm game. It was wonderful and the devout fans made for a fun environment.

Barcelona...intersting city

This past weekend I embarked on another journey in Spain. I went to Barcelona. It started out as a mess because less than 48 hours before I was supposed to leave I noticed that I booked my flight for Barcelona to Madrid instead of Madrid to Barcelona. So I called and had to pay to change the ticket. Other than that little incident, everything else was wonderful. I visited the Barcelona Cathedral. It quickly became one of my favorite Gothic cathedrals. It was absolutely beautiful, especially the sanctuary. It has many side chapels that are dedicated to saints that are close to my heart. I was also able to walk on the roof; I had a great view of the city.
I also went to another cathedral, La Sagrada Familia, which is even more famous. Construction began in 1882 and still continues. The famous architect, Antoni Gaudi devoted many years of his life to this immense project and designed each part of it with a special significance. It is an absolutely magnificent piece of artwork. Every aspect of the building is covered in detail. The outside has 2 facades with a third one being constructed at the moment. The Nativity façade and the Passion façade both depict several scripture passages. I walked past each one several times and each time I came across something new that I did not see before. Inside the nave, (most of it was blocked off by scaffolding) it has the appearance of being under trees. It is quite imaginative. There are two sets of stained glass that have been put into place, both of which are beautiful and fill the inside with wonderful bright colors. Gaudi’s plan calls for several towers dedicated to different people such as Christ, Mary, the evangelist, etc. Some of the towers have already been built while others are in the process. I took an elevator to the top of an existing tower. I was able to view different parts of the cathedral up close. I also had a wonderful view of the city. I then walked down the stairs of the tower, there are about 400. The current team has scaled back on some of Gaudi’s original plans and hope to be completed by 2025. I would love to return and see it completed.
I also visited another one of Gaudi’s works the Casa Botlla. It is a house that Gaudi was commissioned to remodel. It was a beautiful house with so many interesting aspects. There are almost no straight walls throughout the entire house, and each room was designed for a specific purpose with special attention paid to lighting. The house was interesting and beautiful at the same time.

Semana Santa in Seville

From Malaga I took the train to Seville. I arrived on Thursday of Holy Week and left on Easter Sunday. Seville is city known for its Semana Santa celebrations and processions. I was able to view several of the processions throughout the weekend. I did not view them all because there are so many. On some days they start at 3pm and end at 6am and not all of them are advertised. A procession usually consisted of several hundred people marching through the street all wearing the same robe and mask. They belong to a brotherhood, some of which have existed for centuries. These people carry large candles (like 3 or 4 feet tall), while other carry banners, rule books or a staff bearing the brotherhood crest. The people in the procession are usually silent. Sometimes there are bands that will play different songs. Each brotherhood has its own procession. Also in the procession there are giant floats that are carried by 30-40 men. These usually depict something like Jesus carrying the cross, Jesus crucified, Jesus being taken down from the cross, etc. In every procession there are two different floats that have the Blessed Mother. In front of the float there are usually about 4 men that carry incents. Each procession is different and as it passes each church they add something different. It is an extremely peaceful experience because of respect everyone is quiet as each float passes. It is amazing to see the thousands of people, from infants to the elderly in wheelchairs, whom line the streets each time. It was an incredible experience.

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I saw Africa

After London I went back to Madrid and took a high speed train to Malaga. The train reached speeds up to 302 km/hr (187.7 mph). We stayed in a town outside of Malaga on the coast with beautiful beach (it reminded me of California). I only spent 2 days there and it was extremely relaxing. One of the days we took an excursion to near by town that was recommended to us. It is a typical Andalucian town up in the hills overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The town was small and quiet but enjoyable. There were some incredible views of the surrounding area. At one point I was able to see Africa in the distance. I end my stay in this area with by spending a few hours in the city of Malaga. I did not like it that much. I felt that it was dirty and boring. Other than Malaga I enjoyed the few days in the most southern part of Spain.

Loved London

I have made it back safely from my travels. My first stop for spring break was London. I was so lucky because the weather was beautiful the entire time. It never rained, just sun and some fog in the morning with temperatures in the 60’s. I enjoyed everything about London. It was one of my new favorite cities. I stayed with my friends that are studying in London and have internships at Parliament. They were our tour guides. During the 5 day visit we covered a lot of ground. Here are the things that we did:

~Westminster Abbey- wonderful, I did not realize that some many people are buried there like Charles Dickens, Isaac Newton, Queen Elizabeth I, Chaucer, and many others. It also holds the St. Edward’s coronation chair which has been used in every coronation since 1308.
~Clock Tower (Big Ben)- smaller than I expected
~Downing Street- residence of the Prime Minister
~Trafalgar Square
~Buckingham Palace and Changing of the Guards- The changing of the guards was a much longer ceremony than I had expected.
~Hyde Park- one of the largest parks in London which was used by King Henry VIII for hunting. The park is extremely green and has a rather large lake. It also has a famous statue of Peter Pan
~Harrods- One of the largest department stores with over 1million square feet. It is easy to get lost… they hand out maps as you walk in the door. It has every thing you can imagine. Most of the items are upscale so I did not purchase much. They have a food section with a bakery so I had a cupcake and bought some tea from the gift shop.
~British Museum- I saw the Rosetta Stone as well as sculptures from the Pantheon.
~St. James Park- A smaller park that was a happening place.
~Tower of London- The Crown Jewels were incredible. I found a way to solve the financial crisis: sell some stuff on e-bay.
~Tower Bridge
~Globe Theater
~St. Paul’s Cathedral
~Abbey Road- not much to see there.
~Platform 9 ¾ - I tried to go to Hogwarts.
~Parliament- We were given a private tour and because they were not in session we went into the chambers of both the House of Commons and Lords. We also ate lunch on the Terrace, overlooking the Thames River (it is usually reserved for only members of Parliament)
~Pub and Fish & Chips

I think we hit all of the big spots in London. It certainly was a wonderful trip.

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