As always I have no idea where to start. First off, we've finally had some beautiful weather this past week. As i've read and heard it sounds like the weather has been a mess for many all over the world, my heart goes out to those who have been tragically effected by Mother Nature's madness. I'll admit at times it's been a bit disappointing to have so much rain and overcast here in Santander, but when the sun shines, man, the city thrives (and we do as well):
So yeah, as you can see the sun was warmly welcomed. The beaches here are exactly as you would imagine; when it's a real hot and sunny day people are packed in like sardines and everyone looks like they are walking out of a magazine. Europeans definitely have style and majority of them are in unbelievable shape, it's wild. I've noticed that people are really active on the beach. There's always a ton of people running or walking up and down the shoreline. Soccer is huge here, obviously, so there's usually groups of guys playing soccer all up and down the bank. There's a little place to sign up for surfing lessons close by so there's usually a class or two taking place as well. The few warm days we've had down on the beach have been fantastic though, definitely getting me excited for Barcelona where the weather is predicted to be pretty nice. Regardless of the weather, Santander has been a wonderful home for the past month. It's crazy this is our last week. I don't want to think about leaving this:
Or this:
My host mom taught me how to bake apple pie last week. She is an excellent cook and I feel spoiled from all the delicious meals i've experienced in her home. As much as the langauge barrier has been a MAJOR obstacle in getting to know people in Spain, especially my host family, I am very grateful for all that i've experienced, positive and negative. There will always be little misunderstandings and confusions in any new situation, but overall I think it has been one of the most enlightening experiences of my life to live in a home so (literally) foreign to me. Not only do we speak different languages, but I grew up an only child in an average American style home. On top of that I have lived by myself for the past year in Boone. For most of my life I have always naturally been given my own space yet here I am comfortably sharing a cozy little apartment with four others who I barely understand half the time. It's beautiful because I can tell i've formed a really neat relationship with this family and i'm already thinking about how sad I will be to leave. As I write this the whole family is scurring around while loud Spanish reaggatone music is blasting throughout the apartment. I love it. I love the noise and I love the hustle that I so rarely feel when i'm in my own apartment. I'll be happy to be back home, but i'm trying to savor and appreciate these last few weeks here In Spain. It's crazy that the goodbyes are already slowly creeping up on us.
Last Thursday was our last day of class with Manuelo, our professor. We still have class all this week with Brent and Catherine, but it's crazy it's already almost over. It was a little sad to say goodbye to Manuelo. Even though I barely understood him half the time due to his desire to speak only in spanish to us, he was hilarious and an awesome teacher. After this class is over I am not required to take anymore Spanish, however I feel more motivated than ever before to continue learning the language. After being submersed in the culture for a decent amount of time I continue to realize how unbelievably important, and convientent, it is to know more than one language. I have full intention to return to Spain, and maybe Peru, one day- but next time I want to speak fluently. French is also next on my list. Ah, if you're reading this and want to tutor me in either language please be in contact- I will trade you with all the paintings and drawings you desire.
Okay, so what's been happening since last time? Let me go ahead and apologize if this is about to be all over the place. We've done a lot and it gets hard to keep track of it all. But here's my attempt and, as always, thank you for checking this out:
One of the most incredible things about this experience is how many people I have met from all over the world. I love to travel for the obvious reason of seeing new places, but I think meeting new people and hearing their stories is also one of the most rewarding opportunities that traveling presents. The other week Amy and I were walking home from the beach and we noticed a group of inviduals were gathered together in a local park all holding a variety of handmade signs. One of the group members noticed that we both had stopped to read their signs and he motioned for us to come over to them. We wound up staying and talking to them for a little while and learned that they were a group of students just like us who were mostly here in Santander to study. However, a handful of them were from Turkey and they were gathered in the park that day trying to raise awareness about a current conflict that was (and to my knowledge, still is) happening in Istanbul, Turkey. The conflict began after a group of citizens in Istanbul formed a small, peaceful protest in hopes of deterring plans by the government to cut down trees in Gezi Park in order to build a new shopping center. Individuals were against the idea of destroying a cultural park for the means of creating yet another shopping mall, however the protests wound up turning into a much greater, worldwide event than was originally intended. The Turkish police and government used chemical weapons, tear gases, and incredible violence to try to get the protestors to stop- even harming woman and children. The invidivuals we met in the park that day explained how there is a lot of coruption in Turkey and it made them extremely nervous to hear about what was happening to their neighbors and family back home. Gezi Park became a symbol of free speech, violation of human rights and the corruption in Turkey. Even though we didn't know a whole lot about what was happening, we were proud to support them by posing for a protest picture. In that group there were not only Turkish individuals, but Italian, Solvenian, German,Australian and after Amy and I joined, American. We all exchanged information and I am actually now friends with a few of them on Facebook and have since kept in short contact. If you have any interest in keeping up with what is happening within the Occupy Genzi movement, you can check out the facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/OccupyGezi.
As far as the traveling has gone, the group has stayed pretty well put in Santander for the past couple weeks. We did however take one short trip to a peaceful little area called Asturias:
We stayed in a small town called Cangas De Onis and spent time exploring some of the architecture around the area. One of the main sights we stopped and explored for a bit was the Roman Bridge, or the "Puente Vieyu". The Bridge crosses the Sella River and is one of the best-known symbols of the Principality of Asturias. The bridge dates back to the Medieval times, possibly the 13th century, and may have been the reason for the foundation of Cangas De Onis.
It was an absolutely beautiful bridge, covered in moss with authentic cobblestone flooring. I'm not sure how tall it is, but at it's highest point it provided a nice view of the mountains that surrounded the town.
After we explored the bridge a small group of us went to explore the downtown area and stumbled upon an authentic Sidre bar.
Asturias is known for its Sidre (Cider). The act of pouring the cider is considered an art, so there is a special way of doing it (which is pictured above.) Since it is natural and bottled without gas, the bottle must be held above the head allowing for a long vertical pour (requiring considerable skill and accuracy), which causes the cider to be aerated when it splashed into the glass below. This gives it a "zingy" taste. The glass is passed around and everyone drinks from the same glass. I was in awe watching them pour the sidre so gracefully into the glass. I wish I had gotten a video of it, but I would definitely recommend exploring the Sidre Bars if ever in Asturias.
Asturias is also known for its cheese. We visited the farmers market one morning and I was able to try a variety of different cheeses, which were indeed all delicious. Asturias is often called "the land of cheeses" (el país de los quesos) due to the product's diversity and quality in this region.
After the farmers market we ventured to another little coastal town caleld Llanes. We were there primarily because that was where the bus was picking us up, but we had a good few hours to explore around. There was an interesting installation surrounding one whole side of the shore with large, colorful cement boxes. You can see some of them in the picture above, but that is only one third of them. It was the most bizarre sight, but really intriguing at the same time. We didn't do too much in Llanes except grab a bite to eat and walk around sight-seeing, therefore i'm just going to let the pictures do the talking for this section because visually this place was incredible:
This was actually a really neat sight (above). I still am not exactly sure what was going on, but I believe there was some street celebration or religious ceremony of some sort happening. Regardless, many of the streets were covered an assortment of colorful grass, sand, and flowers all forming different designs leading down the streets. If I ever find out exactly what was going on I will update about it, but regardless it was nice to follow.
There is a close up of the leaves, sand, and petals that created the larger design.
Another little trip we went on was to Puente Viesgo to see the Cueva de El Castillo, or the Cave of the Castle. It contains the oldest known cave art in the world, which may be more than 40,000 years old.
The paintings and other markings span from the Lower Paleolithic to the Bronze Age and even into the Middle Ages. The paintings and carvings on the walls arevclassified as "hunters' art," representing animals above all, but also signs with unknown meaning and a few human figures. Our guide explained that there is theory that these specific caves may have been used for spiritual practices.
I wasn't actually allowed to take pictures once in the cave, but here's some examples of what we saw:
If you look closely you can see hand outlines.
Cave art is so unbelievably interesting because it represents the purest manifestation of the symbolic thought of the first Homo sapiens who colonized Western Europe about 35,000 years ago. As an artist I can't help but be completely in awe by the reality that these individuals were practicing the first forms of art, making observations in their daily routines and producing images based off them. It's pretty remarkable.
Speaking of art, I have been thoroughly enjoying the variety of street art Santander offers. While exploring one day, a few of us stumbled upon an art fair in the courtyard with a number of graffiti artists doing live graffiti all promoting a "Don't Smoke" campaign.
A different day a few of us were exploring the town again and came across a new section with walls filled with some of the most captivating graffiti I'd ever seen. Very inspiring, the bucket list just keeps growing:
It's been nice to be living in a new place for a while. I'm usually with other members of the group, but every so often I have found it relaxing to walk around the area by myself and find a place to just sit and watch. A few times i've come to this nearby park by myself and eaten lunch or just sat and watched the ocean. I love that in a new place, everything you do is an adventure regardless of whether you're alone or with others
As I have mentioned in probably every other post thus far, the group I'm here with is so diverse and great.
We've definitly had some adventures, every outting is a completely different experience. Usually if we're not in class or on the beach we're exploring the different pinchos bars:
Or sometimes we're just hanging out in the cafe on campus eating delicious, chocolate filled croissants:
Or, when we've decided that we should probably do things besides eat (rare) I suppose we try to study....
But usually we are preoccupied making new friends:
Sometimes very interesting new friends:
Some of my new friends I know I will be friends with for life:
Yet, some I am okay with never encountering again:
Then, there have been those memorable occasions when one of us found their long lost twin:
and occasionally, some have unleashed their inner rock star at kereokee night:
Unfortuanlty I don't have a witty caption for this one, I just really love Eliza's face:
But finally I have a picture of one of my host sisters, Carmen (far left). Her and a few of her friends took some of the girls and I around town one Friday night. As you can slightly see in the picture below, the streets are flooded on the weekends. It's an experience, for sure.
and once again here's my main buddy, Duke. He is always sneaking into my room and I am always okay with it, I will definitely miss him.
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All jokes aside, I am so unbelievably grateful for this experience. I'm shocked the group is about to leave Santander on Saturday. Even though it does feel like I have been living in Europe for months, the time has flown by and I don't think I am ready to part ways yet. Thankfully I still have two full weeks in Barcelona to come, and already three different apartments booked for that time. It's going to be insane. Thank you again for checking out the blog, I hope I was able to bring you along on the ride somewhat. Next time I update I will be in Barceloma. Ahhhhhhh, incredible. For now, hasta luego!
