Spain
Airport in Spain
Saturday,
When Madison and I first planted our feet on Spain soil, we were tired, but also really excited for our journey ahead. Just a side note: I may not write in this journal everyday because I am too busy having fun in SPAIN! So as I was saying, when we went into the airport, as we were waiting for our luggage, we read a little plaque talking about Spain’s history. It said Spain is included in the nations Spain and Gibraltar, a part of the European Union. It started from pre-historic Iberia through the global empire. So we finally got out luggage and took a taxi to our hotel. It was absolutely bonito. Everything looked extremely elegant and neat. We could not wait to sleep in la camas. After we got settled in, we went for a stroll to take a look at what we would venture through for the next couple of weeks. We stumbled upon a big park, which was very lively and lush. By a big, shady tree we saw another plaque informing us about the history of Spain. It said that the kingdom of Spain started in 1492--the same year Christopher Columbus voyaged to the new world, which started the development of the Spanish Empire.
When Madison and I first planted our feet on Spain soil, we were tired, but also really excited for our journey ahead. Just a side note: I may not write in this journal everyday because I am too busy having fun in SPAIN! So as I was saying, when we went into the airport, as we were waiting for our luggage, we read a little plaque talking about Spain’s history. It said Spain is included in the nations Spain and Gibraltar, a part of the European Union. It started from pre-historic Iberia through the global empire. So we finally got out luggage and took a taxi to our hotel. It was absolutely bonito. Everything looked extremely elegant and neat. We could not wait to sleep in la camas. After we got settled in, we went for a stroll to take a look at what we would venture through for the next couple of weeks. We stumbled upon a big park, which was very lively and lush. By a big, shady tree we saw another plaque informing us about the history of Spain. It said that the kingdom of Spain started in 1492--the same year Christopher Columbus voyaged to the new world, which started the development of the Spanish Empire.
Sunday
There was a Sueca festival that we visited today and there was a half ton Spanish bull, they call him Ratón, which means mouse. This was his first time back in the pin since he killed a man in August. When I had heard this, a man standing next to me said that he had also killed a man in Puerto de Sagunto in 2006. Other than the fact that that was frightening news, the fight was fun and definitely a memorable experience that is way better when you see it in person than on TV.
Monday
Monday,
In our downtime, well while I was waiting for Madison to get ready, I watched the news and saw that they are raising taxes on the rich. The Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, said that people with € 700,000 in real estate, stocks and bank deposits are required to pay the tax. He thinks that they will be able to help contribute to getting Spain out of crisis. Which I thought was very interesting and so I am wondering how that will play out, maybe we can try it back home, who knows.
After grabbing breakfast, Madison and I visited Calle de Preciado, a beautiful place filled with even more beautiful stores. After that we were in the mood to see a fashion show so we visited a modeling studio to check for any upcoming shows. While we were in there, we noticed a lot of people looked pretty sad. As we were walking out, we asked an approaching lady why they might be triste. She proceeded to tell us that a model had recently died from anorexia. That’s when I remembered some of the shops at Calle de Preciado had people switching out their falsely skinny mannequins for more real-shaped ones. Overall, it was an interesting day and we are planning to see a fashion show sometime next week.
In our downtime, well while I was waiting for Madison to get ready, I watched the news and saw that they are raising taxes on the rich. The Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, said that people with € 700,000 in real estate, stocks and bank deposits are required to pay the tax. He thinks that they will be able to help contribute to getting Spain out of crisis. Which I thought was very interesting and so I am wondering how that will play out, maybe we can try it back home, who knows.
After grabbing breakfast, Madison and I visited Calle de Preciado, a beautiful place filled with even more beautiful stores. After that we were in the mood to see a fashion show so we visited a modeling studio to check for any upcoming shows. While we were in there, we noticed a lot of people looked pretty sad. As we were walking out, we asked an approaching lady why they might be triste. She proceeded to tell us that a model had recently died from anorexia. That’s when I remembered some of the shops at Calle de Preciado had people switching out their falsely skinny mannequins for more real-shaped ones. Overall, it was an interesting day and we are planning to see a fashion show sometime next week.
Tuesday
Today we visited a playa bonita on the eastern coastline of Spain. On the way we traveled down a caminito in a quaint barrio. Afterwards wecaminamos to a small café and bought some cacao and chicle. Once we had finished we stumbled upon a corrida del toro and saw all the brave hombres tease it. When that had ended, it was close to puesta de sol so we went back to our hotel and video chatted with our friend back in California because she was enfermaand could not join us on our trip. After saying adiós to our friend, we got ready for la cena and headed out. We went to a dim-lighted restaurant and saw that they had fried escabeches! They were so good that we got an extra order to go.
Costa Rica-Saturday
My Costa Rican breakfast!
Today Madison and I landed in Costa Rica! [1]The official name is Republic of Costa Rica, it is in Central America. Costa Rica means “rich coast.” The plane ride wasn’t anything special. Costa Rica is bordered by Nicaragua, Panama, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is composed of seven provinces and divided into 81 cantons which are directed by mayors. The seven provinces are Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas, and San José. So when we go to our hotel we were starving so we ordered room service for lunch. [2]We got the most basic dish which was called casado. It was rice and beans unmixed, meat, and a salad. On the table in our room we noticed a bowl of small bananas that were fairly ripe. Then I remembered reading in an atlas that Costa Rica was big with plantains. After getting settled in and taking a nap we went out for dinner at what looked like a typical mexican restaurant. We ordered tacos and they put a tasty white cheese in it which we saw a lot on our trip which they must use often additionally with they’re use of tacos. They seriously put everything into taco form.
[1] History
[2] Passion
Sunday and Monday
Plantains! yesss
Sunday,
Buenos dias! This morning we decided to go to church. [1]Costa Ricans are mainly Roman Catholic. Afterwards we went to breakfast. We had a basic meal of rice and beans mixed, plantains, an egg, orange juice, and coffee. Later we went to a farmers’ market. It was muy beuno! You could tell that Costa Rica has a heavily influenced Spanish culture. Their main language is Spanish but many people can additionally speak English. We were thirsty so we got a shaved ice with flavored syrup and condensed milk. Madison got an aqua dolce, water with fruits. While listening to a banda of animada música we met an amable group of people who spoke English along with Spanish. They invited us to eat dinner with them at their casa. When we arrived they served us bebidas and pan de queso. For dinner we had arroz con pollo, which is chicken with rice. After dinner they took us to a club and we had a fun time and since it was late we stayed the night at their house. The almohadas on the beds were so comodo I could have slept in them all night!
Monday,
This morning we woke up to a traditional American breakfast of tocino and huevos. [2]While eating breakfast they turned on the news and we saw a recap of the ceremony for the end of the red ribbon week for the fifth year, for kids against doing drugs. They played sports and did anti-drug activities. The people of Costa Rica think it is a good way for the drug cartel to become less active in the future. I remember in middle school we would buy red ribbons, personally, I think it is amaravilloso idea. We also saw on the news that a North American man was killed by a bus station in San José! That makes me glad that we haven’t taken the bus during this trip. Apparently he was shot in several body parts. I don’t see why people kill other people on random, if this was random, I think its simplemente grosero. I’m glad we made friends with locals on our trip! I didn’t think we would, especially because it was our second to last day before we left. Luckily, we got their numbers and agreed to llama them when we returned to California.
[1] Culture
[2] Social Issue
Buenos dias! This morning we decided to go to church. [1]Costa Ricans are mainly Roman Catholic. Afterwards we went to breakfast. We had a basic meal of rice and beans mixed, plantains, an egg, orange juice, and coffee. Later we went to a farmers’ market. It was muy beuno! You could tell that Costa Rica has a heavily influenced Spanish culture. Their main language is Spanish but many people can additionally speak English. We were thirsty so we got a shaved ice with flavored syrup and condensed milk. Madison got an aqua dolce, water with fruits. While listening to a banda of animada música we met an amable group of people who spoke English along with Spanish. They invited us to eat dinner with them at their casa. When we arrived they served us bebidas and pan de queso. For dinner we had arroz con pollo, which is chicken with rice. After dinner they took us to a club and we had a fun time and since it was late we stayed the night at their house. The almohadas on the beds were so comodo I could have slept in them all night!
Monday,
This morning we woke up to a traditional American breakfast of tocino and huevos. [2]While eating breakfast they turned on the news and we saw a recap of the ceremony for the end of the red ribbon week for the fifth year, for kids against doing drugs. They played sports and did anti-drug activities. The people of Costa Rica think it is a good way for the drug cartel to become less active in the future. I remember in middle school we would buy red ribbons, personally, I think it is amaravilloso idea. We also saw on the news that a North American man was killed by a bus station in San José! That makes me glad that we haven’t taken the bus during this trip. Apparently he was shot in several body parts. I don’t see why people kill other people on random, if this was random, I think its simplemente grosero. I’m glad we made friends with locals on our trip! I didn’t think we would, especially because it was our second to last day before we left. Luckily, we got their numbers and agreed to llama them when we returned to California.
[1] Culture
[2] Social Issue
Colombia-Tuesday
Our hotel in Colombia and my new green hat!
Madison and I are so excited to be visiting our last stop on this three-part trip! After feeling obese from eating all that delicious food in Costa Rica,[1]we decided to spend our días and noches going to festivals and fiestas! On the plane our laptop batteries were low so we could not surf the web so we watched the in-flight movie. The movie was about the history of Colombia. I remember some fun facts: [2] In the 1500s Spanish settles along coast of current day Colombia. The first settlement was in 1525, Santa Marta. When the Spanish were conquering they made the “Viceroyalty of New Granada” It has the second largest population in South America and the third largest of any Spanish speaking country. Independence from Spain was won in 1819. I’m glad we, or well I (Madison fell asleep during the movie), watched the movie before we came to Colombia because it gave me a sense of what I’m going to see and it makes me even more excited. It was already dusk by the time we got to the airport so we just stayed in our hotel for the night and both pedimos salads from servicio de habitaciones. Then we vimos a movie on Madison’s Mac then fell asleep.
[1] Passion Starts
[2] History Starts
[1] Passion Starts
[2] History Starts
Wednesday
We didn’t get up until about 11:30 and then we watched cartoons for a while and then we decided to get ready. We went to get lunch and then we went shopping afterwards in a cute little shop. Compró a sun hat to match with my new maxi vestido and a really exotic green pinta de las uñas and also a vibrant índigo. Madison bought some sundry gifts for Marco, Samantha, and Dylan. While she was paying I saw a newspaper and read that [1] in Caracas, Venezuela, incognito Colombian soldiers came in and rescued 15 hostages from Guerrilla camps. Some of the hostages had been held since 2002. When the soldiers were in the camp they said they were going to transport the hostages elsewhere so they handcuffed them and messed with them a little then put them on a helicopter. Once in the helicopter they were released and told that they were free. If I’m not mistaken I think that the little shop was owned by a family and that would make sense too because in Colombia [2] family is very important.
[1] Social Issue 1
[2] Culture
[1] Social Issue 1
[2] Culture
Thursday
Today I am so excited! [1] Today is the Feria de las Flores or Festival of the flowers. It is held in Medellín during August. The main attraction is called Desfile de Silleteros, other main attractions are pageants, automobiles, concerts, and a Paso Fino horse parade. It is truly an amazing sight. The first festival was May 1, 1956. I took so many pictures that I’ll need a separate folder just for today. The parade represents the end of slavery. The festival was changed to be held in August in 1598. Since we were at the festival for so long it made us really tired when we got back to the hotel so we just slept the whole night.
[1] Passion Continues
[1] Passion Continues
Friday
We got so much sueño last night that we got up at 8:30 today and left the hotel at 9:30 which gave us a chance to eat breakfast. We were so excited to try the coffee! Of course I filled it with sugar but it still probado pretty great. I bought some coffee grinds so that we could have some at the hotel. After breakfast we went back to the hotel and watched TV for a while. I saw that some pageants were going on. [1] In Cartagena, Colombia they hosted two beauty pageants, as they do every November, Miss Colombia and the Independence Queen contest. Some “Afro-Colombian leaders” look down on the pageants because they think it judges women mainly on their looks. The winner of the Independence Queen Contest was 19 year-old, Ivonne Palencia. For Miss Colombia it is a more elite pageant compared to Independence Queen. This year’s winner was Catalina Robayo Vargas. The contest was originally founded in 1934 to attract tourists. But if must have worked because it attracted me to watch some videos and pictures of the pageant online. When seeing the pictures I noticed that [2]Colombia is quite ethnically diverse, Africans, Europeans, Middle Easterners, Spanish colonists, and natives live there. The culture is a mix of Spanish, indigenous and African. A probably well known fun fact about Colombia is that they remain the world's largest producer of cocaine.
Tonight we are going to a restaurant and today is dancing night. [3]The main dance form in Colombia is Cumbia dancing. Cumbia dancing originated on the coast of Colombia and Panama along the Caribbean Sea. It has African and native influences. The original cumbia dance was performed with drums and claves. There are many types of cumbia dancing: technocumbia, Chilean romantic cumbia chicha, cumbia villera, cumbia sonidera, etc. It was really fun learning how to dance! I think I have a video on my cellular of Madison and me trying to learn.
[1] Social Issue 2
[2] Culture
[3] Passion Continues
Tonight we are going to a restaurant and today is dancing night. [3]The main dance form in Colombia is Cumbia dancing. Cumbia dancing originated on the coast of Colombia and Panama along the Caribbean Sea. It has African and native influences. The original cumbia dance was performed with drums and claves. There are many types of cumbia dancing: technocumbia, Chilean romantic cumbia chicha, cumbia villera, cumbia sonidera, etc. It was really fun learning how to dance! I think I have a video on my cellular of Madison and me trying to learn.
[1] Social Issue 2
[2] Culture
[3] Passion Continues
Saturday and Sunday
One of the clubs we partied at!
Tonight we are going to a club. Apparently they are having a foam party tonight, I am so excited! We met these twin sisters, Kayley and Karley, that are from Los Angeles and they knew where all the good clubs were and promised to take us on Monday. We all bailamos for two hours non-stop.
Sunday,
[1]The Spanish brought Catholicism to Colombia. That means that they had a church so since today is Sunday we went to church. Afterwards went to brunch and ordered coffee and panqueques.
[1] Culture
Sunday,
[1]The Spanish brought Catholicism to Colombia. That means that they had a church so since today is Sunday we went to church. Afterwards went to brunch and ordered coffee and panqueques.
[1] Culture