Discoveries, Week 1: Friday

Casa de Cervantes

Train Station

This morning, my alarm went off at 6:30, but I fell back asleep and woke up at 7:30. My hair was a mess, but I still had breakfast and made it to class on time at 8:00. I guess I've reached the point where I have to set my alarm across the room so I have to go get it. The classes here normally start about ten minutes late. Being on time isn't really a big deal here. Most of us students still make a point to be exactly on time, but the professors will chat with people outside or work in the computer lab until they feel like going to class. It's kind of nice :)

El Palacio De Santa Cruz

For lunch we had “sopa con lentejas, zanahorias, patatas, y chorizo,” lentil soup with carrots, potatoes, and sausage. We also tried “café con helado,” coffee with ice cream, which was pretty good until the ice cream was gone :)

We skipped siesta and met the guys at the tourism office to rent bikes for free. Bailey and I got bikes, but we found out they only had two available at the time. As a result, we didn't ride them very much and returned them, but now we know how to get them in the future.

University of Valladolid

Next all of us went to the train station to see where we would be leaving tomorrow, then we rested at a place calle La Plaza Circular and watched some kids play soccer. We also saw the house of Miguel de Cervantes, the author of “Don Quixote de la Mancha.” We also walked inside “El Palacio de Santa Cruz” (see pics for all the buildings) and the University of Valladolid. We walked around the cathedral of Valladolid, but it was already closed, so we'll have to go back another day to see the inside. Next to the cathedral was another beautiful church called “La iglesia de Santa María de la Antigua.” It was a day full of seeing many, many impressive buildings. There were several cafes by the cathedral, and we talked about how strange it is that, for some people, eating lunch next to a cathedral is a normal, everyday thing.

La iglesia de Santa María de la Antigua

Cathedral of Valladolid

On our way home, Bailey and I walked by “La Real Iglesia de San Miguel y San Julían,” a church we've been by many times, but tonight the doors were open. The altar was breathtaking so we stood in the doors and took a picture.

For supper, we had chicken noodle soup again with “salchichas,” pieces of sausage shaped like hot dogs. Afterward, we watched the news for a little while. Tomorrow is the running of the bulls in Pamplona, which is one thing I absolutely don't have any desire to see in person. From what it looked like on the news, Pamplona is already full of crazy, drunk people. I will happily go to Madrid tomorrow instead :)

La Real Iglesia de San Miguel y San Julían

Bailey and I found a bar near our apartment that has Wifi, so we went there to use the internet. The man that ran the bar was very nice. He gave us the password to the Wifi and asked if we were Americans. He pointed to a Green Bay Packers flag on the wall and said some students from Wisconsin gave it to him when they were here during the Super Bowl. I tried “calimocho,” which is a common drink here that is a mixture of red wine and Coke. It was all right, it wasn't strong. As we have already noticed in other stores and restaurants, American music is very popular here. The whole time we were at the bar, I think there were only two songs I didn't recognize. I used Skype to call my parents, and Bailey called some people too. There were a few other people there early on, but Bailey and I were the last ones. When I went up to get water, the bartender told me what time he would close, but asked me if we needed more time on our computers and said he could stay open longer. Of course I responded that no, it was fine and we would go, but I thought it was surprising of him to offer such a thing.

We get to sleep in tomorrow because we don't leave for Madrid until 1 P.M.!

To see more pictures, go to: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3553695803896.2132207.1317690207&type=1&l=6a42a74eb4