Essentially, these characterize my last two trips. Not together, of course - the first would be Germany, and the art would be in regards to Madrid, where I went this past weekend. However, I´ve been slacking on the bloggage, so I´ll have to compact them into one big story.
First, Germany - we left Sevilla on Wednesday night (the 11th), and flew to Stansted airport in London for the first leg of our trip. Unfortunately we had to spend the night in the airport, but we were not dismayed - I snuggled up under an overhang on the nice tile floor to catch a few z´s. We left nice and early that morning for Munich (after I accidentally spent more than 2 pounds aka 3 euro aka 4.50 dollars on a tiny cup of coffee in a sleepy stupor), and arrived in the beautiful city around noon. Definitely a change from Spain! We broke out the gloves and peacoats, and started walking around. We had the good fortune to have a Munich insider available to us, because one of the guys on the trip has a random connection in Munich. So we met his friend Sabrina, who goes to school at the University of Munich, and she was really enthusiastic about taking us around. We hit up all the major sites - the Glockenschpiel clock tower, the opera house, the university, the English gardens, the church, and the outdoor market, which I loved - they were selling sausage, cheese, produce, honey, and christmas garlands that smelled like cinnamon and anise. We also saw the Hofbrauhaus, the famous German beer hall, which was absolutely ridiculous - huge Bavarian women carrying giant beer steins and plates of sausages amidst accordion and tuba music coming from a not-at-all-stereotypical band. Sabrina said that the Hofbrauhaus was for tourists, and insisted on taking us to a real restaurant - the Augustiner Bierhaus. The food was INCREDIBLE - though I´m not one for meat and potatoes, the shwine and knudel was delish.
The day was so much fun, and we basically got to see the entire city - we really power-walked the streets, which is protocol in Germany. Everyone walks very quickly, and it was repeatedly referred to as ´the land of punctuality;´so much, in fact, that it wasn´t even a joke anymore. We ate apples bought from vendors on the streets, munched on Milka brand chocolate the ENTIRE time, and enjoyed conversing in English for the first time in a while. I also accidentally stole a piece of cheese from a man at the outdoor market!!! However, he was really nice and understanding. Word of advice for future German travelers out there: samples in Germany = not always samples.
The next day we took the train to Fussen, a tiny town in the Bavarian Alps. The ride was so beautiful - I would gamble to say that Germany has some of the best landscapes in all of Europe, at least of what I´ve seen thus far. We rested up at our mountain lodge-like hostel, complete with huge old-fashioned wrought-iron keys, and the next day left for our tour of the fairytale castles up the hill. Apparently this prince Ludwig grew up in the first castle we visited, called the Hohenshwangau, and then decided to build his own castle, the Neuschwanstein. They were so incredible - very anachronistic and over the top, and located in the most beautiful mountain-scape. We spent about 7 hours hiking around the castles, taking tours, and taking pictures - we watched the sun set over the hills and got to see the castles lit up at night. When we returned to Fussen, which essentially shuts down at about 5 pm (downtown Littleton, anyone???), we managed to find the PERFECT restaurant for dinner, where I ordered a much-deserved hot chocolate and some potato soup in a bread bowl. The waitresses at that restaurant were also hearty Bavarian women, and instead of carrying around steins, carried around tiny barrels of beer that they would pour directly into their patron´s mouths while standing above them. This was quite a spectacle, and only reinforced my strong dislike of beer. Sorry Germany, I´ll just have apple juice. :0)
So now Madrid - I don´t have as many personalized stories, mostly because we just hit up the major sites. We took the 6-hour bus on Thursday the 19th, and immediately went to see the exhibits at the Caixa Forum and the Reina Sofia (which I loved - Guernica is AMAZING!!). Friday we hit up the Basilica de San Fernando de los Angeles, the royal palace, and the Prado, where we spent 4 hours. Saturday was relaxing - just shopping in the morning and the park in the afternoon, which I loved - the leaves were changing, the weather was crisp, and the sky was grey, which made it a perfect day. Sunday we went for churros and chocolate in the morning and walked through El Rastro, the famous Sunday market in Madrid. We completed our stay with a visit to the Thyssen-Bornemisza, where we spent another 3 hours! In summary, as is stated above, basically the most art I´ve ever seen in my life. I loved seeing all the culture and learning about the paintings (which was supplemented well by my knowledge from my Spanish art class), but overall, Madrid is not nearly as beautiful nor culturally Spanish as Sevilla. I was so happy to come home to my familia, the friendly Andalusians, and the wonderful weather!!!
At this point, I´ve gone on 7 trips - while I´ve enjoyed traveling immensely, each time it becomes harder to leave Sevilla and my family. So returning from Madrid was wonderful because I will, from here on out, be spending most of my time in Sevilla once again. The weather is getting crisper, the decorations are being put up, and the classes are winding down - I leave exactly 4 weeks from today, and I have a lot to look forward to in the time that remains.
First, Germany - we left Sevilla on Wednesday night (the 11th), and flew to Stansted airport in London for the first leg of our trip. Unfortunately we had to spend the night in the airport, but we were not dismayed - I snuggled up under an overhang on the nice tile floor to catch a few z´s. We left nice and early that morning for Munich (after I accidentally spent more than 2 pounds aka 3 euro aka 4.50 dollars on a tiny cup of coffee in a sleepy stupor), and arrived in the beautiful city around noon. Definitely a change from Spain! We broke out the gloves and peacoats, and started walking around. We had the good fortune to have a Munich insider available to us, because one of the guys on the trip has a random connection in Munich. So we met his friend Sabrina, who goes to school at the University of Munich, and she was really enthusiastic about taking us around. We hit up all the major sites - the Glockenschpiel clock tower, the opera house, the university, the English gardens, the church, and the outdoor market, which I loved - they were selling sausage, cheese, produce, honey, and christmas garlands that smelled like cinnamon and anise. We also saw the Hofbrauhaus, the famous German beer hall, which was absolutely ridiculous - huge Bavarian women carrying giant beer steins and plates of sausages amidst accordion and tuba music coming from a not-at-all-stereotypical band. Sabrina said that the Hofbrauhaus was for tourists, and insisted on taking us to a real restaurant - the Augustiner Bierhaus. The food was INCREDIBLE - though I´m not one for meat and potatoes, the shwine and knudel was delish.
The day was so much fun, and we basically got to see the entire city - we really power-walked the streets, which is protocol in Germany. Everyone walks very quickly, and it was repeatedly referred to as ´the land of punctuality;´so much, in fact, that it wasn´t even a joke anymore. We ate apples bought from vendors on the streets, munched on Milka brand chocolate the ENTIRE time, and enjoyed conversing in English for the first time in a while. I also accidentally stole a piece of cheese from a man at the outdoor market!!! However, he was really nice and understanding. Word of advice for future German travelers out there: samples in Germany = not always samples.
The next day we took the train to Fussen, a tiny town in the Bavarian Alps. The ride was so beautiful - I would gamble to say that Germany has some of the best landscapes in all of Europe, at least of what I´ve seen thus far. We rested up at our mountain lodge-like hostel, complete with huge old-fashioned wrought-iron keys, and the next day left for our tour of the fairytale castles up the hill. Apparently this prince Ludwig grew up in the first castle we visited, called the Hohenshwangau, and then decided to build his own castle, the Neuschwanstein. They were so incredible - very anachronistic and over the top, and located in the most beautiful mountain-scape. We spent about 7 hours hiking around the castles, taking tours, and taking pictures - we watched the sun set over the hills and got to see the castles lit up at night. When we returned to Fussen, which essentially shuts down at about 5 pm (downtown Littleton, anyone???), we managed to find the PERFECT restaurant for dinner, where I ordered a much-deserved hot chocolate and some potato soup in a bread bowl. The waitresses at that restaurant were also hearty Bavarian women, and instead of carrying around steins, carried around tiny barrels of beer that they would pour directly into their patron´s mouths while standing above them. This was quite a spectacle, and only reinforced my strong dislike of beer. Sorry Germany, I´ll just have apple juice. :0)
So now Madrid - I don´t have as many personalized stories, mostly because we just hit up the major sites. We took the 6-hour bus on Thursday the 19th, and immediately went to see the exhibits at the Caixa Forum and the Reina Sofia (which I loved - Guernica is AMAZING!!). Friday we hit up the Basilica de San Fernando de los Angeles, the royal palace, and the Prado, where we spent 4 hours. Saturday was relaxing - just shopping in the morning and the park in the afternoon, which I loved - the leaves were changing, the weather was crisp, and the sky was grey, which made it a perfect day. Sunday we went for churros and chocolate in the morning and walked through El Rastro, the famous Sunday market in Madrid. We completed our stay with a visit to the Thyssen-Bornemisza, where we spent another 3 hours! In summary, as is stated above, basically the most art I´ve ever seen in my life. I loved seeing all the culture and learning about the paintings (which was supplemented well by my knowledge from my Spanish art class), but overall, Madrid is not nearly as beautiful nor culturally Spanish as Sevilla. I was so happy to come home to my familia, the friendly Andalusians, and the wonderful weather!!!
At this point, I´ve gone on 7 trips - while I´ve enjoyed traveling immensely, each time it becomes harder to leave Sevilla and my family. So returning from Madrid was wonderful because I will, from here on out, be spending most of my time in Sevilla once again. The weather is getting crisper, the decorations are being put up, and the classes are winding down - I leave exactly 4 weeks from today, and I have a lot to look forward to in the time that remains.
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