My last two weeks in Salamanca went by so fast and taught me an extremely important lesson. I am somewhat of a shutterbug (of course) but in Salamanca I didn't get out and take photos that much because I kept telling myself I have plenty of time to explore and photograph, since we were going to be there 4 weeks. Well, the 4 weeks went by and I had only a handful of pictures of the town I spent the majority of my time in. Lesson learned - time is relative and make the most of it right now. The last two weeks in Salamanca were filed with term papers and final exams.
My second weekend excursion was to Lisbon, Portugal. It was interesting to me, since Portugal and Spain are so connected, both physically and historically, I didn't expect to see many differences in culture between the two countries. I was very wrong. The culture from one country to the next was extremely different. The Portuguese are a very warm, friendly people (not to say the Spanish weren't but it was a different kind of warm). They were also very eager to help with my pronunciation of Portuguese words, because my Spanish would get in the way of proper Portuguese pronunciation. Though, it was amusing to me how they would have to add "It is very different from Spanish" after each "lesson". I started to wonder if it was some sort of law since everyone seemed to do it. The languages are very similar, but I was surprised how much more like French it sounded than Spanish.
It was wonderful being near an ocean! As much as I am *not* a beach person, I love the ocean. Though, unfortunately for my wallet, I tend to start craving seafood too, which is never "cheap" (at least not the stuff that is edible).
Lisbon = San Francisco. Hills and everything. Which is not a dig at all because I really do like San Francisco a lot. But it was very shocking to me how much hiking there was to do in Lisbon. There were some spectacular hills that were so steep I wasn't certain if I needed shoes or climbing gear to scale them. But walk it we did!
You can see more of my Lisbon photos HERE
Day 2 of the excursion we went to Cascais and got a chance to go to the beach. Again, not really a beach person. But me and my friend walked around the town. We had lunch, and I'm not entirely certain if I said this in the other post or not, but one of the things I adore about Europe is the "food culture". I love that I can sit outside in a cafe for hours, enjoy my food, and there is generally some sort of street music playing nearby. It's the most relaxing thing. You can just hang out without feeling pressured to "turn over" the table for the waiter.
After eating, we wandered around and got "lost". We stumbled across a book fair, which was selling antique books. All published in Portuguese, but it was still cool to look at. Later we found a coffee shop that had a rooftop terrace to sit on that had wonderful views of the city. We had coffee and just enjoyed the sun and the sea there for a bit. After a bit more wandering around we got on the train and headed back to Lisbon (our group left before we felt we were "done" with the city so we took the train back separately).
You can see all my photos of this masterpiece of Gaudi's HERE and see it at night HERE
Then we went to Park Güell, a park that Gaudi designed in the middle of the city, and finally we saw La Pedrera, an apartment complex he designed. All of his designs are beyond words. Though I found them difficult to photograph (at least in the capacity I was there - as part of a group) because they are so different from every angle - and capturing it was a real challenge.
See more photos HERE
We took a day trip out to Figures to the Dalí Museum. I have never been much of a Dalí fan personally (apparently this is blasphemy), I don't dislike Dalí, but I have never really enjoyed his works. There are some motifs of his I have liked, usually the melting clocks, and there are a few pieces by him I like, but overall I wouldn't put him in my top 10 favorite artists. The museum though, I will say, definitely kept you interested because everything was so bizarre, and it seemed as if every corner was filled with something to look at.
See more of Dalí HERE
The final day in Barcelona, and my final day in Spain, was a free day. I wandered around getting lost. I really enjoyed my time to myself. After five weeks of being with a group, it was nice to have a day to myself, to wander around with my camera and get lost, get un-lost, and lost again.
My wandering photos are HERE
I also took the time to assess how I felt about the trip. I will say, in some ways I was a bit let down with Spain. I expected to fall in love with the country, much in the same way I fell in love with India. There is a passion that I can't help but feel when I talk or think about India. With Spain - I really enjoyed myself, but I wasn't in love either. I would go to Spain again, especially Barcelona, but I can't really say it changed me as a person either. It was an interesting experience. My Spanish definitely improved over my time there. I found myself much more comfortable with the language by the end of the trip, and more confident with my speaking abilities by the end of the trip. I was glad to get to go somewhere that speaks my language as a first language and spend a significant amount of time. There are things about the Spanish way of life that didn't "click" with me. For one, the concept of not going out until 1-2 in the morning. Call me an old fart (I am) but 1-2 in the morning I am winding down and ready for bed, not just getting started for the night. But it is an interesting country. It has an incredibly rich history (I was very glad I changed from Spanish Translation to History of Spain at the University) and I was glad I got a chance to study it a bit more.
Overall it was a wonderful trip.
For those in the Georgia area (or nearby) I highly recommend the program. You can find more information about it HERE.
My second weekend excursion was to Lisbon, Portugal. It was interesting to me, since Portugal and Spain are so connected, both physically and historically, I didn't expect to see many differences in culture between the two countries. I was very wrong. The culture from one country to the next was extremely different. The Portuguese are a very warm, friendly people (not to say the Spanish weren't but it was a different kind of warm). They were also very eager to help with my pronunciation of Portuguese words, because my Spanish would get in the way of proper Portuguese pronunciation. Though, it was amusing to me how they would have to add "It is very different from Spanish" after each "lesson". I started to wonder if it was some sort of law since everyone seemed to do it. The languages are very similar, but I was surprised how much more like French it sounded than Spanish.
It was wonderful being near an ocean! As much as I am *not* a beach person, I love the ocean. Though, unfortunately for my wallet, I tend to start craving seafood too, which is never "cheap" (at least not the stuff that is edible).
Lisbon = San Francisco. Hills and everything. Which is not a dig at all because I really do like San Francisco a lot. But it was very shocking to me how much hiking there was to do in Lisbon. There were some spectacular hills that were so steep I wasn't certain if I needed shoes or climbing gear to scale them. But walk it we did!
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| View from the old palace |
Day 2 of the excursion we went to Cascais and got a chance to go to the beach. Again, not really a beach person. But me and my friend walked around the town. We had lunch, and I'm not entirely certain if I said this in the other post or not, but one of the things I adore about Europe is the "food culture". I love that I can sit outside in a cafe for hours, enjoy my food, and there is generally some sort of street music playing nearby. It's the most relaxing thing. You can just hang out without feeling pressured to "turn over" the table for the waiter.
After eating, we wandered around and got "lost". We stumbled across a book fair, which was selling antique books. All published in Portuguese, but it was still cool to look at. Later we found a coffee shop that had a rooftop terrace to sit on that had wonderful views of the city. We had coffee and just enjoyed the sun and the sea there for a bit. After a bit more wandering around we got on the train and headed back to Lisbon (our group left before we felt we were "done" with the city so we took the train back separately).
You can see more of Cascais HERE
On the last day we stopped at a small town of Obidos, which is a walled in city. It also happened to be preparing for a Medival festival which was starting the next day (of course!). We also made a stop at Batalha Monastery. We visited a couple of monasteries in Portugal. They each had chapels which looked suspiciously like cathedrals (though they were not cathedrals).
Photos of Obidos and Batalha HERE
My last week in Salamanca, I finished up my dance class and took my exams. Then wandered around taking photos the few days before we departed for Barcelona.
Barcelona is an incredible city! Most definitely my favorite city we visited - I can see myself living there (and summering in Segovia!). I always sort of liked Gaudi, but seeing his works in real life was incredible! He is a visionary in every sense of the word.
First off, La Sagrada Familia is spectacular! I didn't know where to even *begin* taking photos of it. Then walking inside was sensory overload. It was like walking into Wonderland, and it seemed like every turn I made something new and interesting was waiting to be photographed. But the exterior, the detail is astounding. From far away it looks like a melting candle. But as you get close, and the detail work begins to show - it's mind blowing.
You can see all my photos of this masterpiece of Gaudi's HERE and see it at night HERE
Then we went to Park Güell, a park that Gaudi designed in the middle of the city, and finally we saw La Pedrera, an apartment complex he designed. All of his designs are beyond words. Though I found them difficult to photograph (at least in the capacity I was there - as part of a group) because they are so different from every angle - and capturing it was a real challenge.
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| Park Güell |
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| La Pedrera |
We took a day trip out to Figures to the Dalí Museum. I have never been much of a Dalí fan personally (apparently this is blasphemy), I don't dislike Dalí, but I have never really enjoyed his works. There are some motifs of his I have liked, usually the melting clocks, and there are a few pieces by him I like, but overall I wouldn't put him in my top 10 favorite artists. The museum though, I will say, definitely kept you interested because everything was so bizarre, and it seemed as if every corner was filled with something to look at.
See more of Dalí HERE
The final day in Barcelona, and my final day in Spain, was a free day. I wandered around getting lost. I really enjoyed my time to myself. After five weeks of being with a group, it was nice to have a day to myself, to wander around with my camera and get lost, get un-lost, and lost again.
My wandering photos are HERE
I also took the time to assess how I felt about the trip. I will say, in some ways I was a bit let down with Spain. I expected to fall in love with the country, much in the same way I fell in love with India. There is a passion that I can't help but feel when I talk or think about India. With Spain - I really enjoyed myself, but I wasn't in love either. I would go to Spain again, especially Barcelona, but I can't really say it changed me as a person either. It was an interesting experience. My Spanish definitely improved over my time there. I found myself much more comfortable with the language by the end of the trip, and more confident with my speaking abilities by the end of the trip. I was glad to get to go somewhere that speaks my language as a first language and spend a significant amount of time. There are things about the Spanish way of life that didn't "click" with me. For one, the concept of not going out until 1-2 in the morning. Call me an old fart (I am) but 1-2 in the morning I am winding down and ready for bed, not just getting started for the night. But it is an interesting country. It has an incredibly rich history (I was very glad I changed from Spanish Translation to History of Spain at the University) and I was glad I got a chance to study it a bit more.
Overall it was a wonderful trip.
For those in the Georgia area (or nearby) I highly recommend the program. You can find more information about it HERE.
