RETURN OF THE MULLET???

Ok.. so ever since I got here I've noticed Spanish boys are bringing back the mullet?
check the pictures out and tell me. I don't think this will go over to well in the U.S.

12 Days to go!!!

As you probably read before, I hurt my knee about a week after being here.. Don't know what happened ( I think I pulled a ligament or something on our first excursion to Salamanca).
Well, my host "mom" has 2 houses.. The first one being about 45 minutes away from our school, which is where I was staying.... and the other a cool retro place about 5 minutes from the school. The only thing is.... this apt. is a little run down. Either way, I would rather live here than keep injuring my knee, so I asked her if I could stay in the retro place, and she was cool with it. So after signing a waiver for UTA stating they weren't liable for anything that happened to me or my belongings , ( since the place is a little inhabitable ) I moved in.
The apt. is huge in comparison with the "pisos" here.. Pisos are the apartement flats. It's been nice having the whole place to myself... having friends over to study or whatever. I have internet connection, which is a luxury, and a washer. Things are not too shabby for me.
The only thing I would love is that the host "mom" feeds me. When I moved out she gave me 10 euros, and I've practically had to buy my own food since then. Kind of a problem, b/c it's relatively expensive to do anything here, even eat, and the food was included in the price of my trip. I'm not going to say anything to her... because I don't feel like I should be put in that position, and plus... If you know me.... I just won't say anything to her because I don't feel comfortable.
My life here has been pretty cool so far, besides the homesickness at the beginning.

León Spain

Today a group of us decided to take a day trio to León. It was a 2 hour bus ride north. Some of the things we saw were Gaudí's Casa de los Botines, and the old Cathedral of Leon.
Santa María de León Cathedral, also called The House of Light or the Pulchra Leonina is situated in the city of León in north-west Spain. It was built on the site of previous Roman hot baths of the 2nd century which, 800 years later, the emblematic king Ordoño II converted into a palace. Its doors, its impressive rose window, the choir (one of the oldest in the country) and the delicacy of some figures, like the venerated Virgin Blanca presiding over the constant traffic of visitors, are some of the not-to-be-missed features of this cathedral.
The León Cathedral, dedicated to Santa María de la Regla, was declared of Cultural Interest in 1844. It is known as the Pulchra Leonina and it is a masterpiece of the Gothic style dominating the mid 13th century, by master architect Enrique. In the late 16th century it was virtually finished.

Both were very interesting... We also visited The Palacio de los Guzmanes.
It was interesting because Construction work on this 16th-century building was never finished.
It is the work of the architect Enrique Gil de Hontañón. Its shape is trapezoid. It has four towers, one at each corner. It also has a courtyard with columns. On its façades, of contoured stone slabs, there are several carvings. On the lower part of the building you can find large openings with solid grilles and corbels with the arms of the Guzmans. On the upper part there are balconies with projecting sills and iron balustrades. It was declared a National Monument in 1963. Currently the home of the Leon Regional Government.

After the tour we walked around and took a siesta.. as you can see the little old man down there was enjoying as well. It was a nice interesting place, not to mention the fact that they had BURGER KING!!!! I really enjoyed that.

Flamenco Night at Cafe España

Last night Jose, Robyn, Dustin, and I went to see this fabulous trio of the very popular Spanish music known as Flamenco. It was quite a treat. Flamenco music is really sung with such intense feeling. Here's a little history about Flamenco.... and some pictures from last night.

Flamenco is a Spanish musical genre with strong, rhythmic undertones and is often accompanied with a similarly impassioned style of dance characterized by its powerful yet graceful execution, as well as its intricate hand and footwork. Flamenco embodies a complex musical and cultural tradition. Although considered part of the culture of Spain in general, flamenco actually originates from one region: Andalusia. However, other areas, mainly Extremadura and Murcia, have contributed to the development of several flamenco musical forms, and a great number of renowned flamenco artists have been born in other territories of the state. The roots of flamenco are not precisely known, but it is generally acknowledged that flamenco grew out of the unique interplay of native Arabic, Andalucian, Islamic, Sephardic, and Gypsy cultures that existed in Andalucia prior to and after the Reconquest. Latin American and especially Cuban influences have also been important in shaping several flamenco musical forms.

Once the seeds of flamenco were planted in Andalucia, it grew as a separate subculture, first centered in the provinces of Seville, Cádiz and part of Málaga—the area known as Baja Andalucía (Lower Andalusia)—but soon spreading to the rest of Andalucia, incorporating and transforming local folk music forms. As the popularity of flamenco extended to other areas, other local Spanish musical traditions (e.g. the Castilian traditional music) would also influence, and be influenced by, the traditional flamenco styles.

Spain

I guess I can talk a little about my stay here so far..... The people here are very straight faced and not very friendly to outsiders. Nothing like good 'ole country charm here, like we find in Texas. When I first arrived, I thought it was a little difficult to walk everywhere... I don't mind it as much now. The weather has been particularly diffictult to deal with since it's 85-90 degrees during the day and suddenly drops to 55-60 at night. (it's undertstandable since Valladolid has somewhat high altitude)
The coolest thing is the night life on the weekends. What I mean by night life is not the clubbing scene, but everyone gets together at the Plaza Mayor - you know.... like the town square. People have their dinner around 10pm, and then go out, to socialize... it's great..
I've enjoyed my stay here so far... I got really homesick about the 2nd week in, but now I see the light at the end of the tunnel...Can't wait to be home in 2 and a half weeks.
There's more to say but I will have to think and come back.. gotta go for now.

I FOUND MORTADELLA!!

(I know it seems all I do is eat.... and you're right! I have to post when I find food I enjoy here, b/c it's not very often I find something delicious!)
I was walking home from school today and saw this tiny little mom & pop shop, and walked in and to my surprise, they had a wide variety of cheeses and hams.. I got some mortadella and this was my lunch today! Doesn't it look yummie?????

Thank Goodness for Italian!

We found a great Italian place,!!!! Our food has been pretty gross lately! YUCK
I've been there twice... It's a little expensive, so I doubt I will be going there again... Therefore my friends, I had to take pictures of the food, it was great!
Here are some of the girls I've been hanging out with the most since being here.
(from the left) Brynn, Me, Robyn, Megan, and Stormi was taking the picture (she's the one on the bottom picture next to Robyn).... I will post some of her later on... She's a cutie.

A Bull Fight in Valladolid

*WARNING* PICTURES ARE GRAPHIC*WARNING*
I just wanted to experience the tradition of Spanish Culture.... I told myself knowing it was a little barbaric. I went, I saw, I will not go again... Like I said... I was surprised how it affected me. It was sad. Regardless, here are the pictures of the famous Bull Fight.

Segovia, Spain

We went to visit Segovia today... It was amazing.. that's what I say about every city I see here.
I love the architecture and most of all, just the simple fact that it's ancient. I mean 13th century stuff!!!! incredible. The most amazing part of the trip was seeing the aqueduct of Segovia, it was a majestic view. We also saw the Alcazar of Segovia....
Here is the amazing historical summary --

The site of the Alcázar of Segovia, on the top of a rock shaped by the rivers Eresma and Clamores, shows the military origins of this fortress which, for centuries, was impregnable.

The oldest testimony we have of the Alcázar is a document dating from the early days of the 12^th century (1122), a short time after the town had been recaptured by Alfonso VI, which refers to the fortress as a hill-fort on the Eresma. A short time later, in a letter of 1155, it was already being referred to as "Alcázar". However, it is more than probable that the fortress had existed in earlier times, possibly since the Roman occupation, because granite blocks similar to those of the Aqueduct have been found in the course of recent excavations. In residencies of the monarchs of Castile, partly due to the beauty of its location and its unquestionable military secureness, and partly for its proximity to the famous hunting-grounds in the mountain forests.

No architectural remains of this royal palace have been found previous to the times of Alfonso VIII "de las Navas" (late 12^th century or early 13^th century). However, the fact remains that there is a progressive consolidation of the process whereby the fortress acquires its status as a residence for the Court. The alterations were made in the elegant austerity of the Cistercian style, at the beginning of the transitional period between the Romanesque and the Gothic styles. Undoubtedly the gallery on the north side belongs to this period, consisting of a large hall (called the Great Hall) flanked on both sides by private rooms in the oriental style. The great western tower, called "Torre del Homenaje" (the Keep) follows the same design as the central part of the Alcázar. It consists of a hall topped with a pointed barrel vault and double-arched windows (mullioned) in its walls, which was used as an armoury. Despite the Cistercian character of these buildings, the Moorish art appears in the painted decorations such as the skirting boards with lace patterns painted in red on the light-coloured plaster background.

Alfonso X "The Wise" showed a special liking for Segovia and made the Alcázar into one of his favourite residences until the later days of his life, when the Parliament was held in this town which had remained loyal to him.In the 14^th century, Segovia bore witness to the struggle between different noble factions which the Alcázar did not escape; the new usage of artillery forced it to reinforce its walls and extend its defences. The monarchs of the Trastámara dynasty made use of the new gallery, parallel to the previous one, and converted it into a sumptuous series of halls in the style of the alcázares of Andalusia. The Gothic-Mudéjar decorations in these halls were begun in the times of Catherine of Lancaster, her son Juan II's regent. During his reign the great feasts at court, evoked by Jorge Manrique in his famous "Coplas", took place.

Enrique IV, very fond of Segovia, continued to embellish the Alcázar; during his reign the large tower bearing his father's name must have been finished. The Alcázar was a key fortress for the control of Castile, and it was from here that Isabella the Catholic set out for the Main Square to be proclaimed Queen. The Alcázar was also important during the civil wars of all successive periods, from the reign of Juana the Mad and the war of the "Comunidades" to the War of the Spanish Succession in the 18th century and the Carlist wars in the 19th century.

The monarchs of the Austrian dynasty frequently visited it and Philip II married his fourth wife, Anna of Austria, here. This King had important alterations made in the Alcázar, such as the patio in the Herrera style, and he had the roofs covered with conical slate spires in the style of the Central European castles.

Later on, the Alcázar was used as a state prison, where several important people were confined. It remained like that until 1762 when Carlos III founded the Royal School of Artillery, and installed it in the Alcázar in 1764. The first director of the School was Count Félix Gazola. The Royal School stayed here, except for short periods of time, until March 6, 1862, when a fire destroyed the roofs. From this date to the present the Royal School, later called the Artillery Academy, has been located in the convent of St. Francis in Segovia. The Alcázar was restored and, in 1898, the General Military Archives were installed on the upper floor. In 1953, the "Patronato del Alcázar" (Alcázar Trust) of Segovia was created; this is the institution in charge of the museum nowadays.