I'm back!

Dear Everyone,

My sincerest apologies for being MIA the past few weeks-- I've been really distracted with homework and travel and I keep forgetting I even have a blog to post in!

Instead of going into a ton of detail about everything I've done (because you'd be reading a novel), here are some highlights:

Extremadura: The weekend of September 24, Linda (my professor), her psycho husband, two Universidad de Alcala professors and all 17 Butler guys and gals hopped on a bus to visit four cities in Spain: Caceres, Trujillo, Merida, and Guadalupe. I admit that when I go on all these school related field trips and excursions I'm usually the first one standing next to the tour guide, but there's so much history everywhere it's neat to hear everything.

Caceres was our first stop. We had beautiful weather and spent the first few hours eating the lunches our "mamas" pack for us (which usually consist of about 3 bocadillos (sandwiches), 2 pieces of fruit, a liter of water, and something chocolate...I don't know why they think we need so much!) and then we walked through a Medieval market in one of the plazas. It was great--I bought really neat handmade jewelry and tried some amazing desserts. The tour for that day was through Casco Antiguo, whose architecture was from the 15th century and had strong Roman influences. It was beautiful, especially at night!

The next day we got up bright and early to go to Trujillo. I think this stop was my favorite. Even though we didn't spend a lot of time there (it's a small city), it was absolutely gorgeous. We had great weather and we hiked up narrow roads to get to the top of some ruins that overlooked the whole city.

Stop no.3 was Merida. The city wasn't as old, but you'd be walking down the streets where people live/work/eat, and all of a sudden you're standing in front of an ancient Roman theater or something. It was kind of surreal because it definitely didn't look like it belonged there! After our tour Maggy, Claire, and I sat at an outdoor cafe and had a great lunch. I love that atmosphere-- no one seems to really be in a rush, and lots of meals are meant to be shared. I think it's a nice way of eating because you feel like everyone is comfortable and connected and it's not rude to just reach for what you want. And, finally, city number four...

Guadalupe houses a famous monastery that we stopped off to see. It was very pretty, and the tour of the monestary was interesting, but it was probably my least favorite just because I don't know a lot about Gothic architecture or the Catholic religion. After Guadalupe, we headed back home.

La Huelga: On Wednesday, Sept 29 there was a general strike in Madrid and the surrounding cities. The last general strike of this size was held about 20 years ago. I didn't go into the city that day (they estimated about 20% of public transportation was operational) but some of my friend's host families said that those who were going to work that day were being harassed, there were picket lines everywhere, and strikers were throwing stones at buses and public transportation. The only huelga experience I had was the night before (or, I guess, early that morning) because I was out at a bar with my friend Lauren. Around 2:30a they started to shut the bar down and people were singing huelga songs. When we stepped outside, picketers clapped and the bar closed for the day. I went home right after though--there was a huge crowd of people and police were on their way over.

El Monasterio de Piedra: Another one of our excursions with the Butler group was to a monestary and a national park. There were waterfalls, caves, and hiking--it was great to see nature beyond the big city. We were only there for a few hours, but definitely worth the 2 hour bus ride!

I'm almost done--hope you're still reading!

Uncle Mike: My uncle flies out to Madrid on business sometimes, and it just so happened that he was available for a few days while I'm studying here! For two days, I had a Madrid vacation in a great hotel, with fabulous food, and good company. I don't see my uncle that much while I'm in the states, so it was great catching up in the Plaza Mayor with tinto de verano and fried anchovies (which I highly recommend, believe it or not. AMAZING.)

And, finally... Mom is here! Today my mama en verdad (my 'real mom') arrived from Chicago to visit me for 10 days. She's taking a siesta right now, but when she wakes up we're going to eat a great meal cooked by my host mother (best cook in the world, by the way) and then spend some time walking through the streets of Alcala. This week is the Semana Cervantina, which is a week-long Medieval festival that celebrates the birth of Cervantes, author of Don Quijote. It's going to be a ton of fun, and tomorrow morning Claire, Kyle, my mama and I are flying to Barcelona for a few days. I'm soooooooo excited-- I've heard great things about Barca!

Thanks for bearing with me for that huge long catch-up. I promise to write more often! Now, time for homework...

M