I moved back into my lovely apartment in the Mission district, and the lovely Laura that I sublet my humble abode to in my absence not only managed to keep all my plants alive, but also left an awesome Brady Bunch-esque couch! Excellent.
Also, despite everyone's panic about the economy, I got a great new job at a super chic salon in Union Square. So I've been settling into the 'new job' thang, AND! Of course I've already seen Star Trek (twice. Shut up.) and on opening night my fella took me for a get pumped food-and-fun-fest at Benihana before we saw the film at the Kabuki!(I think you call them "films" if you see them at the Kabuki). Overall I approve of the flick, and enjoyed it, although I did have a few minor complaints that I won't voice in too much detail for fear of spoiling it for not AS adamant trekkies, But seriously? The Romulans did not look like Romulans. But playing devil's advocate, it's not the first time the franchise has changed the appearance of an alien species (i.e., Klingons).
But I digress! Back to my European adventures!
First we're going to go back- way back- to the last weekend in March. My last week in Madrid and the week my Mom came to visit.
On Saturday we went to the really cute little town of Segovia, only an hour bus ride outside of Madrid.
It's on of the oldest aquaducts in Europe. Fun Fact- made without a drop of mortar.
The aquaduct is right next to the old historic part of town, and you can catch glimpses of it though the narrow streets.Also in Segovia is (of course) a beautiful cathedral!
Unfortunately the pictures I took inside came out like crap, but I loved that this was in the Gothic style, but a really pretty Mediterranean color, not that cold, drafty, Quasi Modo gray vibe, you know?It was a beautiful warm sunny day so we enjoyed walking around looking at the cherry blossoms and other people visiting the town.
Vegetarians beware! Segovia is known for its cochinillo, or suckling pig. Once again, Thomas' theory is proven correct:
The cuter, the tastier! Yes, we ate it. And it was amazing. My mom's even still had its little bitty hoof on it, but she managed to choke it down alright. Ha!Next! We went to the castle. Fun Fact- The castle in Segovia is the one Walt Disney based the Princess castle off of in Disneyland! So cute!
The inside had lots or Moorish touches that reminded me of Morocco, and we climbed the tower and got some amazing views of Segovia and the cathedral.The next day, Sunday, was a super busy day for us! We woke up early and went to mass in Spanish-it's still really easy to follow, because you just stand and sit when everyone else does, and if you can't say all the prayers and stuff in Spanish you just use a trick my mom taught me- say "rudebegga rudebegga rudebegga" over and over again, and it looks like you are following along flawlessly, woo!
Then we sifted through the antique books and nicknacks in the Rastro (giant flea market), and in the afternoon we went . . . .dun dun dun: BULLFIGHT! Molly and Summer and two of Summer's friends that were visiting came. It's not something I would ordinarily want to check out, but you know, when in Rome. . . or Madrid, whatever.
Before the bloodshed! What we didn't realize is that they kill SIX bulls, not one. It's pretty brutal.Other Matador Fun Facts- the matadors were really young- they ranged in age from 19 to the ripe old age of 25.
Fun Fact-Bullfighting is not that lucrative, and the matador is responsible for his own costume (or is it a uniform? Whatever.) and for paying out his matador team.
Fun Fact- there are circles and markings in the ring that are highly technical and significant, and what the matador does where is very detailed and important. How? I have no idea.
It's not something I would ever do again, but I'm really glad I went. It is a big part of Spanish culture, although lots of Spaniards today don't like bullfighting. And my host mom, a big fan of bullfighting, is right- it is beautiful and like an art form, and you can tell it hasn't changed in several hundred years. And on a more vulgar note- the matadors are HOT. It's so manly, and all that glittering, butt-hugging spandex? YES.
These guys are called picadors, and they stab the bull while on horseback. One of the horse fell over at one point, it was really scary. They also blindfold the horses and plug their ears so they don't spook.
Right before they kill the bull. Sometimes you think the bull will win, but it ended matadors 6, bulls 0. :(After the bullfight my mom came home with me to meet my host family and have dinner with us. It was really funny because my mom's Spanish is pretty minimal and Carmen doesn't speak any English, so I had to do a lot of translating, but it's funny- there was a definite universal mom-bond going on!
My last week in Madrid was pretty busy what with my mom visiting and it was my last week of school and finals, and blah blah blah, AND I had to pack and say good bye to my host family, which was really hard! Now that I've been home for a month I really miss them, and Spain. I miss watching movies in Spanish with Carmen, and her cooking me dinner and telling me about Esteban's fencing, and the challenge of speaking in Spanish everyday.
But, I had to move forward! Next on the itinerary: visiting Gwen and her man Paul in Scotland!
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