Week 2 (part II): Ambling Through Hostels and Enchanted Gardens

Dear readers,

      As promised, here is a brief snapshot of the second half of my second week in Alicante. In this post, you will finally discover where my adventure took place after waiting so long with baited breath. On Friday, June 17th two friends and I boarded a train for a five-hour journey. The destination of this journey, heretofore undisclosed to you anxious readers, was Barcelona! Other than the fact that I had never visited the city before, there were a couple of other factors that made the entire trip quite the thrill. 

      First of all, Barcelona marked my first time ever staying in a hostel. After wary researching on TripAdvisor and Hostels.com, I decided to go for it because it was the most affordable housing option, though to be frank, the idea of lodging in a room with 7-10 utter strangers was a bit of a nerve-wracking one. Fortunately, the experience contradicted my fears and turned out to be a perfectly clean and safe environment to spend a few nights. One of the rooms is pictured below. 

Despite its somewhat "jailish" appearance, the hostel was perfectly comfortable! I would definitely recommend it to other travelers.

We only had one full day in Barcelona, so we bought passes to a tour bus so we could cover as much ground in the city as possible. On our way to the bus stop, I saw this sign... 

Upon witnessing this oddity, two thoughts came to my mind (after blinking several times in disbelief): 1) What is this doing in Barcelona, Spain? and 2) What on earth would be served at a Nebraska restaurant and bar? Lost for words.

      From the interesting Nebraska bar, we moved on to La Sagrada Familia, an unfinished work of true artistic genius by Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí was a Spanish artist who was (and still is) widely renown for his thoroughly unique and individualist style in architecture, which was an example of Catalan Modernisme. Catalan Modernisme is described as, an "expression of a desire for the modernisation and cultural resurgence of Catalonia, fed by the dynamism of its capital, Barcelona. This was why Modernisme went beyond architecture and the plastic arts, also playing an important role in language, literature, and music" (http://www.parkguell.cat/en/park-gueell/origin-and-creation, accessed June 23, 2016). Perhaps one of his most renown works of art is the cathedral, La Sagrada Familia, which he began in 1882, but was unable to finish by the time of his death in 1926. He worked for 44 years, but when someone asked him when he would ever finish the church, he responded: "My client is not in a hurry." Clearly, this shows us an insight into the passion of his artist's heart. His concern was not deadlines or the petty expectations of man; rather, he labored slowly and surely to meticulously craft something of true and unique beauty, which would please his Creator. Even looking at the church in its unfinished state, we know he truly accomplished that mission. 

We also visited Park Güell, which is another famous work of Gaudí. After being commissioned for the job by Eusebi Güell, Gaudí began construction in 1900 and opened it to the public in 1926. Simply breathtaking in its arboreal beauty alone, the park becomes a veritable paradise when decorated with the exquisite murals crafted by that master artist.

This is the home where Gaudí lived for most of his lifetime.

The flowers are simply breathtaking.

  Aren't the murals simply mind-blowing in their complexity and perfect symmetry?

That covered most of what we saw in Barcelona! As you can see, we spent most of our time touring Gaudí's works, which was an blessing I will never forget. They are simply indescribable in their majestic artistry. If you ever have the chance to visit Spain, please, go visit la Sagrada Familia, Güell, or any of Gaudí's other works. I assure you. You will not come away disappointed.

On our way back to the hostel, we were caught in a Grendel of a rainstorm, the intensity of which reminded me of a bath or dip in the pool. Naturally, being used to the thoroughly non-rainy climate of Alicante, I had only worn my Birkenstocks, shorts, and short sleeved white shirt. Bad call. We ended up having to make an emergency stop at Zara to pick up a sweater to protect me from the chill! Moral of the story: never mess with a white shirt when rain is on the line! If you didn't catch my Princess Bride reference there, I'm sorry. Go watch the movie and come back. ;)

Anyways, we finished off the day with traditional paella and wine at a local restaurant, which was of course, the perfect ending to a wonderful venture.

Thank you all for taking the time to read about my adventures in Spain! I hope you're as intrigued by this beautiful country as I increasingly am. And seriously, if you ever have the freedom, go visit Barcelona.

Hasta luego,

Laurel

Week 2 (part I): When Heaven Meets Kitchen

Hello, hello readers!

      I am writing to you all from my cozy room in Alicante, having recently returned from a weekend adventure at the end of my second week here in Spain. Before you even have time to worry and fret yourselves about where that adventure took place, I'll simply make it easy for you and tell you all about it. But not today! Instead, I have chosen to make you stew in suspense a bit longer (if you can't guess from the title of this post, that was a pun). Today, I thought I'd discuss Spanish cuisine as I have experienced it thus far. I actually took a free cooking course with my study abroad program this week and so thought that now would be the appropriate time to talk food. Although what is considered not a good time to talk about food? A funeral? Sympathy meals. A wedding? One word: cake. Class time? There's that apple-for-the-teacher thing, right? So we can see that food is always relevant. But I digress. To discuss Spanish food in particular, I learned a little bit about some traditional Spanish favorites. Confusion alert: Spanish cooking is not to be confused with Mexican cooking. The spices, main ingredients and nearly everything else are completely different. That clarified, in my cooking class we made paella, sautéed shrimp, deep-fried calamari, deep-fried tuna, gazpacho, sesame tuna on a cracker, and watermelon sautéed in rum. To make your mouth water, here are some pictures:

The chef showing us how to cut lemon flowers!

      This is paella, one of the key traditional Spanish foods and by far my favorite Spanish dish. The main filler ingredient is its rice base, but it is bolstered and enhanced by a colorful medley of vegetables and spices. Traditionally, paella is made with seafood or chicken, though it can be made vegetarian. I learned from the cooking class, however, that the juice of the meat is an extremely important factor to the final flavor of the rice, vegetables, and the overall ensemble. So vegetarian paella is simply not the same. Having sampled both, I would have to agree. Slowly cooking the rice with the meat really marries the two and allows the flavors to sink in and diffuse richly throughout the entire dish. And although they're pretty just to look at, the lemons actually add a wonderful flavor when squeezed over paella! The sweet acidity provides a brisk and complementary contrast with the warm, gentle spice that lulls the taste buds throughout the rest of the dish. 

  While we also sautéed watermelon in rum (it was delicious, contrary to my disbelief that watermelon could not and should not be cooked!), our instructor also created some art with part of a fresh melon!

      Here is a picture of the finished products from the class! The only dish I haven't mentioned that you may be unfamiliar with is gazpacho. There are various types of gazpacho, but the dish we made was a cold soup made from blended tomatoes, peppers, bread, ice, garlic, milk, pepper, and a few other spices. It's an unbelievably refreshing beverage or meal for the hot afternoons! Really, if the ocean cools skin down, gazpacho does the same for your insides. Sadly, I didn't manage to snap a picture of it in class, but here is a picture I found online: 

      My madre, or house mom, here in Spain has cooked me so many delicious dishes that have also helped me catch a glimpse into the Spanish culinary world. Perhaps the most delicious yet simultaneously simple dish she has prepared me is melón con jamón serrano. If you know any of these Spanish vocabulary words, the dish is exactly what it sounds like: melon with ham. 

      I know it sounds overly simple, but this little ensemble is just one of those beautiful unions of savory and sweet that cannot be described as anything but ecstasy. Part of the taste comes from the freshness of the fruit here in Spain, but mostly it comes from the amazing, unique flavor of el jamón serrano. It is a type of cured ham, which is prepared and cured using a special process for as long as 18 months! The process originated in the mountains of Spain (sierra=serrano), which favored the dry-curing process. The basic steps are Salting (the ham is covered in salt for about a day), Rest (the salt has time to sink in), Dry-Curing (the meat becomes ham as the increasing temperature changes it), Aging (the last stage before it is sold). This whole process produces a meat that boasts a truly unique, rich, and lingering flavor. It's a carnivore's dream, I'm telling you. The sad thing is, the ham curing process is protected by the European government, so we can't produce it in the U.S. So, go to Spain and try it. 

      I also love the gelato and ice cream in Spain! The flavors are just so different than we have in the U.S. For example, pictured below is my dark chocolate, red chili pepper, and orange flavored gelato (an intriguing interplay between sweet and spicy) combined with a class and cool coconut gelato. Can you say sweet tooth paradise?

      More concisely put: I simply adore the Spanish approach to cooking. Not only are the dishes richly spiced and thoroughly prepared, but even the presentation is appetizing to the eye. I've never eaten anything that looks unappetizing here thus far. Spaniards pay meticulous attention to the presentation of each dish and they take the time to craft their culinary endeavors to perfection (which is partly why restaurant meals can last up to 2-2 1/2 hours sometimes!).
      Well, foodie friends, you've just survived my two cents on Spanish cuisine! I trust that your keyboards or screens are not too badly water damaged from drooling. Even if they are, I want to thank you for taking the time to taunt your taste buds with me! Seriously, get out there, find a recipe, and TRY some Spanish cooking! You won't regret it.

Buen suerte with all of your cooking efforts! Check back later this week to hear about my adventure!

Laurel

Week 1: Of Castles and Cathedrals

Dear readers,

      It's hard to believe it, but my first week in Alicante is officially complete! So much has happened this week that it's hard to even think of a way to process it all, but I will do my best to break it down in a somewhat coherent manner.

    Monday through Friday I had my two Spanish language classes at the University of Alicante. Although four hours of Spanish class sounded daunting on paper, the classes have really flown by! I think this is partly because of the heavily conversational bent of the classes, which invites constant participation and interaction from students. This alone helps the classes to run smoothly, though we are learning so much in the meantime. Probably my favorite classroom moment thus far was discussing culture shock in my Conversation class. It was so interesting to see what things in my culture shocks or even horrifies those of other countries! For example, one of my classmates seemed somewhat appalled by earrings on babies, and another couldn't fathom the idea of "fangirling" a celebrity. So besides teaching me so much about the Spanish language, I'm also gaining an appreciation for the diversity of culture in our world! Things that seem normal to me might be shocking to others, just as an entire leg of a pig hanging from a store ceiling was shocking to me when I visited Valencia. See picture below.

      Speaking of Valencia, my Spanish Studies Abroad program visited there this past Saturday. We visited el Mercado Central, which is where I was greeted by the full legs of ham (el jamón in Spanish) in many vendor shops. It was an interesting experience! One could compare it to an indoor farmer's market. There were lush, fresh vegetables and fruits of all sorts, meats, horchata freshly made (which I still have yet to try!), and even candy of varieties I had never seen before. 

      We also visited the Fine Arts Museum, where we saw paintings from gothic style to Renaissance style, and to even a few modern tastes. 

      We also visited the City of Arts and Sciences, which was a fun walk around, though we didn't actually go inside any of the buildings. 

      We also visited the Valencia Cathedral, which was built in the 13th century, and is still used for church services today! Besides all the amazing design work inside, the Cathedral also boasts a few interesting and sacred relics. One of them is the Holy Grail, which is supposed to be the cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper.  It is pictured below.

The Cathedral also boasts the arm of Saint Vincent, the martyred patron saint of Valencia. The arm is considered a sacred relic because the fact that it remains in the flesh though it was not preserved by men, which presumedly shows the holiness of the saint. 

Here are a few other pictures from around Valencia:

This is a pillar from Llotja de la Seda, a mercantile center in the 15th century.

You might say the streets are a little narrower and the buildings a little closer than those in the U.S.

      This week I also visited El Castillo de Santa Barbara, which is a major historical attraction in Alicante. It was built in the 9th century and has been maintained and renovated over time. Legend has it that Alicante received its name from the sad tale of two thwarted lovers: Ali and Princess Cántara, who committed suicide off the side of the mountain because of their broken hearts. Combine Ali + Cántara, and you end up with something like Alicante! Here are a few gorgeous pictures from the castle: 

That about sums up my first week here in Alicante! I still can't believe I've been here for a week, but I'm excited for the remainder of my time here. Once again, thank you for checking out my blog! 

God bless,

Laurel

Post-Arrival Ponderings

Hello, readers!
      It's been a few weeks since my first post on this blog and much has happened since then. I arrived in Alicante on June 4th, and at the airport I met some fellow Americans who are studying with me here in Spain, which was a huge blessing because we immediately had a group to explore and practice Spanish with. Upon arrival, I met my wonderful host mom (in Spanish the title is "madre"). She is an amazing cook, very friendly, outgoing, and gracious when I make mistakes with the language. Even though I've only been here for two and a half days I feel noticeably more comfortable conversing in Spanish because of my many casual conversations with her. Here is a picture of us at a beautiful little park in the area:

In case you're wondering what kind of strange arboreal structure is looming behind us, I have no idea. I've never seen that type of tree except for in Alicante, so of course I had to snap a picture with it.

      Being a native of Nebraska and a student in Michigan, I'm fairly accustomed to unusual and unreliable weather, but in Alicante the weather is absolutely gorgeous. It certainly gets hot in the peak of the day, but there is often a delightful sea breeze that wafts its way through even the most crowded streets. It's the perfect gentle guardian against the rays of the relentless Mediterranean sun. Slender palm trees, vivid purple, pink, and yellow flowers dot the landscape, painting a breathtaking picture of tropical beauty. Here are a few photos I was able to take on my walk around town: 

El Paseo de la Explanada

Palm trees in the evening light.

  

This two pictures show part of a wharf in Alicante, which is crowded with fishing boats, leisure boats, ferries, and even house boats! On the left is an old-fashioned ship that I don't actually know the history behind, but I love the aesthetic contrast between it and its modern compatriots. And yes, the photo on the right is my attempt at gazing whimsically into the distance.

      Besides all of the wonderful sights to see, I also came to Spain to take classes, right? Right. And today I had my first classes! The classes are at the University of Alicante (en español: La Universidad de Alicante) and are a part of the university's foreign studies program. So my classes are with people from all different countries. It's wonderful for learning because the only language we have in common is Spanish! So we are forced by sheer necessity to only use Spanish. Besides the classroom work, this casual conversation in Spanish is so helpful for language learning. I've taken a few pictures of the campus (see below), but I will take more in the future! It's really a beautiful university. It's very modern in technology and conveniences. 

Note that this building looks a bit unusual for a college campus? There is a reason for that. It actually used to be a radio command tower in the airport that existed before the University!

This sculpture of a hand was crafted by Pepe Diaz Alzorin to respect the universities and teachers of times past.

      Well, I think I've briefly covered the most notable experiences I have had so far. Tomorrow the program will visit El Castillo de Santa Barbara, so more pictures and posts to come! Again, thank you all for reading my blog and supporting me in this venture, whether through prayer, thoughtful messages, or just kind words of encouragement before I left home. I am so blessed to study in this beautiful country, but I'm even more blessed by the wonderful people who grace my life.

Bendiciones,

Laurel