The way I remember it, my last blog was from San Sebastián, Pais Vasco. I talked about falling in love, walks on the beach, and the fact that I wished to stay longer in that magical place. The fact is, that we woke up the next morning to pouring rain, so even if we had chosen to change our plans, it would not have been possible to truly enjoy the town.
We left San Sebastián as early as possible, due to our meeting with Rosa Ana, our brand new cousin. We arrived in Burgos, Spain, the town of Cid Campeador at around 12 30 pm. We had to wait until 2 pm both for our room and to meet Rosa Ana, so we dropped off our bags with a super cute front desk boy and walked the center of Burgos. We were RIGHT in the middle of the town, which was really nice. The cathedral was beautiful, the plaza mayor as well. The river that runs through the town is super nice, and they have a beautiful walkway that goes parallel to the river. Loved it. To our surprise, Burgos was chilly! Only 16 degrees Celsius. We wore our jackets from 2 and at night I wished I had brought a winter coat. It went down to 9 degrees!!!!
at 145, we returned to the hotel and were pleased by the news that we could get our room earlier than we were told.... we picked up the keys, dropped off our stuff, and I ran downstairs to meet Rosa Ana, my new cousin!
After a year of planning, we met in the lobby of the hotel. Rosa Ana, and her husband Javi, turned out to be amazing people - I was not surprised by that fact, but I think several people were rooting against us, as we insisted on meeting each other on this trip... She is tiny, shorter than me, and definitely a chain smoker. With that said, 98.3% of the people in Spain smoke cigarettes, so no judging here! They were welcoming, kind, warm and so humbled by our visit. We quickly exchanged presents and then proceeded to get in their car and drive up to El Castillo. As we drove up, they gave us the unofficial Burgos tour. She pointed out many interesting places, including Franco's summer house. I did not even know Franco was so in love with Burgos to have a summer home, but I get it. It really is a wonderful place.
We lucked out, and had a sunny day after over one week of continuous rain. The view from El Castillo was glorious. You could see all the way to the edge of town into the green fields. We spent there a good amount of time, finishing up with coffee at the mirador bar. We talked about many things, including but not limited to Nacho, Harley, school and how my parents could move to Spain :)
After coffee, we drove to Rosa Ana's neighborhood. We met her parents, her kids and her uncle. They are amazing people, and her dad is vaguely resembling of my grandpa. We took pictures, had sangria, and I kept hearing how "maja" I am. Maja means beautiful. My ego was boosted for the rest of the trip.
Javi, Rosa Ana's husband, is from Salamanca - holy land, as he calls it - and he gave me all kinds of fun tips and ideas on stuff to do. We ventured to the plaza mayor together and had pintxos, beer, and more conversation.
For the first time in a long time, my parents were out til 1230 am. They had a blast and talked about it for the remainder of the trip. I am glad we added Burgos to our itinerary, because I gained not just a new friend, but a whole new set of family members who are patiently waiting for our return to Burgos. I may see them again before I leave, and I hope I do!!!
We left Burgos very early on Saturday, because we had to meet my landlord girl at 2 pm at the apartment. We arrived quickly, checked into the hotel, and then came to the apartment. For European standards, the place is ridiculously huge. You walk into a lobby, that has stairs that take you to the second floor. My room is the first door on the right, and then there are more stairs that take you to a living area... then you keep going up and get to the kitchen, the bathroom and their bedroom. They are two really nice people, Mario and Sara. They are young for apartment owners, but they are also students and work in Madrid. They ride around in a Vespa and that makes me insanely jealous. I kind of want their life, since all I have seen of them since I arrived is how the leave to go to the pool, eat delicious food and stay up late.
My apartment is right in the center of Salamanca, right next door to a 4 star hotel, and down the street from the Rua Mayor. I can see the cathedral tower from my window! I am in love with the place, and I am glad I sorted out my life early enough to have the opportunity of living here.
After the keys and the apartment tour, I left with my parents for the rest of the day. We walked around Salamanca in a terrible hot, hot, heat. It was kind of miserable. Thankfully, the nights are cool and the mornings are pretty cold til mid day, so I am at least very comfortable while I am sleeping. We ate at La Covachuela, went into the cathedral, saw the Casa de las Conchas, and toured around the center. They loved the town. On Saturday night I slept at the hotel with them, and then woke up on Sunday to my last GRAND MEAL before they left back for Denver.
My parents did not talk all day on Sunday. They were incredibly depressed about the end of their vacation, and very bummed about having to leave Spain. I think they both learned a lot about this culture in their short time here, including the fact that one has to ENJOY LIFE, not work to live. People here, even unemployed, enjoy what they have and love their country, the people, the food, and experiencing life with a positive outlook. We ventured out into the city to get groceries, only to find all major stores, that have normally been open every weekend, are closed on Sundays in Salamanca. We eventually found a small 24 hour shop way north of me and we ran in to buy what I needed. at around 5 oclock pm, my parents dropped me off at my apartment, and they went back to the hotel. I stayed in, then walked to the student meeting at 6 pm about 20 minutes away. The meeting was okay. There are 39 of us in the program, which is huge. There are american students from 5 different schools. I have not really mingled with anyone yet, and they have not encouraged any kind of interaction - not even the professors who normally ask about us on the first day.
Today was our first real day of school. I snoozed til 7 am, took a quick shower, got ready, had yogurt, and headed to my beloved croissant shop in the Rua Mayor to pick up 4 mini croissants and a coffee. All for 2 euros!!!! I, then, walked to the class. We are taking Spanish culture (Divided into 4 units with 4 different professors) in the morning, then spanish syntax, and spanish literature to end the day at 2:30 pm. The professors are all really nice, except for the fact that the syntax lady doesn't like to answer questions. My lit professor looks like Mister Bean and it is very hard for me to focus. Hopefully tomorrow will prove to be a more focused day in that class!!
At 2:30, I bought an empanada and sat by the public library to chit chat with my friends. Then I came to my apartment, did homework, and proceeded to leave to the dorms for another useless student meeting. After the meeting, two of my friends and I ventured into the shopping district. I only had 10 euros, so that was a terrible torture for me. We ended at Carrefour, where I bought some groceries to avoid eating empanadas and croissants every day. I was super bargain shopper and bought tomatoes, bananas, half a loaf of bread, cured meat, cheese, 2 coke zeroes, zip lock bags and cookies for 7 euros - SCORE!!!
I am now eating a delicious sandwich, at 10 03 pm, as the sun is still shining outside. I will call it an early night and be ready for my second day of grad school tomorrow.
CHEERS!
Bee
Good luck with your classes. :)
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