Off to the Homeland

July 30, 2012

We are entering our fourth week abroad and third out-of-London excursion.  Destination- ROME.  I am unbearably excited to experience the Italian culture and gain a deeper understanding about my Italian heritage.  My Nonna and Popop came to America in the '50s from a small town in Southern Italy, San Donato.  They brought with them a dream for a prosperous life in America but also a dream to preserve their Italian traditions, values, and recipes.  I strongly identify with my Italian lineage because the culture has always been so present in my life.  I listened to Italian nursery rhymes as a child, ate seven types of fish on Christmas Eve, and played bocce more times than any other sport combined.  I have grown so fond of listening to the Italian language and am anxious to listen to the varying dialects through our travels.  We will begin in Rome with our group then I will venture to Florence and Venice with three friends as part of our long weekend vacation.  CIAO!!

After dodging a team of pickpocketing teens, we made our way to the hotel, starkly aware that weather in Rome is quite different than weather in London.  Just walking four blocks, I was dripping sweat and wishing I had the ability to conjure a glass of water at any given moment.  We wasted no time diving right into Roman culture and history, starting with food.  It seemed like every restaurant with outdoor seating "had the most authentic Italian cuisine" for the "best prices in the area," so the employees said.  However, I came to realize quickly that it's much harder to find a meal you don't like in Rome than one you do.

 

Love at first sight

With plenty of carbs in our bellies, we were off to learn more about the Roman empire.  On our way to the ruins, we visited the Bascilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the five great ancient basilicas in Rome.  Legend has it that Pope Liberius in the 13th century had a vision of the Virgin Mary telling him to build a church on this hill and in the morning, a miraculous snowfall outlined the floor plan of the church to-be.  I bet contractors today would love if someone else would do all that planning work for them.  The church was renovated in the 18th century, thankfully, because I don't know how comfortable I would feel about standing below a roof built 1,994 years ago.

 

Posing with the Santa Maria Maggiore

Venturing down the steep roads to the Roman Forum, I couldn't help but imagine the Roman Empire in its glory days.  The ruins outlined what used to be the heart of ancient Rome, a place of social gathering and government relations dating back from about 500 BC to the fall of the Roman Empire 1,000 years later.

The Forum area was a marshland set in a valley between the Palatine, Capitoline, and Esquiline Hills.  When Rome became a republic, it was ruled by an Etruscan dynasty of Tarquin Kings that built a sewer to drain the water from the valley to the Tiber River, allowing the area to thrive.

To the left of the Forum is the infamous Colosseum, one of the new seven wonders of the world (now I'm 1/7th of my way through them!).  It was enchanting and overwhelming all at once.  We only perused the outside but we plan to take a tour of it before leaving.

Rather than a plaque or nice medal to commemorate triumphs in battle, the ancient Roman Empire preferred to award victories by dedicating an arch to the leader in power.  There were several remains of very old arches scattered through the Forum but Constantine's Arch was by far the most well-preserved and attracted the most tourists.  The arch is engraved with scenes from battles and even depicts Constantine fighting to victory.  Constantine felt as though a Christian God helped him win the civil war defeating Maxentius, so once he assumed power, he declared Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Curious what I ate for dinner..?

lasagna bolognese YUM

I think I fit in well here in the homeland

Adventures in Town

July 28, 2012

Our inaugural adventure of the day was the Brunswick Farmers Market in Russell Square. Jenny and I needed to visit the cookie vendor again-- white macadamia nut and double chocolate chunk were our choices this time (neither of which could top the peanut butter toffee number from our last visit).  We were thirsty for more site seeing (and a drink) so off we were!  First stop, Starbucks; second, the Royal Opera House.

As part of the London 2012 festival, the Royal Opera House ran a special exhibit, "The Olympic Journey:  The Story of the Games."  We wandered Covent Garden for a good half hour before finding where we needed to be, and boy am I glad we kept searching.  The exhibit was an incredible, inspiring learning experience.  Our tour guide was fantastic, describing the history of the Olympic Games dating back to ancient myths of 770 BC venturing to the Ancient Olympic Games of Pentathalon competitions.  Unlike today, athletes could not specialize in a single sport but were required to excel in all five domains: long jump, javelin throw, and discus throw, followed by running and wrestling.  Post-Ancient Games into the 1,890 year hiatus of the games, the story traveled through time, exposing both the turbulence and world unity that the games caused.  The evolution of the event is nothing short of amazing.  I was mesmerized by the medal exhibit showing off every Summer Olympic medal since 1896 and every Olympic torch since 1936.  Best part?  Getting to snap a pic with the 2012 Olympic torch at the end!!  Fun fact- There were 8,000 torches made for the 2012 games.  And to think I was going to touch the one and only real Olympics torch..which does not actually exist.  The duplicate was still exciting enough.

The 2012 Olympic torch's route from Athens and us "running" with one of the 8,000!

That evening, we went out to some bars in King's Cross, and you would never guess what was there- an Olympic torch.  It was quite funny that when we posed with the torch at the museum, we weren't even allowed to touch it but could slobber all over the torch replica at the bar that looked exactly the same.  I felt like I was breaking some sort of rule by actually holding it but that unsettling emotion was overpowered by thrill of posing on a red carpet runway in one of the fashion capitals of the world.  Even if it was all fake, I felt like a superstar.

Let THE GAMES begin!!

This is me finishing my study abroad blog, slightly over a year later.

Friday, July 27, 2012

It is the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 summer Olympics, and we are right in the middle of the madness.  Jenny, Noel, and I decided to wake up early to have a brunch fit for an Olympic athlete and then watch the Royal Regatta under the Millennium Bridge.  I was surprised how calm the city seemed for it being arguably the most anticipated day of summer in the world thus far.  There wasn't even a wait for us to dine at a cafe that was mere steps from Millennium Bridge.  The rainy haze, on the other hand, was no surprise.

After a few brunch mimosas, we headed over to grab a good spot to watch the Olympic torch pass under Tower Bridge.

We waited for about 45 minutes..by ourselves.  So much for rushing to get there early for prime seating.  I guess the Thames is quite long.  Eventually we welcomed company around us and noticed Millennium Bridge quickly line with eager spectators.  It was fun to share this moment with some local British folks even if we were much more enthralled in the experience than they were.  When we saw the first police boat race under Blackfriars Bridge and Railway, that's when we knew it was time.

Security was dense but I guess that's the price for protecting a torch that has been in transit on a 70 day road-trip from Greece.

 The Olympic Torch Regatta 

The torch is at the bow of the boat

 Look, you can even see Shakespeare's Globe Theater on the other side of the Thames!

From here, we decided to try to chase after the regatta in attempts to snap a pic of the torch passing under Tower Bridge.  We ran on roads and back streets along the Thames, pushing through other tourists and spectators to get our precious picture.  Through the masses of people, we got slit up and then weren't even allowed to get closer than a quarter mile from the scene.  Thank goodness for zoom.  This is as good as it got--

The torch completing its route, signify the start of LONDON 2012!

That evening, our group planned to make the trip to Victoria Park for Opening Ceremonies to mingle with hundreds of other spirited sports fans from across the country.  Several altered tube stops later, we made it to the park only to find about a thousand other people in line ahead of us.  Rumor had it that security was no longer allowing people in to the screening areas, so we created a simple, but brilliant plan B: find a pub.  We stumbled upon a crowded but not packed restaurant/bar with a decent happy hour special and large screens blaring pre-ceremony coverage.  We slung back colorful drinks from bartenders with dreamy accents and discussed the Spice Girls' reputation from the perspective of a middle-aged British.  Really immersed ourselves in the culture, you know?

We cheered our American hearts out when the announcer shouted "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and we saw our athletes proudly wave to the world with their preppy navy jackets and goofy sailor hats.  It was an emotional moment to say the least.  Our cheers drowned out most of the boo-ing but the negative chatter was undeniable.  Friendly competition never hurt anyone.

 In line at Victoria Park

The dreaded line.. No, thank you

Fellow spirited college kids

Outside table we snagged at the pub

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

El Día Final

On our día final in Madrid, we visited the Atocha train station, which is much different than the many train stations I have been in through this trip.  Most importantly, the station houses a memorial commemorating the 191 people who died in the March 11, 2004 train bombings in Madrid and the fallen officer who died when attempting to capture the leader of the heartbreaking terrorists attacks.  It is presumed that Al Qaeda led the train bombings and that the attack had a direct relation to the Spanish General Election that took place several days after the attack.  The memorial is a glass cylinder tower that is faced with words of grief and sympathy sent in from all over the world in the days following the attack.  I loved how the memorial can be seen from inside and outside of the train station and that the cylinder shape funnels light down into the station but also bursts it upwards toward heaven.

Up close view of the memorial from Google

View of the memorial from inside from Flickr

Outside view of the memorial from Google

Another special part of the Atocha station is the rainforest that sits right in the middle of the building.  It was a nice place to sit and reflect after visiting the memorial.  I also made some new friends there!

NEW FRIENDS!

History through many eyes

Throughout this experience, we have been learning that the history of a city can be examined through very different viewpoints ranging from a government lens to looking at cultural practices and religious foundations.  Just in one day, we can see a city's history unfold through several perspectives.  I noticed this particularly today in Madrid and found it fascinating how everything fell together to give me a well-rounded (yet broad) understanding of Madrid's past.

Through the eyes of the Spanish Monarchy...

In the states, we know Christopher Columbus best for sailing the ocean blue in 1492, but in Spain, Cristobal Columbus has a much different meaning.  We visited two monuments that tribute Christopher Columbus, one erected in 1885 and the other in the 1970s, in the properly named area- Plaza de Colón (Columbus Square).  The exploration agreement between Columbus and the Spanish crown, which at the time was King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, was actually a very complex negotiation infused with greed and broken promises.  Nonetheless, it is impossible to negate Columbus' expansive exploration of the Canary Islands, The Bahamas, Cuba, and countless countries in Central America.  Although he may not have "discovered" the lands he traveled to or maintained a sound moral code while exploring, he certainly conducted vast amounts of research about new lands for Spain, and I applaud Madrid for dedicating such beautiful monuments for a controversial figurehead in Spanish history.

Christopher Columbus Monument from 1885- tale has it that he's pointing West indicating the route he took to the Caribbean islands!

Modern Columbus Monument

HUGE Flag of Spain in La Plaza De Colón

The girls in front of the modern monument

Through the eyes of the natives...

To understand present day Madrid, it's important to understand the history of cultural practices whether they are still upheld today or not.  Bull fighting is a prominent part of Madrid's culture and served as entertainment since early in the 20th century.  We visited La Plaza de Toros de las Ventas, which is a famous bull fighting arena in the Guindalera quarter that is still used today.  Although I may not agree with the morality of bull fighting, it was educational to see the hub of such an important part of Spanish culture.

La Plaza de Toros de las Ventas

Hanging with El Toro Bravo (Spanish Fighting Bull)

 

Through the eyes of the tourists...
One of the most visited places in Madrid for tourists is Retiro Park.  It's the largest park in Madrid and has a long history of ups and downs as it was controlled by the monarchy when it was created in 1505 up until it was passed to public ownership in 1868.  The park is now home to several museum exhibits and beautiful rose gardens.  We saw visitors sailing around the man-made lake in row boats, playfully feeding the ducks.  It was an incredibly peaceful and

 Buen Retiro Park

 Relaxing by the water

Con mi amiga, Noel!

Through the eyes of artists...

As the sun set, we had the amazing experience of touring two of Spain's most important museums, El Museo Reina Sofia y El Museo del Prado.  The former is mainly dedicated to Spanish art and highlights Picasso and Dali.  In high school, Ms. Reeves taught us about famous Spanish masterpieces but seeing them in person was just surreal.  Picasso's Guernica was massive and was just as powerful as it is enormous.  While browsing the museum, I found myself most interested in the self-portraits from the famous artists.  Some were so abstract that I stared for ten minutes before even finding a mouth.  My favorite was a cubist self-portrait by Dali that I posted below.  Of the temporary and more modern exhibits, my personal favorite was Sharon Hayes' dissection of the tense relations between politics, history, and language.  I found a collage dedicated to Angela Davis, a renowned feminist during the civil rights movement!

Check out more about Hayes' work by clicking here!

Can you find Dali?

"Radical simply means grasping things at the root."  -Angela Davis

The greatest part of El Prado was without a doubt seeing Las Meninas by Velázquez!  This painting was my favorite when I studied Spanish art in high school and seeing it in person reinforced its place at the top of my list.  The little round princesses are just too cute.

Image by Google since photography was prohibited in the museum!

To end the day, we opted to see Madrid through the eyes (or stomachs?) of hungry American students missing American cuisine.  We had a fabulous dinner at Hard Rock and nommed out on burgers and pasta.  It was a much needed break from the continuous Spanish food that we had been eating.  You can only imagine what that was doing to our bellies..

I found a case dedicated to Elton John at the Hard Rock in Madrid with a jacket he wore!!  It was a very nice reminder of my home..well, my home in Great Britain anyway.

¡Quiero bailar! ...y comer

If you know me even a little bit, you know that three of my favorite things in life are food, musicals, and dancing.  Some of my favorite memories of summer before coming on this trip were cooking homemade pizza with my dad, belting every song on the Wicked soundtrack with Amanda, and busting a move on the dance floor with my mom.  Ray must have somehow known this about me because he planned an evening of dinner at a tapas bar followed by a flamenco dancing musical.  Tapas in Spain are basically mini dishes of food kind of like appetizers in the U.S.  Eating tapas is just as much about the social atmosphere as it is about the food.  In the tapas bar, we all huddled around one table as Ray kept the tapas flowing.  We tasted everything from cod bruschetta to authentic Spanish salsa to prawn and beef kababs.  I loved everything, of course.

Tapas on tapas on tapas!

 Cheers from the tapas bar!

After the tapas and several glasses of sangria, we were off to see the musical Carmen!  This authentic Flamenco Carmen was much different than the hip hopera version with Beyonce that I saw on MTV when I was 8- but it may still be a toss up for which is better.  I was moved by the fierce dancing and sensual smooth moves that told the story of love, lust, and betrayal, yet the plot was difficult to follow.  I don't know if it was the language barrier or the lack of a/c in the theater but I am embarrassed to admit that many important parts of the plot went right over my head.  Thankfully the body language was enough for me to still enjoy the experience!  I have been noticing through my travels that body language may be the only universal language..hmm..food for thought.

After the musical, we hit the town!  Madrid is the place to be for yummy drinks, dance clubs, and of course, great company!

 Post Carmen celebrations with Noel!

Enjoying Madrid nightlife with Mary Frances!

Paella y Pickpocketers

We kicked off our first full day in Madrid with a little piece of home as we visited the US Embassy of Madrid. We had the distinct honor of meeting with the outreach coordinator and financial advisor of the Embassy to discuss the current financial hardships Madrid is facing. In the debriefing, we discussed the important role of the US in foreign affairs, specifically how interconnected the US and EU economies are. There are many similarities between the US recession and Spain's current financial situation, yet the bottom line remains the same for both countries, what is the best solution for such a complex problem? I don't have an answer at the moment, so maybe I will save tackling the global economic crisis for another post...

Outside of the US Embassy in Madrid!!  Our little taste of home!

On a smaller but equally significant scale of crises, Jenny got her wallet stolen by a pickpocketer while we were ordering our lunch at a small sandwich shop.  Although we were mortified at the time, the incident directly supported what we learned earlier that morning at the Embassy about the unfortunate economic woes in Spain and how many Spaniards are resorting more and more to desperate measures just to get by.  Regardless of the secret pity I felt for the mysterious pickpocketer, I felt one hundred times worse for mi amiga Jenny that had to deal with being robbed abroad.  After handling the pickpocketing situation as best as we could, we were back on track for our full day of sightseeing with the group.

Since climbing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it is tough to impress our group with tall buildings; however, La Plaza de España caused us to look twice.  The large square is home to Madrid's two most prominent skyscrappers- El Torre de Madrid y El Edificio España.  It has grown to be a very popular tourist destination as well due to its street vendors, fountains, and a beautiful monument honoring the poet and playwright Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.  The stone tower in the center of the plaza features a full-body statue of Cervantes which overlooks smaller bronze sculptures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.  Jenny and I ventured up close and personal to Don Quixote's oversized statue to take advantage of a photo opt with the infamous character on his horse.  It was well worth the silly stares.

 

  Running around the Cervantes monument of Don Quixote

 

CHEESE!

Our next stop, the Temple of Debod, was quite a surprise for me, as I did not expect to see an Egyptian temple in Madrid.  Comparing the Temple of Debod to my vast knowledge of temples acquired from watching The Mummy trilogy countless time, I concluded that this temple was very primitive.  But what was it doing in Madrid?  Turns out the temple was a gift from Egypt to Spain in 1968 for their help in saving the temples of Abu Simbel when construction was threatening historical Egyptian monuments.  It is one of only a few authentic, ancient Egyptian works that can be seen outside of Egypt!  Well, some don't call it authentic since it was taken apart and reassembled in order to transport it to Madrid but to me, it's still the real deal.

It is standard for our group to be on our feet all day, using walking as our main mode of transportation.  Once our blisters scabbed over and we invested in better shoes, the long days of walking have become customary and expected, so ending our day with a cable car tour over La Casa de Campo was a real treat.  We got to sit our tired behinds down in a ski-lift like cable car and fly over La Casa de Campo with a squeaky little Dora the Explorer like voice narrating our ride.  The first thing Dora taught us was that the famous preserved land we were gliding over translates in English to 'House of  the Field.'  Ironically, the field more closely resembled a desert since Madrid is in the midst of a severe drought this summer.  Nonetheless, our panoramic views of the city and the rolling hills of dried up field were much more breathtaking than you would think.  The ride in our baby blue tramcar allowed for a relaxing end to a busy day!

Beautiful overlook of the city before getting on the tram

 

Casa de Campo view from our tram

 In the tram with Alex!

 Watch the tram car, please!