por fin, SALAMANCA!

finally I have reached my destination! I am now in Salamanca and arrived here on Sunday evening (18:00 to be exact...haha). I spent the rest of my time in Madrid enjoying the big city environment and looking forward to traveling to my smaller city.

Escorial was really interesting, we visited a monastary that was GIANT and received a historical tour of the building and saw where all the kings and queens were buried. It was really a magnificent place. However, I have found that in the places that are the most beautiful you are not allowed to take pictures... so if you want to see the monastary you must google it!

We then took a bus to Salamanca, and I took a nap. Upon arrival I was met by my host mom who is named Aurea, and she is very nice. She was wearing a big fur coat and greeted me with a kiss on both cheeks, which is the common way to say hello in many European countries. We grabbed my bags and drove to her apartment which is very nice. I am sharing a room with my a girl named Anna who is really nice and from Oregon. It is strange getting into a routine of going to classes and then home for meals. It seems to be a common practice in Spain, but is somewhat odd for an American to live at home while attending college. Anyway, every meal we eat with our host mom Aurea, and sometimes her 27 year old son, Jesus, who also lives at the house. So far I´ve had some grilled cheese with ham and bacon, tortilla espanola (at thick spanish omlette with potatoes and onions), and some chicken and vegetables. Overall it´s been a positive experience.

This week has been the first week of classes which seems strange since I´ve had over a month without school! I have signed up for a history class about women and society in spain, literature of South America & Spain, photography, as well a literature class on poetry. I had my literatura hispanoamerica today and it was really fun. I can tell that I am going to like the class a lot! So now onward with my day, I promise a review of more classes and food soon! :) O, and I have a historical tour of Salamanca this saturday so look out for pictures! Hasta luego, Marisa

mas aventuras

So day 2 has come and gone so quickly and now it's day three in Madrid. Yesterday I went to the Prado art museum which was amazing. It is an internationally known museum that holds pieces from famous Spanish artists such as Velasquez, Goya and Greco (who is actually Greek...) After a quick break for lunch, we visited the Reina Sofia Museum which holds all the modern art including Picasso, Miro, and Dali. It was very spectacular as well.

I then returned to the hotel for a meeting and discovered my luggage had arrived! YAY! The meeting was boring, but necessary and then the group ventured out for some dinner at 10pm. It was hard to find a restaurant that would seat 13 people, but finally we found a place where we could all split some pizzas, it was fun.

Today we took a bus to Toledo, which is an hour away from Madrid. It was very beautiful and seemed very historical. We took a drive around the city then a walking tour. We saw a famous Greco painting as well as an old synagogue that was transformed into a church after the expulsion of the Jews as well as the grand church in Toledo which was amazing. I've never seen a more beautiful cathedral. Tomorrow we head to Escorial and finally Salamanca where I will meet my host mom!

arrival...

so the day has finally come for me to begin my adventure in Spain! let me first begin by saying that my name is Marisa and I am a junior at Boston College studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain for the spring semester. I am going through a program called API (academic programs international) where I will be taking classes at the Universidad de Salamanca, integrated into the classes with other Spaniards!

Yesterday was the day of departure...although it still feels like today with all of the time changes I've been through. My flight was scheduled to leave at 6:05pm from Logan. However, the plane decided it would be a great time for the left engine to take a break, thereby delaying my flight an hour and a half. This caused me to miss my connecting flight to Madrid, but I was still in a chipper mood since I was on my way to Spain to begin my semester abroad. Upon arrival in Madrid I discovered my luggage, along with a few others who had missed the same connecting flight as me was suddenly missing...SIGH. So now I'm crossing my fingers that our bags will come tomorrow.

Despite the loss of baggage my time here so far has been great. I'm staying at the Hotel Regina and have a roommate named Ashley from Colorado. She's really nice and we're getting along well. We both went out exploring and in search of a reasonable place to find some clothes and toiletries to tide me over until my baggage arrives. I am most awed by the beautiful architecture that is all over Madrid. The buildings are very old fashioned and have a majestic look to them. It gives the giant city a homey feeling, and really demonstrates the culture and history of the Spaniards. I've also noticed that although Madrid is giant, it is able to embody a calm and relaxed way of life unlike many American cities such as New York. When I'm in New York, I am always aware of my surroundings so I don't get hit by a car, or even a fellow pedestrian walking down the street. However, here everyone seems to be moving at a slower pace, but still managing to make it to their destinations. A little strange thing Ashley and I noticed was that everyone we walked by smelled noticeably good, haha. Everyone was wearing perfume and cologne, but just the right amount!

After we explored on our own the group took a walking tour of La plaza de Sol y la plaza mayor; two beautiful locations in Madrid. Each is a site of beautiful buildings and statues located in the center of Madrid. So far (one day) besides the loss of my luggage which I hope will return to me tomorrow (fingers crossed!) I have enjoyed myself! I look forward to a day full of museums tomorrow! y ahora, buenas noches!