Year Abroad in Numbers

42 weeks in total spent in Spain.

2 visits back to the U.K.

Visits from family and friends: 3.

13 English Language Assistants based in Soria capital.

6 Americans encountered in Soria.

40, 150 habitants of Soria province.

Worked at my secondary school 4 days a week.

Lived with 2 female Spanish students.

Lived with 13 pets. 1 ferret and 12 goldfish.

9 different autonomous communities visited in Spain.

Number of mobile phones stolen/lost: 1.

3 pairs of sunglasses broken/lost.

Number of different people (friends!) that slept in my pull-out trundle bed: 5.

Number of times patatas bravas ordered over the year: 784739272.

Number of times patatas bravas were willingly shared: 0.

52 Year Abroad blog-posts (including this last one!).

Value of a Year Abroad: Priceless.

A big thank you to everyone who’s followed and supported my blog over the last 12 months! Hasta la próxima vez! Besos 😀

Five Memorable Moments from my Year Abroad

To mark one year since I left the English rain for the Spanish sol (yes, September 4^th 2012…*looks back fondly*) here’s a special blog-post charting some of the highlights from my unforgettable Year Abroad in Spain:

1. Sevilla

The last stop on my little Andalucía tour post-Semana Santa was Sevilla and it really stole my heart. There was something about that city that made it so enchanting and vibrant. The architecture was just stunning everywhere, the little alleyways, the flamenco, the wide, open streets, the buzzing atmosphere, the surrounding neighbourhoods, being reunited with my friend …people couldn’t believe that I preferred it over Madrid. The Alcazar, the Plaza de España and the Cathedral (Spain’s biggest) were just some of the places that made me fall in love with this southern city. There was just an endless list of things to do there and I really believe it’s one of Spain’s forgotten tourist destinations. When us Brits think of holidaying in Spain, we just think Madrid or any Spanish coastal resort, but for that added taste of culture and authenticity, people should seriously consider Sevilla. The weather there is pretty scorching all year round, too.

The sun setting on the Plaza de España

2. Segovia

On my third/fourth(?) weekend in Madrid, I was fairly confident I’d seen all the obvious things to see in the capital city so was desperate for an excursion to either Segovia or Toledo, both beautiful cities that make for manageable day-trips. Having a friend in Segovia made the choice quite easy, so a couple of the lads and I went back into Castilla y León briefly to visit my amiga. We visited all the sights, had a nice picnic with a view of the Alcázar (the one that allegedly inspired the Walt Disney castle), the weather was amazing, we spoke Spanish the whole time and just strolled around the mini-city stress-free and high on life. It’s a pretty simple recipe really but everything came together on that day in just the right amounts to make it perfect. (Oh, and we went out in Madrid that night too which is always fun).

Post-picnic photo-shoot outside the Alcázar

3. Viernes de Toros

The third day of the Fiestas de San Juan in Soria was easily the best and most enjoyable. The party atmosphere in the bull-ring for both bull-fighting sessions was just incredible and unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. Even though the actual bull-fighting didn’t make for comfortable viewing at times, I was relieved to have finally ticked this important Spanish cultural experience off of the list. With my bright, lime-green flamenco apron and a straw hat (a weird combination for fancy dress, I know) I remember being ready to continue the party into the streets of La Zona and beyond. I remember the music being the best I’d heard all year (being able to recognise Spanish songs is an achievement when they all have the same melody). Due to excessive calimocho consumption, I don’t remember much else about that day…but I know it was an incredible day!

A fun kind of chaos in the bull-ring.

4. Being published

Pursuing a career in journalism had been an idea I was toying with for some time prior to starting my Year Abroad. I wanted to create an opportunity for myself during the year, to get some experience of the sector in Spain with the aim of being published on a regular basis. It was a long journey, so please bear with!

A few initial emails at the start of the year gave me no replies. It was randomly, one day, that I mentioned it to one of my English teachers who said she would accompany me to the offices to chat through any opportunities with the director of the local newspaper. I was initially terrified of doing this but I was assured that the director was lovely and she would surely jump at the chance to employ volunteers and introduce a foreign insight into the paper. The discussions went well and she said maybe there was a chance I was able to contribute on a regular basis to the weekly school supplement, but she would contact me the following week to let me know. Of course, she never did. I went back 3 weeks later (myself that time…again, terrifying) to check whether she’d forgotten about me. She assured me I hadn’t and said she’d get back to me but still no word.

In the end, a local I had become good friends with said she knew someone that worked for the paper and maybe she could be a way in for me. I wrote two articles to be considered for the ‘Letters to the Editor’ section (both of which are published on this blog: here and here) but they were unsuitable apparently. One day, I suddenly received an email from this friend of a friend saying that the director would like me to write something about my experiences as a language assistant. Of course, I would! I worked on it, had it checked and perfected within 2 days, sent it to her and she said it would be printed in the school supplement the following week.

Job done? Not quite. The day the article was due to be published, I was travelling in San Sebastián so some friends had agreed to buy the paper for me. To my disappointment, the first half of my article had been printed twice with the final line of the article being the most negative bit of the piece (the article overall was quite positive but given the circumstances, I wasn’t going to lie about my suitability in the Science classes). I was genuinely so devastated. I knew a lot of people were surely going to see the piece and I was worried I had misrepresented the school. Of course, none of it was my fault – it was a printing error – but still felt it was the paper’s way of humiliating me for my relentless effort to get involved throughout the year.

The disappointment passed and I forced myself to forget all about the unfortunate debacle and enjoy my time in País Vasco. It was the following week, however, when I was walking out of the language school, I bumped into someone I had met at language exchanges that told me he had read my article. “It’s really good”, he kept saying, to which I kept replying “but there’s a mistake in the printing!” He then let slip that he had read it in that day’s paper meaning it had been reprinted. I refused to get excited until I saw it with my own eyes so we ran to the nearest bar that would still have the paper at 7pm and, lo and behold, there it was in the middle page spread. I was probably the happiest person in Soria that day: I was thrilled and so relieved. It was getting to the end of my year in Spain and finally I had managed to get my name in the paper. 😀

Por fin.

5. Playing Catan

You’d be forgiven for having never heard of this game. ‘Settlers of Catan’ was quite confusing when I first was introduced to it – it involves getting points by building settlements of various sizes on a board (in its most basic description). I was never any good at it at first, but I learned to love it and like to think I improved!

The one constant across all of these memorable moments is the people I spent it with. Playing board games like Catan, sitting in coffee shops, holding dinner parties, going on nights-out and doing crazy, spontaneous things with my new international friends were what really made my Year Abroad experience. Without them, it would’ve been quite a miserable, lonely stint in Spain and so to them I say: thank you for making this an incredible year.

The Birds of Spain

One thing a lot of family members and friends have been asking me since I’ve returned home is: ‘What are the Spanish birds like?’ I never really know what the best response to this question is, so I’m going to answer it in the only way I know how… with a blog-post.

If you’ve been following my blog, you might recall the fright I had at the start of the year when this giant bird flew into my path while walking along the Duero in Soria. It’s a buitre leonado (Gyps fulvus), a vulture found in southern parts of Europe but more commonly in the Middle East.

Saw this black swan with its characteristic red beak on my day-trip to Tarazona. They are more typical of Australia and its surrounding coastal islands but populations were introduced in Britain and western Europe some centuries ago.

Terrorising beach-goers around the world, this humble seagull was spotted in Alicante.

I love this photo too much not to include it in this little bird montage…even if it is just another seagull! This time along the beautiful Cádiz coastline, this photo really tested my bird-watching/photography skills!

A visit to Alcalá de Henares is not complete without seeing more than your fair share of white storks. These giant nests can be observed on most buildings in the so-called ‘City of Storks’. You won’t be able to escape them! As much as I liked Alcalá, I could never spend too long there in fear of being attacked by one of these beasts!

Nothing beats a good old-fashioned white swan like these ones spotted in San Sebastián!

This is by no means an extensive look into the birds you can expect to find in Spain – they’re just the ones I encountered on my travels (Bill Oddie, move over!). So to answer that recurring question…yeah, the birds are quite fit and well-dressed, but they have serious commitment issues as they tend to wander off!

El sol y la sonrisa

I wrote this short article in Spanish while I was desperately trying to get published by the local newspaper. Soria was going through a period of unusual, intense cold at the time so it’s about the effect a bit of sunshine has on your spirits, how England compares and some stereotypes we have of the Spanish lifestyle. There are references to the exam period and the city’s imminent fiestas so you know it was written a while ago…but I may as well publish it somewhere so here it is:

Image from othershoesinthesea.com

Por todos es bien sabido que el tiempo influye en el estado anímico y la felicidad de las personas. No es fácil despertarse con una sonrisa si ves indicios de tormenta o de intenso frío, a través de la ventana.

Soy de Inglaterra, donde es un hecho bien conocido que llueve casi once meses al año y el cielo está siempre pintado de gris. Hay una creencia que sostiene que los ingleses están de mal humor, deprimidos y tristes de manera innata, y este pensamiento no es tan incierto. Allí el estilo de vida es fugaz y estresante, quizás como método para quemar la humedad que cae de arriba.

Si bien es cierto que Soria es una ciudad fría, parece ser que este periodo prolongado de lluvia y frío afecta de forma negativa al ánimo de sus habitantes que se sienten alicaídos. De hecho, todo el mundo insiste en que esto no es lo normal y que he elegido el peor año para venir aquí.

Respecto a este aspecto, hay una teoría que sustenta la posibilidad de que se trate de un castigo impuesto a los españoles debido a la mala gestión del país que ha derivado en la crisis económica. Podría ser una acción de Dios, así como una prueba de perseverancia y paciencia. Yo creo más en esta última opción.

Antes de venir aquí, no sabía que Soria era una de las provincias españolas más frías. A pesar de ello, me ha parecido que la gente soriana sabe cómo compensar esta circunstancia durante el verano, a veces un poco retrasado, y con la llegada de sus fiestas inminentes.

Toda la gente de fuera tiene una idea preconcebida de España: siempre hace un calor intenso y la gente sale de fiesta todos los días. Estos estereotipos no valen para nada, porque no son ciertos, pero es obvio que cuanto mejor sea el clima de un país, más saldrá la gente a la calle para beber o quedar con los amigos.

Durante esta época de exámenes y otras fuentes similares de estrés y ansiedad, hay que recordar que la temporada estival está a la vuelta de la esquina. Así que, la próxima vez que salga el sol quizá sea para señalar el inicio del verano, lo que elevará el ánimo de las personas y contribuirá a mantener la sonrisa definitiva. No hace falta ningún estudio científico para probar la validez de este tipo de hipótesis.

SanJuanes In Pictures

A separate picture round-up for the Fiestas de San Juan 2013 in Soria. Now this really is the end of the ‘In Pictures’ series! 😦

On the 2-hour walk back from Valonsadero on Jueves La Saca (Thursday), we saw these giant fences which were put up to keep the bulls on the right path to the bull ring.

A bull charges towards the matador. One of the best photos I took during the bullfights of Viernes de Toros (Friday).

Joining the lively, buzzing atmosphere at the street party after the bullfights on Viernes de Toros (Friday).

Checking out another cuadrilla and their auctioning of the bull meat on Sábado Áges (Saturday).

The women wear these traditional dresses in the scorching heat to parade through town on Domingo de Calderas (Sunday).

Heading towards the crowds along the banks of the river on the last day of the Fiestas, Lunes de Bailas (Monday).

Las Fiestas de San Juan 2013

On the 26th June, the wait was finally over – months of people telling us (the guiris) how crazy Soria would become during their fiestas, how unrecognisable the streets would be and how much we were sure to enjoy the Fiestas de San Juan. After three weeks of pre-Fiestas, it was time to see what all the fuss was about. Without further ado, here’s what happened during that epic week:

Miércoles el Pregón (Wednesday’s Announcement)

>We gathered in the Plaza Mayor to see the jurados of each cuadrilla (representatives of each of the 12 neighbourhoods in Soria) and heard the official start of the Fiestas – an announcement which ends ‘¡Viva Soria! ¡Viva Las Fiestas de San Juan!’

>Then, verbenas (mini-concerts) in plazas around the city!

Large crowds wait for the jurado and the band to emerge…and the big announcement.

The jurados emerge. The announcement is made. The band and crowd rejoice.

Jueves La Saca (Thursday’s Release)

>Thursday was a bit of a struggle. We had to return to Monte Valonsadero to see the bulls being released from their corrals but to do so, we had to wait in the queue for the bus, nursing a hangover in the sweltering heat for 2 hours! The release of the bulls happened promptly at midday, was over within seconds giving us the rest of the afternoon to hang-out among the chiringuitos before the verbena later that evening.

*It’s worth mentioning that people were actually running with the bulls. From the photo below you can see that there were still a lot of fearless people in the area where the bulls were going to be released. There is, of course, very high risk of injury in doing so. I was happy to observe the goings-on from a safe distance.

The horsemen waiting to guide the bulls into Soria when they are released.

People leave Valonsadero…and their rubbish.

Viernes de Toros (Bull Friday)

>Day of the bull-fighting. Six of the bulls are killed in a morning session, the remaining six in the afternoon. I’m firmly against bull-fighting but I was intrigued to see my first and probably last set of bullfights. The atmosphere in the bullring was incredible: spectators in fancy dress, bands playing around the outside, the drinks were flowing and the sun was shining. The art of the bull-fighting was quite thrilling too, up until the point where they started to hurt the bull. From that point, it all got a bit uncomfortable.

>On either side of the sessions, it was dancing and drinking in the streets in the outdoor Zona – the strip of clubs in Soria that had moved their DJ sets outside for the occasion.

The bull is teased by multiple bullfighters before being killed.

Once killed, spectators jump into the ring to party.

Sábado Agés (Saturday…not sure what ‘Agés’ translates as!)

>This is the auctioning of the bull meat. Each neighbourhood auctions off every single part of their bull. We hopped around the various cuadrillas, regularly having wine from the bota (‘leather wine carrier’) squirted into our mouths.

>Later that evening, there were fireworks and more verbenas.

‘How much for the horns, mate?’

At another cuadrilla watching the bull meat being auctioned off.

Domingo de Calderas (Sunday’s Cauldrons)

>In the morning, the cuadrillas paraded again, this time with their calderas – individually-designed floats, many of which had the image of the bull incorporated into the design.

>There wasn’t much else going on during the day: indeed, the main events of the Fiestas happen in the first half of the week. That day, the language assistants of Soria just had a little picnic and enjoyed the sunshine. There was another verbena that night, but the consecutive nights of partying were beginning to take their toll and so we decided to sit that one out.

The 12 neighbourhoods parade their ‘calderas’ through the city in traditional dress.

One of the calderas.

Lunes de Bailas (Monday’s Dances)

>Our luck ran out on the last day of the Fiestas as there were thunderstorms before the main event! The threatening dark clouds meant we missed more parading in the city – a parade that led down to the River Duero. We met the crowds along the banks of the river a little later to join in with the festivities once the sky looked a little brighter. The crowd enjoyed the band playing sanjuaneras once again.

>In the evening, it was time to congregate in the Plaza Mayor in the same way we had started to mark the end of the Fiestas. The band played every single sanjuanera culminating in the final one with the line ‘ ¡Adiós, adiós, San Juan!’ We spent almost an hour and a half standing and squashed in with the crowd listening to these songs and by the end we were glad to get out and join the verbena for the last dance. This verbena had an added element of danger, however: people were holding and waving around hand-held fireworks.

Partying down by the river.

The band play sanjuaneras much to the delight of the adoring crowd. .

It was a fitting way to bring my Year Abroad to an end, with one big epic street party. It was very much a celebration for the whole community:  events around-the-clock to satisfy people of all ages and stamina-level (non-stop partying can be tiring you know!). During the week, I was bumping into friends, teachers I worked with, students, neighbours… I never knew whether that would be the last time I ever spoke to them. It was definitely a send-off like no other.

When I first arrived in Soria, I thought it would be quite a dead town, in that there weren’t very many people around and it had quite an ageing population. How things changed! We found the students, we found the ambiente, the sun came out and then suddenly the heart of Soria was beating harder and faster than ever before during its fiestas.

It was one of the most cultural, eye-opening experiences I had ever had in my life. Hundreds of people dancing in the street to outdoor bands, drinking calimocho – a red wine and coke mixture – with not a care in the world (apart from alcohol supplies running low, the music stopping and body exhaustion). Not bad for a country in crisis. Unthinkable in England.

But the Fiestas weren’t all about what we, anglophones, understand by the word – i.e. parties. The traditions surrounding the bulls, the parades in traditional dress and those sanjuaneras (San Juan songs) are the backbone of what is arguably one of the most story-like, cyclical Fiestas in Spain. You would never experience anything like this in Madrid or any other big city. These ‘village parties’ are more cultural and purer in smaller places, where participation is more widespread and traditions are greater preserved.

The Fiestas de San Juan were the perfect way to say goodbye to Soria and to Spain, and it definitely whetted my appetite to try and experience more Spanish fiestas when I return in the future. If I can time a future visit to Soria to coincide with the Fiestas, I would love to make it again but until then, I have the official poster here with me in England: a reminder of my Sorian experience on my bedroom door.

Official poster for the Fiestas de San Juan 2013

**For more information about the Fiestas (in Spanish), check out sanjuaneando.com.

Basque Life

Our contracts as language assistants in Castilla y Leon terminated on the 14th June and there was still well over a week before the start of the local fiestas at the end of the month. This, of course, is a good enough reason for a mini break by the sea. The nearest beach to Soria is directly above us in País Vasco (Basque Country) so a 6-day trip around this unfamiliar region was something to look forward to during the last week of school.

San Sebastián

A lot of Spaniards I spoke to said that San Sebastian (or Donostia as it is called in Basque) was one of their favourite places in Spain – mainly because of the precious beaches and great food. With Summer finally arriving in Soria the week prior, we had anticipated that the great weather would continue but, alas, it did not. In fact, it was grey and rainy for the whole week except the Saturday. Despite this bad luck, it was never going to dampen our spirits…though I probably should’ve packed an extra pair of jeans instead of two pairs of shorts!

San Sebastián is famous for its pintxos (tapas). “Vas a comer muy bien allí!/You are going to eat really well there!” people would say. I cannot even describe the range and deliciousness of the food that we ate during our stay there: the bars were all covered with colourful, creative mini-dishes which were just a delight for the senses! Some memorable ones were: goats cheese with caramelised onion on roasted red pepper, a mushroom risotto, a spider crab mayonnaise mix type thing, fried seafood balls… I should probably stop there before I salivate all over my keyboard.

A typical spread of pintxos in a San Sebastian bar. Photo courtesy of http://www.buscounviaje.com

These delectable treats came at a slightly higher price than we were used to but we expected that – we weren’t in Soria anymore and País Vasco is known for being one of the more expensive Spanish regions.

Other things we did during our very rainy 3-night stay there: visit the San Telmo Museum (Basque history), walked up a little mountain and strolled along Playa de la Concha (“Shell Beach”) to see the Peine de los Vientos installations in the rocks on the other side.

Playa de la Concha and the ports in San Sebastián. We did have a bit of sunshine as we were walking up the mountain to get these views!

There wasn’t much else to do there culture-wise but we were planning to be spending most of our time sunning ourselves on the beach anyway! It was still a really nice, chilled few days to spend by the sea and lost beach-time was spent hanging out in bars and in our cosy hostel.

Bilbao

Phase 2 of our trip: 3 nights in Bilbao. The city was very metropolitan and lively in its design and size but it soon became apparent that the city’s tourism industry relies almost solely upon the marvel that is the Guggenheim Museum.

The architectural achievement that is the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao. Photo from news.spainhouses.net

It’s rare to see such an impressive-looking building that houses such impressive contents too. Modern Art might not be to everybody’s taste, but I like it when things are open to interpretation so for me, it was a real treat. We spent almost an entire morning there with our free audio-guides wandering around the various exhibitions, before an amazing lunch in the centre at Fresc Co. Vegetarian buffets really seem to be winning me over these days.

Post-lunch we said goodbye to a dear friend at the bus station, before wandering around town and going back to the Guggenheim to stroll around the outside – equally impressive. No trip outside of Soria is complete without gatecrashing a wedding and outside the museum, we saw a couple taking their happy snaps – an inspired location to do so.

Our final full day in Bilbao was surprisingly sunny. A great day for a day-trip to Guernica, which was a 45 minute bus-ride away from the centre. The town is known for the bombings that took place there in 1937 which inspired the painting by Picasso which sits in the Reina Sofia in Madrid. Because of this, I was expecting a town that was a lot smaller which still had ruins from the bombings but, of course, everything had been rebuilt and it was quite an active little town.

The trunk of the “old tree of Guernica”.

Traditionally, the people of Guernica would hold assemblies underneath a large oak tree. It went on to acquire much greater significance when it survived the bombings, becoming a symbol of Basque nationalism. The 146 year old tree died in 2004, and it’s trunk preserved. A new tree has since been planted grown from the old tree’s acorns. It was quite nice to see and the accompanying council house was interesting too with its stained glass roof.

Then, we went to the wonderful Museo de la Paz (Peace Museum) which was easily one of the best museums I’ve ever been to: it was powerful and philosophical in it’s recalling of the past’s horrific events and hopes for the future.

It was tapas time before heading back on the bus to Bilbao, and the next morning back to Soria. A much-needed, chilled week away.

A Little Party Never Killed Nobody.

Well, unless you’re in Spain and there are bulls and large amounts of drink involved, it might. The local fiestas in Soria, las Fiestas de San Juan, arrive at the end of June (26th June-1st July) but in order to party correctly, you must be properly trained and prepared. You need to train your body and mind (but mainly your liver) for the chaos that many locals have said will certainly ensue. Hence, you need little pre-parties to prepare for the big parties.

Desencajonamiento

This may well be the antidisestablismentarianism of the Spanish language i.e. a bloody long word. This was the first of the three presanjuanes which took place on 1st June. This fiesta was only introduced by the Ayuntamiento (Council) fairly recently as a precursor for the following one. Locals were obviously going to respond well and it’s now a key part of the San Juan calender.

The crowd awaits the ‘unboxing’ of the bulls in the corral.

The name literally translates as ‘unboxing’ and what happens is that the 12 bulls that represent each of the 12 cuadrillas (neighbourhoods) of Soria are brought to Monte Valonsadero – around 8km from the centre of Soria – where they are released one by one into the corral before all being released into the surrounding countryside. The whole event started at around 10am and was over within minutes.

The bulls are teased before being released into the countryside.

I had arrived a bit late via the free shuttle buses that run from the centre of the city throughout the day and so missed the great spectacle but what really attracts the crowds are the chiringuitos: outdoor bars that play music and sanjuaneras (traditional music from the fiestas). Most people, our group included, brought drink from home to save money and we botellóned in the sun. 10am-5pm, chatting, drinking and dancing, all because a few bulls came to town. I love Spain.

At midnight, there was a verbena (mini live concert) in Plaza Herredores where we all reconvened to dance the night away.

Verbena at the end of a long day is the climax of the day’s events.

Lavalenguas

The following Saturday it was time to do it all over again. This time, at around 8/9am, the bulls are rounded up by caballistas (men on horses) into a mini-corral next to the corral. This is far to early to be awake and as nice as this apparently is to see, it was something I missed out on.

We arrived at Valonsadero again around midday, began chatting, drinking and dancing – generally soaking up the ambience of the chiringuitos. Before we knew it, it was 6pm and it was time to grab a seat on the rocks near the corral to remember why we were there in the first place.

This time, each bull is released from the mini-corral one at a time, teased for a bit by seemingly trainee and amateur toreros (bullfighters) before being released, once again, into the countryside. Remember there are 12 bulls, so this happens 12 times.

One of the better toreros exciting the crowd by teasing the bull with his cape.

This presanjuan festival gets its name from the wet tongues the bulls get as they pant running around after the brave men that enter the corral (I think). Or it could refer to locals ‘wetting their tongues’ with calimocho (wine and coke). Either way.

After the bulls are freed, it’s back to the chiringuitos  before going back into the capital for another verbena. 

La Compra

Was exactly the same as Lavalenguas. The only difference was that it happened on a Sunday and so the accompanying verbena was the night before.

The name (‘the purchase’) is because the jurados (selected representatives) of each cuadrilla select their bull that will be killed for them during Viernes de Toros during the actual week of fiestas.

So basically that’s what happened. The releasing of the bulls wasn’t that exciting second time round; even the Heraldo de Soria called it ‘Una Compra Sin Emoción’. It was still a pretty fun/late day/night though.

Saftey first: friends and I watching the bulls from a distance.

As an outsider looking in on these fiestas of a very different culture, of course it all sounds ridiculous. But if there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the past month is that sorianos are extremely proud of their fiestas and the sense of community (and excuse to party) that they bring.

Bring on San Juan 2013!

[This has been a very diluted low-down of the presanjuanes but for more information (in Spanish) about them and the Fiestas de San Juan in general, check out sanjuaneando.com.]

PS – For those concerned about my deteriorating English grammar, please be assured that the title is a reference to a very catchy song from the brilliant The Great Gatsby soundtrack. Have a listen here.

5 Reasons Why I Love Madrid

“You must be mad to go to Madrid so many times!” Okay, so no-one’s ever said this to me but it’s true that I have been to the Spanish capital a fair few times over the course of the year. Why is this? In true BuzzFeed style, here’s a non-irritating list of reasons why:

1. It’s a stone throw away from Soria

Transport-wise Soria is quite poorly connected. Whenever we want to plan trips, we have always had to travel by bus. This hasn’t been too much of an inconvenience as it’s cheap and Spanish motorways are virtually traffic-less so it’s fairly quick too. With Alsa, a bus service that has services to Madrid running approximately every 2 hours daily, you can get to Madrid in 2.5 hours with a return trip costing under 30 euros. (PS – There is a train service but it takes around the same time, if not longer to get there. Add that to the incredibly rocky journey and infrequent journey times, you are left with a very unappealing method of transport).

2. The bigger the better

Madrid is to Soria, like the US is to the UK. Everything is bigger, better and more extreme. Living in Soria, a city of around 30,000 people with a relatively old population means this 20-year-old can’t stay cooped up there for too long. Soria’s bar and restaurant options can seem quite limited at times, so going away to have a more unfamiliar routine or a bigger night-out with friends is always on the cards. There are just so much more things to do in Madrid: you can never see everything in a weekend which is why spontaneous getaways to the capital continue to be so tempting. Even things that I’ve done before are must-do’s on every visit, like walking around the Retiro park or the gardens around the Palace.

The Royal Palace of Madrid

3. Variety is the spice of life

Being the cultured individual that I am, Madrid’s ‘capital’ status gives it the size and diversity that can be encountered in any capital city. Museums and changing exhibitions showcasing the rich heritage of Spain mean there is always something to see in the Prado or the Reino Sofia. The Prado, especially, is too big to see in one afternoon so invites second visit. But if you look past these main two galleries, you’ll realise you haven’t even scratched the surface of the enormity of what Madrid has to offer in terms of art and culture. There are gems hidden in ever corner and you only have to look past the tourist brochure to find them.

Entrance to the Prado which houses famous paintings by Goya and Velazquez.

4. Love thy neighbourhoods

Madrid’s largeness means there are little neighbourhoods scattered all around the city, each with characteristic charm and features. Take Barrio de las Letras, for example, named because it was once home to Spanish literary greats Quevedo and Vega so Calle de las Huertas has excerpts from famous works pasted on the pavement in gold metal lettering.  In fact, you could just hop on Madrid’s superior Metro system and just get off at any random stop outside of the centre to wander around and experience a different, and often more authentic, view of the city.

Barrio de las Letras

5. Stuck in the middle

Its geographical location means sometimes you have no choice but to stop off in Madrid while waiting for a connecting flight/bus/train. But as well as that, Madrid is an ideal place to stay while going on day-trips to surrounding smaller cities of importance like Alcalá de Henares, Toledo, Ávila and Segovia, the latter I visited on my last weekend in Madrid a couple of weeks ago. It was a beautiful day, we met up with an old friend , saw all of the sights (the aqueduct, the Alcázar – which famously inspired the iconic Disney castle – the Cathedral), had a lovely picnic…all was well in the world and I ended up having one of the best days of my Year Abroad.

Friends and I with the ancient Roman aqueduct in Segovia.

So that’s that. 5 reasons why Madrid is wonderful and makes for a great spontaneous getaway after a hard week’s work as a language assistant. As lovely as Madrid is, I’m glad I wasn’t placed in Madrid, or any big city for that matter. They are full of tourists which might make it hard to actually speak any Spanish and it’s so big that it might be more difficult to make friends or any kind of plan. I would love to experience living in Madrid one day, but for now fleeting visits are enough to keep me in touch with busy city life.

ZGZ

A few weekends ago we went to Zaragoza. A lot our Spanish student-friends that study at the campus here in Soria are from there and had told us lots of exciting things about it so we had ganas to go and see what all the fuss was about. I had already had my appetite whetted by a previous trip to Aragon in December: a day-trip to Tarazona, a quaint little village on the outskirts of the region.

For the first time ever in Soria Shore history, we decided to book an apartment for the weekend – mainly because we couldn’t find a hostel with availability… and the price of the apartment actually worked out quite well between us, despite it being an 8-person apartment for a group of 5. Luxury!

As we were arriving fairly late in the day on the Friday, sight-seeing was never going to be high on the list of priorities. Checking out the tapas selection, experiencing the night-life and going to strip-club/Cabaret bar El Plata was, however!

Although the idea of going to a Cabaret bar where there would be full-frontal nudity wasn’t exactly an appealing one, the place was recommended to us by various people: it was famous in Zaragoza and it was free-entry, even though we did pay excessively for our drinks….

It was surprising to see so many (older) people there – weirder still that the 60-somethings had come with their other halves – but after the initial discomfort and not knowing what to expect, I started to relax and enjoy myself. Although you might think it degrading, in hindsight I see the show as a celebration of the human form via interpretive dance and comical sketches.

The next day was filled with less human reproductive organs. Zaragoza boasts 2 beautiful cathedrals that are very close to each other in the aptly-named Plaza de las Catedrales. We went to La Seo first which was lovely. I’m running out of superlatives to describe the ornate interiors and exteriors of Spain’s cathedrals, but rest-assured it was architecturally stunning inside and out.

The Plaza de las Catedrales with the Basilica on the left and La Seo directly in front. A lively, fabulous open space with every corner enriched by Zaragoza’s impressive history and culture.

Then we checked out the Museo del Foro de Caesaraugusta (the ancient name for Zaragoza) which held the archaeological remains of the ancient Roman city before the pièce de résistance of the city, the Basilica of Our Lady the Pillar.

The Basilica’s unconventional structure and exterior tiling are typical of Baroque-style architecture and is a good example of the ancient moorish influence on the region.

The Basilica is more impressive still inside where the focus is on a small wooden statue of the Virgin and a column which is believed to have appeared before Saint James to motivate him to continue with his religious mission. Interesting fact: this is the same Saint that gives the name to the famous religious pilgrimage across Spain, The Way of Saint James (El Camino de Santiago).

There was some daily ritual going on when we entered where a presumably a pre-chosen group of people were singing as the robes on the column were being changed. These are apparently changed daily and there are certain times of the month where the Virgin appears ‘unclothed’.

Before dinner in our swanky apartment, we had time to go and visit the Museo del Teatro, ruins of the ancient Roman theatre. Maybe it was the literature nerd in me that made me a lot more excited about some old rock than I should have been, but I genuinely found this whole outdoor exhibit very interesting and informative. 😀

Imagining what kind of play might’ve been staged in the Museo del Teatro de Ceasaraugusta.

Before we left Zaragoza the following day, we had to make a stop at the Aljafería, a medieval, Islamic palace from the 11th Century. It was very reminiscent of the Alcázar in Sevilla but on a smaller scale. Still, the weather was perfect for strolling around the palace and getting our final fix of Zaragoza’s rich cultural heritage before heading back to Soria.

Team Soriaaugusta loving life in the stunning Aljafería Palace.