A Week in Madrid and Paris...Part 1: Madrid

Hi everyone! I'm sorry I didn't write any blogs, but 2 weeks ago was super busy and then this past week I happened to be gone traveling in Madrid and Paris with the group. C'est magnifique!

Ying and I on the train to Paris

Pont Aven is such a small, beautiful port town but it is definitely out in the boonies. We had to leave at 5:30 AM last Saturday morning, take a bus to the train station, train to Paris, fly to Madrid, and a bus to our hotel. Not to mention that on our train ride there stopped abruptly and we all had to get off for an hour--turns out the train hit a cow. As you can see in the pic below, the intestines and such were still intact, but I guess the rest of the guts got up into the engine so we had to wait for another train. We were specifically told not to get on any other trains, but one of our "not the brightest" guys hopped on one to use the bathroom, as the train locked it's doors and began to take off. We watched him drive off into the horizon, but I couldn't help to laugh as in slow motion he banged on the windows while we all just laughed at his stupidity. Luckily the instructors chased the train down and they backed up to let him off.

The cow's guts on the front of our train

Then there was the ordeal at the airport. If I haven't already mentioned the luggage situation before, allow me to elaborate. When I first flew into France by myself trying to find this mysterious group of kids I'd be living with for the next 3 months, I had my backpack and one suitcase (bigger than a carryon, but not the biggest you can find)...and let me say for a college girl to only bring that much for 3 1/2 months is quite amazing. Every other student came around the corner with a backpack, duffel, two huge suitcases, and shipped things to meet them here--did I miss something? And why is this relevant to Madrid? Well because I only have my one suitcase I didn't have the luxurious option as others to bring a different bag, so I had to check mine.

Not the sharpest tool in the shed...finally being let off the train

We were already delayed from the cow epidemic, and now a bunch of us had to wait in line to check our bags. At one point it was declared that we had missed the flight and would have to meet everyone else there, but thank god it all worked out. THEN...yes it goes on...I have a first class ticket on AirFrance and I'm pretty stoked because I know I'm going to get goodies from my experience on the Frankfurt flight. I was supposed to sit next to one of my teachers, but he goes, "oh you have to trade with your other professor/my boyfriend so we can sit next to each other." I said, "hell no, I'm getting food in first class." He said there was no difference, and because I didn't want to hold up the line I grumbled my way back to economy. I motioned to the lady that my seat was in the middle, so she just picked up her purse, are you serious? Yes I had to climb over her, and yes both women took the armrests. Luckily I was able to sleep the whole time...I hope I snored loudly.

A typical view of Madrid!

I can't believe it but we all made it on time to Madrid, and it was surprisingly amazing. I didn't know what to expect, but I loved it. According to the other students from New York, they said it was just like the Big Apple but with cooler architecture. Which makes sense why I loved it so much since that is my destination after I graduate.

So ARCO was the first art "place" since it really isn't a museum. For those of you who don't know it's a Contemporary Art Festival that happens once a year in Madrid...I think: http://www.ifema.es/ferias/arco/default_i.html

We were able to go on it's last day. It's about the size of Denver's Convention Center and is fulled with different contemporary artists. To me it was amazing to see strange, beautiful, and moving works in an art sense I am not quite familiar with. What was more fascinating was the people watching. In museums it's quiet and everyone admires famous "good" art, but here it was loud and rambunctious. I couldn't hear the conversations, but I could tell the Spanish people were passionate when discussing the works to their friends beside them. I think it's because ARCO houses contemporary art that isn't knighted as "good" art that besets itself in a museum, which was refreshing to have an environment where people could voice their opinions on the spot; make up your own mind instead of just believing it must be good because it's public. 

My mom made me take Spanish growing up claiming I would use it more than French--true if I were to stay in the US, but I used to tell her, "I won't when I live in France some day!" Well thank you mom because I was able to speak Spanish in Madrid and was like 1 of 2 people who knew how to in our group. I got us through dinner the first night, and directions on the street...better than nothing. At night we would split into groups and go to dinner, which was sometimes ridiculous because most of our students are vegetarian or vegan. There are these "cafeteria" places allover madrid which aren't too bad, but we ate some amazing Indian food one night, and at lunch I had a doner kebab (turkish sandwich) that's pretty yummy. This night, after dinner, I found us a hookah bar which was really chill and fun. Some of my best friends back home in Boulder are Saudi Arabian and taught me a few words in Arabic, so I thought...why not? In Spanish I asked if they knew any Arabic? Turns out they were Moroccans (another sign I should go here for Spring Break) and knew French as well. So I ended up getting to know them through a mix of English, French, Spanish, Arabic conversations. Really fun, and I have their emails in case I need info Morocco. My friends here have been admiring me for getting to know the locals wherever we go: I'm close with the bartenders in Pont Aven and now Madrid Moroccans, but I figure it's the best way to absorb a culture, practice a language, and certainly "la joie de vivre" =  the joy of life!

Guernica by Pablo Picasso

The next day was The Reina Sofia museum, aka super cool. I was marveled by the astonishing works of art. I got to stand an inch from some Salvador Dali's and Picasso's...not to mention I was able to see "Guernica" in person. This may sound silly, but I almost cried when I saw it. I actually took the above image with my own camera outside of the "no photo" room, but was able to get about 6 feet from it. There are guards and a censor in the floor that alarms when you get close, but it's so massive that it's alright. If you do not know, Picasso was commissioned to create a mural reflecting the Spanish civil war. Here he illustrates the horror, distress, and panic of innocent people with death and suffering around them. The lightbulb eye at the top is symbolic of God's eye watching all around. I don't know why I was so moved, perhaps because I have studied it so much, because it's even been in movies like Children of Men with great depth, but all of it was so overwhelming to me. To me I always thought of it as an abstract, non-illogical, grey-scale painting. But if you look closely the different tints and shades of grey are carefully strategic by different angles, etc. Truly an astonishing work of art.

Yes, real black swans. If you liked the movie, then be jealous

After words a bunch of us walked through the beautiful city of Madrid in hopes to find the Botanical Gardens. We did. It cost money, and everything was dead anyway since it's winter. So we found a cosy spot in the park, ate some snacks and enjoyed. Pont Aven is beautiful, but gloomy and cloudy. Being from Colorado of 300 sunshine days, I was so happy to finally see some blue sky in Madrid, soak up the Vitamin D and energy (meum)! While we were sitting there these black swans came swimming up in the creek--absolutely gorgeous, the sights just keep getting more amazing every day.

Final day was the Prado, wait, the INFAMOUS Prado Museum. For every museum we go in as a group so we don't have to pay (which is pretty sweet), and while we were waiting there was a school group of these little kids all holding each other's hoods. Made me remember fieldtrips growing up: I'd always be the only one raising my hand to go to the Denver Art Museum, but we always went to the Natural History Museum so people could test their pulse. But now I was here! Ha ha. I saw so many famous paintings, I can't even express, also we weren't allowed to take pictures and therefore I can't remember lol. Goya was an artist who was typically commissioned for boring portraits of people, but there was a section of the museum where he let loose and painted these horrific dark paintings of war and distressed people called "The Black Paintings". (image link below) 

One of Goya's "The Black Paintings"...tis creepy

My friend looked at me and said, "whoa that guy had some demons". Perhaps that is why I have been so moved at these museums, because I have seen art that reflected people who have been like me, and they were able to express their unsaid emotions and feelings while successfully fulfilling a legacy of a work that lives on past them. I think most artistic people have really dark sides...and it's okay. Anyway I also saw some Bosch paintings, like "The Garden of Earthly Delights" (image link below)

Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights"

It's an incredible painting that I have studied in school all the symbolism and such, and yet I stood in front of it for a good while laughing to myself really looking at it blind eye going, "what the f*** is going on in this painting?" Lol. One of the Bosch paintings was a portrayal of the seven deadly sins. This loud group of American adults crowded the piece yelling to each other, "what are they again? I'm trying to remember that movie with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Was murder one of them? I wish this artist would have written them out cuz I can't tell!"--wow, Americans are annoying sometimes. 

This is not me but what it will look like

I could go on and on about all the famous pieces and artists that were amazing to see after studying them in school, but I won't bore you anymore. Instead I'll mention...oh ya, got my lip pierced! I was walking home from the Prado and took a different way for scenic enjoyment. I found this little nook with a piercing/tattoo place, and 5 minutes later walked out with a bar of metal in my face. It was incredibly cheap compared to the US and still clean and regulated--don't worry I checked and watched. I have to keep a stud in for a month 1/2 before I can change it. Before you get hyped up, I have always wanted a lip ring, and figured I better do it now so that after I graduate and need a job I can take it out. Then I'm not doing this crazy young stuff when I'm like 40. It's pretty sweet tho, and a great souvenir!

My friend Abigail and I drinking Sangria

Our last night in Madrid, we had tapas and paetas (or however you spell it)--apparently well-known amazing food I've never had. Twas awesome: ham-cheese fried balls, broccoli in garlic sauce, and seafood rice. Then we all wanted to find a bar to have Spain's awesome Sangria wine. We found this awesome whole-in-the-wall basement bar with dried meat hanging all over the ceiling. To split a pitcher with a friend was 3,50 euros...hell ya. And it was amazing, they made it in a barrel with fruit. An awesome night to a wonderful trip! I didn't know what to expect from Spain, but ended up loving it. We were there Saturday to Wendesday, before flying back to the my home city...Paris.

The adventures of our hotel room one night...yes that's foil on my friends head

It's late here, so I'm going to go to bed, plus I might have the flu-gross. But I will finish Part 2: Paris tomorrow. And later catch up on classes and other happenings in other blogs...enjoy!