Hey sooo I realized I'm behind on my blogginz and I'm about to embark and the excursion of all excursions: BARCELONA. So if I don't write about last week tonight, I am going to forget allll about it. Lame.
So last week! Wednesday night we went to the Prado to discuss Goya. We went the day before to discuss Velázquez, rounding my Prado trips out to about five:) Maybe six? Oh I think it's six. Hopefully I'll get to go one more time before I go, but I leave in a week and two days. Waaaaay too soon. Anyway, after the Prado on Wednesday we went to Rodilla to get some lil' sandwiches (each sandwich is basically a half sandwich on Wonder bread...but better) before we headed over to the theatre to see La Moza de Cántaro, a play by Lope de Vega. I had forgotten just how much I love and miss great theatre. Can't wait to take advantage of that when I'm home! :) But this production was soooo brilliant! It was the national, classically trained, super-great acting troop, kind of a Spanish equivalent to the Royal Shakespeare Company, and it was just so great. Luckily the plot was relatively simple because it was kind of difficult to follow, especially considering I fell asleep for about ten minutes...it was really dark, and those seats were really comfy. Man, that was SO fun. Lope de Vega wrote something like 1,500 plays. I'm not even kidding, he just cranked 'em out. And he wrote poetry.
The next day, Thursday, we left for Burgos:D We made a stop on the way...somewhere. Dang it, where did we stop? Wow. I can't even think of what we did when we stopped. Probably ate. Oh yeah! We stopped in Lerma. There was a gorgeous view from the old Roman(?) gate and we stopped and ate some food. No. I had already eaten my sandwich...we bought snacks for the bus at a supermercado:) Anyway, glad that's cleared up. Driving up to Burgos was a moment I hope I always remember. There is a BEAUTIFUL Gothic cathedral in Burgos, the exterior is almost more impressive than the inside, so seeing that as we drove up was nerdily exciting for me. When we got to Burgos, we had a few hours of free time in which I fell in LOVE love love with Burgos. I officially have a favorite city we've visited. I've loved everywhere, but this is the city that reached out, grabbed me in the face, and laid a big one right on the mouth, I tell ya. We went to this gorgeous park and just enjoyed nature and the view of the city (we basically climbed a mountain to get there...soooo many stairs) and after we of course got ice cream. No. It was too hot for ice cream. We got granizados, an Icee type slush thing. But probably better than anything you've ever tried in that genre. Dang. Then!!!!!!!! This was seriously one of my favorite things of the whole trip. We went to a monastery somewhere not terribly far from Burgos, but on the way we stopped near a canyon (the bus literally dropped us off in the middle of the freeway) where there were eagles everywhere. It was so neat! But the BEST part, there was a concrete path and a railing down in the canyon so we got to spend time exploring. I got down first of the group and I was crazy full of energy (from belting Disney songs with half the girls the whole bus ride to Burgos:]) so I literally ran ahead to see where it lead. It was just the freeway again, a little further down, but it was so neat! I can't explain it very well, especially without pictures, but it was sooo neat to be down in the canyon and hearing the water and feeling the cool air and seeing some eagles and such. From there we drove to the monastery, took a tour, and then got to sit in for their evening Gregorian chantings!!! Legit Gregorian chant from some Spanish monks. When I was in the Gregorian chant choir for a month of fifth grade, I never would have imagined that. It was so neat! After returning to Burgos for dinner in the hotel (Paella. I made a friend of my little lobster guy and subsequently could not eat him. Also we drank La Casera, a reeeeheeeeeaaally delicious slightly-flavored sparkling water:]), we had even more free time! So we went and hung out in front of the cathedral. I taught the group Ninja:) The next day we had a guided tour (from a VERY Spanish man-Spaniard. Great dresser) of the city a bit and then to the cathedral. =O That cathedral is GORGEOUS. I love Gothic architecture, I tell ya. This was sooooo amazing. After our tour of the cathedral and learning all about El Cid, we drove to somewhere else...where someone is buried...oh. No, it was a Carthusian monastery. The Carthusian monks take a vow f silence, and yet they still have a choir. Doesn't that seem a bit oxymoronic? I meant to ask about that...at any rate, we had more free time after we got back to Burgos and we actually went BACK to the park:) Still gorgeous, but we weren't there as long. We was huuuungry. So we got some greeeat food for lunch (garlic soup, blood sausage, a fried egg, and flan. And lots of bread) and did a lil shopping. I bought a little necklace charm of a shell, the symbol of the pilgrim, because Burgos is a stop on the Camino de Santiago (a camino I very much want to take myself someday). Not only is it a constant reminder of Spain and all its glory, but it's from Burgos, my favorite city, and it reminds me to work toward my very real goal of doing the camino someday. Second honeymoon? Eh? Eh? :) On our way out of Burgos (sad) we stopped at the church where El Cid had to leave his wife and children when he was exiled. His horse is buried there! Babieca.
I'm sure there's so much more I'm forgetting, but the most important things is this: Burgos is amazing. Tomorrow: Barcelona!!! In the rain. Claro.
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