Some Enchanted Evening

 So in class Thursday we talked about how literature has changed in the digital world, which was interesting enough, but I’m sure no one is surprised to know that I preferred Don Quijote. Dad always makes fun of me for being so analog. But I like analog. It’s calming.

Then I went to English class, except that Dr. Pennock wasn’t there, so there was another teacher. It was… an interesting experience. It wasn’t bad, it was just different. The woman was a non-native speaker, an EXCELLENT non-native speaker, but she was just very… by the book. Quite literally, she did a lot of grammar exercises and stuff out of the book. I did wind up having a really interesting discussion with some Spanish girls about the time in Kindergarten one of my classmate’s fathers (who happened to be a pulmonologist or cardiologist or something) brought a real human heart and lungs into our class to teach us how bad smoking was. They were all pretty horrified that he had done that when we were that young. Strangely, I think at the time I just thought it was cool. But, yeah, I am glad I went, it was a good experience. But I like Dr. Pennock’s class better. Much funnier, and much more conversation.

So then after class I went home and ate lunch and showered and did my hair and put on a skirt and blouse and headed off towards the City of Arts and Sciences. Because I was going to an opera.

So, a while ago, I decided that while I was in Europe I wanted to see Opera. There isn’t a lot in the US, and I had never seen a live, professional opera  (I had seen a video of a professional opera, and a live opera at UGA, but never a live, professional opera.) and I wanted to do that. So I decided to go to the big theatre in Madrid and I booked my tickets, and then I remembered that there was an opera in Valencia. They hadn’t seemed to have anything good on, and Wagner was in Madrid, but I checked again, and discovered that Plácido Domingo (for those of you who don’t know, one of the best tenors in the last century) was singing Verdi literally down the street from where I live. So I bought the cheap tickets and decided to make a night of it.

I walked through the park down to the Opera House and waited out in the wind with a lot of people much older than me. Going to opera always makes me feel young. And then they let us in, and I ran around the theater for a bit and explored this very modern Opera House, and I went and I found my nosebleed ticket (on the 5^th floor) that according to the website had “no view” of the stage. Fortunately, that was a gross exaggeration. If I leaned over I could see all but a ¼ of the stage. And really, you don’t go to watch, you go to listen.

So anyway, it was just really cool. The theatre was very modern and funky, and there was blue tile everywhere and the sides of the seats lit up when the lights went down. There were special screens in front of each seat where you could select your own language for the subtitles (since the opera was in Italian. Also, since opera is generally unintelligible no matter what language you speak.). And my seat was cool. I was all by myself on the side of the auditorium in this little mini-box thing.

But the real highlight was the opera. It was Simon Boccanegra by Verdi, and… I honestly don’t even know how to go about describing it. I am aware that people don’t like opera, and I know that a lot of them just haven’t seen it, but I just don’t understand how you could dislike something that beautiful. I mean, I went in with such high expectations, and it blew them all away. Plácido Domingo was, of course, phenomenal, but the other singers were wonderful too, and… it was very emotional. Like, obviously, it’s an opera, high emotion, lots of drama, but then you get the music going and these people with these absolutely unbelievable voices, and every emotion is just so much more intense, and it’s old and powerful and absolutely entrancing. It was a magical experience. I am so lucky to have gotten to go and gotten to hear such an amazing singer, and see such a wonderful work in such a beautiful place.

So afterwards I walked home down the street by the río, and it was beautiful and warm and quiet, but still just alive enough to be safe, and the streets were all lit up. I love walking around Valencia at night, it’s lovely. So then I went home and went to bed.

Then Saturday was a bit more chill. I spent the morning planning and working and getting things done, then I went with Jess and a friend of her who is studying in Paris who came down to visit her to the Science Museum down in the City of Arts and Sciences. And we had a lot of fun. We stopped by Gulliver on the way down, and had a nice stroll through the río, and it was fun. The museum was really cool too. We did a lot of silly things. We drew pictures and did dumb poses and smelled things and Jess and I had a rowing competition (it was a tie, because I did more, but I was also too short to go all the way back) and drew in the sand and touched ice, and it was crazy.

After the museum, we caught a bus back to the town center, and stopped for lunch at a sandwich shop, which was great, because I was very hungry. I did some more planning and such, and then went back to that Indian restaurant and had a lovely dinner by myself. I read and chilled and had the kind of food I wanted. I also had some interesting conversation with the man who I suspect is the proprietor. And those random conversations are sometimes the best.

So I went back to the dorm and I got some more stuff done, and then headed to bed, because we had an excursion on Saturday.

And now some photos:

 This is the movie theater.

 We were in the back row.

 this is the nude opera house

 it normally has white tiles, but, the architect done messed up.

 That guy on the right is Plácido

 And I was very excited about the opera.

 the view from the opera house

 I think that the City of Arts and Sciences is so cool.

 inside the opera

 the stairs I walked up

 how much of the stage I could see

 the audience.

 the people who paid money for dinner.

 My little box.

*hums "On the Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady very loudly*

Dalí Love Confusion

So, yes, last week. That was a thing that happened.

Monday was pretty normal. I went to Civilization class and we talked about Franquismo, which is always interesting. And then in cine we talked about El Bola and Mar Adentro, and generally discussed things and such. Then I went to my English class, which was… mysteriously empty. And I asked at the front desk, and they couldn’t tell me anything, so I went home and worked on my essay. I got an email from Dr. Pennock later that said that he was sick and that class had been cancelled. He had apparently sent the email telling me that first to the wrong Katie.

And then I went to Elena’s class, where we continued to analyze Salvador Dalí paintings, which is greatly amusing. And then we wached some interviews with Dalí, which were HILARIOUS. Like, he was on this old game show called “What’s My Line” and there was this panel of blindfolded people ask yes or no questions to determine his idenityt, and by the end we were DYING of laughter, because he is just insane. And arrogant, and I don’t even know. Those poor contestants. He was not being very helpful. And then it all made sense when he gave an interview and there was a translator, because his English isn’t great. And he said “I’m not going to use the translator. Dalí love confusion.” shakes head

So, yeah, then we had our meeting and I did my homework and went to bed.

Tuesday we went to Lit class and talked about microcuentos. Microcuentos were a thing I first heard about in AP Spanish back ages ago, and then they were kind of the bane of my existence. Their name translates as “micro-stories” and they are… just that. They’re these little tiny slips of stories (a few paragraphs, maybe only a line) and they are just so interesting to me. Like, there is this one anthology called “Crimenes Ejemplares” by Max Aub, and it’s a collection of microcuentos and each one is from the perspective of a murderer, explaining why they murdered the person. It’s kind of “Cell Block Tango” for you Chicago fans. And it’s chilling. But then there are also some that are just kind of confusing. Apparently, though, this is the most famous microcuento, translated here, for you, by me. It’s by Agusto Monterroso.

“When he woke up, the dinosaur was still there.”

Except it’s better in Spanish, because “woke up” doesn’t even have a gender or a definite identity. Something woke up. Human, not human, male, female, sentient, we don’t know. But when it woke up, the dinosaur was still there. Crazy, huh?

And then that afternoon I went to see Captain America. It was fantastic. There’s a theater about 20 minutes away from the dorm that plays big Hollywood movies with Spanish subtitles, and Captain America came out in Spain a whole week before it did in the US. (I find it hilariously ironic that Captian America did not debut first in… America) So Jess and I went to see it. And that was a cultural experience in and of itself. Like, the set up of the Cine and the fact that the theater itself was TINY. It was maybe 6 rows of seats and the rows were 10-20 seats each. Also, there was some promotional thing going on, and the tickets were like 3 euros. I don’t think I’ve ever paid that little for a movie ticket at a real theater.

And then the movie itself was just the bomb. One of the best superhero movies I have seen in a long time. Good plot, good action, excellent use of Black Widow (WHO NEEDS HER OWN MOVIE LIKE 2 YEARS AGO!) and just general awesomeness. And that’s actually one thing I love about Cpatian America, is that it isn’t ashamed to be a superhero movie. Like, it is about a guy in a red white and blue outfit running around being really moral. And that’s OK. And I love that, because that’s what superheroes do, they are allowed to be good in a way very few other characters are. And I love it.

Also, I used my prior knowledge of Captain America and the fact that it was April fools day to text fake spoilers to people back home. I had a good time. An absolutely shocking number of people believed me when I told them that Captain America died. Including my own father. 

So then I went home and did homework and went to bed.

Then Wednesday we watched some movies about foreigners who fought in the Spanish Civil War. Some Italians who Mussolini sent to fight for the fascists, and then some Brits who came in the International Brigades. It was interesting. Also, one of the Brits had a Welsh accent, and we were all laughing and our Spanish teacher, who can't understand English was so confused as to why we were laughing.  Then in Cine we talked about… I honestly don’t know. I can’t find my notes from that day. Whoops.

Anyway, so then we came back and did homework and lunch and went to Elena’s class, where we… learned the subjunctive? I think. You know, I think I have a problem remembering Wednesdays. So, yeah, OH NO! I KNOW WHY I CAN’T REMEMBER-

We went on an excursion with Juan Miguel, and I was very, very tired. So instead of Elena’s class, we went to the Museum of Valencian history, and I wandered around listening to La Traviata on my iPod and doing our assignment. The coolest part of the museum, really, was the building itself. It was originally built as a reservoir for the city in the 1800s, and so it’s underground and cool and brick, and it was nice to be there. So then we went home, and I did homework and planned and stressed and went to bed.

Do You Wanna Be A Borgia?

Well... this is embarrassing.

6 days. I mean, really, I'm terribly ashamed of myself.

If it helps, I've gotten a lot done in those 6 days, including A LOT of planning for this summer. Because travel takes... A LOT of planning. Who knew?

Richtig!

On to what I did with my life like two weeks ago.

So Friday the... 28th, we went to Gandía. Which is another small town in the vicinity of Valencia. Nice sort of place. The train ride there was lovely, and we got there early afternoon.

Now, there is admittedly not a lot to see in Gandía. There is a nice beach, but it was pretty cloudy the day we went, and so I didn't actually wind up going. What we did instead, is that Elena and Alexz took us to the center of town, and sort of gave us a little orientation, and let us go wherever we wanted.

Alexz and Elena's plan was to go to the ducal palace in the city, but I'm the only one that went with them, and I am so glad that I did. It was incredible.

So, I know I mentioned this in an earlier blog (a MUCH MUCH earlier blog), but the Borgias (yes, those Borgias) are actually from the Valencia area, and one of Pope Alexander VI's children (the Borgia Pope. Yes, the one with THOSE children) was Duke of Gandía, and built a lovely Renaissance palace in the town.

 This is the inner courtyard

I was very happy to be there. Because... seriously.

So we went in

And inside it was just SO COOL!!

The third floor was furnished like the palace would have been, and it had a reception hall

 the hall

 a very impressive portrait

And there you've got a window with the coats of arms in them.

But see, the problem is that you aren't allowed to take pictures inside. Which we all found very dumb. Especially because the chapel is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

Like, that's a BAD picture of the ceiling I found on google.

And that's a better one that Elena took. Like, it was incredible.

But it was also kind of funny, because we were begin total secret agents and trying not to let them see us take the photos, so we would post lookouts and it was crazy. And kind of fun.

And at some point we started talking about the Borgias, because, well... that's what was there. And Elena has recently become obsessed with them. And we talked about all the intrigue, and if the rumors about them were true, and the absolute insanity of being a powerful family in that time, and Elena said that she would like to be a member of one of those powerful families. Not a powerful member of an important family, but just one of the people in the background, watching all the deals go down, but not getting her hands dirty.

And I disagreed on two fronts. First: I don't think it would be fun at all. The manipulation and backstabbing and not knowing who to trust, and just because you aren't important doesn't mean that people won't use you for their own ends, or that others won't target you because you are simply part of that family. Recently I've come to terms with the fact that I would rather live an unextraordinary life and be happy than be famous or important or part of history. And secondly, if I'm going to be in a family that messed up, I wanna be in charge. Screw being too innocent to be a target, I would want be too powerful to be a target. Also, you get to sit in a much more comfortable chair.

So we continued through the palace, and, man, it was impressive. I wish I had more photos. We also went into the room where they kept the costumes from the Spanish TV show about the Borgias, and we all picked out the outfits we would like to wear.

We went outside, where you COULD take photos

 But frankly, not as impressive as the inside

 The lovely city of Gandía.

 I did like the decoration on the palace.

 I was gonna cut that picture, but I thought it was funny

 Actual good picture!

 And Elena and I.

So we finished up the tour and went back to the courtyard where we found the turtles.

 I don't know why.

 But there were turtles in the courtyard.

So we got one last good picture in the palace

 And headed out.

But, OK, can we talk about this symbol for a moment? I don't know who invented it, or when, but it was all over this city, and I just think it is the coolest symbol ever. Because it's a FANTASTIC representation of what history thinks about the Borgias, but also a REALLY good representation of a lot of history. I mean, it's power, but the power is built on death and destruction. Also, the crown's reflection is the knives, because it's so hard to have the crown without the bad things that come with it. I just... this symbol fascinates me.

So then we wandered around the city. We went to a park to eat lunch, and sat and chatted and chilled

 and saw some really strange plants

This is the city from the park.

And then we walked around. We stopped in a bakery, and got some really excellent bread.

Bread in Spain is so good. I really don't know what the US' problem is. We're one of the richest countries in the world, and yet we accept floppy wheat squares as a substitute for bread. It's so sad. I mean, here, good, fresh bread from a bakery with a nice crust and a soft inside is really cheap, and it's the norm. And I don't know why we don't do it. As my father pointed out, it's all just wheat and water!

So we walked around some more, found some random places, and then went back to the train station and had a cup of tea before our train arrived.

Here are some pictures I took along the way

 This is a little medallion that marks the old city wall from the 16th century. And it's got the symbol on it too!

We just found this place back inside a building. I don't even know.

So I sat with Alexz on the bus ride back and we talked about her list of quotes. So, I don't think I've mentioned it before, but Alexz keeps a list of all the silly, dumb, and generally amusing things people have said on this trip so we can remember them. And on the train we decided to count how many things on the list each person had said. And, to my everlasting amusement, and ever so slight shame, I actually had the most quotes on the list. This is partially because I spend a lot more time with Alexz than some of the other people on the trip, and also partially because I say a lot of dumb things. Apparently my crowning achievement so far is my discussion of "The world's greatest Elf-Dwarf Love Triangle." But in a close second (at the time) was Elena. I had 18, she had 17, and then next person had 7. Yeah. But I think Elena has surpassed me now. Which is so sad.

So we got back to Valencia, and I basically did homework and planning and boring stuff for the rest of the weekend. There's gonna be a lot of that in my next few blogs. Sorry.

I mean, Saturday I did laundry and ran errands and all that boring stuff that you have to do when you have a cool life.

On the plus side, on Sunday night I FINALLY GOT INDIAN FOOD!!!! I almost cried. It was so good. We went for our Taste of America dinner, and it was three of us, and it was fantastic. I've really missed Indian food.

 Doesn't it look so good?

 And we even got free, weird desserts.

Which tasted shockingly good.

So, yeah, that was my weekend. It was fun, and cool, and I am so glad I went to that palace. I do apologize for how few blogs have been posted recently, but I have a long train ride to Salamanca tomorrow (by the way, I'm going to Salamanca tomorrow) and hopefully there will be a couple train blogs to catch me up to the present day.

Also, a little bit of fair warning. I've been thinking about this, and there may be a change in the way this blog works. I love using pictures and I think they're a fun way to tell these stories, but thinking about how travel has been this semester, I realize that continuing to do blogs with all sorts of pictures in them is just not going to be convenient for this Summer. Because when I'm traveling, I write on the train, and on the train I don't have wifi, and the way I do this, I have to have wifi to insert the pictures, so, basically, doing pictures means lots of late blogs. And I can't just add the pictures when I get to the place, because usually the wifi is not strong enough to take the number of pictures I put in the blogs.
So sorry about that. What's probably going to happen this Summer, then, is that there will be lots of blogs like there were in the beginning. I'll write a lot on trains, and tell you all about what I've done, and then when I get a connection strong enough to post pictures, I'll post and caption a whole bunch.

So, yeah, see you all later! I had a really great weekend last weekend, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!