Viajando ~ Traveling

Catching up for lost time, a big thanks to final exams… I thought I would talk about traveling. It has been one of my favorite things and I cannot wait until I can travel more next semester. Thus far I have been to Salamanca, Avila, Villalba, El Escorial, Segovia & Toledo which are all small villages in Spain just a bit outside of the city. Some have been day trips while others weekenders, but however you plan on traveling I recommend spending time in Spain to try and get a feel for the culture before jumping into Europe. Salamanca was one of the school trips this semester where we had our orientation, which I mentioned in and earlier post and the others are just some other small villages that I have visited with friends because we have friends that live there or because there is some historical palace or monastery there, such as El Escorial. Avila is a medieval city which has a very interesting history, but I do not want to give away too much information because there is a school trip traveling there next semester! However, I have also traveled outside of Spain this semester! I have been to Paris & Toulouse, France, where I was able to spend time exploring and getting to know other cultures and customs. Dublin, Ireland is one of my all time favorites and I tend to return quite frequently to visit with some people who are very good friends of my family. On top of that I traveled to Lisbon, Portugal with the school on one of the semester trips. Each European country in very unique, meaning that they are proud of their culture as well as their customs and are always trying to show other people how special they truly are. By studying in Madrid I feel as if I am in the center of Europe and at the gateway to visit other countries, but at the same time if you come here on a smaller budget there are so many things to do in Madrid and its surroundings that you really do not have to leave. But as for now I’m going to go play in the snow because I have not seen any for a very long time…

This picture was taken on my flight from Ireland to Spain while we were just over the cost of Ireland, as you can see...
¡Hasta Luego!

Felices Fiestas ~ Happy Holidays

Wow how the time is flying by… I just finished all of my finals and cannot wait to go back home and visit my friends and family over the winter break!

Over the past few weeks I have been very busy making sure everything was completed for the end of the semester as well as studying for my final exams. Now that they are over I am able to enjoy my last few days here in Madrid before I travel home for a few weeks to spend some time with my family and friends. This year has been very special for me because I have been able to spend the preholiday season with some of my, now, very good friends! We have seen the holiday spirit in Lisbon, Portugal; Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland; as well as in Madrid, and each place we have traveled to we tried to get a little out of their culture to bring home and share with our own families. I am currently spending some time in the Sierra de Guadarrama visiting with some friends of mine and enjoying it a lot before I travel back to Madrid for the Cena de la Despedida (Farewell Dinner) which will take place on Monday evening. I think that the main reason as to why I am enjoying myself is the fact that there is so much NIEVE! That’s Right! SNOW!!!! I know it does not snow that often in Madrid but a mere 30+ minutes north of the city you can really get in touch with the winter weather where it snows a lot. However you are still able to get that warm holiday feeling in the city, the other evening my friends and I decided to take the Bus de Navidad (Christmas Bus) which cost only € 1 and took us all over the place to show us all of the Christmas Lights that are being displayed throughout the city…and on top of that there was a tour guide who pointed out several important places along the way! It was great fun and I recommend it to everyone because it surly brightened our holiday season!

I took this picture in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris!

¡Hasta Luego!

Lisboa + Pastéis = Best Weekend Ever!

¡Hola a todos! It has been such a hectic week trying to complete everything since the semester is ending this THURSDAY, I know the time has flown by. But I guess that I should do some catching up…

First of all, Lisboa was amazing! The weather was perfect, the trip well organized, and the food was incredible, making this one of the best weekends this entire year! The city is located along the Tagus, Tajo, or Tejo River (Depending on which language you speak…English, Spanish, or Portuguese) and is also the current capital of Portugal. While there we visited several important sites including the Castelo São Jorge, Torre de Bélem, Monasterio de los Jerónimos, as well as many other sites including a nice theatre where we were able to watch a fado show while enjoying a delicious meal. During the trip we also traveled to several other surrounding cities like Sintra & Cascais, two lovely beach side towns where we had a lot of free time to relax, walk around, or simply lay on the beach. We also traveled to Cabo de Roca, which is the most western point of mainland Europe! It was so nice there and the view was incredible (as you can see from the foto above). Needless to say the trip was a great sucess and to top it all off, we ate some Pastéis de Bélem, some heavenly desserts that are famous from that area by locals as well as tourists alike, making the weekend end on a wonderful note. The bus ride was about eight hours, but I guess that is what you have to pay to reach some of the nicest places on earth...

¡Hasta Luego!

Some Students at Cabo de Roca

A view of Lisbon from El Castelo São Jorge

El Otoño – Fall

While walking down the lovely streets of Madrid today I realized something, it’s fall! Having grown up in the Boston area, I always thought that the leaves changed in the beginning of October, but as I saw today that is not always true. When you mix falling leaves, fresh air and a light jacket you get the perfect day for a walk in Madrid, so that is exactly what I did. While walking from my host family’s house to El Parque del Buen Retiro, one of the largest parks that Madrid has to offer, I was able to visit some of my favorite places around the city such as La Plaza de Colón and La Plaza de Cibeles. La Plaza de Colón is one of my favorites because it is a very relaxing place equipped with fountains, murals, an underground theatre as well as an enormous Spanish flag! Not only that, but the entire plaza is dedicated to Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus) with a statue in his honor and about four or five murals that depict his voyages to the new world. As for La Plaza de Cibeles, it is simply an enormous building like none I have seen before…and on top of that, it’s the post office!!! Anyways, getting back to El Retiro, the park is a very relaxing place where I usually go to walk around. There are flowers, a small lake where you can rent rowboats (They cost about €4), El Palacio de Cristal (Where normally they hold different art exhibitions throughout the year) and an abundance of trees and fresh air with pathways (So I do not get lost)! Normally on Saturdays there are tons of people in the park, either selling crafts or taking advantage of the fresh air and you can go and partake in this small piece of Spanish culture. My friends and I usually end up in the park during the weekend to walk around and get some fresh air instead of being cooped up inside all day, but that’s just us!

As for now I have to go finish packing for the school trip to Lisbon this weekend…

¡Hasta Luego!

Buenos Días ~ Good Morning

Hi Guys, I guess I should start off by introducing myself a little bit. My name is Greg and I am a freshman here at Suffolk University Madrid Campus or SUMC as some like to call it. At the moment I am a Spanish Major, which I guess is one of the major reasons that I chose to study here, even though they offer classes for everyone! As we are getting closer to the end of the fall semester (also known as my first semester of college) everyone is trying to get all of their work together before going home for the holidays. So far this has been a great semester filled with excursions, bake sales, holiday parties, self defense classes and even movie nights!(My favorite events…Thanks Amy & Karyn). At the beginning of the semester, for orientation, the entire school traveled to Salamanca. Salamanca is a small town about two hours north of Madrid, where the oldest university in Spain is located. We spent four days there visiting different areas and trying to get a feel for the Spanish culture as well as meet new people & staff. Everyone is so friendly and I feel that there is always someone to talk to when you need them. I think that my favorite part about living in Madrid has to be the fact that there is so much to do here. The city is filled with fun things to do as well as great cultural events! This weekend I am going to the Sorolla Museum (Museo Sorolla) with the school and cannot wait because the paintings are shown in the Madrid house of Joaquín Sorolla Bastida, the artist, but I´ll let you know about that later on when I return....

As for now I have to meet some friends for some Tapas, but I´ll tell you more soon....

¡Hasta Luego!