What a fun weekend I had; had an unofficial DU reunion in Salamanca, and had the opportunity to visit the city of Segovia.
ISA Madrid had an excursion to Salamanca, so I had the chance to see some DU friends who are studying in the capital city. Additionally, a few DU students studying abroad in Bilbao decided to visit Salamanca. Had fun showing off my home city and taking them out at night. With 10 DU kids here in Salamanca, about 6 DU kids with ISA Madrid, and 3 DU kids who visited from Bilbao, it was refreshing to see some familiar faces. I am so lucky to know so many people studying abroad, and it was a reminder of why I chose to go to DU in the first place. I have quite a few American friends studying here in Salamanca who went out on a limb studying abroad this semester; in many cases, they are the only people they know of from home who are studying abroad. They are the "weird" ones. I cannot imagine! I am in the complete opposite situation; I only know of half a dozen DU students who are not studying abroad this semester.
It makes it easier knowing that I have friends all over the world, facing the same challenges and experiencing the same emotions that I am. Plus, it makes traveling Europe very exciting! For example, I am going to London in a few weeks, and I already know of two DU friends who live there and who can show me around. Plus, I have friends in Prague, Barcelona, France, Germany---I think DU should start a couch-surfing network for all us European kids!
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On Sunday, woke up early to catch a bus with ISA to head off to Segovia. Located west of Salamanca and north of Madrid, this small town is well known for the Roman aqueduct that stretches across the center of the city. While it is no longer in use, it was a functioning water source for the city until recently. Construction of the aqueduct was finished in the 2nd century AD, when the Romans occupied this area of Spain. As in, before there was electricity, machines and modern technology to construct this monstrous network:
After meeting in the city center, we headed off to visit an old church. The artwork dates back to the 12th century. The fresco's decorating the walls were beautiful, and while it was a fairly small church, it was representative of the Christian influence in Spain during Middle Ages:
After that, we toured the Alcázar of Segovia, an old castle built on top of a hill. One an Arab fortress built in the 12th century (or earlier!), it has also been used as a residence for various kings and queens throughout history. I won't go into detail about all the history and dates and specifics---but what a feeling, to walk through a bedroom and dining room once used by a famous Spanish king and queen. Spanish countryside, from the top of the castle:
After that tour, students had a chance to explore the city and grab some lunch. In this restaurant district, this is what we saw: a traditional Segovian meal, very well known throughout all of Spain:
We left the city to be back in time for dinner in Salamanca at 8 pm. Like Lisbon, I wasn't anticipating liking Segovia as much as I did! Similar to Salamanca in terms of size, it was very walkable and a safe city. However, Segovia was different since it was so close to the mountains. A reminder of home! It was a bit more isolated and rural, so there were more trees, another pleasant reminder of home! How I miss autumn in Vermont.
But does Vermont, or Colorado, have Roman architecture and art from the Middle Ages?! No way! Can't get enough of this view; and can you believe it was all built by hand! A masterpiece indeed. I understand why this city has been designated as a World Heritage Site:
On that note: I am having a much better week. Last week, I freaked out a little bit about being so far from home for so long; I mean, a year is a LONG time! I am going to miss Colorado skiing, and will be super jealous when all my friends are knee deep in power this winter. As I write this, my friend Ryan just commented on how he's going to stack his schedule so he can go skiing during the week!! I'll be fine though; I'll be surrounded by all this culture and language and will have so many opportunities to travel. So there!
After talking to friends, family, and thinking about it, though, I am ready for the challenge of a year abroad. I just booked my plane ticket to Oslo, Norway for Christmas, to see my good friend Thea (thanks Thea!). My Dad and sister are coming to visit for my birthday, so that's another thing to look forward to. My best friend Lauren is coming to visit Salamanca this weekend, and I'm off to Ireland in two weeks! So really, I have absolutely nothing to complain about. Life is good!
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