So… I missed last week’s blog but here’s the big recap:
Last week was chill. It was the random four days of classes
in between our week to the north and Semana Santa (spring breakish) so it was a
little disjointed and unproductive. Not much to report.
Mom got in at about 7pm on Thursday and from there things
have not been boring or regular. Even with her broken foot, Mom couldn’t cancel
the trip. I met her at the hotel and we went out to traditional Sevillan tapas
for normal dinnertime at 9:30. She was thrilled to see my new home city and
loved the cute tapas place right by my school. I used her coming as an excuse
to go to tapas places I pass everyday but don’t have the money to go to on my
own budged. She loved the idea. I made her try the local beers that EVERYONE
drinks and the local foods that I’ve eaten way too much of. After dinner I took
her home and went out on the town with my friends. I left early though at about
3:30am because I wanted to be up for lunch. Oh Spain…
Friday Mom and I went to lunch at a restaurant by house in
Triana and then visited my host mom and roommate and I got to show her where I
live. Josefa was super nervous to meet mom and had scrubbed the house spotless
and put on a little tea party for her. I did my best to translate and I think
it went really well. We then did some minor touring around the city although it
was hard to go many places because Sevilla is such a pedestrian town. That
night we had drinks with about six of my friends from my program and one of my
friend’s moms at a little bar by the river. We had a great time! My friends
loved meeting my mom and it didn’t hurt that she bought a round of mojitos.
Afterwards it was time for dinner so we went to this little corner restaurant
I’ve passed a million times by my school. It’s kind of modern and the food was
a new take on traditional stuff and the dishes were fabulous. I’m defiantly
going back with my friends. The atmosphere is fun and lively and the food is
different than I’ve had before.
Saturday we went to the cathedral and then took a
horse-drawn carriage around the city so she could see it without having to
walk. It was actually pretty fun. Then we went to a quick but tasty lunch and
then I put mom to bed for a siesta and went home for a while. We met up for an awesome
dinner at this gourmet pizza place that always torments me as I walk back from
class. I’ve been craving pizza and wanted a break from Iberian ham and bread. I
spent the night in the hotel that night because we had an early train ride in
the morning.
Sunday we jumped on a train to Barcelona. Six hours later we
were eating lunch overlooking the port of Barcelona right next to our hotel.
It’s a really cool city. After that, I went in search of the Maritime Museum
(what a surprise) and mom went to see some early Picassos. The Maritime Museum
wasn’t as good as the one in Madrid but there was a full-sized replica of a 16th
century Spanish galleon. It was pretty darn cool:
Yes that is a man walking to the right of it. It was big.
The one other Haley-squealing-moment was a model of one of
my favorite vessels of history, the HMS Victory.
This first-rate ship of the line that has been sailing since
1765 and that is still afloat in Portsmouth was Nelson’s (Yep that Nelson that
I’ve made everyone get to know) flagship and death place during the incredible
Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. After the museum I walked over to the famous café
4Gats (a name that references a phrase that is a common joke with one of our
professors here in Spain) where Picasso used to regular. It started to rain
(duh) and I was soaked but happy by the time I got back to the hotel. We went
out to dinner in a neighborhood named Born at this little outdoor (it had
stopped raining) place with the cutest German waiter. We must have stayed for
three hours chatting with the guy and getting refills on our cava, famous and
very tasty Barcelona sparkling white wine, and had a wonderful night.
Later, ventured over to a Joan Miró exhibit for Mom and I
went exploring the gardens of the Generalife nearby. These gardens are situated
on a hill overlooking the city but are so large and winding and empty that it
felt like a different world. I had a grand old time walking around and on my
way back up I ran into David Fleming. David goes to Whitman with Richael and
went to high school with me. He was in my a cappella group, my choir, and three
or four musicals with me. Crazy small world! Mom and I met up and then took the
gondola over the city and the port. It’s not often you get to see a city like
Barcelona from the air. Afterwards we found an Indian restaurant and ate an
early dinner. After month and months of bland Spanish food and bread, bread,
and more bread, the curry spices were very welcome. Then we went to our ferry
and got checked in to our cabin. We sailed from Barcelona with 800 people
(mostly student groups of douchey Spanish guys). It was quite an experience.
Our cabin was roomy, had a fun little bunk for me climb up to and a surprisingly
big window. We explored the boat and then went up on deck for a while. I feel
so at home on a boat! I guess that’s good since I study the navy…
Tuesday I was gently rocked awake after the best night of
sleep I’ve had in ages. We spent our day sleeping, eating, drinking, and
reading throughout the ship and I watched the sunset as we sailed into Civitavecchia, the modern Roman port.
After taking the train into town and checking
into our hotel, we then went up to the top level for mai tais over looking the
city. Mom can tell you, I was a little teared up to look out over the skyline
and see St. Peter’s cathedral.
In the morning we got up and went to
breakfast on the top level with the view again and then I struck out to explore
the city by myself. I was headed to the Capitol when I glanced to my right and
did a double take. Seriously, you can’t walk a block in Rome without running
into some crazy old historical landmark. I had just happened to walk by
Trajan’s triumphal column.
I then decided to look around the neighborhood I was in
before going to my museums. I found Augustus’ giant sundial that he brought
back from Egypt and the remaining columns of Hadrian’s temple. Gordon Kelly, my
amazing professor who taught my Ancient Rome history class last spring told our
class that if we ever went to Rome we had to find this giant marble foot that
is the remains of an old statue. It’s literally called Pie di Marmo and is just
hanging out on a little street. I found it.
Then I went to the Pantheon.
Yeah. That happened.
Then on to the Capitoline
Museums in the Capitol where I saw TONS of beautiful marble statues of all my
favorite old dead white guys. Such as Constantine:
Lots of Trajan:
Even more of Hadrian:
And of course my favorites,
Augustus and his second wife, Livia (AKA two of the shrewdest political minds
of history):
And countless other mind-blowing statues and busts. I then
walked down to Tarpeian Rock where the Romans used to throw traitors to their
deaths. They were such sweeties. Afterwards I walked back to the hotel and mom
and I went to coffee at a little place by our hotel. We went to dinner that
night at this incredible seafood restaurant that had all of their fish and
shellfish in the lobby as you walked in. Every time someone would order
something, they would bring the fresh fish through the restaurant to the
kitchen in the back. I convinced mom to share the six chef’s choice starters,
which included full baby octopus (so good!) and some incredible calamari. Those
were followed by an awesome seafood pasta and gnocchi.
On Thursday I again went exploring, this time in the forum
and Palatine Hill. It seems appropriate that I live on Palatine Hill in
Portland. This place… I have no words.
From the ancient Temple of the Vestal Virgins to the Curia
to the Severan Buildings and the ruins of the huts of Romulus, I’ve seen it
all. I took a break for lunch and then went on to see the Coliseum where my
convenient Roma Pass let me make the three hundred people in line instantly hate
me as I cut right in front of the line. But I would have gladly waited for
hours to see this place. Again: no words.
I then wandered back to the hotel and we later went to a
local restaurant by the Spanish Steps for one of my favorite meals in a long time.
So buffalo mozzarella cheese is fabulous always but NOTHING compares to the
real thing. Also, they prepare artichokes by taking off the outside leaves and
boiling the whole thing, with the entire stem, and then marinating it in olive
oil and herbs. The product: gloriousness. I then ordered veal liver with
caramelized onions and mushroom reduction and my already blown mind took
another hit. To finish, we tried a very interesting local liquor. All together
it was a pretty incredible day.
Friday Mom went to the Vatican with a tour group and I
stayed in the hotel because I was feeling really sick. I’m sad I missed the
Vatican but, hey, I’m going back to Rome. It’s just going to happen. I went
exploring a little later, however, and ended up reading for a while at a little
café by Tarpeian Rock. The place is surprisingly peaceful considering its
history. We decided we had been adventurous enough that trip so we returned to
the restaurant from the night before for more mozzarella and artichokes but
this time with carpaccio as well.
Saturday we left Rome to fly back to Barcelona. I was sad to
leave Rome but honestly, I was ready to be home. I need time to process all the
things I’ve seen! We stayed last night at a hotel by the airport and didn’t
budge. We were exhausted. I took a sleeping pill and went to bed at 9.
Today we both had to be at the airport by 5:30am which meant
getting up at 4:15. But it was daylights saving time today… So we really got up
at 3:15. That’s when the party starts in Sevilla. Anyway we parted at the
airport, I flew home and mom flew to Frankfurt and then on to SFO. It was a
wonderful trip and I got to fulfill so many of my long-time dreams that the way
I’m going, I’m not going to have any kind of bucket list left in a few years. I
immediately went back to sleep when I got home. When I did wake up around noon
I told my host mom I was back and she was so glad to see me that she hugged me!
This tiny, severe, Spanish lady actually hugged me! I guess I’m making
progress. It was so nice to be back. Even though it rained all day (UGH YOU’VE
GOT TO BE KIDDING ME) it really did feel like coming home. I can’t even think
about the fact that I only have a month left in Spain.
Those are my adventures during Semana Santa! Another update
next Sunday.
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