I really don't even know where to begin to recap the excitement of this week. Every day of my time in Europe so far has been absolutely wonderful and full of new adventures and experiences, but I think this week was one of the best by far, and one I know I will never forget. I have a lot to say, so either bear with me or skim as you please, I am not quite sure who's even reading this out there in the big wide cyberspace world but I am going to try to relay everything while it's fresh in my mind, if anything just so I know I'll have these memories written down somewhere for myself to revisit. So here we go, a week of incredible company, old friends and new, an absurd amount of pulverized fruit, and a weekend trip of a lifetime.
On Monday I was lucky enough to see Uncle Andy again on a layover! It's always so comforting and fun to see family in a city halfway across the world, and I had a fantastic time finally revealing the wonders of Tetuán to him, introducing my roommates, showing him around the market we discovered a few weeks ago, and walking down Grand Vía before stopping for dinner at a delicious Italian place!
Tuesday was so sad saying goodbye to Jaime, her program of 2 months has already come to an end, and Tetuán, Madrid, even Spain itself don't feel the same without her! Being in the same program, arriving at the same time, and all of our weekend travel adventures allowed us to spend so much time together, and I can honestly say that my time here would not have been incredible as it has been so far without her in it. BUT on the bright side...see you in San Fran!!!
On a brighter note, Allison finally made her much awaited debut in Madrid on Tuesday, and I could not have been more excited to see her!! She was such a trooper, being the pro-experienced-world-traveler that she is, and within just a few hours of traveling cross-globe came with me to experience a lunchtime of Menú del Día, walking all the way down Grand Vía, Puerta del Sol, Mercado San Miguel, and even Parque del Retiro - rowboats and all! Then on Thursday, we headed out again for a full day of running errands, Cien Montaditos (an absolute must), Mexican food at one of the top contenders we've discovered (as Allison so geniously put it, Mexican food is so hard to come by that you have to take advantage of good guac when it comes along), and sightseeing in Plaza de Espana, Templo de Debod, Casa del Campo, and the gardens and barrios around the area. These are some of my favorite sights of Madrid, and it was so much fun not only to get to spend that time together, but finally to play the role of (makeshift) tour guide instead of the first-time tourist. You really fall in love with a place all over again when you have the opportunity to share it with someone else. I wish she could stay with me in Madrid forever but she will be setting out after orientation to do big things with her Fulbright teaching program in Santander!
Wednesday fell in the category of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, as well as the category of one of the craziest, grossest, most fun and outrageous things I've ever done. Welcome to the insanity that is...Tomatina!! Tomatina is a long-standing tradition comprised of a huge festival and yes, tomato fight, in the city of Bunol in the Valencia region of Spain. It is world renowned as the biggest food fight in the world, so of course we couldn't pass up the opportunity to experience it firsthand. Hostels and transportation books up months in advance, but luckily the Intercambio group that I have attended a few times was organizing a daytrip by bus, so Ian, Jose and I snagged seats with them! We met in a plaza at 3:30 am on Wednesday and drove out to Bunol, arriving around 7am after a super restful and comfortable nap (cue sarcasm) in the cramped back seats of the bus that don't recline. (Thanks Jose.) Outfitted in clothes we were prepared to (and did) throw out, old shoes (or no shoes, in the boys' case, never mind they were the only ones in the entire festival to do so...seemed like a good idea at the time?) and goggles (an absolute necessity and standard equipment for all participants, we came to find) we walked through the town past restaurants, outdoor booths, blasting music, vendors, and tons of people to finally arrive at the main event. One main street with about 20 branching off of it, all absolutely jam-packed with more people in one place than I have ever seen in my life, all facing the center square where there was an enormous pole, absolutely thick with grease and with a huge greased ham at the top. (ham in Spain, weird I know) According to tradition, the festival can't start until someone successfully climbs to the top and pulls the ham down. What they don't tell you is that this takes hours, albeit extremely entertaining hours, amid people yelling/cheering/jeering at those brave enough to try, oh and the intense water fight that persisted the whole time, including residents from the balconies of their houses covered in tarp to protect them from tomatoes hosing/throwing buckets of water on the crowds below, and people on the streets ruthlessly drenching strangers with the aid of the hoses and spigots that were all too abundant lining the streets. After the ham was finally recovered, we escaped from the crowd (not an easy thing to do) to dry in the sun a bit and down the street we went to a plaza where the tomatoes appeared to have started flying. But really they were just coming from the balconies of a few buildings, raining down on the crowd below. A little underwhelmed based on what we had expected from all the hype, we decided to venture back to our previous spot right in the middle of the crowd, and as we started walking the people we passed began to take on an increasingly redder hue and looked more and more shell- (peel-?) shocked, and sure enough we came to find what we were looking for. People were absolutely unrecognizable and covered head to toe in tomatoes. The floor was a puree of tomato juice, and enormous trucks full to the brim with tomatoes kept driving slowly up and down the main street launching them at the crowd and dodging the ones that were being thrown back. I found a whole tomato wedged down my shirt, people were scooping remnants off of themselves and the floor and smashing them in friends' hair and faces (again, thanks Jose) and altogether just making the absolute most of the chaos. When we finally had had enough and were thoroughly tomatoed, we started making our way back through the town, and people who lived there had stationed themselves or their kids with hoses outside their houses to hose town the Tomatina-ers, so we got quite a few showers from people convinced we weren't clean enough yet, or just enjoying the opportunity to power-wash foreigners. Either way, we made it back to the town where all of the normal stores were closed and the streets were entirely dedicated to the festival, with tons of food, music, drinks, dancing, and people looking thoroughly haggard and exhausted but having the time of their lives. We enjoyed bocadillas, sangria, and people watching in our disgusting condition until the bus left that afternoon, and by the time we got back to Tetuán at around 9:30 pm were so happy for a shower (one of the most satisfying ever, besides maybe after houseboats) and bed! It was an incredibly fun, unique, and ridiculous experience, and I loved every minute of it. It's one of those things in Spain that you have to take advantage of if given the opportunity, although we came to find out that most of the people who went were not actually Spanish but from the UK, probably because everyone in Spain has already been, and for a lot of people it's something you do once for the experience and then enjoy it from the comfort of your clean, dry living room.
And then, the real magic happened. A beautiful, inspired, surreal weekend in Florence, Italy.
I began to be inspired by the people I met the very first time I started traveling, and we met young people from all over, each with a unique story and reason for pursuing the adventures they were undertaking. I decided that I wanted to have a solo weekend trip of my own, a small victory compared to those who were spending months or even years conquering Europe with only themselves and their intuitions and dreams to guide them, but somehow I knew that this was something that would be extremely important and good for me to experience. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do everything entirely on my own, and to have the opportunity to do exactly and only whatever I wanted to do, in a place that for a long time has inexplicably held so much allure for me. I had heard wonderful things about Florence ("Firenze" in Italian), and somehow it seemed to be calling to me. I can honestly say that after spending the weekend there, it was everything I could have ever dreamed it would be and more, and the experience I had during my solo trip was truly the most gratifying and emotionally, spiritually and personally fulfilling I think I have ever had.
My plane to Italy left on Friday, and I had my first encounter with the infamous Ryanair. Not only were we 2 hours delayed, not only did they change the terminal 3 times sending everyone sprinting down the hallways in a hysterical mad dash, scrambling the line and dashing any hope for orderly conduct, but to top it all off, remember my flight was full of Spaniards and Italians, meaning everyone is yelling in their respective, very forceful and passionate languages, hand gestures are flying, and pandemonium ensues. Upon finally landing at the Pisa airport, I had to take a train to Florence. Clearly looking lost and confused and American, at least 2 people came up to me offering help in English, and finally a guy who was taking the same train told me to just wait with him and he would help me figure it out. Within 5 minutes of landing I had already had my first experience with the incredible hospitality and friendliness of the Italian people.
The train ride was quick and absolutely stunning, thanks to the delay (silver lining!) I was riding through the Italian countryside and had my first glimpse of Italy at sunset. I arrived at Ostello Gallo d'Oro (literally, The Golden Rooster Hostel, which I would later come to discover that the rooster is the official symbol of the Chianti Classico wine characteristic of the region) and everyone was extremely helpful and friendly right off the bat! I put my stuff down in my room and upon asking for a suggestion for dinner was directed towards an adorable, charismatic, authentic, hole-in-the-wall charming family-owned Italian gem called "Tito," perfect for my first taste of Italy and my romantic dinner date with myself - table for 1 please! I ended up asking the Italian grandpa next to me what kind of wine he ordered, looking for a recommendation, and he proceeded to order me a glass! A loud table of young Italian guys also sent me flowers from the solicitor who was going around to all the tables, quite the spectacle. I ended up talking to the man next to me, my first Italian friend Antonio, who it turns out was a retired football (soccer, of course) player and referee, and now was a banker in Florence and came to this restaurant almost every night for dinner. He gave me lots of great info on what I should do that weekend, and after I finished my mouth-watering, heavenly dinner of an appetizer of proscuitto ham and melon, followed by eggplant parmesan, he offered to walk with me to the city center to see some of the most famous monuments lit up at night. I got us some gelato (determined not to spend a day in Italy without some) and we walked through the city streets, he taught me a bunch of Italian words and phrases like "en vino veritus" (in wine there is truth/in wine we trust) and was very proud of himself for acting as my personal "chicherroni," or "tour guide." I was so lucky to have been able to see the sights from a local's point of view right away, and to get a taste of the true Italian lifestlye. Grazie mille Antonio!
After returning to the hostel, I was about to go to bed after a long day when a group of people in the hostel kitchen insisted I join them to finish their wine and card games. A really fun group of people from all over, and I had a great time getting to know them and then going out to a pub afterwards for drinks!
The next morning, I woke up early to get a head start on sightseeing plans I had made the night before with new friends Cierra (Oregon) and Usama (Iraq). The hostel provided amazing breakfast, with an Italian cook who insisted on taking care of everyone and making sure we were well stuffed with cereal, Italian pastries and breads, and cappuccinos before heading out each morning. Florence is actually pretty small, especially in comparison to some of the other major cities in Italy, and you can cross the entire city by foot in less than an hour if you wanted to, so it was really easy to find our way around and to see all that we wanted to see. Many people have said that you shouldn't even follow a map in Florence, because it's such a treat to get lost in its cobblestone streets, and no matter where you end up, chances are you'll end up running into a famous monument, museum, or other hidden treasure of the city. It is an extremely historic city, and is really well known for retaining that old-fashioned charm.
We took the bus to Piazzale Michelangelo, probably the farthest from our hostel and on top of a huge hill. A bronze statue replica of the David is there, as well as some of the most breathtaking views of the entire city laid out in front of you, and the mountain landscapes in the background. It was absolutely incredible and the best way to appreciate the city, seeing buildings upon buildings lining the streets of cute and very "Italian" apartments, with monuments popping up every so often inbetween. We then walked all the way back down the hill and through the winding side streets, eventually coming to Palazzo Pitti, once the Renaissance palace for the Medici family, complete with ornate rooms and paintings, various museums inside, and the beautiful Giardino (gardens) di Boboli in the back.
After touring the palace, we ventured to the famous bridge of Ponte Vecchio, known for its lively atmosphere, incredible views of the river Fiume Arno, and shops and restaurants that line the cobblestone street. In fact, during WWII, Hitler had all of the bridges in Florence bombed while the Germans were retreating across Italy, save for this one.
We crossed the bridge, coming to the famous Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence's biggest museum where many famous works are housed (there is also the Galleria dell' Accademia, where the original David statue resides). So famous, in fact, that you need a reservation several days in advance to get in, so we just appreciated it from the outside! After that came Piazza della Signoria, which houses a huge display of statue and sculpture tributes to Roman mythology, and the Palazzo Vecchio. After that we visited the Piazza del Duomo, duomo meaning "dome," probably the biggest and most famous landmark of Florence. It is an absolutely enormous, ornate and elaborate church that takes up an entire square, and is incredibly inspirational either during the day or at night.
Lunch, of course, was the next stop, and we found another adorable hole-in-the-wall restaurant with the help of my guide book (Florentine guidebook in Spanish!), and it was an incredible find! So wonderfully decorated, with funny statues, pictures, sayings, and other very Italian-esque tributes covering the walls, bottles of wine stacked everywhere you looked, and tables that looked like wine barrels, with big groups of people enjoying delicious Italian food! We had the spinach ravioli and of course, the Chianti wine. After lunch we stumbled upon an open air market in Piazza de Repubblica with stands sampling and selling homemade cheeses, wines, and olive oil, so we got our fill of authentic tastes there. (noticing a pattern? and by that I mean constant eating) After that, we found a huge open air market of souvineers, jewelry, clothing, authentic Italian leather, and so much more. This led to the Mercado Centrale, a big market similar to those they have in Spain with tons of different food stands with pasta, olive oil, bakeries, butchers, fish vendors, etc. and they were advertising a cooking class that takes you on a tour of the market to buy fresh ingredients and then take it back to an institute to cook authentic Italian dishes! We didn't have time but....next trip to Florence? done.
Later in the evening found us doing a little bit of shopping in some of the Italian stores, and a long walk through the entire length of the city to end up at a beautiful restaurant right on the river, overlooking the water and the Ponte Vecchio called the Golden View Open Bar. Cierra and I had a romantic candlelit dinner, with complementary champagne, delicious wine, the best Caprese salad and entire large vegetable pizza I have EVER had (that has to be a given at this point). After the incredible dinner, we went on another stroll going the long way back to the hostel and had some amazing discoveries on the way. First, we got our gelato (of course) and found this Italian man performing a solo concert in a plaza of traditional Italian music, some we even recognized! After enjoying the concert with our gelato, we went down a few more streets and chanced upon an entire street blocked off by spectators watching a standup comedian performance, which was actually hysterical and incorporated several acts that would probably not be allowed/potential lawsuits in the US, but we loved it nonetheless!
As incredible as Saturday was, Sunday may have been one of the best days of my life. Cierra and I signed up for a....drumroll please...a vespa tour of the Chianti wine region and Italian countryside. It was actually a dream come true for me, and something I have been dying to do for as long as I can remember, and the fact that I was able to have it really become a reality was the most surreal, incredible, and fulfilling feeling in the entire world. It turned out that Cierra and I were the only ones on the tour with our young guide, Filippo, so we got an entire private experience! He picked us up and drove to a ranch/vineyard with horses, vespas, ATV's and bikes, and we learned and practiced on the vespas before taking them out on the winding country roads all throughout the mountains and vineyards. I'm putting pictures, but there is no way they can do the scenery justice. It was absolutely breathtaking, and the entire time I thought about nothing except for how ridiculously happy I was to be right where I was and doing exactly what I was doing at that exact moment. Filippo had us pull over the vespas at certain points along the trip at the most picturesque places to take some photos, including the highest point of the Chianti wine region, and we also stopped at an extremely old medieval church built in 1201, and then picked some figs off of a tree nearby for a snack. After a good 2 or 3 hours on the scooters, we dropped them back off at the ranch and were treated to some homemade wine from the vineyard before going back to an old 12th century castle that was converted into a little miniature village with several restaurants and wine shops. Cierra, our guide and I went to a traditional Tuscan lunch at an adorable restaurant, and it even started raining while we were eating on the outdoor covered patio - so picturesque! And it was still incredibly warm! Lunch included spaghetti and gnocchi, as well as goat cheese and proscuttio, bruschetta, and a chocolate tart, as well as a bottle each of the traditional white Tuscan wine and the red Chianti Classico. Lunch was followed by a brief wine tasting at a local producer's shop, as well as a little lesson in Tuscan wine production, covering the Sangiovese grape and the climate characteristic of the region.
Upon coming home after such an incredible day, a friend from Australia Sarah and I walked back around the city center for a last view of Florence, stopping at the famous "pasticceria" or bakery/pastry shop called Gilli to get pastries for breakfast the next morning, and perusing the shops and cobblestone streets and people watching, coming back to the hostel in time for a free dinner that the hostel chef was preparing of authentic Italian pasta and wine! So so delicious, and so much fun to sit around the big tables meeting new people and hearing everyone's travel and adventure stories. After dinner we got a big group together and went out to a last extremely delicious gelato outing, and then hung out in the hostel for our last night together with new friends. I had to get up at 5 am to catch the train back to the Pisa Airport for my Ryanair flight back to Madrid, and left Florence knowing that this experience was absolutely everything I could have ever dreamed it could be. I am so beyond grateful for the opportunity I had for this weekend to happen, and I know that it will be something I will never forget. I love Spain and my entire time in Madrid has been defined by the new and exciting life experiences and lessons that I have learned, but making something happen like Florence that I wanted to happen so badly actually come true was a personal accomplishment and unbelievable experience for me.... loving la dolce vita!
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