Machado: “Travelers, there is no path, paths are made by walking”

It’s official. America needs to implement a siesta system. Now.

I say this because I just got back from Madrid! The gang (Allie, Ally, Alex, Lauren, Megan) and I had our first weekend adventure, and let me tell you, what an adventure it was. It began before we even left the country when we woke up unbearably early on Friday morning-we got picked up at 4:45am- to head to the airport. After an EXTREMELY thorough pass through security (two people had their entire bags rummaged through) we made it onto the plane. The seats were tiny, the food was expensive, and need I remind you it was about 7 in the morning, but we were all too tired and simultaneously too excited to care.

Our first stop was the hostel, which couldn’t have been in a better location, right on the corner of Montera and Gran Via, in the center of Madrid. Although our digs weren’t exactly luxurious, we didn’t plan on spending much time in the hostel to begin with. We dropped off our bags and headed out on our first Spanish excursion to see some of the major areas.

We felt a little bit like refugees

Our first stop was the Puerta del Sol where we saw dozens of street performers and, my favorite part of the trip, a mariachi band! I may have been a little bit too excited.

Puerta del Sol

I must give my little sister, Tory, credit for the next stop because we headed over to the Plaza Mayor, the major plaza in Madrid, which was beautiful. Again we saw tons of street performers, including a tiny Darth Vader, a very chubby Spiderman and, one of the funniest things: GI Joe, a matador, and Winnie the Pooh being accosted by the police. Things were starting to close for the afternoon, so we decided to suck it up and eat at one of the more expensive restaurants right in the center of the plaza. A few language problems later, we were relaxing in the sun eating paella (…and pizza…) and drinking DELICIOUS sangria, when we were approached by Marco from Gambia, who gave us all African bracelets that I think brought us good luck on the trip.

Plaza Mayor

Next we walked to the Palacio Real de Madrid, which was filled to the brim with ridiculous wallpaper and fancy furniture, and it had a pretty awesome throne room. I think I’ll probably make my throne room look something like that someday.

Palacio Real de Madrid

We also headed to the cathedral next door which had the most amazing ceiling. Each panel was covered in different colors and patterns and was completely different from anything I’d ever seen in a cathedral before.

Finally it was time for us to siesta and we headed back to the hostel. We found our blankets, which we jokingly referred to as “mantas monas” because we thought that they were made out of monkey fur. I know that’s not real Spanish, but it was funny. Our brief nap ended up turning into a 4 hour coma, and at 8pm, it was time for dinner. We’d gotten a recommendation to go to a tapas place called El Tigre, but when we finally found it, after getting pretty lost, we discovered it to be so crowded that we couldn’t even open the door and people were laughing at us from the inside. So we decided to wander around and find somewhere else to eat, and just when we thought we were going to starve, we were saved by an English-speaking, restaurant-promoting waiter at a restaurant that wasn’t too expensive where we could sit down and eat Italian food. You can whine about authenticity all you want, but after a long day of struggling to communicate what we wanted, it was nice to have someone there who understood us.

After dinner we stopped back at the hostel and then made plans to meet up with Megan’s good friends from BU, Allie and Nina. We found them at this trendy bar called Areina and then finally headed back to the hostel. Unfortunately, sleep was nearly impossible because the room was FREEZING. Those mantas monas don’t really provide much warmth. No wonder monkeys live in the tropics.

The next morning we had free breakfast at the hostel and headed to the Reina Sofia, the giant modern art museum in Madrid. Inside we saw the famous Picasso painting, Guernica, which is really incredible, and some mind warping Dali paintings. The museum is really beautiful itself and we got in for free as students.

Reina Sofia

Afterwards, we headed back to the hostel to go on a tapas tour. Tapas are small Spanish plates of food of things like cheese, ham, olives, and blood sausage (which does indeed contain blood- yes I did try it). Our tour was 10 euro for a free drink and free tapas at four different bars, so there’s no way we could pass that up. The sangria was wonderful and one of the bars, Taberna Alhambra, was really interesting. The famous image associated with the bar is that of the daughter of the lead singer of the famous Mexican band, Tequila. The bar was also the location of a famous fight between a Spanish bullfighter and Mexican bullfighter both vying for the love of Ava Gardner. Just to relieve you of the burning question running through your mind, the Spanish bullfighter won. That’s right: those are my people.

The famous image in Alhambra of the daughter of the lead singer of Tequila

The tapas tour was followed by another siesta, which again, was too long, so we decided to just hang out in the hostel for a little while and then got ready to go to dinner. We met up with Allie and Nina and their friend Jess, and they took us to the most delicious restaurant where I had fried eggs, French fries, and sausage. Fun fact: Spaniards will put a fried egg on anything. New trick for home? You betcha.

Our lovely Madrid guides: Nina, Allie, and Jess

As we were leaving, we heard someone promoting free sangria (obviously my new favorite drink, could you tell?) and needless to say, we had to follow him. However, when we arrived at the bar it was COMPLETELY empty. We were out way too early: in Spain, most people don’t even start eating dinner until around 10pm and most clubs will stay open until 6am. Eventually a few more people entered the bar including some very attractive (English-speaking) Spanish guys names Felix and…something else. We hung out with them at our hostel bar and then met up with their friend Joaquin (a bullfighter!) to head over to this huge club called Pacha. However, the line was really long and the it was really expensive so we just headed over to this indie bar called La Idioteque which was really fun. At that point it was 4am, and definitely time for bed because we had to wake up early for our last day in Madrid.

We woke up and headed straight to El Rastro, a huge outdoor market with pretty much everything. We coincidentally ran into my friend Kelsey, which seems nearly impossible if you know anything about El Rastro (it was so crowded as you can see from the picture below-this is just one street).

Next we headed over to the Prado, which is amazing. We had a serious issue at the ticket counter, with some very rude ticket ladies, but we made it inside and saw some amazing works by Goya, Velazquez, and a hoard of other painters. I particularly liked seeing Las Pinturas Negras by Goya and an painting called “The Execution by Firing Squad of Torrijos and his Colleages on the beach at Málaga” by Antonio Gisbert Perez. Of course, we couldn’t end the day without some AMAZING churros con chocolate.

Mmmmmm...

We went back the the hostel and headed to the airport nice and early. We were on our way home when…

OH NO!! Delayed two hours because some idiots at Gatwick had to repack all of the earlier flight's luggage into the cargo hold. We finally made it home, exhausted but completely thrilled, at 4am and were greeted by blankets that weren’t made of monkey fur.

The moral of the story, boys and girls, is best represented by the title quote by Spanish poet, Antonio Machado. We headed to Madrid with little to no knowledge of the language, city, or culture and we muddled through and had an amazing time. And with all the walking we did, I’m sure we made a lot of paths.

Oscar Wilde: Unnecessary Things

Parents, don't be alarmed, but I've spent the past week in the lap of luxury. Sort of.

In case you're not aware of English social stereotypes, let me enlighten you. During the unending lecture series we were forced to sit through as our "orientation", I did manage to pick up a few key facts:

1. English people love dogs.

2. Charles Darwin is a national hero- he's even on the money!

3. While the American vice is to cling to our divisions between races, the English flaw is hold on to the antiquated system of class separation.

I've learned about the lower class, or "working class" as it's called here, in the readings I've been doing in my classes. Tony Harrington, an English poet who writes primarily about his parents and his resentment for the upper echelons of society, has been one of the topics in my Postwar British and Irish Literature and Poetry class, and John Osborne's "Look Back in Anger" has been the major focus of my Postwar British Theatre class so far. Both of these writers express their anger towards the oppression they feel from the upper class and both do so with unbelievable eloquence. Good stuff. Revolutionary stuff.

But while I've been reading about the lower class, I feel like I've been living among the posh. The beauty of London, ladies and gentleman, is that you can do so while spending very little money.

First was a trip to the Natural History Museum. It's in an amazing building with unbelievable ceilings. There was a SUPER creepy exhibit about human development...let's just say, I came face to face with a giant fetus. While I would argue that it's not nearly as cool as it's New York equivalent, it was pleasant to spend a rainy day wandering around a museum, FO FREE! Yup, all of the museums in London are free entry. Just one of the cheap experiences you can have in London and still feel cultured.

Unfortunately my camera was dead, but here is a photo I stole from Lauren:

Dino!

Next on the agenda was a trip to Windsor Castle. Absolutely stunning. It's one of the Queen's spare castles, just in case hers breaks down or something. We took a pretty brief bus ride with an unbelievably annoying tour guide who was more concerned about where we could find toilets than what we were looking at. Upon arrival, we saw the spot where Charles and Camilla got married, a very crooked house, and a statue of Queen Victoria (which we'll come back to later...) The castle is perched up on top of a hill and is so gorgeous. No, the Queen was not there. Yes, we were sad to learn this.

Of course, almost the entire castle was closed. Because we're that lucky. We did see Queen Anne's Dollhouse, which is ridiculous. She was given it as a gift because she "had a love for miniature things". It has working electricity and plumbing. And it's big. And not a toy at all. Just a giant house to look at and not touch when you have a great enthusiasm for small objects. Kind of sounds like a torture device rather than a gift. But oh well.

We also saw some fancy china (I would make a joke about only using it when the Queen comes to visit, but that wouldn't really make sense...) and a pretty outstanding view. But that was really it. Even the chapel, St. George's Chapel, was off limits because it was a Sunday and there were services going on inside. So we decided to leave and get some lunch and do a little exploring.

Here's where the Queen Victoria statue comes back into my story. After our visit, we were supposed to meet at this statue at 1:45 to walk to Eton, a nearby town with a really fancy school and weird uniforms. I would tell you more about it, but I can't. Because I didn't get to go. When we obediently arrived at the statue at the set time, we discovered that everyone had already left without us. Thanks a lot guys. Luckily, karma struck back when they discovered that their walk was in vain because Eton was apparently extremely boring (as one would expect it to be on a Sunday when there's NO SCHOOL). So we all headed home a little disappointed with the trip. But we couldn't help feeling at least a little fancy having been to our first castle.

Once again, these photos are credited to Lauren's camera:

The castle

We had a lot of fun with the audio wands.

The Queen's yard.

The fanciness continued as, the next night, Allie and I went to the ballet, "The Sleeping Beauty". I'd never been to a ballet before (discounting the annual performance of The Nutcracker at my high school) and I'd certainly never been to an opera house. But after getting just a teensy bit lost (we still couldn't find it when we were standing 10 steps away from the front door), that's exactly where we ended up. In the very highest section of the Royal Opera House. The ballet was about 20 minutes too long (what was Puss in Boots doing, making a cameo in the last act?), and the dancers were a little too indulgent in their bows at the end, but overall the performance was really beautiful. The costumes were gorgeous and the arrangements of the dancers were really interesting. And above all, the space, the Opera House itself, was stunning. See for yourself.


Our final stop on the posh tour was to Harrods, where we just popped in to pick up a few things. Kidding. We were too scared to breathe on anything, let alone buy it. Not even a sandwich. We saw some £1200 puppies and some very unwearable shoes, then headed home. But it's definitely a place I'll return to once I recover from the sticker shock.

So here's the lesson of the week: Oscar Wilde was right when he said: "We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities." They are vital to the London experience. They are necessary to the cultural cultivation of our young and malleable minds.

And also, we're girls; we like shiny things.

Richard III: "Woe to the land that's governed by a child"

...Especially when that child just turned 21! I may not actually be the Queen of England, but today, I really feel like one.

Yesterday was an absolutely amazing day. We started off with a trip to the Tower of London, which is one of my favorite sights in the city (Oh, what am I saying? They're all my favorite sights in the city) The girls and I followed a beefeater around who kept demanding to know that we knew how many towers are actually in the Tower of London (the answer is 20). We learned so much history from him and some really great (and horribly grisly) stories.

One of these is the tale of James Scott, Duke of Monmouth who was publicly executed for rebelling against James II. All was going smoothly (or at least as smoothly as your execution can g0) until it was time for the actual head slicing. His executor, a butcher and drunk named Jack Ketch, used both of his skills at once when it took him 5 blows to actually sever Scott's head from his body. He eventually even gave up on the axe and just pulled out one of his carving knives to finish the job. As if that wasn't bad enough, he then had is head sewn back on to his body, for what reason no one knows.

I must be completely sick in the head for thinking this is one of the coolest stories ever.

Of course this is also the famous holding site of Sir Walter Raleigh and St. Thomas More, and even more famously, the location of the silent execution of Anne Boleyn who had her head chopped of by broadsword while she prayed. All this blood and gore talk wouldn't be complete without at least one mention of Richard III, who allegedly killed his nephews to gain the throne. Hence, the title.

And of course, being girls, we had to go see the Crown Jewels. There were some very fancy spoons, some very heavy looking crowns, a giant punch bowl (Aptly named the Grand Punch Bowl-I'm not joking) and one ENORMOUS diamond called the Star of Africa. Let me just tell all the gentlemen out there: your engagement ring to the person you love will never be good enough compared to this rock. 530 clear carats. It's ridiculous.

Here are some photos:

The tower from outside the wall

Traitor's Gate

Some guards, chillin.

Tower Bridge

Awkward photo in the Vault

Tower?

Afterwards, Megan and I got the chance to see our wonderful friend Emile, who showed us around the London School of Economics, and then we headed home to get ready for some birthday festivities.

The girls had purchased some props at the Tower of London gift shop (which you will see momentarily), so I was the Queen of England for the night, a child ruling the land. We went out to a place called the Notting Hill Arts Club, and I may have found my new favorite place. Last night was called Funk Royale, where they (shockingly!) played funk music all night. The DJ even made several birthday announcements, but I'm sure no one heard them because the club was packed. I had such a super duper time and I need to thank all of my peeps for coming with me. You're the best. Now a few more photos:

The girls (minus Megan?)- please notice the crown.

Our darling friend Nathan!

Duke of Wellington: The Other Side of the Hill

Ok, I know that the Duke of Wellington isn't a British writer or character. Sorry. But it only seemed fitting since I'm living in the Wellington wing of my floor in The Crofton. That's right, people. I've arrived. After 7 hours crammed into a very small seat, lugging my two enormous suitcases through up and down the labyrinthine halls of my building, and unpacking-only to discover that I left my laundry bag at home, my converters didn't work, and my suitcase is broken, I made it to London. Trust me, it was all worth it.

Having been here for a just over 24 hours, I have already learned plenty about the city. For instance: don't tip, especially not the cab drivers. They have a very prestigious job and get payed a ton for what they do, so paying extra is an insult. Also, check your converters before you leave. I discovered just how many different plugs exist in the world as I scoured the internet for a place to find a USA to UK converter. If you're wondering how many there are, the answer is simply too many.

But general initial observations have simply been that the people here are so far extremely nice and generally patient with us confused Americans (Why would you look through an enormous catalogue to find what you're looking for while you're in the store? It still doesn't make sense to me). I enjoyed my first pint a nearby pub called The Gloucester Arms and am headed off on a boat tour tomorrow afternoon, which may be freezing but possibly very enjoyable.

If you're wondering who the Duke of Wellington is, I can tell you plenty about him, since his portrait looms over me in the kitchen. I learned this afternoon, as I ate me very "eclectic" lunch of grapes, turkey on tortillas, and brie, that the Duke of Wellington was a famous war hero during the 19th century. He is famous for saying "All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavor to find out what you don't know by what you do; that's what I called 'guessing what was at the other side of the hill.' I suppose I kind of relate to this sentiment. While it may not be war I'm heading into, I can only guess what lies ahead of me. But all I've wanted to do since the moment I saw the snow covered fields of England out of the porthole of the plane is...everything. I want to see and do and conquer as much as I possibly can while I'm here. And with Wellington's same desire to find out what's out there that I haven't seen, I'm sure it won't be a problem.

Cheers all.

PS Fun fact about the Duke of Wellington- He is attributed as having said of Parliament: "I never saw so many shocking bad hats in my life". Thought that was amusing and worth sharing with whoever is reading this. Now for photos:

Ally, Alex, and Lauren enjoying wine at the Gloucester Arms.

Megan, Allie, and myself at the pub.

There will be more, I promise.

Sherlock Holmes: The Game is Afoot

Having found a pocket of time between the chaos of packing, appointments, and last minute pants issues (ugh, pants), I've decided to start writing. This is kind of a funny feeling-writing something that completely encases all of my feelings about this trip. I leave on Friday for the wilds of...London, and that date is slowly but surely creeping up on me. Last night I started pulling everything together, and the mountain of stuff in my life that needs to be crammed into a suitcase or two seems a little impossible in itself. So the realization that I'll be living in Europe in a mere THREE days makes me slightly dizzy. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be more excited. But living a life outside the places I've made so comfortable for myself is just a little intimidating.

I guess more than anything I'm curious. Curious, obviously, about what I'll see, do, and hear in Europe. But also about what I'll be missing while I'm gone. I know you're thinking "REG! Are you crazy! You're going to London! Who cares what's going on back home." But I can't help it. For those of you who are reading this and don't realize it yet, I'm going to miss you terribly. I can't even express how much it pains me to leave you all. But, alas, leave you I must.

I've created this niche in the internet for me to purge all of my thoughts and feelings about my time abroad, and I promise not to let this get too sappy. Enjoy, and bon voyage! Keep in touch.

By the way, if you're a little confused about the title of this post, I assure you there is a reason. Being an English major (and thus, a huge dork), I've decided to name each of my posts after a character or writer whose life I am reminded of during my adventures. Today's title, Sherlock Holmes signifies the mystery of what's coming (and may or may not have a little bit to do with the fact that I just saw that movie and have a teeeensy obsession with Robert Downey Jr.)

And yes, I will indeed be paying a visit to the museum at 221b Baker St. Need I remind you, huge dork.

Cheers