Family Visit: Las Fallas, Alicante and Oceanografic

LAS FALLAS and ALICANTE

My family came to visit during my sister's spring break. They arrived at the tail end (and most spectacular part) of Las Fallas. It must have been overwhelming traveling for the first time in a European country, after a 7+ hour flight and 2 hour drive, seeing Las Fallas taking over the city of Valencia, and not being able to speak the language. I was overwhelmed when I first got to Spain, but I didn't have to deal with the craziness of a festival.

On Friday, they flew into Madrid, and rented

a car to drive down to Valencia. I met up with them once they arrived in Valencia and we went to find some Spanish food. This was difficult because it is Spain and everything closes down during siesta hours. I was surprised that even during a festival, when there are millions of tourists around for the week. We finally settled for doner kebab, which is very common in Spain and Europe, but not in the United States, so it was new to them anyways.

Afterwards, my sister joined me to meet my friends and watch the fireworks with us while my parents went to explore the city. My sister is awesome, so she had no problem fitting in with my friends and had a good time. The next day, was Saturday, the final day of Las Fallas. My sister and I had lunch with my parents and that night, we watched the spectacular burning of the Fallas.

On Sunday, we took a trip to Alicante. Alicante is a beach town about 2 hours south of Valencia. The city was nice and we stayed at a hotel right on the beach with a great view. It was a little bit cold but I would like to go back there during the summer when it's warmer.

OCEANOGRAFIC

In the beginning of the semester, I went to the City of Arts and Sciences and the science museum. This time, I took my family to another part of the City of Arts and Sciences, The Oceanographic. I would consider it an aquarium, but its not just an aquarium, it also contains other marine habitats that are mostly out of the water. Oceanografic represents 100,000 square meters of marine habitats, and is the largest of its kind in Europe with 45,000 animals, and 500 different species.

It was a pretty awesome. My favorite part was the tunnels underneath the water that visitors walk through. You get a different angle on the habitats that the marine life lives in. We also got to see a live dolphin show, which was pretty entertaining. It was definitely a spectacular complex, though it was a little bit pricey.

I had a great week with my family, and I'm glad they got to see the city that I have been living in for the semester, and I can't wait to see them again when I finally go home!

Las Fallas: March 15-19

Las Fallas is a festival in Valencia held every year for a week in mid-March. It originally started in the mid 1700s to celebrate St. Josephs day on March 19th. Starting weeks before the festival, people light fire crackers in the streets, and the streets getting lined with lights. March 1st marks the beginning of the festivities, the city holds mascletas, a display of firecrackers and explosions in broad daylight at 2pm every afternoon.

As the festivities grow closer, each neighborhood

sets up fallas or monuments representing everything from satirical jabs at social cultures, to historical events, and compete against each other in different categories. Each of the fallas we saw were very unique and creative in their own way, and took a year to design and create the masterpieces made of Styrofoam and wood.

Before the week of Las Fallas, more and more people arrive in the city of Valencia to get ready for the festivities. The main events occur between March 15-19, including nightly fireworks, and parades with people wearing amazing, intricately decorated, traditional costumes. On the 17th and 18th, from 4pm to nightfall, a floral offering to our lady of the forsaken. Finally, at midnight on

March 19th, a massive bonfire takes place, and all of the fallas are set on fire (la crema), starting with the childrens fallas, and ending with the prize winning displays. For the burning of the fallas, they had firefighters spraying water on the trees and buildings around the fire to keep them from burning.

This was one of the craziest festivals I have seen a city put together. It takes a year, and millions of euros, to prepare for each Las Fallas Festival, and totally worth all the effort. If you ever get the chance to be in Valencia in March, definitely stay for this awesome festival!

Madrid and Toledo: March 11-13

RYAN AIR
My trip to Madrid was the first time I had ever used RyanAir, a cheap airline in europe. I had no idea what to expect, and I wasn't a seasoned traveler. Before I went through security, I had to get my passport checked and my boarding pass stamped at the front desk because I am not an EU citizen. Because the flight is so cheap, they try to get you to pay extra any way they can. You have to print out your boarding pass beforehand or you have to pay 40 euros to get a boarding pass at the airport. They also have a very strict size and weight limit on baggage. You are allowed one carry-on bag that must be smaller than 55cm x 40cm x 20cm and weigh less than 10kg (22 pounds) or you have to pay 35 euros to for them to check your bag. I only went for the weekend so I just took my school backpack and didn't have any problems. The flight early in the morning and only took 45 minutes from take off to landing.

MADRID
We got to the Madrid-Barajas airport mid morning and took the subway system to our hostel. It costs 1 euro to go anywhere in Madrid on the subway and 1 euro extra to get out of the airport. We made a couple transfers and got off at the Sol station and walked to our hostel.

We stayed at Hostel San Miguel, right off of the Sol metro station. There were at least two different hostels in the same building as ours. Six of us that stayed together in a cramped six-bed room with 3 sets of bunk beds and a private bathroom. Compared to the hostel I stayed at in Barcelona, this was amazing. The room we stayed in was a little bit cramped for 6 people, but I would stay in this hostel again if I went back to Madrid because it was inexpensive, relatively clean, and in a really good location. It was within walking distance of almost everything we wanted to see.

Close by was the Royal Palace. Last time I was in Madrid, on my first day in Spain, I went to the Royal Palace, but I didn't go inside. This time I did. You weren't allowed to take pictures but I managed to sneak a few. The inside was decorated from floor to ceiling with intricate wall paper and immaculate chandeliers. There was even a chandelier with a golden lion on the inside!

The next day, we went to go see more of the city and ended up on Gran Via, which literally means Broadway in Spanish, and that's exactly what it was. The street was busy filled with people, restaurants, shopping, and theaters.

Afterwards, we heade

d to the Prado museum. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take any pictures so I'll just have to describe the museum renowned for its art collection. The building was designed by a man named Juan de Villanueva by the order of Charles III in 1785. Originally, the building was going to be used for the Natural History Cabinet, but in 1819 it opened up as an art museum devoted to Spanish art. Today, Prado houses everything from German and Italian painting, to ancient Greek sculpture.

The main attraction I had to the museum were the paintings done by Francisco Goya. Last semester, I took a class on 19th-century European art, and the only Spanish painter we learned about was Goya. After learning more about the context, and background behind his paintings, I felt like I could appreciate it more. Goya was a Spanish painter in the 19th century, and became a commissioned painter to the royal family. In his later life, he came down with an illness leaving him deaf and disconnected with the world and he started painting darker images. A lot of paintings we learn

ed about in my class were a lot different in person. Most of them, were much larger than I had imagined.

After the museum, my friends and I wanted to taste a little of the Madrid nightlife, so we went to Kapital, one of the most famous nightclubs in Madrid that has seven floors. It was good because each floor had a different kind of music to choose from, and there was a lot to explore. If I wanted to go to another club in Madrid, I wouldn't go back to Kapital. Most of the people were tourists, and it was a little bit too expensive for my budget, but I'm glad I experienced it once.

Toledo
On our final day in Madrid, we decided to take a side trip out to the beautiful city of Toledo. Four of my friends headed out early in the morning, but my friend Janelle and I wanted to sleep in a little longer so we headed out there in the afternoon. We took a bus that leaves Madrid every half hour for about 8 euros. It said it was going to take about an hour and fifteen minutes but it ended up only taking forty-five minutes.

We just walked around the city the whole day, walking uphill almost the entire time. After taking lots of pictures and exploring, my friends wanted to go to the top of the mountain and view the city from afar. This sounded like a good idea, even though it had been raining off and on the whole weekend. So, we get on a bus that only runs once every hour and it drops us off in the middle of nowhere at the top of this mountain. As soon as the bus drops us off and leaves, it starts to rain. This wasn't light rain either, this was a straight up downpour.

We didn't know where anything was, and we already sent umbrellas home with our other friends. We searched for some kind of building in the area and finally found a hospital. Luckily it was open and we all walked in there soaked to the bone, needing directions to get back to Madrid. Looking back, it was pretty funny, and worth doing, but was not fun at the time.

Unfortunately, it rained almost the entire weekend, so I didn't get to enjoy the typical Spanish weather that I enjoy almost everyday in Valencia, but it was still a great weekend filled with fun, friends, and adventure as always. There is never a boring weekend in Spain, and I can't wait for more.

Barcelona: February 11-13

During the middle of February, I spent a weekend in Barcelona. My friends and I took the slow train from Estación del Norte on Friday afternoon. It took 5 hours to get from Valencia to Barcelona. Once we got to Barcelona, we went to find our hostel.

Our hostel was located right on the beach at a chain called Equity Point Hostels. This is the first time I've ever stayed at a hostel before, so I didn't really know what to expect. At around 10 or 11 pm we checked in and found our room. Our room consisted of nine beds all bunked to the wall like something you would see on a ship, and one small bathroom. Each bed had a tiny locker with no lock to put all your belongings in. The beds only came with a pillow and sheets that you

had to put together yourself, but since it was still February, it was a little bit cold without a blanket. Good thing I had a towel to keep me a little warmer.

After we checked in, we were starving, so we went to search for food. They have these Doner Kebab places all over Spain, and from what I hear, all over Europe. They are really cheap and perfect for when you are really hungry and its late.

Afterwards, we went to the middle of the city to find our friends that had gotten to Barcelona the day before. None of us knew anything about the city so we ended up wandering around for a while and ended up at the Sagrada Familia.

Sagrada Familia is a massive Roman Catholic church designed by the famous spanish architect,Antoni Gaudi. The construction started in 1882, but still hasn't been completed due to multiple setbacks including, but not limited to Gaudi's death, the Spanish Civil War, and it's reliance on private donations. It is not expected to be completed until the year 2026, the centennial of Gaudi's death. Even with the construction cranes hovering over the work of art, it was still spectacular. It looked amazing at night, so I knew I had to come back

during the day and see it again.

The next day we got up in time to eat the free breakfast that the hostel offered. The breakfast was simple: cereal, fruit, packaged croissants and of course coffee. I've noticed that less things in this country are refrigerated including eggs, and in this case, milk.

After a quick breakfast and a nap, we headed off to see La Rambla, a street lined with street vendors and performers. The street performers had a large range of creativity in their costumes, with everything from ladies in dresses to a man pretending to sit on the toilet. If you give them money, most of the time they do a little show for you and let you take a picture with them, and of course some are better than others. All the street vendors make a lot of money, but the good ones honestly know how to put on a good show.

At the end of La Rambla, near the water, a monument of Christopher Columbus stands where the historical figure first returned after his voyage to the Americas. The sculpture was supposed to point towards the new world but instead it is pointing the wrong way supposedly towards his home in Genoa.

After we explored the monument and walked around the main street of Las Ramblas, we found the central market, located on Las Ramblas. The market, Mercat de la Boquería, was filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, and of course ham. If you go to Barcelona, this market should be on the list of sites to see.

The next day, we went to see Sagrada Familia during the daytime. We were going to go inside but the line wrapped around the other side of the building, so we figured it would take too long to get in. The next time I go back to Barcelona, I am definitely going inside. Maybe by then it will be finished. After taking lots of pictures and enjoying the nice weather, we walked over to the Palau de Musica
Catalana. This concert hall was suprisingly not designed by Gaudi, but by a man named Lluis Domenech i Montaner between 1905 and 1908. The concert hall holds about 2000 people and has had performers from all over the world come and perform in this beautiful hall renowned for its

acoustics.

I had a fun weekend, and got to see a lot of Barcelona, but there was still so much more I want to see. One weekend isn't enough, but I learned a lot on one of my first weekend excursions in Europe. One of the most important things I learned during one of my first weekends traveling was that one of the most essential things to bring with you is a towel.

The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia

Recently, I visited a part of Valencia that is one of the biggest tourist destinations for the city. The City of Arts and Sciences is a huge complex filled with museums, music venues, an Imax theater, planetarium, and amazing architecture. Each building is amazing in it's own way, and even just going to the area to walk around is worth doing if you ever find yourself in Valencia.

After walking around a while, my friends and I went to the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum. The architecture of the building is supposed to resemble the skeleton of a whale, and has at least three levels of exhibits to explore. To enter, it costs about 6 euros for students with an ID or 8 euros for adults.

As far as museums go, this was one of my favorites. The whole museum is very interactive and keeps you entertained and informed the whole time. We spent two hours in just the first two exhibits alone because they took lots of interesting information and made them into fun activities. All of the exhibits varied a lot, with everything from new smart house technology to the European Space Agency, and from the benefits of using wood to a Star Trek exhibit.

The museum closed at 7, soon after we had explored almost all of the exhibits. So, when we walked outside to leave, all of the buildings were lit up beautifully. There are lots of other places at the City of Arts and Sciences I still have yet to see, but this museum was a good start and anyone who visits Valencia definitely needs to check it out.

My first days in Valencia

UPV and My First Day in Valencia

My first week in Valencia was packed with trying to figure everything out. I got to Valencia not knowing where I was going to live, what classes to take, or even where I was going to sleep that night. I only knew the names of the students from the University of Maryland and had spoken with them briefly about the trip.

I got to Valencia on Monday night. I didn't find a place to stay until around 8 or 9pm, after I got of the train and found a McDonald's with free wi-fi. With the help of my dad, and a piece of paper from the school with possible suggestions, I found a hotel called Hotel Sol Playa. Hotel Sol Playa was located right on the beach, I stayed there for two nights before finding a flat, and I took a picture of the view from my window.

The next day I had a meeting with an advisor at the Universidad

Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) and got a tour around campus. The campus is a lot smaller than the University of Maryland, so the tour basically consisted of

paddleball courts (looks like a cross between raquetball and tennis)

and rock climbing, the equivalent of a student union, and the center of campus with all the food and bookstores. I would say that from end to end, the campus only takes about ten minutes to walk, and it's a pretty nice walk when there are palm trees everywhere. After exploring the campus a little bit, I started my search for a place to live.

Finding a Flat

Finding a flat AFTER you get to where you are going to live for 6 months is a very stressful situation. The first day I was in Valencia, I set up two appointments to go see possible flats, but they both fell through. It was pretty discouraging, but the second day left me with some hope. On day two, I looked at three flats and finally settled on one near the main street of Calle de los Santos Justo y Pastor, with the help of my new friend Janelle who had an open room in her flat.

From what I have seen, most flats don't have any kind of central air. My flat only has a space heater in the main room, and definitely no air conditioning. We don't have a microwave, a garbage disposal, a dishwasher, a dryer, and our hot water only lasts for less than 10 minutes. This doesn't seem to be out of the ordinary for any of the exchange students living in Valencia, and now it is clear to me how most people in the United States can consume so much more energy than those in Europe.

Energy Consumption

In one of the classes I am taking at the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, we compared energy consumption of different countries, and USA was far ahead of the rest of the world. Much of it has to do with us having to drive everywhere, but I can't imagine leaving lights on, having the air conditioning making stores unbearably cold in the summer, or constantly using products to make lives more convenient helps in our favor either. In Spain, most places do a lot of little things to save energy like in the hotel I stayed at, you had to leave your key card in place on the wall, so that when you left you couldn't accidently leave the lights on. Google has everything, so naturally it was easy for me to find a graph comparing the energy consumption of the United States to Spain, which is posted above.

After my first two weeks in Spain, I'm adjusting to the different lifestyle and learning new things everyday. I'll keep you posted!

Madrid: January 31, 2011

As soon as I got off the plane the culture shock hit me. I've never been out of the country before, let alone traveled anywhere by myself, and this was the first time I had ever been somewhere where I didn't speak the same language as the majority.

Somehow, I managed to find a bus from the airport to the train station, and once I got to the train station I put all 3 of my suitcases into a big locker and went to explore the city of Madrid. The flight wasn't really conducive to getting a full nights sleep so finding a cup of coffee was high on my priority list.

After I enjoyed a strong cup of cafe con leche and a croissant, I went to see what was around. I quickly figured out that almost all of the museums in Madrid are closed on Mondays, so, I went to the only museum that was open: the Reina Sofia Museum.

In case anyone was wondering, the Reina Sofia Museum is a relatively new museum that was founded in 1992 and is named after Queen Sofia of Spain, according to the lovely, super short, Wikipedia article. A lot of the art exhibited were works by Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso. One of Picasso's most famous paintings, Guernica, finally found a permanent home at this museum after being banned from the entire country of Spain during Franco's Era from 1939-1975.

One of the most humbling exhibitions at the museum was a room full of 150 front page newspapers articles from around the world the day after September 11Th happened. Maybe it was because I'm an American but it also made me realize how much of an impact this event in American history had on the rest of the world.

After I left the museum, I decided to go explore the rest of the city and after walking through the streets for a while, I ended up on the other side of the city near Palacio Real. This is the official residence of King Juan Carlos, the king of Spain, but he lives on the outskirts of Madrid, and only uses the palace for state ceremonies. I didn't actually go inside, but I think it would be worth seeing during my next visit to Madrid.

After about 7 or 8 hours in Madrid I headed back to the train station to catch my train to Valencia and get some much needed sleep.

Both of the main sights I saw that day were super touristy, but I consider my first day in Spain a success.