Cadiz.

This post must be divided into 3. Because well, each place I visited has its own feel. And because things must not always be in order, this isn't in order of when I visited these places.

Again, being close to the sea does it for me and Cadiz, being the last leg of our trip seemed like a good way to end it. And it was, this town may not be the busiest, or may not boast of the best beaches, but it does have something special about it.
It's easy to get around it and everyone knows where everything is, it's that small. Their little plazas are decorated with Christmas lights (which is the case everywhere in Spain, something I am not used to)and people 'hang out' a lot. My best memory of Cadiz, is us sitting outside a restaurant treating ourselves to a cheap (11 euros) but gastronomically fulfilling meal (which was first for me on this trip) for almost 2 hours, as band of street musicians played some music.
I don't think Cadiz is the prettiest place I've been to in Spain, but it's the most livable place for me, so far, which is saying a lot.
I think it has a little of everything in perfect doses. Places to visit (there's a very pretty cathedral), the sea (they have just one beach, but there's a nice walk you can take along the coast), food (For a vegetarian, yes, I was surprised too), nice weather (it was 20 degrees in December, for Europe that's good!) and well, nice people, of course, this is Spain.

Xpress again.

I've been in Madrid for almost 3 months now and it seems so less. What have I done in these three months, you might ask me?
Other than learning to live with someone I hardly knew and in a new country, I've travelled a lot.
I went to Toledo, a little town that boasts of 3 different cultures and has been the hub for painters like El Greco. Along with that I also went to EL Escorial, which is home to a monastry/old residence of Spanish monarchy. Members of the Spanish royal family are buried here now. And it's a little scary to walk around all those beautifully carved marble tombstones.
Along with that, I left the peninsula and went to one of the Balearic islands, Mallorca for the weekend. Of course, the Spanish had more holidays and we had almost a week off, so we road tripped from Cordoba, to Sevilla and then Cadiz. I never thought I would say this, but it was 22 degrees in Sevilla and that’s the warmest I've been in 2 months!
I've learnt from all these places that even though they are major tourist spots, those little cafes in the secluded corners of the tiny lanes are the best bet. I am a vegetarian and they don't really cater to my taste, so I have to do with chips and salad from Burger King but otherwise, they are the best places you can go to.
With all that travelling, I came back home, yes, I finally called Madrid home, to work on my first presentation in Spain. I am glad to say, all those presentations in front of a 100 people back at Xavier’s helped a ton. It was quite easy and for the first time, there wasn’t a weird feeling in my stomach. So far, I’ve done well but there’s always more to learn, and I am looking forward to that in the next 6 months.

Mallorca.

When I am going to a place, I look online for things that define it. With El Escorial, it was the monastery, with Toledo, for me, it was El Greco and of course, the 3 cultures intervening.
So, what defines Mallorca for me? To be honest, I didn't really care. It was where Rafael Nadal is from and that's all that mattered. But it turned out to be so much more than that.
High walls hid beautiful courtyards from us as we walked through the tiny streets of Palma, but it wasn't enough. Sometimes we did get a glimpse of what was inside and it was another world. Bright flowers and enough foliage to compensate for it's dependence on tourism, I must say that the Mallorcans are proud people who actually come alive when it's not tourist season.
I must admit, I always thought Mallorca would be this tourist place for the summer without any culture of its own, bowing down to capitalism. But it's not so. The artists (Chopin, Miro) that have sought refuge in the hills of Mallorca speak for the rich culture of the island. And let me tell you, once you are done with the beaches, take a car or a scooter and travel around the island, it isn't all that big and a week should be more than enough to enjoy everything perfectly. I couldn't, but I am going to as soon as I get the opportunity.
For me, beaches are an exquisite experience, I am another person on the beach and the fact that I was able to look beyond that and admire it, is a big thing.

Redefinition.

When we were kids we were taught to draw straight lines and make a square, to colour within these lines and stick to the colour palate. We are told that whatever we draw should look pretty. Pretty, as in, appeasing to the eye and what makes us feel good about ourselves.
So, once those boundaries are set for us, we are then asked to let our creativity flow. But, we still draw the same circle and the same square and the same triangle. It has to be perfect of course, otherwise it's not good. And with that we continue to draw and expect to draw perfect little minions of ourselves.
Then, when we go into a museum, say the Reina Sofia, (Yes, I am obsessed with it)and see something absolutely convoluted being called the Woman and the Dog, we try to look for that dog. And say, Oh pfft, it looks like a kid did it. Or say, anyone can do it.
Of course anyone can do it but they don't.
And yes, a kid did it, that kid whose creativity still exists and that kid who doesn't colour within the lines.
So, why is modern art so? Because it can be so.
I am not going to say I understand modern art, because I don't. I am not there, yet. But I will be.
And I believe I can say that for most of us, because after centuries of trying to make things perfect, we've come to the point where we don't really care and everyone's not ready to accept it, yet.
But we'll get there. I hope we do.
Once we do, the journey will be worth it.

Hala Madrid!

Standing in the cold for 2 hours, alone (we are all slaves to companionship, don't deny it) for these tickets was now going to be worth it.
So, there we are running a little late, but it's fine, we're getting to the Bernabeu. Legends played here. A club that has so much history, Chelsea, Man City and the others have nothing compared to it. Of course, in recent times it hasn't been as cultured as it was, but we'll forgive them for that.
People to look out for were:
1) Cristiano Ronaldo. Yes, we just love to hate him but love him even more all along.
2) Jose Mourinho. I never thought I'd fall in love with this guy. But now that's he's not with Chelsea, it's fine. It's allowed, permitted, whatever.
3) Xavi Alonso. Even though we don't like the scousers, one must say Alonso is amazing and he's not one anymore so he's not vermin anymore.
4) Iker Casillas. Why not, you know? He is very hot. And was the goalkeeper of the winning team in the World Cup.
5) Karim Benzema. Now, now, he's never played for an English club so we have nothing to compare him too, but nevertheless, he's one to watch out for, eh?

So, what happens in the match?
3 of the above score.
1 of them gets sent off by the stupid referee and has to coach from the stands. Fun for the spectators sitting there though.
And the other has to face a penalti which he lets through. Yes, I am going to spell penalti like that because it's so Spanish.

So what makes the stadium experience better than tv other than the fact that it's actually being there?
You know the crowd noises that seem to annoy old people when you are watching the match, you are one of them, yes, one of the screaming fanatics. And it's alright because everyone's yelling or booing or cheering. It might all seem the same on tv but not in there. In there, you know what they are saying and trust me it's not PG 13.
And yes, Real Madrid won 5-1. So it was an interesting, lively game. All for 10 euros.
All in all, it was a hell of a night.

Cocktail, anyone?

In Sociology class, the professor asked each group (we are divided into groups of 5) to discuss what we think or believe consists of a society. Yes, it was in Spanish so I was a little confused at first, but once I got the gist of it, I was fine.
He then sat with each group and spoke about how Europe as a whole could or could not be a society on it's own. Each country shares a lot with the other, even though they are all as different as they could be, there is a thread that binds them together. And however thin that might be, it exists.
On Sunday, the 7th, I saw this come to life. The European music awards were the above words put into action. With more than 20,000 people on Calle Alcala, facing the Puerta, I could hear 5 different languages spoken around me. To be precise, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian and English, of course. I think I heard a few French words as well.
Even though some countries might be closer to each other than rest, it's still a cozy environment to live in.
I am not sure what rules there are to work and live in another European country other than your own, but travelling is as easy as it gets within Europe. And because you are travelling so much and are in touch with so many different culture, you learn to be very tolerant and open to new things.
If only the Indian subcontinent were like that.
I am not saying there aren't political tensions within Europe, but culturally, there don't seem to be any.
I think, it takes a while to get where they are right now, hopefully, we'll get there soon enough, before the world comes to an end. Though, according to the Mayans, it's going to happen soon.
Fingers crossed is all I can say.

Xpress, here's to you.

I must write an entry or a column for my college newspaper. Something like letters from Spain or Culture Shock in 300 words.
To be honest, the word limit literally limits me. Once I start I may not be able to stop. From day trips, to visiting museums to living alone, a lot of firsts have occurred in the past 2 months. And I must say I have adjusted well.
So here it goes:

First stop, Madrid, Spain, Europe.
Another continent, another world.
6 months ago if someone would have told me that I would be in another continent and would have seen Rafaels, Dalis and Picassos, I would have laughed and said, I wish. I did wish and sometimes wishes are granted.
So here I am, spending my second year of BA in Madrid at the University of Comillas, which hosts around 300 to 400 exchange students each year, most of them being Europeans. I knew I was going to be a minority here, but not because of the reason I thought. I am a vegetarian. When I convey this valuable piece of information to people here, they gasp and with a perplexed look, they ask me why. I mumble something and then our conversation moves on to something else.
Why is being vegetarian such a problem in Spain? Because they don't think being vegetarian is an option and also, they think fish is vegetarian. On my second day here, I asked for a vegetarian sandwich in Spanish and trust me, it was perfect Spanish (I have been learning for almost 2 years now), and what I got was something with lettuce and tomatoes. I figured, that's all they put on sandwiches here. But when I took a bite, something was wrong. It had tuna in it!
Well, that's Spain for you.
That being my only complaint, I can't put into words how beautiful this place is. It has a different charm, having lived in Mumbai for all my life, change feels good.
Also, I am not used to working all throughout the year for presentations and assignments that count for the final grade, but it helps me keep in touch with the subject and is fun too! There are less people in class from 8 to 50 maximum, so participating in class is a must.
Spanish culture is so vibrant that you can't help being integrated in it. These past two months have been part of that quick process, and I believe, I'll get there soon, even if I don't want to.

Something New.

I never did think that I was a modern art person. It interests me, no doubt, but it doesn't make my jaw drop. Then I went to the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid.
And it didn't make my jaw drop. But it made me realise, that wasn't the point.
Modern art doesn't make you look at it in awe because you're not supposed to do so. Often, because a painting is so majestic, you are totally overwhelmed by it. And that's all you ever are. You can't connect to it, because it's up there and you are just minuscule in front of it. It makes you value that precious talent the painters seem to possess.
Modern or post modern art doesn't do that. I am not going to admire the fine lines or the how the light falls on the face. I can't, because I can't figure out where the face is!
But, yes, it did broaden my perspective about what art is. For me, Renaissance art is real art. But it might not be feasible to some extent now because of photography. So, what works now?
I have absolutely no idea. Picasso is great, Dali makes sense, but what else? I need more time to look at them and work on it. An hour or two just isn't enough. I think modern art is not just about looking at paintings and passing by. You need to stand there, and actually think about it. Not analyse it, just think.
That's when viewing art becomes a satisfying act.
The artist has realised his creativity, his energy is spent and is over with. So, what's left is the viewer. The viewer needs to be able to look beyond the beauty of the painting and see what it says or what it is trying to say.
Only then, I believe, viewing art is worthwhile. Otherwise, it's just a waste of time.

El Escorial.

With a tiny hangover and droopy eyelids, we left for El Escorial by the 11.30 bus. As pretty as the outskirts of Madrid might be, the crowd at the bus stand surprised me, for, where we were headed is not really a tourist location. It seems to attract a more intellectual or old Spanish folk. Which, I believe, is not a bad thing.
The lack of street signs did hinder us a little, but the serenity was worth it.
The palace and the monastery remains well taken care of, reinforcing the fact that the Spaniards like their tradition and culture.
Recently I read an article by Adorno and Horkheimer, criticising the creation of mass culture. This place certainly redeems Spain for its Burger King outlets and The Sorcerer's Apprentice posters. What I saw was preservation, in order to hang on to that exquisite amalgamated culture that Spain was.
Terror, though, has caught up with everything and this old palace wasn't left behind. Thorough checking was done, making sure no one carried any dangerous items. Of course, cameras were not allowed. Though, most of the times in such places, it's just a guideline and not a rule. But here it wasn't so.
I must admit it was a little disappointing, but memory must serve me well for this one. And it will, because it was a memorable trip.

Because I said so.

The writer wishes to believe she is as pretty as a butterfly but keeping that aside let's delve deeper into why she wants to continue her little writing hobby.
1. Living in a non-English speaking country or continent as a matter of fact, doesn't do wonders for your almost first language. Especially, when books are as expensive as rare in the Queen's language.
2. She does believe people care enough to read it. (She is clearly disillusioned but we'll let her have the benefit of the doubt.)
3. She has been travelling, a lot. And she figures this could be a travelogue, if not an out and out blog.
4. Sheer boredom.
5. More sheer boredom.
6. Lack of nothing to do = Sheer boredom.

And she shall leave you with this, for now. Expect and you shall be pleased.