Madrid

Holas,

To start out today, I'm going to give y'all a sampling of some of the conversation topics that come up and lunch and dinner in my host family:

• A proverb: "El hombre es el único animal que tropieza con la misma piedra tres veces." = "Man is the only animal who trips over the same rock three times." They were saying this to make fun of my host madre and host abuela (grandmother) for making the same mistake over and over again. They countered back that it shows their intelligence, and how separated they are from other animals
• El ratonillo de dientes: Instead of a tooth fairy in Spain there is a mouse named Perez who brings presents to children who have lost there teeth. My madre accidentally told Miriam that this mythical creature did not exist when she left a note under her pillow asking for 20 euros. Assuming that Miriam did not believe in Perez any longer, she called her out.
• When Spainards sing "Happy Birthday to You" in English they always end by saying "Happy Birthday Mr. President" a la Marilyn Monroe, instead of filling in whomever's name.

I'm keeping a list of conversations that interest me at dinner,and may be posting some more, so y'all can get a little bit of Spanish culture , and not just hear about my travels.

I spent this last week and weekend in Madrid also. We're starting to get to the point of the trip where parent's are coming to visit, so we are slowly experiencing some of the non-tapas restaurants of Madrid. My friend Caroline's parent's took us to Botin near plaza mayor. Picture 1 is of the suckling pig they brought out to the table to cut in front of us, because about half the table had ordered it. Apparently in Spain, as my host family says, people eat every single part of the pig. Nevertheless, we did not indulge in the head you can see. I did however try a piece of a seso at home, which is a fried lamb brain. It was not my favorite dish.

On Friday we went to Segovia, (Pictures 7 and 8) a town about and hour north of Madrid in Castilla y Leon. The main attraction here is a Roman aqueduct that has been functioning for about 2000 years. It is no longer in use now, but the structure still remains are sturdy as when it was built (picture 6). The other great thing about Segovia was the feeling of Autumn there. While Madrid's weather (with the exception of the beginning of this week) has been pretty brisk, other than in the on the trees there is really no indication of the season. Both in Segovia and La Granja(Picture 5), the "Mini-Versailles" of Spain, right outside of the town, the leaves were all Fall colors, you could see the mountains, and the air felt really crisp like a Virginia or North Carolina Fall. Also, we apparently all have good luck from visiting la Granja because there was a wedding party leaving as we arrived. It seems too be an indication of good luck in Spain if there is a wedding happening when you first visit somewhere. (Picture 4)

On Saturday night we went to The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasus, Heath Ledger's last movie. For some reason it was released in Spain before America (this never happens), but don't be jealous. I was expecting big things and was disappointed.

The next day, a couple of us got up early in the morning to go hiking in Cercedilla, again north of the city of Madrid, but still within the autonomous community. It was again perfect fall weather, but still just warm enough to wear shorts. (Pictures 10 and 11).

The other two pictures are just interesting things I saw around Madrid this week.

Picture 3: While walking down the El Paseo de la Castellana, I see this guy on a unicycle pedal out into the middle of the cross walk and start juggling in front of the stopped cars. I don't know if he was expected tips, but it does not seem to be the most logical business strategy.

Picture 9: Ejercito del Aire is the name of the Spanish Air force. I just like the sound of the name of this branch of the armed forces meaning "Army of the Sky." The fantastical feel is not diminished by the palace-looking building in which its offices reside.

Buenas

Brent

Spanish Lesson:

Here a couple word that I hear all the time, but wouldn't really know how to use if I were speaking. I'll give you the context and then my attempt to define them.

Hombre, chaval, macho: Masculine interjections?

Used all the time in conversation. My favorite example is when Juan and/or Borja is watching soccer on TV and yelling at the players. "Vamos Macho" or something along those lines. All of these words mean something masculine, but they are not restricted at all to men. If someone asks you for clarification you could say, "Pues, hombre" talking to your mom sister or amiga, as well as anyone of the male sex.

Venga: "Y'all come back now you hear?" except only directed at one person.

It's kind of an informal way of saying goodbye of see you later, even though you would still say "Venga, Hasta Luego" and not be redundant. Venga literally is the formal command of venir = "to come," but this is never used formally. It could also mean "Come on," but in a sort of rude manner it seems like to me.

This one I do understand.

-dero: you can add this suffix to the end of food's names to refer someone who really likes this food. I've been called a "panedero" (bread fiend) and "salsadero" (one who likes sauces).