The stairway to good health is only a step away

Everywhere you go in Spain, you are sure to come across stairs! Stairs are a big part of Spain’s society.

Photographer Marsha J. P. Gonzales

Walking the streets of Spain, whether you’re in the beautiful city of Sevilla or walking the Mediterranean city of Valencia, you cannot get away from walking the stairs. Stairs are in Spain’s metro (subway), shopping malls, and restaurants. Even if you are just looking for a bathroom, there are stairs.

The metro in Madrid is said to be one of the most extensive systems anywhere in the world. What I experienced at most metro stops was three major staircases along with three major escalators. You could even walk the escalators. Most Spaniards do not ride the escalator; they walk it.

To enter a shopping mall in Madrid, you have to descend some major stairs. If you wish to use the bathroom in most restaurants, you have to descend two narrow, steep staircases. All the while you are working your gluteus maximus (tush) and leg muscles. Walking, along with stair climbing, increases your energy. It is also healthy for your brain, muscles, and self-esteem, which increases your energy level.

At one restroom on the run in Spain, stairs led to the restroom I counted them: 14 up followed by 60-step walk across the state highway and 15-steps down. If you are out at the mall and have to use the restroom in my hometown of San Antonio, most restrooms can be found on the first level. There are escalators or elevators you can ride up to the restroom. One example is shopping at J C Penney’s in South Park Mall. If you need to go to the restroom, you can ride the escalator or take the elevator up to the second floor. There are no stairs in J C Penney’s. Americans have become a society of lethargic people.

The U.S. does have some subway stairs in some of our chief cities, such as New York. There is a great amount of descending and ascending involved in the climbing the staircases, but I live in San Antonio, Texas. We do not have a subway or major stair climbing. Sure you can pay a fee to climb the stairs of the Hemisphere Tower, but who can afford to pay on a daily basis? Maybe I could get a job there, just so I could climb the stairs everyday. Not!

Photographer Serdar Sunny Unal

Stairs in NYC, New York, USA

While in Spain, I did not see one heavy Spaniard. It is because they walk everywhere and climb so many stairs. An average Spaniard male, is slim with medium muscle mass. The average female is slim and well toned.

America is one of the fattest nations in the world. San Antonio ranks as the fourth fattest cit, in Texas. According to the U.S. Magazine posting March 31, 2005 the fattest Americans live in Texas. Among the eight U.S. cities with the most overweight inhabitants, Texas has five. While San Antonio tips the scales in the top ten. San Antonio went from number 13 to number 4.

In this student’s opinion, Americans need to follow the Spaniard's way of life when it concerns their health.

The parks in Madrid have an abundance of shade, walkways and stairs. San Antonio's leaders should invest in parks with shaded walkways, stairs, ramps and bike paths. If San Antonio had parks with shaded walkways, more citizens would be out walking their dogs, strolling their babies, riding bikes, jogging and running up and down stairs.

I believe that if we had more shade and stairs, more people would spend time outside, after work. They would be more willing to take a stroll after their meal time. We do have citizens who get up early or go out late at night to just avoid the heat. But where are the stairs?

Americans have a variety of meal plans and plenty of choices, including hamburgers, fries, tacos, fried chicken, pizza, pretzels, Mexican sweetbreads, cookies, brownies, candy, smoothies and milkshakes. We could continue to eat these fattening foods without risking early death or diabetes, if we would only climb and walk the meals and snacks off.

Spaniards walk off their meals. While in Spain, I ate like there was no tomorrow. I could never do that back home. This is one American who has learned the value of walking and most important the value of stair climbing.

I have learned that, yes, you can walk with bunions or swollen feet or even both. Walking and climbing stairs can be a stress reliever. It can help you clear your mind or enable you to put your thoughts to work creating that great idea for a story or whatever creative attribute you may have. It enables you to have a more peaceful sleep.

I have learned that you can endure the torture of walking and climbing the metro stairs in Madrid, even when you are under the influence of jetlag.

On our return trip to Madrid, we once again ventured into the metro. This time we were laughing and a lot of us were running up the steep metro stairs. Yes, three flights of steep stairs. Unfortunately, I did not count the stairs, but my educated guest would be at least 30 steps per stair case. I was to busy huffing and puffing all the way up the first two times. Then on the return visit, 13 days later, I was busy having too much fun running the stairs.

Dr. Denise Barkis Richter, who was traveling on the metro, mistakenly took the wrong metro stop and got off at Cuatro Caminos.

"After I walked up the 233 steps, a new record, I decided to walk the rest of the way to the museum. I did not want to walk the 233 steps back down. My chest was still heaving. My thighs were burning, and my heartbeat was racing," wrote Richter.

While interviewing Palo Alto’s study abroad students, I learned that all of them lost weight. I truly believe this is due to all the stair claiming we endured.

Nineteen-year old Krystal Marquez said “she lost ten pounds and toned up.”

Alma had foot problems. She walked with a cane. By the time she arrived home, her foot was healed and she could walk without the use of her cane.

Nineteen-year-old Sarah Apolinar said "she lost five pounds." Sonia Gonzales lost 10 pounds.

I myself lost three inches on my waist, toned up my leg and arm muscles, slimmed my inner and outer thighs, and firmed my gluteus maximus in just 17 day of walking and stair climbing in Spain.

I have lost two more pounds these eight days that I have been back. I was out walking my first morning back at 5:30 a.m., looking for stairs to climb. Darn, I could not find any stairs in my neighborhood, not even down S. W. Military Drive. I will continue to walk each morning, but my weight loss is not as fast as when I was climbing those stairs in Spain! Nevertheless I will climb the stairs whenever they are available.

Americans, let’s take back our streets. Walk with your neighbor. Find those stairs. Take out that baby stroller. Pull out the cane. Lace up those comfortable shoes. Whatever it takes, get out and walk those stairs! You will feel better and look better.

Studying abroad

Studying abroad opens up new exciting culture experiences such as sounds, sights, smells, tastes, and touches that you cannot experience in a classroom environment.

In a classroom environment you listen to lectures. Not all instructors require classroom participation, therefore there maybe limited participation. When a student asks a question in the classroom, sometime it takes away the valuable time needed to discuss other beneficial information.

In a study abroad setting everything you encounter is part of your studies. From the engineering of the cobblestone street to the colorful cuisines of the culture you are studying and everything in-between.

Studying abroad has given me opportunity to grow personally and intellectually. I have become more assertive and more aware of my surroundings. The experience has enhanced my interests in what is happening in the world. Therefore, I will continue to learn more about our nations and the global issues. I will continue to study world culture, whether in a class room, literary works, or on the Internet.

I have always been told of the advantage of walking and climbing stairs in regards to health. However there is nothing that can compare to taking part in the action of walking and stair climbing while you are studying a new cultural.

Studying abroad give me the opportune to see first hand what I studied in Environmental Biology, such as contour plowing and ground erosion. It gave me the chance to see firsthand what the effect of using clean energy such as bio energy, is like. Spain harness wind power (wind turbine), which is the fastest-growing energy sector, as a source of energy. We experienced the effects of that energy in the hotels.

We can make a difference in pushing our communities in the directions of wind power and bio energy, now that we have had the opportunity to experience its effects in Spain.

We were exposed to the wide spread recycling in the city of San Sebastian and all the cities were visited. This has made us aware of the value of recycling. It has made many of us question why San Antonio and sorrounding town do not recycle more.

I believe my Bio instructors Mr. Brad Chandler and Mr. George Hagen would be very impressed with what we saw concerning the environment.

In my business courses in the Administrative Computer Technology, we study international business etiquette and customer service. I got the chance to see firsthand how customer service varies from city to city in Spain and the United States.

I now view the world as more then just animated objects that I here about on television news or radio. They are people who feel, react and endure. They may differ in customs but their lives are similar to ours.

Reading about culture in books and hearing lectures cannot compare to hearing the sounds, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching an unfamiliar culture. These are the valuable attributes experienced in the study abroad environment.

Pets in Spain

Walking the streets of Madrid, I saw so many dogs! You say so what! Well the dogs in Madrid have to have a chip implanted. They must be on leashes, even though I saw a few not on a leash, mostly shop owner pets.

Photographer Marsha J. P. Gonzales

I saw many dogs waiting for their master at the doorways of restaurant, shops, and markets.
The dogs do not bark at vehicles or when you walk by. One week had past before I even heard a dog bark, and that was just one time a short bark.
I was shocked!

My first thought was, oh dogs do bark in Spain. I thought maybe there was some kind of law forbidding them to bark or maybe they had their voice boxes removed. Dumb! Now you do not see that in San Antonio, Texas.

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Shop owners are proud of their dogs, they let you take pictures of them.

Spain sure loves their dogs! On one street in Spain there was a water fountain for dogs! I have never seen that in the U. S.

I only saw four cats. The preferred pet in Spain might not be cats.

Palace Real Alcazar de Sevilla

In the beautiful city of Sevilla, I had the pleasure of visiting the Moorish palace Real Alcazar de Sevilla King Pedro the Cruel of Castile in 1360s lived and ruled from the Alcazar. He employed workmen form Granada and used fragments of earlier Moorish buildings in Seville, Cordoba, and Valencia as according to Josephine Quintero on the Website http://www.andalucia.com/cities/seville/alcazar.htm.
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The gardens are stunning. There are rows and rows of lush flowers and towering hedges. One part of the garden the hedges are shaped in the eight pointed star and in the center are budding flowers.

So many rooms and courtyards are hidden from your sight; you enter one room and view its beauty, not seeing any other room or courtyards. Then you exit the door and see another gorgeous room with its courtyard that contains fountains and gardens. When you think there cannot be any other room more wonderful than the room you are in, behold another exquisite site.

Picture by Marsha J. P. Gonzales

Within the Moorish palace is the room called the Salon del techo de Carlos V. Siglos XIV, XVI. The floors are tile forming ziz zag patterns. The walls are laced with tile. Large window adorned with tile and gorgeous wooden shutters.

In the Capula de Salon de Embajadotes (1427) Diego Ruiz the ceiling is exquisite, with its plaster sculptures stalactites. In the center of the ceiling is the eight point Moorish star. The palace was once laced in blues and greens. Over the centuries, the colors faded, but there are faint indications of the colors.

The Galerias altas del Patio de las Doncellas, Mediados del siglo XVI you can see the stone pillars, columns, plaster molding of indescribable beauty. Along the wall of the court yard palace are plaster molding of poems.

Picture by Marsha J. P. Gonzales

Torremolinos

The city of Torremolinos

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As I walk down the streets of Torremolinos, the first Costa del Sol resort developed in the early sixties, I can feel the sea breeze and smell the clean sea air, never tasting the salt in the air, that can be tasted at most beaches.

My senses are on fire, I cannot wait to see the beach up close. I pass several colorful shops, boutiques and gift shops, but they cannot entice me today! I am on a mission, on to the beach! I pass an African woman with her small child play next to her. The woman is braiding a tourist hair, I find this unusual. Back home this would take place in a beauty shop not in a small courtyard next to the beach for everyone to see.

I finally arrive! On the boardwalk, I see a man barbequing sea food. There are small tables and chairs with people just enjoying the beach air while sipping drinks and tasting the cuisine of Torremolinos. I see lines of colorful cabana chairs with small umbrellas upon the clean sandy beach.

I step on the wooden walk ways leading to the HOT clean-sandy beach. The beach takes my breath away. This is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. I cannot decide which beach is more breathtaking San Sebastian or Torremolinos. The sea water is so clear and blue. As I stroll down the beach I see coastal rock lined with small clams. The sea water comes up and baths the clams in sea water. I decide to brave the sea water. To my surprise the water is ice cold, and my body goes numb. I swim out of the water fast. Nevertheless, I reenter six more time. I love the water. My only wish is that my children and grandchildren could be here to enjoy this magnificent beach with me.

Cordaba

ANDALUS

In 951 Castilla becomes independent. Christian soldiers attacked and it did not go unnoticed in Cordoba.

In the tenth century, a young noble from an Arab family, named Al-Mansur, who was educated in law and literature, became manager of the estates of Prince Hisham. He latter gained the title Hajib. Al-Mansur was victorious in battle. He fought against the Christians. He was charming and equally ruthless. He became suspicious of his sons. One day at dinner he had his son thrashed to death. This was a source of entertainment for Al-Mansur. He then had his other son decapitated. He took great delight in decapitations as a form of punishment. He once made a "great pyramid" of trophy heads. Then he had the salted heads sent around the caliphate to frighten his enemies.

In 997 Mansur's army captured the city of Santiago de Compostela destroying its shrine. He had the doors and bells removed and sent to Cordaba, to be used in the mosque. This was an insult to Christian Spain.

AL-ANDALUS

The effete (barren) Calip Hisham II produced no heir for the throne. Before his death he named Mansur´s son Sanchuelo to succeed the throne. During this time there were many revolts. As a result, Al-Andalus split up into about twenty small kingdoms, know as taifas.

The Moors controlled about two-thirds of the peninsula. The most powerful taifas were Sevilla and Granda then Cordaba, Almeria, Zaragoza, Badojoz, and Toledo. These "petty kingdoms" fought and betrayed each other.

During this political decline, there became a brief budding of cultures. Kings tried to out do each other by housing in their libraries impressive collections of enormous volumes of literature and poems. As a result sometimes these poems or literature were not of great quality. One Moorish poem read "Such was my kissing, such my sucking of his mouth, that he was almost made toothless."

The Moors had a passion for wine and women. They soon lost interest in fighting their own battles. They employed mercenaries "even Christians" to do their fighting as stated in The Story of Spain.

THE RECONQUISTA

The pope called for a crusade. Slowly the La Reconquista (the Reconquest) was born and lasted for eight centuries. According to the The Story of Spain, this was the most "distinctive factor of the medieval Spanish history." Christian progress was slow due to the harsh climate, threat of Moorish reprisals, and discouraged settlers. The death of Christian kings brought about division of their domains.

FERNANDO EMEROR OF THE SPAINS

Fernando I (Ferdinand I) occupied Leon and became "emperor of the Spains." He is also known as Fernando I of Castilla. He became the leading figure in the Reconquest. Fernando I captured Valencia and Portuqal. When he died, war emerged between his two sons Alfonso of Leon and Sancho of Castilla.

EL CID

Interesting facts: Cid comes from the Arabic word seyyid, or lord. Campeador is Latin campiduetor meaning leader in the field.

During Sancho's reign, a young knight named Rodrigo pledge his allegiance to King Sancho of Castilla. Rodrigo became the most exalted figure in Spanish history. He earns the title “El Cid Campeador.” Cid fought for the Christians until his Lord was murdered. He suspected his Lord's half-brother Alfonso of the murder. This causes conflict between the King and Cid. The King sent Cid into exile. "Cid proceeded to fight in the service of the potentate of Zaragoza, a Moorish city," according to The Story of Spain.

In 1085 Alfonso's army recaptured Toledo in the "first crucial victory of the Reconquest" according to The Story of Spain, which led to the boost of morale. The Christians entered the old Visigoth capital the heart of meseta.

This alarmed the Moors King of Sevilla. He sought aid from Muslim Africa. The Almoravids leader, Yusuf ibn-Tashufin came to his aid. Yusuf troops were dark-skinned nomads who converted to Islam and were said to be religious fanatics. They swore to stamp out anyone who slipped from Muslim orthodoxy. His troop where feared, they fought man-to-man style, using rapiers, shields of hippo hide, and took heads for trophies. While the Christian fought infantry style (lines of archers moving to the command of drums).

Alfonso barely escaped. Panic rose throughout Christian Spain. Alfonso sought the aid of El Cid. Cid soon gained control of Valencia and emerged an independent ruler. "Muslims stood in awe of Cid" as noted in The Story of Spain.

El Cid fought for the Christians and the Moors. Nevertheless Spain considers El Cid a national hero.

Existing in Spanish literature is an epic poem written about Cid, El Cantar del Mio Cid (1140) and “countless” biographies and even a Hollywood historical epic film EL Cid (1961), directed by Anthony Mann staring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren. Heston once said, “The Cid was surely one of the remarkable men of the Middle Ages… [He] became a mythical figure, a figure of legendary proportions” as quoted on Website

http://charltonhestonworld.homestead.com/ElCid1.html

GRANAD AN INPORTANT CENTER

Granad is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is a city of incomparable monumental wealth, exquisite parks, gardens and rich history. It is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the peaks of the Sierra Nevads.

The Moors had a profound effect on the peninsula. The palace and fortress Alhambra was built in Granad between 1248 and 1354. Alhambra houses some of the finest examples of Moorish art such as plaster moldings, stucco works, marble columns, domes, gardens, and fountains. The Moors introduced advanced systems of specialized hospitals for lepers, insane, wounded soldiers and Muslim scholarship. They excelled in astronomy, botany, and geography. They insisted that the earth was round. The Moors brought Arabic numerals, replacing the Roman system, as well as algebra and higher mathematics.

Interesting facts: Words of Arabic origin:
Algebra, Alcazar (castle), Arroz (rice), Aduana (customs), Alcalde (mayor), Naranja (orange), Azucar (sugar), and limon (lemon)

Interesting facts: Spanish-English cognates:
Alcohol, alchemy, alkal, camphor, elixir, syrup, talc, nadir, zenith, almanac, zero, coffee, jasmine, saffron, and sesame.

JEWS IN SPAIN

A revolt in Palestine ended the Jewish state for two millennia. Jews scattered throughout Roman and thousands of families fled to Hispania and lived on the peninsula for centuries.

Reccared son of King Leovigild united the Kingdom under one religion Catholicism around 590. Reccared wrote the first anti-Jewish treatise.

In 624, the Goths ruled the entire peninsula, excluding Basque Lands. The Jews never forgot what the Goths had done to their descendants and took revenge, leading to hundreds of deaths. The oppressed Jews welcomed the invasion of the Moors around 732.

Spain’s society was divided into three castes based on religion: Muslim, Christian, and Jews. Jews became physicians, pharmacists, interpreters, and money-changers, making them the "greatest beneficiaries" of Moorish rule as stated in The Story of Spain. Nevertheless, they were though of as the lowest class of people and the "Christian job was to rule." "Jews were blamed for various troubles, especially economic crises. According to The Story of Spain (General Franco once stated “In Spain you are Catholic or you are nothing.”)

Interesting Fact: King Fernando had Jewish blood from his maternal grandfather.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain expelled all Jews from the land after the Moors were driven out of Granada. This ended the largest and most distinguished Jewish settlement in Europe. It is said the real reason for the expellsion was "the religious zeal of the Church, the Queen, and the masses." Jewish History Sourcebook: The Expulsion from Spain, 1492 CE. Nevertheless, the official reason was that the Jews encouraged the Marranos "persist" in their Jewishness thus not allowing them to become good Christians.

BIRTH OF SPAIN AS A NATION

The road to Malaga once was drenched in the blood of Christians and Moors. Queen Elizabeth I and King Fernando of England started capturing Spanish vessels on the way to the New World. Because of this Spain suffered massive economic losses. Also contributing to the cause was the expulsion of the Jews and Moors Spain's economy started to collapse in the 16th century, brining the Golden Age of Spain to a close.

TEMPLE SAGRADA FAMILIA

ANTONI GAUDI

Antoni Gaudi received his education at the Barcelona School of Architecture in 1878. He studied in great detail neo-Gothic ornamentation. Gaudi distinguished himself in the field with his creative architectural ural style.

SAGRADA FAMILIA AND ITS INTERIOR

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Antoni Gaudi was commissioned to continue working on the Church of Sagrada Familia, which was first began by Villar. Gaudi devoted 40 years of his life to the unfinished architectural masterpiece in the city of Barcelona.

I was amazed by the creative and lifelike trees, fruit, shells, and animal carvings. There were also birds, snakes, snails, sea-snails, lizards, salamanders, frogs and tadpoles.

Gaudi spent nine years in the construction of the Nativity facade, the "imbedding statires, sculpted stone, and leering gargoyles into the fluffy surface," the guide book Temple Sagrada Familia.

The interior of the church is 90 meters in length and 60 meters wide. On the east side you can see the Nativity. On the west side you can view the Passion. On the south side is the Glory. This wonderful church is designed to accommodate a choir of 1,500 singers the total capacity to 10,000 people.

This monumental church is to Spain "[as] the Eiffel Tower is to Paris" as stated in The Story of Spain, chapter 9, pg 208.

All a board

As I board the bus from Barcelona to Valencia, my excitement builds. The ride itself starts out quiet. Everyone is tired or sleepy.

SERVICO RAPIDO

We wait for the first restroom break. At last, here is the STOP! We arrive at Servico Rapido (rapid service). Servico Rapido is much like back home´s Texas truck stops. There are:

Restaurante (restaurant)
Self-Service (gas self-service)
Tienda (store)
Telefonos (telephones)
Aseos (Bathroom)

NO ESCAPE

Everywhere I go in Spain, there are stairs!
Stairs are a big part of Spain's society. I have not seen one heavy Spaniards. Stairs leading to the restroom, I counted them: 14 up a 60-step walk across the state highway and 15 down.

Picture by Marsha J. P. Gonzales

MEDITERANEAN CULTURE

As we enter the Mediterranean cultural and commercial principal city Valencia, I am at awe with this modern yet traditional historical city.

Valencia is two thousand years old. The 14th and 15th centuries were the "Golden age." There are numerous historical monuments representing the Moorish presence. Gothic architectural is also present one of the most notable is the Metropolitan Catherdral a famous octagonal Gothic bell tower. Construction began in 1262.

Valencia hosts the world famous week-long Fallas in March. Huge papier-mache sculptures are built then set ablaze in what is known as the festive bonfires. The sky is illuminate with colorful displays of fireworks.

Valencia is known as "The City of Light" due to its 2,600 hours of sun light per year.

What you can learn just by walking down the streets of Barcelona!

Walking down the main streets of Barcelona, you can hear the people taking. You may hear conversations you wish not to hear, but then you may overhear some tips for shopping.

Just strolling along, I overheard about a great shop that specialized in watches.

There were hundreds of watches, children's, men, and women watches of every color and some odd shapes.

Watches for everyday of the week and special occasion.

There were so many watches, but I can only post a few.

Pictures by Marsha J. P. Gonzales

San Sebastian, Spain

San Sebastian is a beautiful city with walkways, large bridges, sandy beaches, tall buildings and narrow streets. Picture to the right Me on the bridge.

Their buildings are incredible. Picture a building whose front forms a triangle with a street on each side leading of to a great distance. I saw so many of these types of buildings.

The streets are adorned with trees that are decorations with chilies and fruits.
Pictures by Marsha J. P. Gonzales

The sea air is clean and cool. The sun is not to hot like San Antonio, Texas.

I love this city! I want to visit again with my family!

History of San Sebastian

The city of San Sebastian was founded around 1180 by the King Sancho el Mayor of Navarra (called Sancho el Fuerte-Sancho the Strong).

One of the most notable wars was in the 18th century between the English and the French (179 – 1721). The French occupied San Sebastian, however, they finally withdrew after the signing of the Hague peace treaty. There was peace until 1808.

Napoleonic troops invaded San Sebastian and on August 31, 1813 there was a huge explosion and a great fire that destroyed the city. The city was rebuilt following the destruction. The city was a military stronghold.

Nevertheless, today there remains no exceedingly old buildings because of the fires suffered through the ages according to World Facts Index Spain. However, there is the post-16th century era Iglesia de San Vicente (Saint Vincent Church) the church of Santa Maria and the convent of San Telmo. Also some remains of the city wall can be seen.

Third day. From Madrid to Burgos

I am sitting in Burgos, Spain, at the quaint Crispains (cyber café). Now this is what I call a cyber café. You can order coffee or a drink and smoke a cigarette or two while waiting for a computer!

Four hours from Madrid to Burgos

On our four hour bus trip from Madrid to Burgos I saw the most beautiful scenery…rows and rows of bushes of yellow flowers! The country roads are lined with them. Hills after hills with beautiful lush vegetation can be seen for miles. Now I cannot forget to include the one-sided solid rock hills that extended for miles. What is so interesting about these hills is that on the rock side there is no vegetation. On the back side of the rock hills, they become hills of lush vegetation.

Why should U. S. citizens care?

During my brief stay in Madrid, the air was so pure and clean.

I was told by our guide, Gary, that Spain uses bio fuel.

Why should U. S. citizens care?

Bio fuel causes less air pollution, therefore cleaner fresher air for us to breath. In the United States Bio energy is not commonly used. The uses of bio fuel in the U.S. over time could aid in fewer people with respiratory problems.

Trees are everywhere in the city of Madrid. They line the parks and the town square.

Why should U. S. citizens care?

The city has an abundance of shade. You can walk in the cool shade of the trees. Believe me in Spain you walk for miles. Sure you can take the subway, but guest what! You have to walk to the subway. Then you have to descend three flights of steep stairs just to get on the subway. Sure there are the escalators. Spaniards do not just stand and enjoy the escalator ride, NO, they walk the escalator. They walk it at almost a running pace. After you have taken the subway you walk some more. Believe me you want to be in the cool shade. The U. S. should stop cutting down so many trees and invest in more trees. Trees are beautiful and produce our much-needed oxygen. With more shade in our cities it could reduce our chance of getting skin cancer.

Interesting facts about Spain

Vehicles are driven on the same side of the road as in the United States. Drivers sit on the left side of the car.

Sidewalks and roads are made of bricks or cobble stone. Often, it is hard to tell the sidewalk from the road.

Pictures by Marsha J. P. Gonzales

The corner traffic walk signal, we were told by are guide, RED MAN if you value your life DO NOT walk. GREEN MAN walk, GREEN FLASHING MAN run for your life. This was quite amusing. Our guide, Gary, can be quite funny at times.

Second Day in Madrid

Today is a free day! We were up by 7 a.m. off to a wonderful breakfast. So many dishes! Can you believe it, walnut, for breakfast! There were all kinds of fruits, cheeses, cakes, cookies, hams, minie hot dogs, eggs, and sauces. Now the coffee is to die for! Fresh squeezed orange juice.

Off to a leisure stroll down to Museo Nacional del Prado. Stroll did I say stroll? We braved the subway! The Museo housed so many wonderful artists´ works. In the gallery of Francisco Calvo Serraller artist Diego Velazquez, who we studied about in Art Appreciation, oil on canvas (318 X 276 cm) masterpiece ¨Las Meninas¨ (The Family of Philip IV) was even more breathtaking to see in person!

The painting depicts a small child in a elegant gown. In the background the image of the King and Queen, whose physical position would coincide with that of the viewer, can be seen in a mirror displayed on the wall. This oil painting is a great conversational piece.

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The gallery Goya Manuela B. Mena Marques the oil in the execution on Principe Pio Hill, that comes to mind is The Third of May 1808 in Madrid.

This oil art work is one well know to Spaniards. It records the French army’s cruel repression of the Spanish. There is a lantern on the ground in the center of the painting the light is focused on those who are about to be killed. Their faces depict terror. The light illuminates three dead bodies whose blood spills from their lifeless bodies.

There is so much we saw today, and I have very little time to put it in writing. I am leaving in just a few seconds to view a live performance of the passionate and seductive art form of Spain’s flamenco dancing. My wish has come true!

I have to leave, or I will miss the performance.

My first day in Spain

Palacio Real de Madrid (The Royal Palace of Madrid)
picture by Marsha J. P. Gonzales

Hi, everyone, today was a very fast-paced day. We visited the Palacio Real de Madrid. This palace is huge! It is a complete rectangle. The picture above is only one segment of one side. It houses several royal collections of great historical value. It is the official residence of the King of Spain. The King does not live in the palace. He uses the palace for official ceremonies and entertaining.

The palace dates back to the 9th century. The Islamic Kingdom of Toledo built it as a fortress, which was later used by the Kings of Castile. In the 16th century the Old Alcazar was constructed. It was later destroyed by fire on Christmas Eve, 1734.

Picture by Marsha J. P. Gonzales
The new palace was constructed by order of King Philip V. From 1738 to 1755 the entire complex was built out of stone and brick. No wood was use so it would never be destroyed by fire again. King Charles III lived in the palace in 1764.



picture by Marsha J. P. Gonzales

Within the palacio´s walls we were able to view only 20 rooms. One room was called Salon De Columnas. Within the wall were mounted 12 large mirrors trimmed with gold and two angels on the upper top and one in the middle. The ceiling was covered with fresco paintings.

I saw the King’s Throne Room!

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The ceiling was covered with an unbelievable fresco that stretched the total length and width of the ceiling. Depicted in the fresco is the Allegory of the Spanish Monarchy. This fresco was painted by Tiepolo and completed in 1766. Twelve huge golden mirrors lined the walls. They are from the Royal Factory of La Granja. Under each mirror was a large golden wall table. The floor was covered with a gorgeous red, green, and gold patterned carpet. Hanging from the ceiling were two huge rock-crystal chandeliers that illumined the room. The chandeliers were purchased by Venice in 1780. In the center of the room to the left are the two stunning golden thrones. Leading to the throne are four side to side long steps covered with red carpet. Four large bronze lions sit on the two sides of the platform in front of the thorn. The lions are resting their paws on large golden globes, as to protect the king and queen. These lions represent power. They were brought from Rome in 1650 by Velazquez. In this majestic room, the king’s subjects are allowed to see the king.

Interesting fact:

The city of Madrid is in a triangular shape. From kilometre 0 in the La Puerta del sol all ends met.

Introduction to Medieval Spain.

It is almost time to depart for Spain, just two more days! I am so excited! I have learned so many new tips for traveling abroad. One major tip, straight from the bank, is to wrap all credit cards each in a small piece of foil then place them back in their little envelopes. Why? The magnetic field can be erased. When you get to the airport and you are putting your items on the conveyer belt, personally hand your card or cards to the attendant so they can see they are just your cards.


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In Spain, there is a medieval city named Roman Toletum (Toledo), which sits on a large hill encircled by granite rock and sheer cliffs with its three sides facing the Tagus River.

The city was constructed with gates that opened into a zigzagged open air hall, thus making the invaders easy targets once they entered the air hall. The Visigoths (or West Goths) chose this site as their capital city because it was a perfect stronghold.

What I find interesting is out of thirty-four kings, only fifteen died of natural causes. One king in particular Sigeric had King Atawulf killed. Just one week later he was killed by the hand of Walia. Today Visigothic remnants are felt in Toledo and in Spain.
It is said “Gothic accomplishments in Spain proved inconsequential” The Story of Spain (pg 51). The people herded animals. They gave us the horseshoe arch.

A few dozen Gothic words entered both English and Spanish, a few are listed below:
werra (war/Guerra), ratubon (to rob/robar), helm,(helmet/yelma), harpa (harp/arpa).

Their wise chose of location made them a source of political power. Nevertheless they were barbarians who could not unify and this proved to be their downfall. Spain had become “different” for the first time. The Goths sported long locks and gaudy jewelry. They were primitive and warlike with harsh laws. They later begin to combine Goth with Hispanic styles and customs losing their customs and idealism.

One interesting fact stated in The Story of Spain chapter three, is the word “Gothic” with came to mean “barbaric and uncouth,” the Renaissance architects who loved the classical style, disliked the late-medieval cathedrals calling them ugly, in other words gothic. Today the name remains.

Another interesting fact stated: “Within the wall of the city of Toledo, King Roderick deflowered the lovely daughter [of] count [Julian],” the Byzantine governor of Septum (Ceuta) on the African side of the strait, whose vengeance brought the Moors to Spain” (pg 50).

Once the Moors invaded they changed Spain forever. The word Moors can be used to refer to all Muslims –whether Berber or Arab—who conquered the Iberian Peninsula, as stated in the book.

This was the period where a new religion invaded Spain and many became Muslims. When the followers of Moors invaded Spain, they brought no women, thus a second generation was born half Hispanic.

The Moors harems were large, housing many beautiful women. Fair women from the north were favored, resulting in interbreeding, producing a race of leaders in which Arab blood became insignificant as stated on page 63. These new rulers were proud of their Arab blood and would dye their hair black so they could appear more Arabic.

The Moors' left their mark on Spain with their patios, gardens, fountains, and palaces. The Great Mosque, the second most important place of worship in the Muslim world after Mecca is their greatest legacy. They had hundreds of public baths. They improved on Roman irrigation. Moors made numerous contributions to Spain. They brought over Arabian horses. They introduced new crops such as apricot, fig, lemon, orange, peach, and pomegranate, as well as cotton, rice, saffron, sugar cane, and silk.

Influences on the Iberian Peninsula

The bridge between two continents and two seas is the Iberian Peninsula. Migrants, traders, colonizers, and conquerors all passed through leaving traces of their society.

The first to migrant into the Iberian Peninsula were the Iberians. They were believed to have come from North Africa in the third millennium B. C., but their origin in not certain. They were dark skinned sporting long hair. They lived in small settlements on the hilltops and lived along the coast as farmers, fishermen, or merchants isolated from other tribes. Their diet was mostly fish and olive oil. They loved wine they even mixed wine with honey. Iberians mined silver, created works of bronze and iron. Their contribution was agricultural and metallurgical. It is said that Iberians could endure hardships and pain more then any other society. The Iberians were argumentative people, dedicated to bulls, and horses.

They disliked organization for they were individualistic. Therefore, they were suspicious of all strangers. Superstition was evident in their religion and they had great respect for their elders.

Iberians communicated orally they had no written language. Nevertheless, they later adopted the Phoenician alphabet. Their language can be linked to the Basque language. Basque is an exceptionally difficult, complex language. “Some romantics believe it was the language spoken by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden” as stated in The Story of Spain. It is believed that God condemned the devil to learn Basque because of his contemptible transgression.

The second race to settle on the peninsula of Iberia was the purely indigenous Celtics in the ninth and seventh centuries B. C. They intermarried with the Iberians creating a new race called Celtiberians. The Celtics spread over about two-thirds of the peninsula inhabiting meseta and most of the north and west. They studied the properties of metals and were experts in extracting and refining alloy and creating exceptional works of art. One of their creations is the short broad sword, which can be seen in museums today. They were shepherds by nature and introduced the custom of wearing trousers. They had an unusual custom of placing their sick along the roadside in the hopes any one passing would aid the ailing. It was the custom of the Celtics to burn their dead.

The Phoenicians were the third race to settle on the peninsula competing to control Spain’s coastline and resources. Some of their features were dark skin, wide foreheads, high cheekbones, and hooked noses. They were in the trading and fishing industry. They brought Middle Eastern culture and advance Mediterranean civilization to the peninsula. One of the main influences in society was their alphabet that consists of 22 characters. Their alphabet influenced the Ancient Greek and Hebrew alphabets. We now use their S shape that has two lines running down as our dollar sign. Some of the Phoenician artifacts that remain today are alabaster jars with names of Egyptian pharaohs and decorated ostrich eggs. They brought with them their advance Mediterranean civilization.

One of the greatest civilizations in history is located in central Italy that civilization is Rome. Rome ruled the Iberian Peninsula, which they called Hispania Rome. They are known for their army, Christianity, architecture, and entertainment. Their army destroyed their enemy mercilessly and uses them for violent sport. They spread Christianity through the land. They brought cultural to the peninsula. Romans contribution to Spain was their language, architectural and their engineering principles that are still used today. They built roads, bridges and aqueducts.

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To the right is a view of the aqueduct.


To the left is a detail view of the aqueduct.

Rome rule lasted six centuries. They came across war nature natives who seemed to live for battle. Rome’s army was annihilated at Cannae, members of the senate were killed heads were lost. It took two centuries and more than 150,000 live to hold back the peninsula.

June 6, 2007 Passport arrives in the nick of time!!!

Today is the 3rd day of class. We were introduced to Inverted pyramid style of writing. For those of you who do not know what this style is, it is writing the most newsworthy information first and the rest in descending order of importance. It sounds simple but it really hard to do at least for a first time news student as myself. We discussed our Tuesday’s homework assignment, writing four lead sentences. Our reading assignment consist of chapters 1, 2, and 9 of our The Art of Creative Nonfiction book. Today’s written assignment is to write a factual news article in the inverted pyramid style.

In the humanity part of class we are reading The Story of Spain. We discussed in class chapter two “The Romans Were Here.” Our assignment is to write at least 250 word essay on chapters 1-2.
This trip to Spain is going to more then having a lot of fun. It is going to be a lot of work, as I am finding out.

Now, the lighter side COUNT DOWN begins for me, why just now? I have finally received my U. S. PASSPORT!!! I was really getting worried. My passport is really beautiful. Each page pictures a historical U. S. monument.

In my lifetime / My neighborhood

In my life time...I would like to report on and write about teenagers living in the computer age. I would like to know their views on having grown up with the internet, cell phone, PDA, laptops, and electronic games etc... It would be interesting to know their opinion about not having the advantages of the computer age.

As I enter my neighborhood, the street is silent. Four large black dogs patrol the corner of my street. The city street light that the neighborhood fought to have installed, shines over my driveway. My cream colored poodle (My Charlie) is howling for me to let him out of his chamber. Pretty Lucky, a rescue cat, eagerly awaits my appearance. All is quiet in my world.

When things settle down in the house and most of my assignments are complete and a good night call is made to my granddaughter, I slip away to visited my neighbor and best friend. We discuss the latest neighborhood news. Whether it is accounts of the high school children down the street or the elementary schools under construction, the news is delivered.

We are proud of the on-going construction of our Adams Elementary. Adams’s new playground and breeze ways are inviting. The interior of the building houses much-need up-to-date computer facilities. The neighborhood was in need of a new and improved elementary. Within the Harlandale District, two other elementary have been newly constructed on the same property as the previous elementary.

A window into Spain's culture

An opportunity of a lifetime has opened up for me. That opportunity is to study and experience Spain’s culture.

I will be traveling with a group of 30 wonderful students and non-students along with two brilliant instructors. I have had the pleasure of studying Humanities with Ms. Marina Ornelas. I will now be studying World Cultures and Global Issues under her supervision. I am looking forwarded to studying under the guidance of Dr. Denise Barkis Richter, associde professor for of Communication and News Gathering/Writing I.

Studying in Spain will aid me in a multicultural environment. In the United State, since its very beginning, we have been a culturally diverse society. Today, large and small business organizations are no exception to multiculturalism. New leaders of today and tomorrow need to be educated in an array of cultures enabling them to understand the ideas, customs, values, and skills of a specific group of employees in all aspects of the job. Traveling to Spain will aid me in understanding the culture of Spain. I will be able to apply this new found awareness in a large organization who deals with business from Spain or who has a division in Spain.

The news gathering and writing course will enhance my written communication skill along with new techniques of information gathering. This course will provide me with basic knowledge of proper news story writing.

On the lighter side of my study abroad…I have often imagined the passionate and seductive art form of Spain’s flamenco dancing. I envisioned the dancers’ mysterious romantic movements to the fast pace of guitar. I dreamed one day I would see a live performance of flamenco that would take my breath away. My hope is to experience this dance live in Spain.

I am looking forward to new cultural experiences in Spain, including sampling the colorful cuisine of Spain. All my family and friends will understand my closing statement. I want to experience Spain to the fullest and treat my taste buds to that famous ice cream.