Hola amigos! 5 weeks have gone by in my little life as a Spaniard. This weekend I went on my last excursion with the school. We went to Segovia and Avila. Segovia was just beautiful. It's much smaller then Salamanca yet not a small country town. It's a bit more green and built on hills. It's famous for the 2000 year old acueduct built to bring water from the Mountains. It was an amazing sight to see. As I looked around almost everyone's mouth was wide open in awe. I felt the same way I did when I visited the Palace of Knossos on the Greek Island of Crete. Unless you've experienced it I just can't explain the feeling of standing near, on or in something that was built so long ago you can't even fathom the time that's past. And to think persons of those times were right where you stand at that moment. I have to admit .. every time I've had the opportunity to visit these ancient places..I get teary eyed. We also visited the Alcazar de Segovia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alc%C3%A1zar_of_Segovia). Absolutely beautiful inside and even more so was the view from the windows looking down over Segovia and the surrounding area. I found the perfect spot for my Airstream and I have already set my mind to come to Spain next year, as a tourist, not a student and spend much more time in Sierra de Francia, Segovia and the Basque Country. By then I should be able to make 5 full sentences in Spanish?
After our stop in Segovia we went back to the bus for our next stop in Avila. My friends Kirsten and Chris decided to sit in different seats this time. They were separated on the trip to Segovia so they wanted seats together. They sat in the two behind me. Next thing I know I hear "Perdon me, but were you sitting there on our arrival? (no answer from Kirsten or Chris). No you were not, how rude of you, you do not have zee manners of zee French". I almost died laughing. My back was to them but I could hear her distinct thick French accent and attidude. Kirsten and Chris didn't say a word to her and just stayed in their seats. I could here the French woman 'humph' and walk to the back of the bus as she spoke in French, obviously about the situation. Everyone on the bus was giggling. We had a good laugh about that. When we arrived in Avila we were given an hour to wander as we like. I chose a little cafe near the Plaza where I had a glass of beer. Then I hear a French woman speaking. I look behind me and the same woman on the bus has sat at a table behind me. She proceeds to speak to the waiter in French. The waiter walks away and doesn't come back for quite some time. Finally he returns and the woman again speaks in French. That's when the waiter says in broken English "Madame, I will help you if you order in English or Spanish but I will not in French". Oh my God....again I almost pissed my pants trying to hold back the laughter. She mumbled something then ordered in Spanish. Later I overheard the two waiters speaking in Spanglish, I could understand quite a bit, about how they're tired of the French expecting them to only speak French in France but will not speak the language of other cultures when in their country. I love it. I have to tell you I've been to the South of France and yes we did experience some very snobby attitudes but I've tried not to label a whole Country for that. I don't like it when others lump us from the United States. But I have to say..it's getting hard not to when it comes to the French. That lady was just rude, snobby and plain old mean. Oh and when we had to get back on the bus for the trip home, she RAN on before my friends to get her original seat back. When they walked by she said something snotty in French to them. Believe me it wasn't nice, you could tell by the tone. So.. tell me someone...what are 'zee manners of zee french'? Cause if she's an example of what they are...then it must be just plain 'rudeness'?? Hmmmm, let's ponder that, shall we?
Oh and the 10 very young Italian school kids that were on the excursion gave Madame a run for her money in the 'rudeness' department. They were some cute kids but they wouldn't stop talking even when the Profesor was explaining the sights to us. He asked them several times to be quiet..to no avail. It was actually kind of funny though. I got a kick out of watching them talk....Italian people really do talk with their hands. There were 20 arms flailing at one time when those kids started talking. What a sight! I should have video taped it.
All in all the excursion was just lovely. I've enjoy touring Spain as much as I can. Our guides only speak in Spanish so I don't always get the history behind the sights we see but it helps me learn more of the language each time. And there's always the internet when we return from the trip.
I arrived home last evening and shared a bottle of 'Verdejo' with Carmen. It's a white wine from the Segovia region. Absolutely delicious. I'd love to bring some home but traveling with liquids isn't fun and it isn't cheap to ship. So it will be the treat I will look forward to each time I return. Even better idea I'd say. Some things are best 'craved'!
Well, I will stop this babbling for now. It's Sunday in Spain, my favorite day. The shops are closed and the streets are quiet and perfect for walking and finding a little Cafe for a glass of wine and a tapa or two.
Paz y Amor
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