Kilometers, kilometers, and more kilometers!

It's been quite a while since I last posted, and many, many things have happened since then. I'll try to give you a update on everything. I've included a few photos, although the links found on the right have full albums of my trips.

Semana Santa:

Rachel, Alicia and I left for our huge 1,800km trip for Semana Santa.

First stop: Merida. Walking around Merida at night seeing the Roman ruins lit up was breathtaking. It wonderful to see how they were so well kept for so long. Merida also boasts an impressive Roman amphitheater, one of the most complete still in existence today. Being able to witness the construction of buildings around a theater from over 2,000 years ago makes me have more faith in humanity; knowing that we can respectfully gaze upon our past while still moving into the future is essential to my belief in what lies ahead of us as a positive blend of cultural differences that have
changed throughout the course of history.


Second stop: Caceres. Although Caceres is relatively close to Merida, both located in Extremadura, it is completely different. While Merida embraces is Roman past, Caceres' old city walls protect an important slice of medieval/early modern Spain. Inside the walls exist a number of palaces and churches, showing off the lavish use of Gothic and Baroque architecture of the time. The Plaza Mayor, located just outside the old city walls, is immense and welcomes locals and tourists alike to kick back and enjoy the scenery. Caceres, like Merida, is a UNESCO World Heritage City.


Third stop: Trujillo. Trujillo is a small town, with a population of about 10,000. While small in size, this pueblo holds many treasures. It's Plaza Mayor is dominated by a large church; in front of the church is a statue in tribute to native trujillano Francisco Pizarro, who conquered Peru. The photo on the left shows one of the curious balconies, often used in the area during the time period. The ornate corner balcony is an eye-catching detail of the palace La Conquista, which also forms part of the Plaza Mayor. Siting above Trujillo is a castle, built by the Arabs during their reign of what is now Spain. We spent the night in a town outside of Trujillo and then continued on our trip north to the region of Castilla-Leon. While on our way there, the landscape changed completely as we drove through beautiful mountains and gained elevation. The temperature dropped significantly as we neared our next stop, Avila.




Fourth stop: Avila. While you may not have ever heard of Merida, Caceres or Trujillo, Avila is a more commonly heard name. This is because of a nun who later became one of the most important figures in the Catholic Church, Santa Teresa de Avila, or Santa Teresa de Jesus. Santa Teresa was born in Avila in 1515. She entered Monasterio de la Encarnacion as a novice. She later went on to reform the Carmelite order and found her own, the Discalced Carmelites. In 16th Century Spain, Santa Teresa was a fierce woman who not only opened many convents where extreme poverty was practiced, but she was also a prolific writer. Last year I focused a chapter of my thesis on her writings, specifically on the way she made use of the male-created rhetoric of the Church as women being "weak" with many "faults" in order to capture the attention of her male readers. She most certainly did capture their attention and even was examined under the Inquisition for the way she encouraged others to pray through mental prayer. After her death she was canonized and in 1970 Santa Teresa, along with Saint Catherine of Siena, was made the first woman Doctor of the Church. It was such a wonderful experience to be in the birthplace of la Santa and get a feel for the place she once lived in.

In addition to Avila's connection to Santa Teresa, Avila is known for it's magnificent city walls. Built in medieval times, Avila's walls are the only ones to be complete still today. We were able to walk along the interior side of the wall, from which we has a great view of the cities many churches and ornate cathedral. Avila is also famous for it's steak (yum!) which we, of course, enjoyed thoroughly. We stayed in an old palace from the 15th century just outside the Cathedral's doors. It was a pleasant stop along our journey, which led us to our next stop.


Fifth stop: Segovia. We arrived in Segovia and at lunch under it's aqueduct, one of the most famous in Spain. After eating lunch we headed towards the main part of the city. My day in Segovia was bitter-sweet; while walking along one of the streets, I got a call from my mom saying that my Grannie had passed away. I had been imagining the moment for months, but never would have expected that the call would come while on a trip. My mom comforted me on the phone, letting me know that she had a very peaceful passing. "It doesn't matter where you are; you can always pray for me," she told me in January. Her words filled my head and I knew that she would want me to continue on my trip, to think practically about taking advantage of the opportunities I had in that moment to see a new place and not sit and cry about something that could not be changed. While this was extremely hard, I was able to do so. Like my Grannie would have advised me, I said a prayer in Segovia's immense cathedral, swallowed my tears the best I could, and continued on my way.We continued our tour around Segovia, visiting the Alcazar and making our way through the old Jewish Quarter. In the late-afternoon we headed to our next stop, this time in Madrid.


Sixth stop: Alcala de Henares. The great writer, Miguel de Cervantes was supposedly born in Alcala de Henares (although Alcazar de San Juan also has evidence he was really from La Mancha). The old city center has held onto it's medieval roots, as can be seen in the cobbled streets and the style buildings. Rachel and I were able to catch a bit of Alcala's Semana Santa, which was especially impressive because the pasos we saw was at night, one of which was carried only by women. We were able to visit Cervantes' house, which has been turned into an excellent museum.


Seventh stop: Toledo. This stop wasn't planned out, but as we left Alcala for Marmolejo, we decided we could stop and have lunch in Toledo, as well spend a few hours exploring the city. I hadn't been to Toledo since I was sixteen, so it was a real treat to go back. Although we didn't do the least bit of justice to such an important part of Spain's history, it was a nice reminder of what I had seen seven years ago. We mostly wandered the streets, and visited the cathedral, which is known to be one of the most impressive in Spain. After our quick stop, we headed south.


Based out of Marmolejo, we went to Cordoba for the day to visit Nieves, my adviser and favorite professor from college. We had coffee together and it was really great to see her. I spent the rest of the week in Marmolejo with Alicia's family. It was great to experience Semana Santa in a pueblo, especially after having been in Sevilla, which is famous for it's Semana Santa, attracting tourists from all over the world. I woke up at 5am to see one of the pasos; it was absolutely beautiful to watch the Virgin Mary make her way through the streets of the town while the sun started to come up. Some of Alicia's friends were nazarenos/nazarenas, which means they make a promise to the Virgin and walk along side her in the processions, wearing hoods and robes. Many people walk barefoot as part of their penitence to Mary. In this photo you can see the black hoods of one of the hermandades.

We also started to prepare for Virgen de la Cabeza, which I'll discuss next. We celebrated Easter lunch with Alicia's friends at a restaurant in Marmolejo.


Virgen de la Cabeza:

Coming soon!

Patios de Cordoba:

Coming soon!

Algarve:

Coming soon!

Birthday Surprise Trip:

Alicia planned a surprise trip for me for my birthday. I had no idea where we were going, so you can imagine how fun it was/how antsy I was the whole five hours there. We ended up on a trip into Golden Age Spain. The first stop with Alcazar de San Juan, where there are records of the baptism of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, perhaps serving as proof that Cervantes was indeed born in La Mancha and not in Alcala de Henares. Nearby we visited four magnificent windmills, which Don Quixote supposedly thought were giants.

Windmills above Alcazar de San Juan

We continued with our Don Quixote theme and spent the following afternoon in El Toboso, hometown of the famed Dulcinea, Don Quixote's "lady love". In the photo you can see Mr. Quixote kneeling in salute to his love. The town devotes itself to Quixote-based tourism, and includes a number of fantastic museums, one of which holds over four-hundred copies of Don Quixote from all over the world, signed by the leaders of when they were collected - even Franco, Mussolini, and Hitler!


After a fantastic visit to El Toboso, we headed to our last stop, my beloved Almagro! What a surprise it was to be able to go back. While I have seen who knows how many pueblos, towns, and cities here in Spain, Almagro really has captured my heart. It's so different from the other cities I have seen, and despite it's small size, it's filled with many sites. Almagro has conserved it's Golden Age history in a way that really allows you to feel what it might have felt like in the time period. As I study Golden Age Spain, you can imagine how exciting it was to be there again. We went to see "Romeo and Juliet" at the Corral de Comedias, which we visited back in February. It was a great rendition - and totally strange to see it in Spanish... All the famous lines I have memorized didn't quite sound the same in another language. We stayed in the Parador, one of the many government owned hotels that a truly embody the beauty of Spain. The Parador in Almagro is in an old convent from the 17th century. It's absolutely stunning, and quite large - it has eleven patios (courtyards)!

Overall the trip was amazing - a wonderful birthday surprise indeed! Cheers to 23!

In Loving Memory
Elizabeth Mackay Galletto
"Grannie"

June 15, 1928 - April 18, 2011

Elizabeth M. Galletto, RN Passed away peacefully surrounded by her husband and family Monday, April 18th at her home. Elizabeth (Betty) was born June 15th, 1928 in The Bronx to James and Dolina Mackay of Scotland. Betty was a proud graduate of Bellevue Nursing School. She met her husband of 52 years, Dr. Antonio Galletto, while working together at Morrisania Hospital in New York City. She would fly west to San Francisco to marry Tony and begin their life together in California. Betty was a loving, dedicated mother to her 5 children, Maria (Richard), Paola (Daniel), James (Christine), Teresa (David), and Janet (Isaac). Dear sister of David Mackay. Cherished Grannie to Emmalie, Albert, Antonio, Dominic, Daniel, Jacob, Jessica, Peter and Mathew. Betty was a much loved zia of 12 nephews and nieces in Italy especially Monica & Giuseppe and Luigi & Beatrice who visited often, along with her cousins on the East Coast and in Scotland. Many thanks to her caregivers Cristina and Clare. "Mom" will always be remembered for her grace and unconditional love exuded throughout all of life's challenges. A selfless spirit who traveled life's journeys with a peaceful and positive Christian outlook. Her kindness and grace will be forever cherished by all who had the privilege of her company. May her journey on be filled with the same love she so willingly gave all of us here.