- Jack Dawson, Titanic
For the first time in a while, it's rained here in Spain. Did I see it rain? Not really. But I can smell it from outside my window while sitting here on my bed. Such a wonderful, calming smell, even in the city. What's nice is since it's usually warm, and sometimes dry here (you'd be surprised on how much of Spain is desert), rain is always welcome. Makes me wish I could go out and play in it, really, like that one time over May Term. Truly, playing in the rain is amazing and surprisingly refreshing.
The last couple of days have been really uneventful. After La Kapital on Thursday night, my (and mostly everyone else's) sleep schedule was a little messed up (that's what happens when you stay out until 5:30, te he), so we kind of needed a couple of days to regroup ourselves. Friday was kind of a wasted day, really. I woke up around 10:30 due to the construction workers right outside my building (with a jackhammer, grr), so once they stopped , or seemed to have stopped, I laid down and proceeded to fall asleep for four more hours...whoops. After that, Trinity and I walked around El Palacio Real (the other one that's closer to Sol), exploring its gardens and walking by the gorgeous cathedral that was there, at least I think that's what it was. It was around sunset time, so the sky was very pretty, as well as the lights that were hitting the cathedral! Pictures are below. After that, we went to La Plaza Mayor and grabbed a drink and talked for a while. Era una noche muy tranquila, but it was exactly what we needed after an exciting night beforehand. Robby joined up with us later, and then we went back to Trinity's place and watched the remainder of Narnia.
Oh God, speaking of Narnia, we started watching the old, crappy BBC Version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that's from 1988 or something of that sort. My family had it in two parts on VHS, and I watched it every time I was at home sick. Watching it now as a much older, mature person is a different experience. It's got the same charming storyline that I fell in love with when I was a kid while reading the books and watching the movie, but good lord, the acting is horrendous, and Lucy has the ugliest set of buck teeth I've ever seen. It's obviously very fake, too -- the costume design is really crappy (especially the beavers, who might I add, are taller than the kids are in this movie), and the special effects consist of terribly drawn and animated monsters. So yeah, I am enjoying rewatching it, but it's very different watching it now.
Anyway, yesterday, we went walking around the Parque en Atocha for a few hours, and played some card games. The park was pretty big. To be honest, it wasn't one of the most special things I've seen here, but it had some cool things, like a small Palacio hidden en el campo, and a really cool statue by the lake. Again, pictures below. And there must have been dozens of stray cats hidden all around the park. My brother would have had a field day here. Later that night, we went back over to Trinity's and hung out for a while, continuing to watch the BBC Version of Narnia. Sounds like an uneventful day, but it was a fairly interesting night.
I had fast food for the first time since being here today. Got a Bacon Burger from Burger King, and it was GLORIOUS! I assumed that it wasn't going to taste very good since it wasn't 'Americanized', but it ended up tasting just right, and it was delicious. Although I am enjoying a lot of the food here, there's a lot of American food that I really miss.
In the middle of dinner today, a commercial came on for a program that was about ocean creatures and boats. That's neat and all, but what immediately caught my attention was the music that was playing: the song was "Never an Absolution" from the Titanic soundtrack. I jumped up excitedly and pointed that out to mi anfitriona, who at first must have thought I was strange, but also recognized it once I told her.
Moral of the story: the Titanic soundtrack is truly fantastic, and I enjoy listening to it frequently (and not just for "My Heart Will Go On"). You all should listen to it, too, even if you don't like the movie. It's got the perfect tone for the plot (sounds almost like an elegy) and it's relaxing.
Other moral of the story: I realize that if I had put some focus into music while growing up, I really think that I could have been pretty good at it. I'm good at sound recognition; I can pick up on patterns, rhythms, and styles decently. Unfortunately, as my brother has helped me discover, I am tone def, nor can I match pitch. Still, makes me kind of wish I'd studied music, because I do enjoy it, and I always wish I'd learned to play an instrument.
Okay, sorry for the boring post. Here are some pictures to help bring some excitement to this update.
Adios, amigos.
~ LSquared
Wow the pictures of the palace in the evening sky are fantastic. love, love, love the one of you by the pillars, you look so happy. We miss you! Thanks for the wonderful blog.
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