EL PUENTE

Here in Spain there are federal holidays for everything.  Spaniards will make just about any excuse for a "festivo." I've been here for about a month and a half and so far I have had off about five days for different holidays.  I couldn't even in all honesty tell you what all the holidays were either because I simply don't remember.  It's not like the US where the holidays are generally well-known: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, the 4th of July.  The holidays here can be anything from celebrating a patron saint to the creation of a constitution. During holidays in Spain the only things that are open are generally Chino stores (convenience stores run by Chinese people) or restaurants and bars.  So for example if you need to go to the grocery store, post office or library you will have no such luck because they will all be closed.  In addition to the actual day that IS the holiday- Spain will add the day before or after as an additional holiday and call it a "puente" (bridge).  This past holiday was a puente because I believe today was the actual holiday but the weekend was "bridged" into a longer weekend.  So instead of simply having off Wednesday, Spaniards took off Monday and Tuesday as well.  This left an extremely long and random holiday of Saturday-Wednesday.  The working life here in Spain sure is rough!

So I spent the majority of my puente here in Madrid.  Sunday I was able to go back to the amazing city of Toledo with two of my new friends from the UK.  Two years ago I spent six months in this wonderful city studying abroad.  I lived in El Casco which is the "old" part of the city with all the real history.  Coming back to Toledo brought back many fond memories of my last time abroad.  And even though it was rainy, cloudy and cold I was still so in love with the city.  You can almost physically feel how much history this city has simply by walking down it's narrow cobblestone streets.  In addition, the view of the rolling terrain from across the Rio Tajo is spectacular!  I plan on going back there several more times before I leave Spain.  If there is one city in Spain that I would recommend visiting it is Toledo.  Regardless of it's small size it is truly very beautiful and I feel so lucky to have been able to live there at one point in my life!

outside the stone walls of "El Casco."  Notice

the unlit Christmas tree in the center of the roundabout

unfortunately the only picture I got standing outside the walls.  

I'm smirking and Anni's eyes are closed!

So beautiful!

Monday I spent resting in my apartment.  I went outside once in search of food and only found one store open- a chino store.  I was able to find food inside- not healthy food though.  Tuesday evening I went to the center of Madrid with some of my friends to go to an intercambio (language exchange) at a bar called O'Neills.  My friends and I met up around 10pm and since everyone in Spain was on the "puente" there were more people than usual roaming the streets and admiring the Christmas lights.

Christmas tree in La Puerta del Sól in the center of Madrid

Inside the Christmas tree!

holiday lights

Anni and I at O'Neills on intercambio night

It's back to school tomorrow after a six day break!  However, since I only work Mondays through Thursdays here it will be another very easy work-week followed by another long weekend.

A little side note:  Here is a song I re-discovered the day I visited Toledo.  I remember hearing it back when I studied abroad and loving it but never knowing what it was called.  I finally figured it out!  It's a group called Macaco and they are from Spain.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IieiaDMiNUo