Advice for Students Studying Abroad in Toledo, Spain

1. GENERAL
2. Make sure your bank accounts are in order before leaving the country, it is much harder to fix things from Spain
3. Budget yourself.
4. Even if it looks like it is filled with chocolate, you should probably ask to make sure.
5. Figure out what you are doing next summer before you go, if at all possible. It is REALLY difficult if you completely change your mind and have to start the internship application process all over again, or for the first time.
6. Establish communication back home as soon as possible.
7. Don’t give up any food product for Lent. You’re in a foreign country with different food, and if you limit yourself, you are limiting a cultural experience.
8. You will probably forget and eat meat on Fridays during Lent when you travel. It’s okay, just pick another day to do it. It counts the same.
9. The Pope drinks Fanta. You should, too. The Pope does not combine Fanta de limon with rum (ron in Spanish) but you really should. He won’t judge you for this.
10. Calm down. There is a lot that can be learned from the Spanish “No pasa nada” philosophy.
11. Don’t be too dramatic. You will get in your house.
12. Just get on the bus. Or it will leave without you.
13. If you are running like a madman, waving at the bus, and it still leaves you behind, don’t feel bad. It happens to the best of us. Hopefully, this was not the last bus. That happens, as well.
14. Feel free to use the men’s room because there probably is no one in there, and there is probably toilet paper, unlike the women’s room.
15. If there are no handicapped people around, the handicapped restroom is also fair game.
16. Do not make eye contact with passersby.
17. When using a public restroom, check before you enter the stall if they keep the toilet paper dispensers inside or outside of the stalls. This is not as important if someone else is in the bathroom with you and can give you toilet paper, but still worth checking.
18. Toilet paper is a privilege, not a right.
19. Never tell a French man you go to No-ter Daym. No matter how nice he is, you will feel foolish.
20. There will always be opportunities that you will miss and wish you hadn’t. Don’t dwell on these and instead focus on the opportunities you did have.
21. Chupito = shot
22. Number 47 in the Fund vending machine (a chocolate covered cake made by Dulcesol) is delicious and at 80 cents, a great deal. However if there is one slot in the vending machine that does not work and steals your money, it is number 47.
23. Do not combine McBeers with cono KitKats. Keep them separate. Although, McBeers aren’t that good to begin with.
24. Make sure you have online banking. Your life will be so much easier. Investigate banks and credit cards that waive ATM fees.
25. Try to only spend money you actually have.
26. Don’t trust online weather prediction for Europe.
27. Be very nice to the cleaning ladies in the Fund. Stay under the radar.
28. Megavideo.com Use it. Love it. However, it has a terrible selection, so also try youtube. Your movie will be split into 11-12 parts, but it will be worth it.
29. The library in the Alcazar does not charge you for overdue books/movies, but puts you on check out probation. So, don’t worry unless you were planning on checking more stuff out soon.
30. Before you leave, your family should look into an international calling plan. That way, they can call your Spanish cell phone (receiving calls/texts while in Spain is free no matter where they are from) and it is relatively cheap.
31. Doner Kebap: awesome place. Everyone goes and gets the original Doner Kebap, but the felafel kebap is so much better and costs fifty cents less. The following morning people ask themselves: Why did I get that Doner Kebap last night? After getting a felafel kebap, I have never asked myself that. I still don’t know why more people did not follow my example.
32. SPAIN/HOST FAMILIES
33. Figure out, right away, when your family eats.
34. Don’t be afraid of trying new things, but if you are in a restaurant and have to pay for your food, you may want to stay safe.
35. Don’t go to an American restaurant in Spain, no matter how much you want to, unless maybe it is the Hard Rock Café in Madrid.
36. On that note, McDonalds in Spain is actually edible, unlike McDonalds in America. In a pinch, go to McDonald’s. For example, if you are in the fashionable (meaning, expensive) district of a town but really need food, McDonald’s is probably your best bet.
37. Be very careful if you get a haircut in Spain. When you see Spanish hairstyles, you’ll understand why this is necessary.
38. Spanish fashion can be weird. Only buy clothes there if you are sure.
39. Kiddie corner from the post office (in the opposite direction of Circulo), there is a whole in the wall bakery. It has giant brownies. About a month after you get to Spain, you will really appreciate these.
40. Talk to your host family. A lot. From the get-go.
41. Confrontation is not always necessary, but when it is, get it over with as soon as possible.
42. That said, try not to break things belonging to your host family. They may give you a bill.
43. If you think those Spaniards over yonder are having more fun than you, they probably are. Don’t feel bad about it, though.
44. TRAVEL
45. Go to the ATM before going on a trip. That way you can get out large amounts of money (300, 400 euro) that will last you several weekends. Leave most of this at home. This saves you money in ATM fees, and you won’t have to make people wait while you get money on a trip.
46. Reserve hostels well in advance, you’d be surprised how quickly they fill up.
47. Always check-in online and print up your boarding pass.
48. Make sure your backpack/suitcase will fit in the carry-on bin. Checking luggage is expensive.
49. Plan your weekends right away but stay flexible.
50. Don’t be afraid to stay in Toledo. There actually is stuff to do, and you’ll save money.
51. It may be advisable to bring your own toilet paper on trips. People will laugh at you, but you will be the last one laughing when you get to a bathroom and there is no toilet paper.
52. Don’t let your towel get stolen.
53. If you are in a bunk bed in a hostel and your stranger bunk mate comes back and taps your bed frame, MOVE. Just take my word on this one.
54. Bring a camera memory card larger than 1 GB. Eight is ideal, and they are not too expensive. You can go through a gigabyte in one weekend. Easily.
55. When buying cheap airfare, ask yourself, “Is getting a chance to sleep in a bed that night worth spending ten euros on a later flight?” It probably is.
56. Traveling alone may or may not be enjoyable. It really depends on where you go. No matter whether or not it is enjoyable, it is worth it to grow more independent.
57. Wear good walking shoes, but keep them out of the rain.
58. If traveling with a group for Semana Santa, split the cost of a checked bag within the group. It gives you much more room for your long trip. However, be prepared to lug that thing around. Giving it a name will make that part more bearable.
59. Don’t go to a beach town if it is raining or otherwise bad weather.
60. Alcohol in moderation is an adequate substitute for sleeping pills if none are available before boarding an overnight bus.
61. Wear an eye cover on an overnight bus.
62. Change into your comfy clothes before boarding your bus.
63. Quote from bus driver: “Usually when people get on the bus, they sit in the seat on their ticket. That’s why we assign seats”.
64. No matter how cheap/adequate a hostel is, if it is far from the city center, it will be a hassle. The extra euros are worth it and probably less than paying for a metro.
65. In Barcelona: It is quite easy to double up on entering a metro to save money. Here is some advice:

a) Make sure no one is looking

b) Double up, not triple. Never triple.

c) It is not advisable for two guys to double up.

d) Do not feel guilty, especially when you see all of the natives doing it.

1. Do not trust Rick Steves’ maps. Ever.
2. If your hostel isn’t even on the map, don’t try to walk back there. The 5 euro cab ride is worth it if it helps you avoid wandering the streets for an hour and a half, especially when your feet already hurt and it is past midnight.
3. Trains in Spain cost twice as much, but are infinitely nicer than buses. Your call.
4. When planning a trip, if you think you will have to spend the night (or part of it) in an airport or train station, check to ensure that that airport or train station is open all night. For example, the Madrid Barajas airport has a delightful 24-hour café near the Ryanair and Easyjet check-in counters, but Rome Ciampino and the Lourdes Train Station close.
5. It is new for Ryanair that non-EU citizens can check in online, so you will need a visa check. Simply go to the ticket counter (not the check in desk), wait in the short line and get two stamps on your printed out ticket.
6. Don’t count on Dublin city buses to get you to the airport, especially on Sunday.
7. When making a hostel reservation, double check the map to make sure they really are where they say they are.
8. Don’t make hostel reservations at 12:30 am the night before you leave for a trip. You will forget to check the map.
9. Traveling alone may be necessary, especially at the end of the semester, especially for UCLM kids. Stick to smaller cities, preferably with religious importance (ie Lourdes) and not cities where you will want to go out drinking (ie Dublin).
10. There is nothing wrong with traveling alone when necessary, especially at the end of the semester when you’ve gotten good at traveling.
11. If you are anywhere near a mountain range, it will be colder than you expect. If you are anywhere near a large body of water, it will be rainier than you expect.
12. UCLM kids: plan trips together, early on in the semester. Stick together or someone will be left behind.
13. Take boatloads of pictures. And pictures of boatloads, if you feel the urge.
14. When Anthony Travel tells you that you should arrive to the airport at least three hours early for your return flight, they are lying. If you listen, bring a LOT to do.

Pictures

Oops! wrong link! It shoudl work now!

My pictures from the semester are now at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/momentsofgold

I would have put in captions, but there are a LOT of pictures.
Maybe I'll get to it later...

OBAMAAAAA

I know this is late and I should be in bed since I will be taking off for America in less than twelve hours...but I wanted to share Fr. Jenkins' introduction for Obama's commencement speech at Notre Dame on Sunday. Since Spain is obsessed with Obama, it seems a logical transition...

Remarks and Introduction, As Prepared

President Obama, Fr. Hesburgh, Judge Noonan, Members of the Board of Trustees, Members of the faculty, staff, alumni, friends, parents, and most of all – the Notre Dame Class of 2009:
Several autumns ago, you came to Notre Dame from home….now Notre Dame has become home. And it always will be. For home is not where you live. Home is where you belong. You will always belong – and I pray you will always feel you belong – here at Notre Dame.
You are … ND.
In my four years as President of your University – I have found that even among those who did not go to Notre Dame, even among those who do not share the Catholic faith, there is a special expectation, a special hope, for what Notre Dame can accomplish in the world. They hope that Notre Dame will be one of the great universities in the nation, but they also hope that it will send forth graduates who—grounded in deep moral values—can help solve the world’s toughest problems.
Their hope is in you, the graduates of 2009.
That is a good place for hope to be. I have great confidence in what your talent and energy can accomplish in the world. But I have a special optimism for what you can do inspired by faith.
It is your faith that will focus your talents and help you build the world you long to live in and leave to your children.

The world you enter today is torn by division – and is fixed on its differences.

Differences must be acknowledged, and in some cases cherished. But too often differences lead to pride in self and contempt for others, until two sides – taking opposing views of the same difference—demonize each other. Whether the difference is political, religious, racial, or national—trust falls, anger rises, and cooperation ends … even for the sake of causes all sides care about.
More than any problem in the arts or sciences – engineering or medicine – easing the hateful divisions between human beings is the supreme challenge of this age. If we can solve this problem, we have a chance to come together and solve all the others.

A Catholic university – and its graduates – are specially called, and I believe specially equipped, to help meet this challenge.

As a Catholic university, we are part of the Church – members of the “mystical body of Christ” animated by our faith in the Gospel. Yet we are also – most of us – citizens of the United 
States – this extraordinary evolving expression of human freedom. We are called to serve each community of which we’re a part, and this call is captured in the motto over the door of the east nave of the Basilica: “God, Country, Notre Dame.”

As we serve the Church, we can persuade believers by appeals to both faith and reason. As we serve our country, we will be motivated by faith, but we cannot appeal only to faith. We must also engage in a dialogue that appeals to reason that all can accept.

When we face differences with fellow citizens, we will be tested: do we keep trying, with love and a generous spirit, to appeal to ethical principles that might be persuasive to others – or do we condemn those who differ with us for not seeing the truth that we see?

The first approach can lead to healing, the second to hostility. We know which approach we are called to as disciples of Christ.

Pope Benedict said last year from the South Lawn of the White House: “I am confident that the American people will find in their religious beliefs a precious source of insight and an inspiration to pursue reasoned, responsible and respectful dialogue in the effort to build a more humane and free society.”

Genuine faith does not inhibit the use of reason; it purifies it of pride and distorting self-interest. As it does so, Pope Benedict has said, “human reason is emboldened to pursue its noble purpose of serving mankind, giving expression to our deepest common aspirations and extending … public debate.”

Tapping the full potential of human reason to seek God and serve humanity is a central mission of the Catholic Church. The natural place for the Church to pursue this mission is at a Catholic university. The University of Notre Dame belongs to an academic tradition of nearly a thousand years – born of the Church’s teaching that human reason, tempered by faith, is a gift of God, a path to religious truth, and a means for seeking the common good in secular life.

It is out of this duty to serve the common good that we seek to foster dialogue with all people of good will, regardless of faith, background or perspective. We will listen to all views, and always bear witness for what we believe. Insofar as we play this role, we can be what Pope John Paul II said a Catholic university is meant to be – “a primary and privileged place for a fruitful dialogue between the Gospel and culture” [Ex corde ecclesiae, 3.34].

Of course, dialogue is never instantaneous; it doesn’t begin and end in an afternoon. It is an ongoing process made possible by many acts of courtesy and gestures of respect, by listening carefully and speaking honestly. Paradoxically, support for these actions often falls as the need for them rises – so they are most controversial precisely when they can be most helpful.

As we all know, a great deal of attention has surrounded President Obama’s visit to Notre Dame. We honor all people of good will who have come to this discussion respectfully and out of deeply held conviction.

Most of the debate has centered on Notre Dame’s decision to invite and honor the President. Less attention has been focused on the President’s decision to accept.


President Obama has come to Notre Dame, though he knows well that we are fully supportive of Church teaching on the sanctity of human life, and we oppose his policies on abortion and embryonic stem cell research.

Others might have avoided this venue for that reason. But President Obama is not someone who stops talking to those who differ with him.

Mr. President: This is a principle we share.

As the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council wrote in their pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes: “Respect and love ought to be extended also to those who think or act differently than we do in social, political and even religious matters. In fact, the more deeply we come to understand their ways of thinking through such courtesy and love, the more easily will we be able to enter into dialogue with them.”
If we want to extend courtesy, respect and love – and enter into dialogue – then surely we can start by acknowledging what is honorable in others.
We welcome President Obama to Notre Dame, and we honor him for the qualities and accomplishments the American people admired in him when they elected him. He is a man who grew up without a father, whose family was fed for a time with the help of food stamps—yet who mastered the most rigorous academic challenges, who turned his back on wealth to serve the poor, who sought the Presidency at a young age against long odds, and who – on the threshold of his goal—left the campaign to go to the bedside of his dying grandmother who helped raise him.

He is a leader who has great respect for the role of faith and religious institutions in public life. He has said: “Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square.”

He is the first African American to be elected President, yet his appeal powerfully transcends race. In a country that has been deeply wounded by racial hatred – he has been a healer.
He has set ambitious goals across a sweeping agenda—extending health care coverage to millions who don’t have it, improving education especially for those who most need it, promoting renewable energy for the sake of our economy, our security, and our climate.

He has declared the goal of a world without nuclear weapons and has begun arms reduction talks with the Russians.

He has pledged to accelerate America’s fight against poverty, to reform immigration to make it more humane, and to advance America’s merciful work in fighting disease in the poorest places on earth.

As commander-in-chief and as chief executive, he embraces with confidence both the burdens of leadership and the hopes of his country.

Ladies and Gentlemen: The President of the United States.

Pilgrimage to the Motherland

I have made a pilgrimage to Lourdes and done the pilgrimage Camino de Santiago, and I had one more pilgrimage to make before leaving Europe: Ireland. After spending 21 years with a name like Maeve, it seemed necessary.

WEDNESDAY
I wake up early and head for the airport. It is relatively uneventful and I make it to Dublin in one piece. The most exciting thing was passport control. Spain is in the Schegen, which means that we do not have to go through passport control in many countries and even though I have been to France twice, and italy for 10 days, I have no proof of this in my passport. I do have a stamp for Ireland, though. I didn’t think I would get one since they are on the Euro, but I did! Since Meg doesn’t have a phone, we decided to meet in St. Stephen’s Green (the corner closest to Trinity College) at noon since I thought my flight was scheduled to land at 11:00. It was scheduled to land at 11:30. It arrived on time, but it took me until 1:00 to get there. Fortunately, I ran into Meg just as she was leaving. Problem Solved.
We were both hungry, but food in Ireland is really expensive. Fortunately, we found a “Farmer’s Market” on the steps of the Bank of Ireland, across the street from Trinity College. There wasn’t a whole lot of produce, but there were a few stands and we each got chicken sandwiches. Since Meg hadn’t seen Trinity College yet, which was necessary since her brother studied there for a year, we went there after lunch. We walked around the cool buildings and were about to see the Book of Kells when we found out that it would cost eight euro to get in. with the student discount. Neither of us wanted to see it that badly, so we went back outside. We stumbled upon a free walking tour of Dublin that was happening to make it’s Trinity College stop. The guide told us about the Book of Kells. He mentioned that Trinity College students can swipe themselves and three guests in for free. So, we loitered around the entrance of the library until a student came up and was taking his one friend in…and we became friends 2 and 3! It was awesome. Maybe not worth eight euro, but getting in for free made it so much more fun!
We went to the bus station and boarded a bus to Galway. We were both tired and slept most of the 3h40m drive, but I did peek a few times and saw the rolling Irish countryside, which is about as I expected. We checked into our hostel and looked at the weather for the next day, to pick what our activities would be. It looked like rain and we decided we would appreciate the refuge of a bus, so we picked the Cliffs of Moher over the Aran Islands, where we would be renting bicycles. We found a tour that included a walking component…more to come on that. We wandered around looking for a pub that was still serving dinner and found An Pucan. Their burgers were eight ounces and came with fries, so we split one (after all, we are dainty females). It was amazing. The burger had onions in the meat, and on top of it was a little cheese, a little bacon and a fair amount of salsa. I must recreate this burger upon my return to America. With dinner, I had a Bulmer’s Pear (yes, that is cider made from pears, it is a new creation from Bulmer’s) which ended up being more than a pint, but I wasn’t complaining. A band started playing and some dancers came out, which was a delightful way to spend my first evening in the motherland.

The band/dancers (resting) at An Pucan. I have a video of the dancing.

THURSDAY
We woke up for breakfast and went to the grocery store to pick up lunch supplies and then joined our tour. First, we took a bus ride out to a farm. While the older folk stayed on the bus and went to the Allowee Caves, we got out and hiked through the Conolly farm in the Burren, which is filled with limestone. Our guide, who grew up on the farm that his parents still run (it is a cow farm, and yes we got close to the cows) told us all about the Burren and some folk tales as we hike up the “mountain” that his family owns. We then went down, stopping first at a stone slide that Irish people have been sliding down for centuries (I guess they have them all over. I went down, to embrace my roots). We stopped in his grandparents house (which is now I guess the office for his tours) and had some apple tart that his mom had made that morning. I almost bought some homemade Irish whiskey jam but thought that would be difficult to get through customs.
We re-joined the bus and went to what we dubbed “Baby Stonehenge”. There, I ran into a girl named Molly who is a fellow Sociology major at Notre Dame with whom I have taken a few classes. She just spent the semester in Rome and came out to Ireland to visit a friend that had studied in Dublin, but came to Galway by herself. We also met Kaitlin, from Michigan State who had studied at John Cabot in Rome with Molly and the other Notre Dame students (we actually met her on the walk). We made plans to go out to the pubs with them and a couple of other girls from the tour. We then progressed to the Cliffs of Moher, which were gorgeous. The fog was setting in as we got there and the view got a little worse as out hour progressed, but we enjoyed it. Meg was concerned that she would fall off (a few tourists fall/are blown by gusts of wind each year) but she did not.

The Cliffs...Don't worry I have loads more pictures...

We went back to Galway and took naps before dinner. Meg and I went back to An Pucan since it was raining and we knew how to get there and that they would have good food. I got Bangers and Mash and was able to forget that I was eating lamb. We met up with the girls from the tour and went to a few pubs. We walked into one and they were playing the Folsum Prison Blues and I said that, as much as I love Johnny Cash, I did not come to Ireland to hear a band to a rendition of him. When they started playing Hootie and the Blowfish and got us out of there. Meg and I really wanted to hear a fiddle since she plays violin, I used to and we hadn’t heard one Wednesday night (the band from the night before was playing at the first pub we went to with the girls, which was not An Pucan…they were good but we wanted more variety). We finally found a place but the others wanted to go to bed, so the two of us stayed with some random French girl we had picked up. The fiddling wasn’t that exciting (the accordian drowned it out) but at one point some lady (who was not in the band I think) started singing. The whole pub quieted down. The songs were beautiful, about the famine and migration. I wanted to shout out: Hey! I come from those people! But I restrained myself.
FRIDAY
Galway is the birthplace of the Claddagh ring, so Meg and I had some shopping to do. We found the original shop (it even had its own museum in the back, apparently Grace Kelly got a ring) but opted for a cheaper version next door. Meg and I got matching rings, how cute. Since I wear my class ring on my right hand, I had to get it for the middle finger of my left hand. If I got it for the ring finger on my left hand, I would be telling the world that I am engaged/married, depending on how I pointed it, and neither of those is true.
We also stopped in the Galway Cathedral (which is Catholic, unlike the two cathedrals in Dublin). It was very nice. We also stopped for lunch at a place with a soup and lunch combo (I got a delicious peas soup). Since it was a little wet and cold outside, we decided that 12:30 was neither to early nor too late for coffee with Bailey’s in it, and our waitress agreed. The girls sitting next to us from the Franciscan University of Steubenville (who had just been studying abroad with Dan Devine, you understand that, Mom) were drinking plain tea, but I don’t think they judged us.
We boarded the bus back to Dublin after I got lost in a bookshop, as per usual. Meg had to catch her flight back to London because her flight to the States was in the morning. Our bus was delayed forty minutes, so she had to take a taxi to the airport instead of waiting for a city bus, but she made it just fine. I checking into my hostel and then walked around. I found the St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral, which serves as the Cathedral for Catholic Dublin to check Mass times and then I swung by Christ’s Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedrals, because I heard that they sometimes had free concerts and I wanted to see if they had any that weekend. They did not, but I took pictures. I then got lost looking for the Temple Bar area (somehow I ended up at the Canal instead of the River and I’m not sure how). By the time I made it to the pubs, they were really overcrowded so I decided to just call it a night, since my hostel was a bit of a hike anyway.
SATURDAY
I woke up for breakfast. My hostel used to be a convent and the breakfast room is called the church restaurant…so you can guess what that is. Right outside the former chapel, they turned the confessional into two photo booths, which I suppose is rather ingenious. I then walked. And walked and walked. I walked all the way to the Kilmainam Gaol which is 2km from the center of the city. It came highly recommended and I really enjoyed the tour. The organizers of the Easter Rising were held and executed there, so we learned a lot about Irish and Dublin History and it was also interesting because it was built at the time of Victorian Prison reform.

The Gaol

After the fabulous tour, I walked some more. The Gaol isn’t that far from Pheonix Park, the largest enclosed park in Europe and I went there because I love parks so much. In 1979, Pope John Paul II said Mass there and one third of the Irish population attended. They built a 90-foot cross on the spot and I wanted to see it. Halfway into the huge park, I consulted my guidebook map and realized I was still barely there. Since I had come that far, I figure I might as well keep walking. As soon as the cross came into view, it started pouring and the wind was heavy. I felt like Winnie-the-Pooh on his blustery day. I got close enough to take a picture and then turned around. Of course, by the time I left the park, it had stopped raining.
I went into the Dublin city center and went back to St. Stephen’s Green, since I hadn’t actually gotten in it on Wednesday and found it very idyllic. I also popped back into Trinity College since it was close and I had forgotten to take pictures earlier. I also stopped by Dublin Castle to take a few pictures. At 5:00, I went to Christ’s Church Cathedral because they had Evensong, a nice way to see the inside for free. This is where Handel’s Messiah was first performed (it had pretty good acoustics, although it seemed a little small for such a momentous occasion) and for Christmas and Easter every year, they perform it again. I sat by Strongbow. The Evensong was sung almost entirely by a choir, so it was very beautiful. And, except for an occasional mention of the Holy Ghost, it was just like Catholic Evening Prayer. I then went to Mass in the Catholic Church, so I could a) go to a Mass that weekend since I would be traveling all day Sunday and b) go to a Mass in English, which I hadn’t done since Easter. It was in English, but the responses were different, and I still felt a little foolish. The little girl they got to sing the Alleluia was quite good, though.

St. Stephen's Green

I went to dinner at Fitzgerald’s, a pub right by the O’Connell Bridge. I was determined to have a pint of Guinness in Dublin, so I found O’Neill’s, on Grafton Street. I met an interesting man from Belfast, who told me about his failed marriage to a woman from Barcelona. Maybe he also has a girlfriend from Barcelona. I drank my Guinness a little too fast and ended up with a mild stomachache because that stuff is HEAVY. No, Mom, that pint and the half pint I had with dinner did not make me drunk or even slightly tipsy, so don’t worry. I went back to my hostel and checked the internet for a while before packing and going to bed. This took a while, because the Australian girls in my room weren’t planning on stopping their conversation for a while, but eventually they went to bed, too.
SUNDAY
I woke up early to get a good breakfast before my plane. My hostel had continental breakfast (that was not all you an eat, like most hostels with breakfasts) but you could order extra things, so I ordered French toast. The woman I ordered from (like most of the people working in this particular hostel) was actually French. She asked me: “How do you want it? Because I’m French and we put sugar on it, but these Irish people, they don’t put sugar on it.” I opted for the sugar, which was brown sugar sprinkled on it and it melted like syrup. Delicious. The night before, I got some instructions from the hostel people to go around the corner to a city bus stop to catch a bus for 2 euro to the airport. On Sundays, they start at 8:25 and come every half hour. My flight was at 10:50, so I figured I would catch the 8:55 bus and get to the airport between 9:25-9:35, which would be plenty of time since I was already check in and didn’t have to check baggage. I got to the bus station at 8:45 to be safe. At 9:35 the bus still hadn’t come so I had to get an 18 euro taxi. Ireland does have a terrible public transport reputation, and between the experiences of Meg and myself in getting to the airport, this was definitely proven.
I had a three-hour layover in Liverpool, where I hung out with some of John Lennon’s old suits and studied for my Mundo Arabe exam on Monday. It was interesting to study the influence of Britain’s policies on the Arab World while in London, surrounded by British people. My flight to Madrid was packed, I sat by two ladies from an elder hostel in Liverpool. I couldn’t understand a word they said.
I made it back in time to go to Pastucci’s to celebrate Gabi’s last night in Toledo (which was Monday night, but Pastucci’s is closed Mondays. We had another celebration Monday night: making strawberry/cherry pierogi with our UCLM friends). As we were leaving for dinner, Obama’s commencement speech started, so Melissa, Jose and Erica stayed behind. Gabi and I were starving (I had barely eaten all day) so we went ahead and got our pizzas and they joined us later. I have already watched the speech on youtube, so I’m not a total failure at life.

What’s in a name?

For twenty-one years, something has haunted me: my name, Maeve Ariana Raphelson. No one in the world seems capable of either spelling or pronouncing any of these three (there is one ‘n’ in Ariana, thank you very much). Long ago, I gave up trying to correct substitute teachers and sometimes my friends felt the need to do so for me. I suppose that is their prerogative. Oh look, I just had to add “Ariana’ to the dictionary on my spell check.
Why this rant? A side effect of having an unusual name is that there are very few cheap gifts with my name on them. You know, when you go to a gift shop and see key chains, shot glasses and license plates and other things with names already printed on them. Whenever I pass such a display, I automatically look to see if they have something that says “Maeve”. They have things like “Makenzie” and “Madison” and even “Mikayla” but no “Maeve”. I have always told myself, “Some day, some glorious day, I will be in Ireland and I will see a cheesy gift shop and there will be something with my name on it”.
I am now the proud owner of a keychain with a leprechaun on it that says “My lucky Irish Leprechaun” on one side and on the other side…”Maeve”. It is protected under patent S 83605. I still can’t believe it. I keep checking it to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating when I bought it, in a rush as the store was closing. Dreams really do come true.

Watch out...it has a patent!

We are Pilgrims on a Journey

Sooo.... the Camino de Santiago.

Brief rundown:

Santiago, or Saint James, was an apostle of Jesus, one of the fishermen. He spread the Word to the far edge of the know world: Northwest Spain, the region we now call Galicia. He went all the way to the end of the world (a town now called Finisterre or Fisterra in Galician, the language they speak which is a cross between Spanish and Portugese). He then went back to Jerusalem, where he was promptly executed. Two of his disciples did not want his body to be thrown to the lions, so they carried him back to Hispania and buried him there. His body laid there, forgotten for 800 years until a monk followed a vision of a field of stars and uncovered his tomb. Now there is a Cathedral on this spot, in the town of Santiago de Compostela.

Tú sabes bien lo que tengo.

En mi barca no hay oro ni espadas
tan sólo redes y mi trabajo.

Señor, me has mirado en los ojos.
Sonriendo, has dicho mi nombre.
En la arena, he dejado mi barca.
Junto a ti, buscaré otro mar.

Each year, tens of thousands of people recreate the path that the two disciples took. The Camino traditionally starts in St. Jean Pied du Port in French Basque Country (I passed through it on the train) and ends in Santiago. There is also a route up from Sevilla that a German man we met did. There are alternate routes in France, though they are usually just extensions, for example you can start in Lourdes. In order to qualify as a pilgrim and get your compostela certificate, you have to walk 100 km or bike 200 km, so we started in Sarria, 111 km from Santiago.
I had class on Tuesday when the rest of the group was starting (four girls led by Andrew Hoyt from Campus Ministry) so I took an overnight train and started walking Wednesday, walking farther each day to catch up to them. I was able to catch up on Friday at the end of the day of walking. I had been stopping in random, midway points (most people do the walk from Sarria to Santiago in five days, stopping in the same places, so I saw different people each day).
Most days were about the same, I woke up and got ready to start walking at sunrise and was surrounded by an amazingly beautiful fog. Galicia is compared to Ireland a lot because it has a similar landscape and a Celtic heritage. I found a Celtic legend book but i was not featured in it, so I knew it was no good.
Reuniting with the group was nice, it was good to be around people that weren't middle aged German men. By the way, middle-aged German men snore. Really really loud. And when one stops, another one inevitably starts. Not good when Camino sleeping arrangements are large rooms filled with bunk beds, filled with middle-aged German men. Oh well. but yes, the reunion was lovely, and it was nice to walk into Santiago together on Saturday morning. We made in time for the Pilgrim Mass at noon (okay so we were twenty minutes late). As we rounded the corner to the Cathedral, we sang - what else? - the Notre Dame Fight Song. People applauded, but that was likely for the street performers that finished at the same time.

Will you let me be your servant?

Let me be as Christ to you?
Pray that I have have the strength to
Let you be my servant, too.

We are Pilgrims on a journey,
We are travelers on a road,
We are meant to help each other
Walk the mile and share the load.

On Sunday, Andrew rented a car and we went to Finisterre (Fisterra in Galician), or, the end of the world. It is the westernmost part of Spain and, until they discovered Ireland and other places further west, they thought it was the end of the world. One Camino tradition is to carry a small stone with you and then ceremonially release it. We all decided to chuck ours into the ocean. So, The End of the World has a bar and gift shops, but also nice rocks for picnic purposes. And, it's beautiful. It was cloudy and when we looked at the horizon, it was hard to tell where the ocean stopped and where the sky started. It was kind of poetic.

It's the end of the world as we know it...and I feel fine!

We went back, went to Sunday Mass (where they sang the Spanish song listed above, which I had been singing to myself all week, PERFECT!) I then headed to the airport and stay in Madrid with Meg, who spent Monday in Toledo with me and then headed off to Ireland, where I'll meet her tomorrow morning.

This morning, I went for a run in Toledo. Now, there is only one paved road in the casco. I found it, and wiped out when I tried to run across the street and am now going to Ireland with a badly scraped knee. I can survive the Camino without an injury, but not a simple jog. I am clearly Jerry's granddaughter. Oh, mi vida.

Spanish Guitar

So as you know, I have moved into the Fund. It shares a building with a music school and I think I share a wall with one of their practice rooms. Sometimes I hear music through my wall. This morning, my suite-mate, Gabi, and I went down for breakfast and there were a couple of random people there, which happens a lot. After breakfast we were in are rooms and heard music. Gabi asked if I was playing music on my computer and I replied that it must be the music school. It was obviously Spanish Guitar music, but it was so loud and complex that I figured there had to be more than one person/instrument, if I was hearing it through the walls. Cello? Harp?
After a while I had stuff to print so I left the room to use the computers downstairs and saw that one of the guys from breakfast was playing guitar outside our room (there is a small lounge area, he's not just sitting outside the door creepily). I went down to print my boarding pass for my return from Santiago de Compostela (and Courtney's and Emily's...chicas, please!) and when I came upstairs (after a while) it was a different guy, still playing guitar. Oh, Spain.

Am I supposed to put money in his case?

I leave for the Camino de Santiago tonight! 117 kilometers in 4 days, alone with just my backpack! gah!

Porquai pas?

That is French for ¿por qué no? I don’t think it is used as much or in the same way as in Spain, but I figured it would be a good title for the biggest por qué no weekend of my life, that took place in Spain. Aunt Peggy: there may be parts of this entry that will upset you, my mom and I decided, so proceed with caution.
Since there wasn’t going to be anyone around in Toledo for the weekend (okay, that’s not entirely true) and since I was planning on going to Lourdes at some point anyway, I picked the first weekend of May. I bought my expensive train tickets because I was tired of buses (and I would have to take the train once I got to France anyway). I booked Hotel Saint Cristophe (they are all named after saints and things there) and kind of looked up things to do in Lourdes. I’m actually not all that well informed about Bernadette and Lourdes and stuff, but I know the basics. And, I wanted to see the original Grotto (to my mom’s TTK friends and others not directly affiliated with ND: there is a replica of the Grotto at Lourdes on Notre Dame’s campus). So, even though there was no one to go with me (sorry Aunt Peggy) I went anyway. Clarification: the semester at the Fund is long over and everyone is either gone or doing their whirlwind final trips across Europe, so there was no one left for Lourdes.
So, I woke up at the butt-crack of dawn to take the 6:00am bus to Madrid and then board the Metro and get across town in time for my 8:00 train to the French border. I had enough time to buy my ticket to Sarria, where I will start the Camino de Santiago. There was some slight confusion when the guy thought I was asking for tickets to Soria, which is very close to Madrid and not the kind of thing you buy tickets for almost a week in advance. So, all the ticket people laughed at me, but I didn’t really care. They put an accent where there wasn’t one and thus their syllabification was all wrong. I boarded my train, which was a high-speed train to Hendaye, where Franco screwed with Hitler’s mind. Look it up, I did an internal assessment on it junior year of high school. And now I’m bummed because I realize that I did not take a picture of it. I only had five minutes to change trains, due to some confusions I had while booking the trains, so I did not have time to convert my receipt into a ticket. No matter, I was getting off in Bayonne and that was only forty-five minutes away and by that point, they still hadn’t gone around to check tickets. It did confuse the ticket man in Bayonne however, because it’s kind of weird that I made it to Bayonne without a ticket.
I went to go to the bathroom in the train station and the lady was just finishing cleaning it. She left the door open and I started to go in, but saw the floor was soaking wet and decided to just go in whatever restaurant I ate lunch in. This is important in a few minutes. Now, Bayonne is in the French Basque Country. According to wikipedia, it is the birthplace of mayonnaise, so I am sure that it is some sort of culinary mecca, but I chose the Doner Kebap across from the train station, figuring I would actually be able to order something. Turns out, it has no bathroom. So, I eat quickly and head back to the train station. Well, the train station bathroom charges you twenty euro-cents. I had gotten in before because the cleaning lady had sneakily left the door open for me. The guy that went in the interim (who probably got in for free) was not that nice. It wasn’t the kind of bathroom door that would give you change, and so it didn’t take my euro coins. So, I was stuck roaming the streets of Bayonne, looking for a bathroom. After reaching the brink of tears and encountering a mean concierge at the Grand Hotel, I finally found a free bathroom on the street, that cleans itself after each use. It has a twenty minute time limit, though, so I guess that’s why it’s free (I don’t want to think about why there is actually a time limit and why they chose twenty minutes). So, that was one problem solved. However, in my trek to find a bathroom, I was not paying attention to where I was going and now I was lost on the streets of Bayonne. Fortunately, it is a pretty small town. I ask a woman for directions when my train was going to leave in twenty minutes and then ran. I got on the train five minutes before it was schedule to leave and felt very foolish for working up a sweat and running down the streets of Bayonne while my backpack pulled my shirt up and my pants down. Oh well, when am I going to be in Bayonne and see those people again?
I arrived in Lourdes and went to my hotel. No one answered. Oh dear, not a Milan repeat. Did I mention that it was pouring rain and I had left my umbrella and raincoat in Toledo? Oops. I bought a Lourdes umbrella in the train station, which ended up being really cheap, but at least it lasted me through the weekend and only turned inside out about 10 times. So, I sat under the awning and waited. Just as I was giving up and going to call them (the numbers didn’t work, so I didn’t get charged more than a few cents) two people walked out of the hostel. They didn’t hear me or something. When I asked the one in the cowboy hat, he just shrugged his shoulders. Oh well, I had a room. I changed out of my soaked clothes and ventured out with my pants rolled up (I don’t care). I went straight for the Grotto.
Now, Notre Dame tour guides say that the grotto on campus is a 1/7th or 1/8th scale model of the original. This is false. The original is definitely not seven or eight times bigger than the ND version, but it is definitely a different shape, it’s got a bunch of little caves and the stream running through. They are the same general concept, however, and it was definitely recognizable. If you want an idea, google image them, the statues of Mary are about the same size. At Notre Dame we say that there is always someone praying at the Grotto, which I have found to not be true. It is true, however for the Grotto in Lourdes but the cool thing is, there is usually a line to get into it (You can always sit outside it but to walk around and touch the walls, so usually have to wait your turn unless it is after 1:30 am and before 5:00am). I went through and then went to dinner. I found an Italian restaurant that gave me free water, which doesn’t happen in Europe. Unfortunately when I left, I realized that they probably had expected a tip, so I didn’t go back. I went to the Marian Procession, which is a candlelit rosary in at least five languages. It was nice, but it was rainy and wet, so I didn’t feel up to staying for Mass at 11, especially since I was tired.
I woke up Friday to more rain. Great. I rolled up my pants and got out my trusty umbrella and headed out. I went to the two basilicas on top of the grotto. There is almost always a Mass going on there! I walked into a Spanish Mass, where the highlight was them singing the “Our Father” to the tune of “The Sound of Silence”. I have to admit, I was unable to control myself at that one. I went down to the other basilica and there was a Mass in French, so I came back when it ended to take pictures. This basilica, the Basilica of the Rosary, has a beautiful mosaic for each mystery of the rosary, so I took a picture of each. I went up the hill and found the stations of the cross up there. They are a series of gold-painted, life-size statues that are probably made out of plaster. There was this one couple that took a picture of the woman with each station. I don’t understand that, I mean, it’s not a picture you would smile in (and she wasn’t) but whatever floats your boat I guess. I did take some pictures of the stations I though were especially well-done. For example, when they lay Jesus in the tomb, they used a real cave on the side of the hill.

The Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb.

Everything closes from 12-2 for French siesta (which ends the same time the Spanish siesta starts, how cute) so I went to McDonalds for lunch. It’s weird because I refuse to eat there in the States, but I have no problem doing so in Europe. I went shopping and though I was unable to find a rosary I liked in the Palais du Rosaire, I found one across the street. It was a strange mix of comforting and disconcerting that there were so many stores with religious goods. I mean, I don’t think St. Francis of Assisi would really be selling four-foot long glow-in-the-dark rosaries, but it’s kind of nice that they are trying. By the way, some day I will probably regret not buying one of those rosaries, but that day has not yet come.
I went back to the grotto because they have a rosary at 3:30 (hence my rush to buy the souvenir). Before it started, I checked out the baths. You can’t get in unless your are involved in the bathing process, and there is of course a long line. (Of the three entrances, men, women and children, guess which line was the longest?) I was not “with it” enough before leaving to arrange anything about helping bathe and had no interest in waiting in that long line when I wasn’t actually sick, so I just walked by admiringly. I had some time before the rosary, so I went back into the Basilica de Rosaire to warm up/dry off. There was a beautiful choir singing and I got to listen for half an hour. When we prayed the rosary, it was in French, so I said it in English under my breath. The English version has way fewer syllables, which was disconcerting because I kept feeling like I was missing parts of the prayers I’ve know since birth. I don’t think I was. I tried to find the Eucharistic procession, but somehow failed. Maybe they didn’t have it due to the rain. I did go to their ending point, the Basilica of Pius X, which is underground and bears a slight resemblance to a parking garage. I think it was mostly built to fit lots of people. It does have lovely stations of the cross however. I went to get dinner (a sandwich take-out place) and brought it back to my hotel room. The plan was to take a nap before that night’s Marian procession and then stay for Mass, but I felt like I was coming down with a cold and didn’t want to go out in the cold and the rain, so I stayed in my room, which was actually very pleasant.
Saturday I woke up and went to the funiculare up Pic du Jer, since Lourdes is in the Pyrenees. The mountain was beautiful to say the least, especially since Saturday was such a beautiful day. I didn’t want to wrap my jacket around my waist, but then I realized the only people around were French teenagers wearing matching sweatshirts and eating cheese from a can. So I did it. When I went to the bathroom at the bar the funiculare company had built on top of the mountain (Laura, I know you aren’t reading this, but I broke out the toilet seat covers you gave me for my birthday) I saw a path with a sign that said Lourdes → so I took it since it was so nice out. After a while I stopped and sat on a rock and said a rosary while looking down at Lourdes in the valley, because it seemed like the right thing to do. After a while the nice rocky path ended and it became muddy and treacherous. I made it, getting pretty muddy along the way, but it was a delightful adventure. Did I mention stopping in the town market on my way to the funiculare and getting a picnic for myself? Because I ate it on the mountain. In French, Pink lady apples are dame rose, which just sounds so cool.

The Pyrenees

I arrived back to the center of town around two, weh everything reopens, so I went to the house Bernadetter grew up in, which was interesting. It was tiny but informative. Did you know that Bernadette had asthma? That’s why her bed is next to the window. It’s the real bed she slept in during the time she was receiving the apparitions. I went back to the Grotto for the rosary and this time found the Eucharistic Procession (I went to the Adoration Chapel a while before hand and knew that the chapel closed when they processed out of it). We processed mostly in German, which is of course the proper way to process and then had benediction in that unfortunate looking basilica. I was still full from my picnic, so I went to find the other stations of the cross, the ones not on the hill that are more for sick people. Turns out there are two sets, so I went through both. They were along the river, across from the grotto and since it was dinnertime, it was very peaceful.
I bought candles to light in the section next to the grotto (there is not enough room in the grotto for everyone). Four people sent me prayer requests, so I bought five, one for each and one for others/my intentions. Of course, I dropped a candle into the water pool underneath, so I decided to dedicate the Marian Procession to the “Other” intentions. It was very nice, especially since it was warmer out and not raining (I didn’t buy a candle for the procession on Thursday night because I didn’t trust myself with a candle and an umbrella). After the procession, I relaxed by the grotto until it was time for Mass, which was in Italian. I could understand a lot, but it took a while for the microphones to turn on, which was unfortunate.
I hung out after Mass and prayed a rosary while the grotto emptied out a little bit, so I could pay my last respects to the grotto when it was a little less crowded. I then left and went to the train station. Aunt Peggy, you may as well stop reading now. I’ll see you in a few weeks. My train was at 4:35 am and I got to the station a little after 1:00 am, hoping to nap a little before my train in the waiting room. Turns out, the train station closes. So, I sat on a bench in the platform for a while, listening to my iPod to drown out night-time noises. I played games on my iPod and my electronic Sudoku that I got from Yankee Swap on Christmas Eve (thanks to whoever put that one in) said a rosary, this time for my own safety, but that only got me to 2:00 am. I was starting to get cold and wanted to walk around to warm up, but I didn’t want to just walk around and draw attention to myself, I felt the need to walk to somewhere. What is the only thing in Lourdes open past 1 am? Expensive hotel lobbies and the Grotto. I chose the grotto. Besides, the bathrooms at the train station were locked and I knew I would be able to use them at the Grotto. It took a while to get there since they close all but one entrance after midnight. It was a cool entrance, on top of the hill and you walk down to the candles. There were a few people there when I got there, but they soon left. I had come to the grotto to be around people, but it was okay, because I didn’t feel like I was alone. You know how people tell you “You are never alone. He is always with you”? This was the first time I actually believed them. I said a rosary and it was about time to head back to the train station. So, I said goodbye to the grotto again. Cool thing is, I was able to get a grotto at night with no one in it picture.

The Grotto. 3:00 am.

I boarded the train with no problems and made it back to Toledo at around 4:00 pm, after not having eaten since 4:00 am in the train station (yay vending machines), so I went to Doner Kebap, quite exhausted. In the metro in Madrid, there was a family (parents, daughter son). When their stop was approaching, the mom and daughter went to one door and the dad and son went to the other. The mom and daughter teased the 2-year-old boy by saying “Bye! See you Later!” and he became worried, asking his mom where she was going. She told him she was getting off the metro at the same time as him, but he wasn’t sure if he could believe her. When they did get off in the same place, he let out the most adorable squeal of joy and ran to her. Another boy, older than that was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Jesus that said “Haced lo que os diga” (“Do what he tells you”), which is what Mary says during the miracle of the Wedding at Cana (water into wine). This was very cool, because they talked about it all the time at Lourdes and the front of the Basilica du Rosaire is a mosaic of the wedding at Cana. Kind of a cool way to end the weekend, huh?

PS Most of you probably don't know what I'm talking about but there are these wooden bracelets with pictures of saints or Mary of Jesus and stuff on them and I got one in Lourdes. I go a stone one, since it looked more legit. However, it's magnetic or something. It's some kid of metal that I am apparently allergic to because it burns when I put it on. So, let me know if you want it. I should probably figure out my allergies. Does anyone the difference between 14kt gold and 10 kt gold? Because I've never had problems with 14 kt gold, but i am mildly allergic to my class ring...don't worry, I've built up an immunity to it.