Glenn Miller/Segovia/Bodegas

On Friday we had a “cultural” activity, and we went to see the Glenn Miller Orchestra in Salamanca! I’m not sure how it relates to the Spanish culture, but it was great! It was mostly brass instruments, with a piano, drums, and a huge bass. They played some songs just as instrumentals, but they had like four different singers that would come out too. They had awesome energy, and were all goofing around on stage. It was great- my friend and I were talking about how we want them at our wedding the whole time.

On Saturday, we went to Segovia for the day! They’re famous for their aqueducts. I think Jesus said it was the best preserved one in the world, and I believe it. Those things are amazing- they’re arches built without anything to hold them together. The amount of engineering and precision it would take to make them is amazing, and the fact that they’ve been standing- just balanced perfectly- for hundreds of years is incredible. So they were really pretty. Segovia is also famous for its tostón, which is basically a baby pig that’s served whole. They were really expensive, but I don’t think I would’ve tried it anyway. They reminded me too much of the fetal pig I dissected in high school. We also went to this really cool castle that looked like the ones from like fairy tale movies. Yet again, pretended I was a princess the whole time. We climbed the biggest spiral staircase of my life- and that’s saying something after the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona- up to the top that overlooked the mountains and fields- absolutely gorgeous.

We went out Saturday night despite the fact that we had an excursion the next day. I think everyone’s panicking a little that we have such little time left! It was a fun time, and probably worth being tired the next day.

On Sunday, we went to a pueblo that’s about an hour away called Toro. We visited bodegas, which are wine cellars/factories and learned a little about the process of making wine and saw the big vats and stuff. After that, we had a wine tasting and learned about the different components and how to taste wine professionally. It was really interesting, and I’d love to take another class to learn more. They also paired them with food so the components of the food would bring out the taste of the wine more. It was fun, but at some points I was a little confused because I did NOT smell what she was describing. At one point she described the same wine as smelling like a bakery with fresh bread and strawberries with milk. Wasn’t really getting that, but the wine was good!

This week I’m working on a 15 page paper that’s due next week for my Latin American Civ class. I’ve never even written a paper that long in English, so this should be interesting! I’m really regretting taking that class now, but oh well. We’re going to Cantabria this weekend, which is in the north of Spain. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this trip, so I’m really looking forward to it!