I woke up this morning before my alarm again, around 8:30, I think. So I got up, ate breakfast, and got dressed, while looking at my plans today. All the places on today's agenda don't open until ten, so I had about 45 minutes to kill. So, I started packing. It was pretty easy too, most of my stuff will fit in my suitcase, my carry on will be real light this time. Of course, I couldn't pack everything, but I got most of it in there. The good news is I'm not bringing much bathroom stuff home, so nothing should explode this time!
After I cleaned up my packing, I headed out with my camera. The first place I went was Ermita San Antonio de Florida, which is a church. The ceiling was painted by Goya, and his remains are actually there too! We weren't allowed to take photos, but the guard stepped out while I was there, so it was like saying, "now's your time!" So I snuck one in hehe. Then I walked by the river front for a bit before finding the metro again. It smelt real bad, kinda like the lakes in Michigan, so it was a piece of home, however unpleasant.
My next stop was Museo Romantico. While walking from the metro stop to the museum, I passed a store that was playing Backstreet Boys! Not only a bit of home, but a blast from the past too! Unfortunately the museum is only free after two, so I left with the intent of going back later. Then I headed to the Caixa Forum, which is the same stop as "The Big Three" museums, and I've passed it before, so it was easy to find. It was also free, hence why it was on my list.
It had an entire floor devoted to William Blake, which was pretty cool. His art was interesting to look at, particularly his mix of mediums. There was one piece made with pencil, chalk, ink, pen, and watercolor! I don't even know how he thought to combine them all! The next floor was all architecture. One of my favorite things about this building was the stairs, odd as it sounds. When you first enter, it's all metal; the stairs and the walls, and it was a winding staircase too, not just straight up. The interior stairs form a square, so you go up three flights to get to the next floor. I got some cool photos.
Anyway, there was a photography exhibit with Gabriele Basilico on the next floor, but it was different than normal. It had a photo of a current day historical building, and next to it was a drawing of the same building in the past. I'm not sure if the drawings were real or "embellished", because the photos of the buildings had a lot less detail as far as sculptures and things on the outside of the buildings. There were even some buildings I've been to in Rome! It was really cool to see those in particular.
After the museum, I headed to... Burger King. But hey I had a coupon for a free whopper! So I got that and paid for a drink and fries. BK has free wifi too, so I checked my email and Facebook. However, at this time it was only 7am back home, so there wasn't much. Everyone I know here probably went out last night and was still sleeping, so nothing from them either. Then I headed back to the apartment. I uploaded my pictures to my computer and then sorted through them. After that, I studied a bit for my conversation exam by writing notecards of phrases that I need to remember to say.
I was going to take a nap then, but I fought the urge. I wound up back at BK, with my laptop. I was so excited to go through my blog posts and FINALLY format them! For someone OCD like me, it was driving me crazy. It's all good now, I added some photos to my posts too, so it's a bit more lively. I also uploaded photos to Facebook. Luckily I didn't have too many to add. After my BK adventure, I headed back to the apartment. I proceeded to plug in my laptop, and then take a nap. I did wake up to may alarm, and though I wanted to keep sleeping, I got up and grabbed my camera again.
I headed to the Museo Romantico, the one that wasn't free earlier. It was pretty awesome. I had to put my purse in a locker (it had a lock) and I was nervous about that, but it ended up being just fine. The museum was set up like a "house" would have been, with exceptions, of course. I was able to take pictures here (I asked!) so I did. I loved this museum! My favorite part was a machine they had set up. There was a model of the house (or a house) from the time period, which had two balconies "open" and two of the ground floor rooms open. Then, like a peeping Tom, you could look in the windows. What was cool about it was that they projected little images of people in the open rooms! So we could see a family eating at the table while the Mai serves them, and the interactions between the people. We could see into the ballroom, where one person was playing the piano and a couple was dancing. We could also see the maids working in the kitchen; one cooking, one cleaning. The main entrance was open too, and we could see the family getting out of a carriage. It was SO awesome!! I got photos, but yet didn't turn out very well.
At the museum, there was a small room in the entryway with photos on exhibit, so I went in. They were in lit boxes so the photos were illuminated. It was cool. There were two long ones of trees in the wintertime, which reminded me of Tech. There were also two of trees in the springtime, which also reminded me of Tech haha. After that room, I headed back to the metro. When I got back to the apartment, I relaxed. I got on email and then Facebook; my Internet addictions.
Since there wasn't much to keep me entertained, I started playing games on my phone. Then I decided to be productive and updated my planner with my adventures, and then studied for my conversation exam some more. After that, I wrote a super short thank you note to Pilar and Monica for letting me stay with them. I would write more, but as you can tell from my blog, I don't know them very well. But it's something at least. Then I had dinner.
Tonight it was my favorite... The bean soup! Yogurt with brown sugar was my dessert, like usual. Tonight I actually got up the courage to ask her for the recipe! She was surprised, no wonder why, but she told me anyway. She said its easy but long, because the beans need to soak overnight in water, and then simmer with the ingredients for about two hours when I cook it. She said a lot of ingredients too, like onion, pepper, milk, which I didn't expect, sometimes chicken, which she doesn't cook it with, though I may have to try it, and a few more. I asked her to write it down for me, since my memory isn't very good. She said she'd have it for me tomorrow, which is awesome! I'm a happy girl tonight. That soup will be perfect for one of the many cold nights at Tech, or for when I inevitably get sick. Yay!
After dinner I brushed my teeth and washed my face, and then studied a bit more. If only I had a photographic memory...
No comments:
Post a Comment