Why yes, I am a tourist

A lot of people have this insecurity about standing out as an "obvious tourist."  They avoid taking pictures so people think they live here.  They wear fashionable shoes over comfortable ones, even if they're walking around all day.  They ignore the fact that speaking in English makes it quite obvious that you're not from Spain.

Think about it, though.  Have you ever pointed and laughed when someone posed for a pic in front of the (insert famous landmark in your city here)?  I don't think it's weird that people want a picture in front of the Hollywood sign, or want to spend a day frolicking at the beach.

Thus, this weekend, I embraced the fact that I am still a tourist in Madrid-and I'm proud of it.

Per usual, the weekend began Thursday night with an international student night at a bar and club.  I met some Mexican guys and had a revelation: I can understand Mexican Spanish.  There was loud music and huge crowds, but I understood.  It was just so much clearer to me than Spanish Spanish (ok there really needs to be another word for that).  And now I'm kinda craving Miguel's guacamole at Alonim...

Anyway, on Friday I did what most people do on any other day.  I spent the day at a palace.
El Palacio is where the king and queen of Spain used to live back in the day, including Carlos III and Carlos IV.  Today, it is still used for some official functions, but there is another palace where the current royal family lives.  El Palacio was truly gorgeous.  You could certainly spend a lifetime there and never be able to really know all the details of each room.  There were frescos on the ceilings depicting religious scenes and some stories of ancient Greek gods, which I found particularly interesting since they replaced the traditional hero with the king.  My favorite was Carlos III as Hercules.  My other favorite room?  The great dining hall, which was 3 rooms turned into one with a huge dining room table.  Why my favorite?  It would be the perfect place to host a Powell family Passover.

On Saturday, I took my first trip where I had to travel outside Madrid!  Granted, it was only 30 minutes, but a trip is a trip no matter how small.  I went to Toledo, the former capital of Spain and a religious center of the country.  The first thing I saw in this holy, medieval city?  A McDonalds.  But let's ignore that.  I went to an armory museum built on top of a fort.  I went to a cathedral with magnificently beautiful artwork and more images of Jesus than you can imagine, including one of the apocalypse.  (How many more days, Yoshua from Sproul?)  I went to El Sinagogo, aka Sephardic Museum, where I reveled in seeing old scrolls and siddurim with the same prayers we say today.  The artifacts behind the glass filled me with a comforting sense of familiarity, and pride that the only explanations I needed to read were the ones explaining the year that the t'fillin or ketubah or kippah came from.  I went to El Greco, seeing the incredible art of the incredible artist.  Finally, I sat with friends and drank a coca cola light (Spanish version of diet).  I love the contrast of the new and the old.

Today, I rounded out my weekend of "important things to do in Madrid" with visiting El Rastro, a street market that appears every Sunday morning.  It was like a giant shuk with Hebrew yelling replaced with Spanish hollering, and aleph-bet t-shirts replaced with soccer jerseys.  It was fun, but overwhelming.  When I go back, it will be with a specific goal.

One more piece of news.  I'm also writing a blog for Global Jewish Voice, a website that publishes blogs by Jewish students around the world.  It will specifically address my experience as a Jew in Spain.  Here's the first post: http://www.globaljewishvoice.com/2012/01/28/ma-nishtanah-2/

Y ahora, tengo tarea (homework)...  I guess this is a weird mixture of tourism and real life.

Hasta luego