Exploring Valladolid

Well, it is my second full day in Valladolid. The weather has been incredibly nice, considering the time of year. Although it was cloudy last night and looked like it was going to rain, it cleared up today to the point that there were zero clouds in the sky. It has been hanging around 50 degrees so far, so it is pretty comfortable. It isn’t too windy here either, so 50 degrees means 50 degrees.

Yesterday, I walked up to the grocery store and the bank. The grocery is an interesting place. Although they have carts like at Walmart, most people use these little plastic buggies about the size of the carrying baskets at most grocery stores in the States. They have built-in wheels, so you can pull or push them, but they hold no more than two or three bags of groceries. The entire supermarket is probably no bigger than the average person’s house in the States…pretty small. Other more specialized shops, like produce stores, are even smaller. At the bank, there aren’t offices. There is one big room with a bunch of desks where people work. They don’t have labels or nametags, so it is hard to figure out who to see for what purpose. But, I got everything I needed, like my rent money, which is pretty important. =-)

Today, I went up to the Office of International Relations at the university to let them know that I had arrived. Apparently, my student ID hasn’t come in yet, so I had to go to the campus bank (where you register for the ID) in order to give them my information (US ID, address, etc). I have to go back to the bank on Friday to pick it up, since it will take about a week to arrive. I also meandered around town a little bit, just looking at the architecture. So far, I haven’t found anything too astonishing, although I did take some pictures. Most of the buildings look pretty similar: they are about 5 or 6 stories tall, mostly made of brick. I did see a beautiful old church today, but I didn’t take a picture because I thought I would walk past it again, which I didn’t do (I walked another route home). I did see my first homeless beggar today, which are pretty scarce in Valladolid. The government tries to keep the city pretty clean too, as I saw three or four different people in uniforms cleaning the streets and sidewalks in different places. And no, they weren’t prisoners…they worked for the city. Overall, I am very impressed with the cleanliness and professionalism of the city. The streets are clean, wide, and people mingle within them as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

As far as the apartment is concerned, everything is still good. I am still trying to figure everything out, like the oven and the washing machine. But, I did find out that if you use the television, oven, and washing machine at the same time, it will trip the breaker and the power to the whole apartment will go out. Haha I guess I will have to be more thoughtful the next time I try to cook a pizza, do laundry, and watch tv at the same time!

Just to tickle your brains, I found out some interesting facts today about the city. First, it has a population of roughly 400,000 people. It used to be the capital of Valladolid up until the 1800s. Many important historical events happened here. For instance, it was founded around 1000 AD. It also was the city in which Isabel of Castile and Fernando of Aragon got married, the king and queen who financed Christopher Columbus’ first journey to America. In fact, Christopher Columbus died here in 1506 at the age of 55. Also, King Felipe II was born here. It is also at the heart of the region (Castilla y Leon) that speaks the purest Spanish in the world. Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, the famous Spanish novel, lived in Valladolid for several years when he was a child along with his family. Also, the region has become known for some of its fine wines. Ribera de Duero is a red wine from this region that is apparently able to be stored for an incredible amount of time before they go bad, something like 10 years if not much longer. Another type is the Cigales, which is more of a blush than a red. This type of wine is still growing in popularity and quality. Finally, this region is known for Rueda, which produces two top quality white wines. The train I rode actually went through several vineyards, which I regret to say I didn’t get any pictures of. But, Spain itself is also the world’s largest producer of saffron (the most expensive spice in the world), as well as a massive exporter of olive oil and citrus fruits.

One more thing before I end this post. I just want to let out my admiration for the older Spanish generation. These elderly people are some of the most classy I have ever seen/met. They are always dressed to the utmost, walk with a posture of elegance, and are never in a hurry. You will rarely if ever see an older person without dress pants, a scarf, and dress shoes on. They really know how to dress!

Anyway, that is all for now. I know I will have more adventures in the next few days. Hopefully sometime this weekend I will be able to get out to some of the local restaurants and try some of the local cuisine instead of grocery store food. ¡Hasta luego! (See you later!)