It's been a couple weeks since I last wrote, but I figured I had better write today before I head to Seville (in the South of Spain) tomorrow. The last couple of weekends have been somewhat slow, with lots of rain and little to do. My flatmate, Maria, returns to her parents' house in another town in Galicia during the weekends, so I live on my own then. I have to say, I do not like living alone. I would prefer to have a lot of people around all the time...I am still adjusting to the quiet mornings and such. I was hoping to take a weekend trip last weekend, but many of my friends went to visit friends or home for the weekend (I can't imagine studying abroad, but going home not only once but TWICE during the semester...definitely not exactly the same experience!). This aside, I did get to see the POPE on Saturday!
Since I arrived in Santiago de Compostela, there have been signs up all over and people talking all the time about the upcoming visit from the Pope, on November 6th. It has been several years since the pope has been to Santiago, and especially since this year is a 'holy year', many people were very excited about this. On the other hand, most of the locals I talked to were not happy that the pope was coming, as there would be a lot of disruption to the city's normal feel due to this huge event. We've been watching a huge stage be built in the plaza in front of the cathedral, and all sorts of security measures were put in place the days leading up to the big event. Seveal huge screens were constructed in squares all over the city, because they were expecting such a large overflow from the main plaza where the pope spoke. I went out with some friends on Friday night, and the whole square had been evacuated and closed off to prepare for the morning. Many people were waiting outside all night to enter the plaza, even though the weather was not that great. It was quite something to see, for those who are catholic as well as those who are not.
A couple of friends and I decided to head out on Saturday in search of the 'papamobil', or Pope mobile, the crazy looking vehicle in which the Pope enters the city. We were able to get a pretty good spot just outside the main square of the cathedral, joined by some thousands of other onlookers and another couple thousand police. No joke--there were over 6,000 cops on duty throughout the city during Friday night and saturday! I have never seen so many police...not sure where they all came from, either! There must be a reserve of sorts for events or disasters that require such a strong showing. I am still without a camera, but I smapped a couple shots with my friends' camera, I will add them as soon as I receive them. The whole ordeal seemed somewhat over the top, and I can understand why most locals tried to avoid leaving their homes during the craze. However, I am glad I got to go and be a part of it--when else will I be living 10 minutes from where the pope gives a mass!
As I mentioned, tomorrow I will get my first taste of southern Spain, when I head to Sevilla to visit my friend Joanna (friend from Beloit), who is teaching English to high schoolers this year as well. The round trip ticket was only 40 Euros, or about $58 (and that is with a poor exchange rate!). Thank you, Ryanair! I will surely write another blog after the trip. That's all for now, hope all is well (and not too cold!) back stateside.
No comments:
Post a Comment