In my quest to keep this blog interesting for the reader I feel as though I have been over looking some of my experiences and have not given them a fair chance to be heard. Also it has been a while since the last post, so I am going to throw a bunch of different happenings from my life together and hope that a half decent post comes out.
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| Jenny and the Mexicats |
Item 1: Back in January I went to see a small band play here in Madrid. Their name is Jenny and the Mexicats (before you ask I have no idea what a Mexicat is just go with it). Jenny is a gorgeous blond brit who sings in English and Spanish along with playing the trumpet. They Mexicats are your standard Guitar, Bass, and Drums. I thought that the drummer was especially impressive because he was playing
Cajón and a drum kit with his bare hands. The venue held about 100 people who were all dancing through the entire show. The band had a fun and relaxed vibe which definitely comes through in their music.
Here is a link to my favorite song from the show. Its an acoustic version but the music video captures the essence of the band well.
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| Got to meet Jenny after the show |
Item 2: Holy Toledo
Through the program I am doing, USAC, there are different field trips offered to different parts of the country. We recently went an hour outside of Madrid to the ancient city of Toledo. Toledo's historical importance stems from being a city where Jews, Christians, and Muslims all lived 'peacefully' before the
Reconquista. Seriously click the link I am not going to try and explain that to y'all.
For any of my fellow Jews who have gone on Birthright Toledo feels a lot like Tzfat. Small alleys, cobble stone paths, a ton of amazing views, and that ever present feeling that your in an ancient place. While we were in Toledo we saw a really old synagog, it was tiny but very ornate. Apparently the Catholics made their Muslim slaves build it for the Jews. (Don't quote me on that I could barely understand the tour guide and stopped listening to her after she called Passover the Jewish Easter...Spaniards right)
The main sights in Toledo are El Greco's
masterpiece, which is hands down the most detailed and impressive painting I have seen in person, and the Cathedral of Toledo. The Cathedral is absolutely massive and has the most gold in its prize room I have ever seen. It also house 4 gigantic organs and some fantastic paintings. Under the main chapel or where ever the father sits is a crypt which is totally awesome and the part I found most interesting about this monstrosity of religion.
I am not an atheists nor the most religious person, but I could not help felling resentment towards this Cathedral that was full of South America's gold and built with slave labour. It goes against what the Church stands for and I can see its historical importance but it is honestly a standing contradiction.
Anyways I should end that before I start a rant on organized religion and no one wants to hear that. As a reward for all of you who have read this far I'm putting all of the Toledo pictures down here. Enjoy.
~Gruber
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