Questions for our American friends

Hi guys, MACEJAS blog here.

Our group is very interested in traveling to the United States. We have some questions:

1. What is the most typical form of travel?
2. How much do you travel a year?
3. Is it very expensive to travel in the States?
4. What are the most interesting places to visit in the summer?
5. What are the most interesting places to visit in the winter?
6. What are the most interesting places for young people to visit?

We hope that these questions will be interesting for you, and we will answer these questions about Spain below so that you will know about traveling in Spain.

1. ¿Cuál es la forma más típica de viajar?

Los jóvenes españoles utilizamos más el coche por ser un medio más rápido y práctico La gente mayor, extranjera , y los jóvenes por debajo de los dieciocho años, utilizan mas el transporte público … tren, autobús y avión. Además hay precios especiales para los mayores y los jóvenes.

2. ¿Cuánto viajamos al año?

La población española se desplaza mas en períodos festivos como Navidad, Semana Santa , etc. … aunque también los fines de semana las familias que viven en las grandes ciudades se desplazan hacia sus pueblos natales que son mas tranquilos y es donde pueden descansar.

3. ¿Es muy caro viajar en España?

Depende del medio de transporte que se utilice y de la época del año en que se quiera viajar ( Navidad, Semana Santa, etc. ..) . Se pueden comprar los billetes con antelación a través de internet a mejor precio.

4. ¿Cuál son los lugares más visitados en verano?

Las zonas costeras, como la Comunidad Valenciana y Andalucía, aunque actualmente se visita mucho también las zonas rurales por la tranquilidad que ofrecen estos lugares. Aunque parezca contradictorio , también las grandes ciudades como Madrid y Barcelona son visitadas por muchos veraneantes en Verano.


5. ¿Cuáles son los lugares mas visitados en invierno?

Quizás las estaciones de esquí suelen ser los lugares mas elegidos por la población española en esta época. Los pueblos natales donde las familias se reúnen, también son muy populares en este período del año.

6. ¿ Cuáles son los lugares mas visitados por los jóvenes españoles?

Las islas como Ibiza, Mallorca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, son lugares muy llamativos para la gente joven por su ambiente, buen clima y las fiestas que allí se organizan.

Introduction

What does MACEJAS mean?

Absolutely nothing! It´s an anagram of all of our initials.

Who are we?

We are students of the University of León, studying English for Primary Education. Our names are: Jose María, Carmen, Elsa, Anne Marie , Andrea, María, and Sandra. We will use this blog to speak about some interesting topics about our city, our country, and our university. We hope you enjoy reading our blog, and we will update this blog over the course of this semester.

A Walk Through León

by: Carmen, Sandra, and Anne Marie.

WALL OF LEON:

This is historic wall of Leon and it is one of the oldest in Spain. It was built in first century to protect the ancient roman city “Legio VII”. “Legio VII” is the name of first roman encampment in the area and this wall was necessary to defend the city against its enemies. The wall of Leon was declared Historical Monument on June 3, 1931
Nowadays only several portions of it is has been conserved.

SAN ISIDORO BASILICA

This building easy to identify without mentioning the words “San Isidoro,” “church,” or “basilica.”. In December of 1063, King Ferdinand I and Queen Sancha of Castile and León brought the body of San Isidoro, a wise Anadalusian bishop, from Seville to rest here and consequently named the church in his honor. Before the current building, this site held a roman temple later christianized and dedicated to St. John the Baptist, but it was destroyed by Al - Mansru. It was here that the western world´s first parliament with participacion by the people took place in 1188.

SAN MARCOS:

A modern day famous hotel , so well known that it is now one of the best known and most easily identifiable places in the city for tourists, shares a vocation for hostelry with its own origins, despite the many uses it has been put to over the centuries. Built next to the banks of the Bernesga and the 16th century bridge over which pilgrims to Santiango would leave the city there was originally a hospice and church for pilgrims on the road to Santiago at the end of the 12th century. This fairly humble building survived for several hundred years until the order of St. James made it their headquarters for the kingdom of León. Indeed the first grand master of the order Pedro Fernández de Fuentecalada was buried here. But the order needed more space an in 1554 King Ferdinadd the Catholic authorized the construction of a new building in this setting without very much space.The church of this building situated at the end of the building and today administered by th Jesuits dates from the Catholic monarchs.

CATHEDRAL OF LEÓN

The Cathedral of León, or Saint Mary´s Cathedral of León, was constructed in the century atop ancient Roman ruins. It is in actuality the third Cathedral of León, and by far the longest lasting. Construction began on the current Cathedral in the thirteenth century, although one tower was not finished until the fifteenth century. It is a very good example of Gothic architecture, complete with flying buttresses, an abundance of stained glass, and the classic “H” shape of its façade. It is currently undergoing an extensive restoration of its stained glass, with specialists carefully cleaning each pane of glass separately, before reassembling them and sealing them in protective window casings. To help fund the restoration, the local government has set up a platform at the clerestory of the church, where for only 2 euros, a tour guide will take you up so that you can better see the stained glass windows, and explain the history of stained glass and symbology.

PALACE OF THE GUZMANS

A splendid civic building of the mid-16th century, designed by Gil Hontañan . It is now the seat of the “diputacion.” (provincial government).

HOUSE OF BOTINES:

The house of Botines is a modern building designed by famous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. It was built in 1891 for some textile traders of Leon. It was declared an historical monument in 1969. Nowadays it belongs to a bank called “Caja España”, who restored it and now uses it to house cultural exhibitions. In front of the palace we can contemplate the bronze statue of Gaudí gazing at his finished work.

MUSAC

The MUSAC, or “Museum of Contemporary Art of Castilla of Leon” is famous for its modern architecture, which brings a splash of colour to this historic city. Its façade is composed of large panes of glass in 42 colours inspired by the stained-glass window of the Cathedral of Leon. It houses expositions from famous modern artists from around the world

THE “BARRIO HÚMEDO”

The “Barrio Húmedo” is a historic district of Leon, more or less surrounded by medieval and Roman walls. The “Barrio Húmedo” is located in the center of the ancient city. The names of its streets are reminiscent of the old offices that existed in the city.
During the day it is a typical area to enjoy wines and tapas, but at night it is the area to go to party!

N.B.: What are “tapas”? Legend has it that during his reign, Alfonso X ordered that no wine be served without a small ration of food to accompany it and thus avoid the quick intoxication that occurs while drinking on an empty stomach. The name “tapa” comes from the fact that originally, drinks would be served with the food balancing on top, acting as a “top” or “cap” to prevent unwanted bugs, dust, etc., from spoiling the drink.

SEMANA SANTA IN LEON:

Leon’s “Semana Santa” is a festival of declared international tourist interest; it is the most important festival of the year in Leon. The festival lasts ten days. The Semana Santa is a procession with a total of 16 fraternities and brotherhoods, comprising tens of thousands of "Papones". They cover the main streets of Leon, carrying statues of saints around on floats or wooden platforms.
The most important procession in Leon is the “Encuentro”, (the meeting). Almost all of the floats participate in this procession, making it the longest of the week. The “Papones” begin the procession very early in the morning, and do not reach their final destination until afternoon. It’s very beautiful and incredible - thousands of people gather in a square to see the meeting.
A typical custom at that time is going to drink “limonada,” (a mix of red wine and citric fruit that has been left to soak in the wine) in the bars of Leon.

A curious procession of Semana Santa in Leon it is the procession called “The burial of San Genarin”. It takes place in the party zone (Barrio Húmedo) of Leon. It is a procession dedicated to a drunk person who was run over and killed by the first garbage truck in Leon. The procession consists of a march through the city with the tyical spanish alcoholic beverage called Orujo.

(video link for Semana Santa coming soon)

At the beggining the University started with a Faculty of Veterinary that was in the center of León, and now is the central administration of the University.


The teachers and the students of the University wanted a new place to study where all the faculties were together, this was the Vegazana´s Campus that it is in the northern city outskirts of León.



A few years later the new campus was born with a faculty of Filosophy and Letters, it was alone for many years until new faculties arrived.








In 1989 the University of León had four faculties, Layer, Biologics, Filosophy and Letters and the new faculty of Veterinary. It was hard years to the University because the students hadn´t many resources but a lot of interest to study.

Today we are very proud to have a Campus with many faculties and buildings where we can study and students of other cities can live.

I found this pictures where you can see more buildisng of aur university.Enjoy them!!!!

Spain, Our Country

A QUIRK! THE “SIESTA”

What´ s mean “siesta” ? Well, One of the aspects that most frequently surprised foreign visitors arriving Spain are the schedules.

Spain has chosen to retain their own customs. Overall, the day of Spaniards starts later and all activities of a normal day ( eating, working, entertainment, etc. ) are performed later than in the rest of the continent.

Surprisingly for foreign visitors that some establishments ( banks, offices, etc .. ) are closed in the afternoon and in the time for lunch ( during two or three hours) . Only establishments as shopping centers, some supermarkets and some shops are opened in the afternoon. Besides, At Sunday all stablishments are closed.

The famous "Spanish hour" is a problem in Spain, because only some people arrives on time at some place. Always people arrive five or ten minutes later or in spite of this arrive before ( only in some cases)

The Spanish people eat at two or three o´ clock and they eat more than in other countries because they don´ t have an abundant breakfast. Then, when they finish the abundant lunch they need to sleep some minutes, it´ s normally around thirty minutes , although some people sleep a lot. This is the “siesta” .

It´ s very famous in other countries the “siesta” and a lot of foreign people think that all Spanish people take the “siesta” after lunch. It´s not true , much people can´ t to take the “siesta” because they haven´ t got time for this.


FESTIVALS

Spain is very famous for this culture and this folk. We are going to show you some of this festivals.

At first, in February, the "Carnival"

The people disguise as they want with a lot of clothes and the make up with a lot of colours their body and their face. It’s very funny. The “Carnival” it’s very famous in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, it’s a Spanish island , and also in Cadiz , in the south of Spain.


In March, "Las Fallas" de Valencia, in the south-East of Spain. In this festival “ninots” ( big dolls) that represent celebrities and allegorical figures, are burned.
Would you know it? Click here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdAjHBft_QM&feature=related

April is the month of Easter . Probably the most famous festival in Spain. In this festival is represented the die and de resurrection of Jesucristo ( He is the most important figure in the Spanish religion ).

In June, there are a lot of festivals where the fire is the protagonist. One of this and the most important is "Las noche de San Juan" in this festival some people make bonfires and then there are a lot of rituals, the people call have good luck throughout the year.

"Los Sanfermines" are carried out in Pamplona ( north-east of Spain ) in July. Most famous in this festival are “los encierros”, it’s a moment when a lot of people run ahead of the bulls around the city. There are a lot of people in this festival . Will try?

Ok. At first you could watch this video. Do you want to see how is an “encierro” ? Click this link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTHHgxFOD_g


"La virgen del pilar" ( patron saint of Spain ) is held in October. This saint is in Zaragoza , near Pamplona . It’s the day of Spanishness what remind us a great event for Spain which was the discovery of America.

In November, festival of "All Saints Day" , In this festival Spaniards went to the cemeteries to visit their families, friends , etc … who are died. They take them some presents as flowers.

Finally, in December, "Christmas", some days where normally all family are together. There are a lot of presents for our family, friends, etc … ( This is different than in other countries. Here “Los Reyes Magos” are responsible to bringing presents to all people ) and when the Spaniards celebrate the end of the year. Their names are "Melchor", "Gaspar" y "Baltasar"

Would you like to take part in this festivals ? They’re really great!

AND ... WHAT HAPPEN WITH THE MUSIC ?

In spite of, a lot of foreign people think than in Spain all people are dancing “Flamenco” , it’s not true! There are a lot of type of music around different places in Spain.
Also, there are a lot of traditional music in Spain.
At this moment, there are some types of music as in other countries; for example: pop, rock, classic, etc. …

But, we want to show you some famous traditional music in our City, León. In this link you could see a video where many people are dancing the traditional song in León, La "Jota" . Besides, you could see the clothes that they are really beautiful and also you could heard the music; There are four instruments in traditional music in Leon.

At first, la "Dulzaina" , it´s a very important instrument because it plays the melody

Secondly the "pandereta" ( on the right) and "castañuelas" (on the left) , sometimes, they also play de rhythm,








And Finllay, the "Tambor" , it plays the rhythm

Well, and now, Would you want to see how people dance this type of music, and how these instruments are played? . If you want, click here

In this link you can see a group of traditional music from leon, they are dancing "Jotas" .

A little bit more about music

First of all, I have to introduce myself, because I’ve recently join this blog, my name’s Cristina and I’m going to talk about music scene in León.

In addition of flamenco, and typical music and instruments of León (as it is said before), in our city there’s a place for many kinds of music, in all the variants you can imagine.

There is, of course, the mainstream whose music can be listened in most pubs and discos located in “El barrio húmedo”, and watched in some concerts that usually take place in a stadium called “León Arena”, or in “La plaza de toros”.

But in León there’s also place for other kinds of music, what we usually call, the underground scene. Every weekend there are concerts in some bars and pubs of the city, like for example “El gran café”, where bands and dj’s go to offer us their creations. There are artists of all kind of music, examples of that are Nacho Vegas, Los rebeldes, The Magnificient Brotherhood, and so more.

This is the website:
http://www.elgrancafeleon.com/

There are also concerts organized by the university of León, which usually take place in the cafeterias located on the university. In this month the most important artists are Russian red (a folk-spanish group) and Elliot Murphy (an American rock-acustic legend), but there are many other activities that include artistic expositions and cinema.

You can get information of the cultural activities of the university on this website: http://www.actividadesculturales.unileon.es/

In addition, there are two important festivals in León: Purple Weekend, and Otros Mundos Pop.

-The purple weekend is one of the best mod-60’s festivals around the world, especially in Spain. It is located in León and was created by Alejandro, former of "Los Flechazos". After of the succes of this festival dedicated to the culture of the sixties, have been created “Euro Yeyé’s festival” in Gijón, or “Beat Goes” in Luanco. This year they would go artists like:
Eddie FloydLos NegativosLori MeyersThe OutsidersThe ChordsTahiti 80
…
It would be on 5, 6 and 7 of December as every year.
-Otros Mundos Pop is a festival in which take place the best groups and artists of rock-indie, electro-pop, pop-indie… and many other kinds of music of Spain. Last year there were groups like; Kissograms, Stereo Total, Hotel Prsona, Lorena-C and so more

In Spain there are many other important festivals like the internationals Fib and Summercase, and others less important, but also very interesting like; Sónar, Viñarock, Ebrovisión, etc.

And it is just a little of we can see abut music in our city and country.
By: Cristina

Spanish Gastronomy

Would you like to eat something? GREAT !


We are going to show you some of most popular meals in Spain. It´s probably that you have listened about "tortilla de patata" . It´s really nice!

Would you like how to cook it? GO ON!


The first recipe is "Tortilla de Patata" o "Tortilla Española"

If you want to get the recipe click on links!

TORTILLA ESPAÑOLA ( Tortilla de patata)

What do you think? Do you like it?

Well, the second recipe is "Paella" . Also is very popular and it´s really nice. Click on!

PAELLA

Oh! Are you hungry now? The following recipe is "Cocido" , very famous in our city , León.
Would you want to see how you can do it ? Click here.

COCIDO

Finally, the "Pulpo" is our last recipe. We are sure that you want to see how you can do it at home. Click here.

We hope that you have enjoiyed with this section and with these recipes of Spain that we want to show you.


GOOD PROFIT!