I wasn't sure how to organize everything here but I decided to bunch these ones together since they're pretty brief.
Universidad Laboral
So the week before the bonfire, the class toured the Universidad Laboral. I had actually been given a tour by Maite my first week in Gijon when we went to pick-up Ines there so I knew the building fairly well. It is literally across the street from my house so I didn't have to deal with the bus system this time. Anytime I find myself walking home, the giant clock tower of the Laboral would lead me home. It is a historical landmark from Franco's dictatorship and the venue for many plays and events in Gijon.
Kyle and Morgan... our comedic pair.
The clock tower.
At the top of the clock tower.
I can see my house!
Peter Pan
While we were touring the Universidad Laboral, some friends and I decided on a whim to get tickets to see the Peter Pan musical playing in the theater there.
Apparently, when Alex was telling her host family about seeing the play, they didn't understand until she repeated "Peter Pan" with a Spanish accent. I've noticed a few names like that where I have to say it with a Spanish accent for people to know what I'm saying. It always feels like I'm mocking their accent but it's seriously the only way to communicate sometimes.
The play took place the evening of La Noche de San Juan and was a nice filler while we waited for the festival to start. The show started with fog and a laser show that at times looked like fairies were flying all over the theater and at one point it was almost as if it were a simulation of flying through space. They did some amazing stuff with it.
The fog.
It was actually a really cool experience and the Spanish have a very fun take on the story. This play had it's own original music written just for the Spanish audience and Captain Hook's vocal range was phenomenal. The girl playing Peter Pan did an amazing job of playing a kid as well and Wendy had a beautiful operatic voice. The dancing was just as amazing, each group (pirates, mermaids, Indians, Lost Boys, etc.) had their own unique song and dance.
The Lost Boys dance.
There were a lot of kids in the audience and during costume changes, some of the actors would stall by getting the kids involved in what was happening. They would call them up to the stage and have them call out the characteristics of a "lost boy". Then when Tinkerbell was dying, everyone had to stand up and sing with Peter Pan and the adults had to put their children on their shoulders to bring her back to life. It was adorable to see the kids' reactions. They also called Neverland "Nunca Jamas" (Never Ever), which was weird at first for us along with the random English words thrown into the script since the characters were supposed to be British. At the end, they did a reprisal of just about every song and we weren't sure if they were ever going to close the curtains. The songs were really catchy though. It was a really fun and unique experience and I'm glad I got to see that. We'd seen a Spanish movie in the theater the day before that was...um...shocking... so it was an interesting contrast to see a fun family-oriented show.
Oviedo
Oviedo is another city in Asturias about 30 minutes from Gijón. It, as well as Gijón, suffered a lot during the Spanish Civil War and many of the buildings still hold the bullet holes from that period. It's the site of a Gothic cathedral that's attached to some Roman ruins. The city was beautiful and it was really a shame we couldn't stay longer.
Some of the ruins.
That... is a giant butt.
The fat mama. I forget the real name.
I'm not gonna translate what hijoputa means....
La Regenta statue, dedicated to a novel/movie that we
studied in class, which takes place in a ficitonal
version of Oviedo.
If you look close, you can see some of the bullet holes.
We've come to a consensus that I have a weird fixation
with clerical figures. Especially nuns. But look
how cute they are!
The cathedral's built to look like a hand pointing up.
More bullet holes?
This is not a satanic ritual. It's just my professor...
in the crypt.
Roman ruins - the figures' bodies used to be painted
on the walls with 3-dimensional heads.
Chillin' by the tomb.
Our two professors: Laura and Silvia gave us a tour of the city and it's cathedral. Laura is our art and Spanish history professor and seems to know EVERYTHING. A couple of ladies attached themselves to us in the cathedral and followed our group through the rest of our tour. It was kind of funny and Laura just went with it, answering any questions they had.
Roman Ruins in Gijón
Our last week in Gijón we hiked up a hill overlooking Gijón to see the remnants of an ancient Roman community. I was sick that day and exhausted from being up all night so it was hard for me to focus on the tour so I might not have my facts straight. The community was fairly small but sustained itself through mining and panning for gold. It was built on the top of a cliff with a man-made ravine to protect it from attacks.
All that's left of the houses are the outlines and a few wells but further along the coast is another site that is more distinguishable:
Where the baths used to be.
What's left of the mosaic tile floors.
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