THEY'RE HERE!!!! Yes, all of my students safely arrived in Spain despite a number of flight delays, flight changes, long lines, and the insane fact that the airport has two terminals where flights arrive that are about five kilometers apart (about 3 miles). To get from one to the other you need to board a shuttle that heads off on the freeway then exits to the new terminal (#4). I took that shuttle back and forth at least a dozen times as we tried to track down students and get them to the bus that would take them to Alcalá de Henares. Three of our students had a two-hour flight delay; another's flight number was NOT posted on the arrival board and we could find her for about an hour. But persistence and a lot of prayer paid off.

The students that arrived prior to 12 pm were shuttled back to Alcalá in a bus that took them to the Plaza de Cervantes where their host family was waiting for them. Those that came later were taken directly to their host family's residence in taxi.

They were all tired, hungry, and disheveled, but happy!!!! While they waited for the bus they just talked and talked and talked. I feel like this is going to be a great Spring Term in Spain.  Here are some photos:

I apologize to Taylor, Lindsey S. and Spencer for not taking their picture. They were the ones who had the long delay and arrived rather late. By the time they arrived I had been in the airport for 9.5 hours and the brain had shut down for the day. It won't happen again!

While waiting for the last group to arrive this group of "Tunas" came through playing music. The "Tuna" in Spain has a long history and tradition. Starting as early as the 13th century university students would dress in traditional costume, usually that associated with their university, and go about singing. This practice allowed them to earn money to finance their education. The "tunos" or "sopistas" would sing in exchange for coinage or a bowl of soup (thus the term "sopista"). These individuals were from the poorer class and were well-known for their craftiness, ability to court women, and other diverse and sundry practices. Today the "tunas" do not have the same reputation, but do travel about sharing their talents. You will notice the cape with all of the patches that represent cities they have visited in their travels. The bows or flowers around the neckline correspond to the universities where they have performed. Interestingly, each "tuna" reflects a singular or unique quality associated with the university where they study (or have studied), often found in the songs that they sing.

Today we set out again to see the city, get some errands done, and shop for food. These are kind of the same activities day-in and day-out. By far my favorite activity is the exploring. 

We walked past the Palacete Laredo again today and I decided that perhaps I should take a closer look at the architecture. These photos are from one side of the building. Notice the detail. I was particularly interested in the column picture. There is a small plaque that indicates that this column is from the Renaissance. The practice of using materials from other time periods was not uncommon.

We wanted you to see the "administration" building belonging to the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares. The university was established by Cardinal Cisneros in 1499. It was completed in 1547 as indicated in a decorative motif on the exterior of the edifice:

It is a beautiful example of Renaissance design, decoration, and construction.

One of the salient motifs on the exterior of the building are the "cords" that wind around the front. They reference the motif found in Cardinal Cisneros' coat of arms (see below)

This picture will show, in part, how the cords were utilized (with the cord running parallel to the column in the center of the photo):

In the interior is a beautiful courtyard with a water well. Practically the well provided water to the those who worked and studied in the university; symbolically this well represented the source of knowledge; drinking deeply from the wells of knowledge, both spiritually and temporally.

While looking for a "ferretería" (hardware store) to get some keys made, we passed an interesting building. It is the Convento de los Trinitarios Descalzos. Construction on the building began in 1626 and reflects the "barroco madrileño." The original convent was established in 1601 by the blessed Juan Bautista de la Concepción. Work on the building was completed in 1639. In 1839, with the "desentitlement" of church properties, Mendizábal converted the church and convent into a military dependency where soldiers where housed. The University of Alcalá de Henares has since restored the building which now serves as the Center for North American Studies.

Now, one of the little treasures you find if you stop and look more closely. On the wall just inside the arch to the right you will find this written:

It reads: 

To the Order Trinitaria Redentora de Cautivos,

For the grand mercy shown to Miguel de Cervantes,

Captive in Argel,

who, for the price of 500 escudos in gold, in Spanish Gold,

was rescued personally by Fray Juan Gil

the 19 of September of 1580,

a favor for which Miguel remained a lifelong debtor

and to Alcalá forever.

This is a rough translation of a text that was placed here in 1997 on the occasion of the 450th Anniversary of the Cervantes' birth. Cervantes was born in Alcalá de Henares on the 29 September 1547 in a home that still stands on the corner of calle Mayor with calle de la Imagen.

Finally, as we were returning home we passed a construction site on the Plaza de Cervantes. A better description was a restoration of one of the buildings. The workers had stripped away the outer facing of the building to uncover the original brick and wood work. Fascinating! Here are some pictures that show the varied materials used in the construction of a building that probably dates to the later part of the 16th and early part of the 17th centuries. Notice the use of brick, rock, and wood along with morter. Also, look at the rough hued beams and floor joists. The restoration also revealed some decorative end pieces on some floor joists. In Spain there are real efforts to preserve the past rather than tearing it down to make way for more modern constructions. They are very aware of their history and value it.

(Look at those diagonal beams in the wall [bottom left]; The brick [bottom right] is a type of adobe; the panel [top right] is rock and morter)

(These are floor beams with a small balcony extending over them)

(Here you can see where two different types of brick are used, separated only by these vertical beams; adobe brick [left] and red fired brick [right])

(Here the workers uncovered some decorative floor beams extending out from the wall. Below are large, rough hued horizontal beams built around the window opening)

So, here we are in Alcalá de Henares SPAIN! You might guess from the streetlight reflection in the street that it has been raining. The long-standing tradition is that every time the Shermans arrive in Spain, it rains. It had been raining this morning when we left for our Sunday meetings, but by this afternoon it had cleared up just enough to give us a little hope that we might get out of the chalet, stretch our legs, and try to shake off the jet lag. No luck! We got a few blocks away from the chalet and were just starting to take some picture for the blog when the wind whipped up, and POW, the rain started come down in sheets. By the time we got back to the bridge that leads to our chalet we were soaked. Oh well, what is life without a few "traditions." According to Jannette the forecast for tomorrow is good: no rain and warming up. We will just have to see about that! Despite our brief foray into Alcalá, we did get some photos just to give you an idea of a few of the interesting things we will be seeing. First, this is the view from the bridge that crosses the train tracks. We are looking down the Paseo de la Estación. During the course of our adventure in Alcalá we will walk this stretch many, many times on our way to the university and to visit the old part of the city. As you walk along this street you can see many diverse and interesting sites. There are restaurants (our favorite being the one that sells doner kebabs [turkish sandwiches], shops, bakeries, a small Rumanian church, and the Centro de Estudios Cisnerianos that is part of the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares.


To the left is a photo of the Palacete Laredo where the Centro de Estudios Cisnerianos is housed. The building was designed by Manuel José Laredo y Ordoño and constructed between 1880--1882. The building boasts a beautiful neo-Mudéjar design, with other architectural elements (e.g., Gothis, Renaissance, and Modernist) dispersed throughout its complex design. Frankly it is an odd enclave of beauty along a normally mundane and commercially rich area. All around it are apartments and business. The funniest aspect of this building is that next door and sitting on the corner is an small building where regularly you can hear the sound of dance music. If you look closely you will see older men and women inside dancing to their hearts content!

Just before the rain began to descend on us I had taken a picture of these three towers that are part of the university's Facultad de Derechos (Law School). Located on calle Libreros, the towers belong to what was once the Iglesia del Colegio Máximo de la Compañía de Jesus and is currently known as the Parroquia de Santa María Mayor, which moved to this site in 1936 after its building was burned. Construction on the church began in 1567. Additional work was done between 1602-1620 due to a significant donation from the Mendoza Family. The architectural design is heavily influenced by Italian design. Below are a view of the three towers of the church.





One of the more interesting aspects of these towers are the large stork nests that can be found on the roof of the church. These stork nests can weigh many hundreds of pounds and are used by the same pairs each year. I caught some pictures of them perched on the roof and at the feet of Saints. I really like the one of the cross with the two storks posing around and on top. In Arabic culture the stork (cigüeña) marked the passing of winter into spring. For others, the stork is a symbol of good luck and the adversary of evil. I guess that with the latter symbols the presence of the storks on the Church represents an important combined symbolism. Especially the one of the stork posing on the cross. Interesting connection.