Wherever You Go

For those of you who don't know me, I'm a sucker for the mountains. Maybe it has something to do with the feeling of being on top of the world, completely invincible and entirely badass for being able to climb all the way up there in the first place. So my love for Toledo, a small town set in the mountains an hour outside of Madrid, probably has something to do with that. Regardless, Toledo has my heart for its similarities to one of my other homes in this world: Israel. Aside from the fact that Toledo has a remarkably high Jewish population and has the only whole-standing synagogue left in Spain, it is most interestingly known for being the home of Christians and Muslims and Jews, who have all lived in the same community, together, for centuries. Can you imagine?!

Coincidentally, a few days ago I was explaining to some friends about my background in Judaism and why it is important to me. I am asked this fairly often, usually by other Jewish teenagers curious as to how and why I have stayed connected to the religion, and my answer is always the same: First, I don't really consider myself a religious Jew, but rather a cultural Jew. I don't believe in keeping kosher or that not eating for an entire day for Yom Kippur makes up for a year's worth of "sins," let alone that cutting out bread products for a week for Passover honors our ancestors' freedom from Pharaoh in Egypt. Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, perhaps I am thinking about this a little more. 

However, I do believe that doing these things connects us with Jews around the world, and here in a small town in Spain, I find this connection even more profound. As a matter of fact, there is a song I have sung since nursery school that goes, "wherever you go, there's always someone Jewish, you're never alone when you say you're a Jew." As a young Jewish teenager, it is important to me to stay connected with my heritage no matter where I am in the world, particularly in Spain, because I stand for the continuity of Judaism. 

My friends and I wandered through Toledo, searched through shops full of Star of David necklaces and Mezuzot, saw the fourteenth-century synagogue, and walked among a community of people who share our same heritage. They found some appreciation for our heritage just like I did, as we stepped over the mosaic stones of "חי," "life", as well as mosaic menorah and other hebrew words implanted in the ground.

Throughout my time here, I have practiced the language, learned the history of the country, embraced the culture, tasted new foods, beheld views, and took on the challenge of pretending to be a local. In the Jewish town of Toledo, a town which reminded me so much of my connection to Judaism, to Israel, and to Spain, I felt such an intense desire to bridge the gap between my Spanish and Jewish heritage. 

Yesterday in Toledo, my girlfriends came running up to me with excitement to show me the Star of David earrings they had just bought at the fourteenth-century synagogue, and how they bought them so that they, too, can show off their pride to be a Jew, wherever they go. In a Catholic country such as Spain, getting to explore my Sephardic roots this weekend was remarkable, but getting to share that with other Jewish teenagers was even more so.

the entire city of Toledo- very small, but so beautiful

Toledo is surrounded by water, almost to act like a mote for the city and protect it from enemies

enjoying the view

happy as can be to watch the city below us, before we even got to experience its importance to us

side streets, tiendas, cafes, and beautiful architecture fills this town

a closer look

having fun in Plaza Zocodover with the class of kids from Severa Ochoa that traveled with us for the day

it looks like a postcard, a green screen, or something completely artificial, but that's Toledo for you...

a group of my friends getting ready to see Toledo together

one of my favorites, shows Toledo and Tagus River

bridging the gap between the city and its neighbor, just like the bridge of my heritage

more of a view...

walking across the bridge to Toledo

Tagus River, protects Toledo like a mote

these small pieces of mosaic are implanted in the cobblestones of the streets all over Toledo- this one says, "Chai," which means "life"

This mosaic shows the Hebrew letters that spell out Sephardic in Spanish; they are all over the city, hidden in plain sight for those who bother to look

what a view

in the deck of the 14th century synagogue in Toledo, I got to share my Sephardic history with a friend, Adan

they call this the "keyhole," as it looks exactly like a keyhole, and it allows you to see the city through it right outside of La Plaza Zocodover

Eric and I, who I have gone to school with since nursery school. Now we have explored Spain, specifically Toledo, together. (cue Jewish mothers k'felling)

Toledo from up top

I've decided to include a few photos from Israel, just to show some similarities between Israel and Toledo...you can see how similar this view of Jerusalem is to the photos above of Toledo

Jerusalem through the boulders

a side street off of Ben Yehuda, same vibe as streets off of Plaza Zocodover in Toledo

Carpe Diem

Another day, another adventure!

A friend of mine told me the other day of a Latin expression he lives by: "carpe diem quam minimum credula postero," meaning, "seize the day believing the minimum is tomorrow." I decided to take his advice (thanks, Filippo), and seize each moment this weekend...

Today a few of us went to Retiro Park to walk around and enjoy the sun, and later to a rooftop patio of a hotel in the center of Madrid. It had the most incredible view of the city, so I ordered a cappuccino and sat down to admire the scenery. It was completely idyllic, the kind of moment you imagine and dream to have in Europe. It made me realize that I take moments like this for granted--I don't mean that I don't appreciate them, but rather, I think they pass by too quickly, and they're gone before I remember to put my phone down, look around, take a breath, and just be present. (Don't worry, I snapped a few photos before actually putting my phone down!) After all, isn't the point of this adventure to immerse myself in all things Spanish and get away from the banal routine I have waiting for me back in Lafayette Hill?

This weekend we went to Andalucía (Córdoba and Granada, specifically). My Spanish girls and I walked through the cobblestone streets of Córdoba at night, laughing our asses off over everything, (and nothing that made sense). We stood in a garden of orange trees that gave off a sweet, citrus-y smell I had forgotten about from the last time I was here. Still, my favorite part of the weekend was revisiting the Alhambra. I'm not typically a fan of site-seeing in its truest form, tour guides and everything, but this is one of the sites I consider the exception. The Alhambra is an open-air building which allows the sun to get in everywhere, and we lucked out and had the perfect sunny day, so I got to enjoy every bit of it to its maximum.

I crave the sense of contentment I feel while I am here and in my element. While everything isn't always perfect, there is something to be said for the kind of independence that comes with traveling abroad. I love coming out of my comfort zone and I find it exhilarating to get lost in a foreign city and learn to find my way around. It is sometimes hard to adapt to a different lifestyle, but I'm up for the challenge. I know that it will only prepare me to find my way around at CU Boulder and help me embrace a new kind of lifestyle. There are all kinds of changes coming my way, some scary, some exciting, some completely foreign, and some that I can't even imagine right now. But whatever it is, I dare myself to welcome these changes by being patient and present, open-minded and ambitious, unconventional and fabulously feral, and maybe even raise some hell while I'm at it.

Madrid through my eyes... lovin' what I'm seeing', lovin' what I'm drinkin'

a taste of Córdoba through stained glass windows

enchanting Granada- even in the more touristy areas, the city has so much charm

the gardens at La Alhambra. completely breathtaking, even in the dead of winter

besos con mi amor, Sara

here, instead of the expression, "every brunette needs a blonde best friend," they use, "every blonde needs a blonde best friend." Here is mine :)

more fountains under blue skies at La Alhambra

Zach and I admiring the view...

....and the view we were admiring

a peek through the Renaissance architecture of the gardens

windows to peek through, views to behold, sun to bask in

a pano of more of the same, but too beautiful not to post

being a little sassy 

views on views on views

my blonde Spanish best friend 

the perfect spot for a picture

reflecting on my favorite moments in the reflection of my favorite part of La Alhambra

tres chiquitas hangin' out in the mosaic

one of my favorite parts of the Alhambra, it brings in the most light

too many beautiful views...

"mis novios," the brothers of some of the Spaniards

El Retiro Park

the view from the rooftop patio mentioned above

my Spaniard, Laura and I overlooking the view

Madrid in my eyes

the group of girls who spent the day together at Retiro Park and the rooftop deck

lotta love for lex

classy and a little bit sassy

we've known each other since we were babies, lived down the street from each other our entire lives, but become friends in two weeks in another country... Mark Twain once said, "I have found that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them." 

"here are the dreamers, the naive, the ones who believe in the strength of the words." This was in the library of famous philosophers and authors in Córdoba.

this isn't even a painting...just looks like one

picking oranges off the trees in Córdoba

...we could only pretend to eat them

Aday, Claudia and I

to give y'all a taste of the Spanish architecture...not to be believed

artisans creating boxes, backgammon boards, and more from scratch