Leon

October 23 - 25
I was invited as a member of an International Panel of Experts (Expertos del Panel Internacional) for the 5th Congress of the Spanish Association of Sport Sciences (V Congreso Asociación Española de Ciencias del Deporte) by Professor José Antonio de Paz - University of Leon.

The night before the congress Dr. de Paz took us on a night tour of Leon. The city is bustling with activity and comes alive after eight o’clock. We viewed one of Gaudi’s famous architectural wonders Casa de los Botines, but I was most impressed the 13th century Gothic cathedral Iglesia Cetedral de Santa María (La pulchra Leonina). It is one of the most beautiful and well preserved Gothic style cathedrals in Spain. It has many of the original structures as it is one of the few cathedrals that was not altered with the progress of time. Additionally its stained glass was magnificent with color and detail.

The night after the conference Dr. de Paz and his family took us out to a traditional dinner in Leon. The restaurant was built into the side of a mountain in to man made “caves”. Apparently the entire building was hand carved with small hammers into large cavernous structures. The restaurant also has it own vineyard and wine. We ate sweetbreads (goat glands), cows tongue (siviche style), a kind of blood sausage (Morcilla) served as a pate’ on toasted bread and the local wine which was a young rose’.

My thanks to Dr. de Paz for his invitation and hospitality.

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Tesis Defense

I had the honor of sitting on my first Spanish Doctoral Tesis Defense.


Pedro Marin was an exchange student in the United States last year and recently completed his doctoral work. The Court, as it is called in Europe, was comprised of Dr. Juan Carlos Calado (University of Valencia), Dr. Daniel Forte (UEM), Dr. David Garcia (University of Leon), Dr. Jonathan Forte (UEM) and I. The Tribunal was held at the Universidad Europea de Madrid.


The proceedings are a little more formal than I have been accustomed to, but it made the experience all that more memorable. Pedro did a fabulous job defending the five studies that comprised his Tesis titled "Efectos neurofisiológicos y de rendimiento de una serie de intervenciones con estimulación neuromuscular mecànica ". He passed with honors and then took "The Court" out for a wonderful lunch, as is their tradition.


Congratulations to Dr. Pedro J. Marin!

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Granada

This past weekend we went to visit the Moorish Palace/Fortress The Alhambra. It was home to the Muslim rulers and is of Islamic architecture. The site dates back to the 11th century and overlooks the city of Granada.

The Alhambra is known for its tranquility with various design features using gardens and water.

Even though the architecture and design of The Alhambra were amazing, one of my favorite parts of the walking tour was The Alcazabo (the citadel). It is the oldest portion of The Alhambra and is the strong hold – take note of the cannonballs piled in one of the buttresses.

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Segovia

My parents are in Spain for a couple weeks, so we have decided to take a couple of day trips to show them around the countryside. We decided on a trip to Segovia. Segovia is about an hour drive from Madrid.

Just outside Segovia we stopped at the Palace and Gardens of La Granja. The palace was built in a baroque design with French gardens and sculptural fountains. The palace and gardens were built by Philip V of Spain beginning in 1719 . The Gardens span some 1500 acres. Amazing fountains cast in lead (to prevent rusting) with the hue of bronze depict scenes of Greek mythology.

We then traveled a short distance to Segovia. We walked the span of the Aqueducts (about ½ mile) and stopped for lunch along the way. We dined at the famous Meson de Candido, which is located next to the aqueducts. We feasted on roast suckling pig - Cochinillo Asado. This meat is so tender that it is cut by the edge of a plate.

The Aqueducts of Segovia dates to the 1st century BC by the Romans. The aqueducts have a large elevated section that is over 100ft tall and made up of over 20 thousand large granite blocks joined without mortar. This large section is at the Plaza of Azoguejo.

The Alcazar of Segovia dates back to the early days of the 12th century. It is one of the most famous castles in Spain for its unique design and is said to have influence the design of Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.

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Oktoberfest

When I was sixteen I spent a summer exchange program in Germany. One of the regions of Germany that I did not have a chance to see was Bavaria including Munich (Munchen). Since then, I have always had a desire to make it back. Munich is only a 2.5 hour flight from Madrid, so I planned a visit and invited friends from the United States to meet me. One of my best friends Mark met me in Munich for a week of touring and enjoying the festivities of Oktoberfest. Lara, two of Marks friend (Tony and Amanda) as well as two of the students (Kelly and Chelsea) made the trip.

We spent several days enjoying the sights of Munich including the Marienplatz, Rathaus-Glokenspiel, Freidnsengel, Frauenkirche, The Haufbrau House, Bavarai Statue, as well as the Bavarian culture. Marionplatz was the home to the 11th century corn and salt markets. Today the square is the most popular meeting place for tourists from all over the world and is the symbolic centre of the city.

The Fridensengel (angel of peace) is a glittering gold monument originating from 1899 and is a representation of the Greek goddess Nike. It was build in remembrance of the peace treaty of Versailles in 1871 to give thanks to the Bavarian army.

The Haufbrau House is one of the most famous bier gardens in all of Germany and it known to have inspired a world wide famous song, with the phrase "oans, zwoa, g'suffa" ( "one, two, chug"). Another interesting fact is that Hitler hosted one of his first political rallies at The Haufbrau House.

If you know me at all, you know how much I enjoy food - here are a couple pictures of the amazing German fare.

Munich is also the home to Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest dates back to 1810 and originated as a wedding celebration between Crown Prince Ludwig (who later became King Ludwig I of Bavaria) to Princess Theresa of Saxony –Hildburghausen. It is a 16 day festival and is host to over 6 million people each year.

The beer of Oktoberfest is brewed by Munich’s six major breweries (Spaten, Löwenbräu, Augustiner, Hofbräu, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr). The beer is brought in by horse drawn carriage and is served in fourteen beer tents with a total capacity of 100,000. The beer served is a specially brewed for this festival and is classified as a pale lager.

The last few days were a bit cold and rainy – it even snowed on the last day…

Mark , Tony and I promise to buy the Lederhosen if and when we make it back to Oktoberfest.

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Valencia

August 25

We decided to take a trip to Valecia. Lara’s sister Jen was still in town and Lara had gone with her other sister Nicole, so the 6 of us (Jen, Steve, Laurie, Chelsea, Kelly) set off for an adventure on the Spanish Mediterranean Coast. Along the 5 hour drive we encountered many olive, grape and almond plantations/orchards/vineyards.

We decided after the long drive that an afternoon at the beach was in order. We began with a stroll along the boardwalk and finished with tapas at one of the oldest and most famous tapas bars in Valencia

We spent a lazy afternoon on the beach and then made our way out for a treat of Valencian Paella (seafood paella filled with lots of crustaceans and calimari/squid)

The following day we did a walking tour of Valencia after a fabulous breakfast at a local eatery.

The architecture and artwork of Valencia was amazing. Here are a few pictures of the futuristic complex of the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciences) and the walkway approaching.

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