SYA Trip to Tarazona

TARAZONA

After the Veruela monastery, we boarded the bus and journeyed a short distance to Tarazona which was once home to the kings of Aragon. Called Mudejar City, Tarazona is unique in that the streets are laid out in tiers above the Queiles River quays. Built at the foot of the Moncayo Mountain, Tarazona has little flat land.


Photos: Extremely large stork's nest from a distance and close-up. Antonio told us they weigh about 300 kilos or 660 pounds which we didn't believe until we spotted one on top of this church




























Photo: SYA students -- Riley (Parker's advisee), Marc (he finished high school in his junior year and is now doing SYA 'just for fun', Angelica (SPS student), and Martin.

Martin mentioned that his host mother serves his so much food every night that he often goes to bed feeling as if he's going to burst (put in polite terms). He's working on telling her that he'd prefer smaller portions but cooking can be directly associated with a Spanish mother's ego. Declining it can be interpreted as not only rude but as disliking the mother. Many of the SYA students cite similar experiences. One female student, who's a healthy weight, said that even though she's gained 10 pounds here, her host mother called her anorexic when she refused seconds. To top if off, Spaniards eat dinner at 9 or 10 p.m. during the weekday and 11 or 12 a.m. on the weekend. Dinner marks the end of the day which explains why it is so late but it leaves little time to digest!











Photo: Parker and Antonio in conversation





Interestingly, Tarazona also had a vibrant Jewish population in the old part of town, until the expulsion of the Jews in 1492 by King Ferninand and Queen Isabel (their union created what is current day Spain) . Today, little remains that is recognizable. The alleys are fronted with Moorish and Spanish buildings, and some, called "hanging houses," are built on top of natural rock formations, beneath which are caves once used by Tarazona's Jewish population. Now, a Jewish group is working to restore portions of their former community into historical landmarks.


Photo: Plaza de Toros Vieja (the old Bull ring). Apartments surround the ring and when the ring was active, residents would pop their heads out their windows to watch the show


















Photo: Lupe, our tour guide giving an overview of the history of the bullring. While very knowledgeable, she was difficult to hear, which made the tour harder to follow












Photos: Students with Tarzona in background






















Photo: Arlene and Taylor (one of Parker's advisees and in our Spanish class)















Photo: Kelsey with gal pals, Sofie and Helen. We are babysitting Helen's turtle while the SYA students travel on week-long viajes (trips) during the week of November 8.


















Photo: Lighthearted Chi-Chi (SPS student) with her serious face, and Marie (she's in Spanish class with Parker and Celia and is the youngest student in SYA just turning 16 in October)













Photo: Chanel and Angelica (SPS students)












Photo: Post-tour lunch with SYA faculty, Parker, Ellen, Lupe (Angeles' friend and our tour guide), Antonio, and Celia. While extravagant, these lunches have been a great way for us to get to know the faculty more personally. During the regular school day, the schedule is busy and it doesn't allow time for many relaxed conversations. Are you wondering where Colin and Kelsey are during our boondoggle? They spent a couple of relaxed hours having lunch with a few hand-picked SYA students in a local Tarazona restaurant