Catholicism in Spain, Part 2

Sorry about the radio silence. I haven't been able to get on the internet in a week now, not from the library, anyway. Because of that, the only time I was able to get on (at a tea shop) I spent the entire few hours doing work. So no time to blog.

Finally though, I've got some spare minutes before I head over to a birthday celebration (with lechazo, so excited). I thought, heck, I should probably finish that religion post, part 2, that I promised (a month ago). 

Fair warning, it's a Catholic post, with Catholic themes, theology, morality, and the works. If you'd like anything further explained, if you'd like to argue, anything at all, message me on Facebook and we can discuss via email. Also, this is based just on my observation. I'd love to hear any opposing view points.

In a lot of ways, Spain has similar issues to the States when it comes to religion. There's a very low percentage of mass attendance, and those who do attend are usually older, at least in their sixties or seventies. The black hole of religious attendance is roughly 20-35. It's the stage after you become an adult (maybe in university, maybe still at home) but you don't have kids yet. It seems to be that children, just as in the US, are the ones who draw parents back to the church, at least for a little while. Though to be honest, I'm not sure that it's so much an understanding of the importance of the sacraments as it is more of 'this is what we do'. Which I think brings up another important point...

Spain was a Catholic country. Very, very Catholic. I've mentioned several times how incredible it is to walk into the thousand year old churches that are all throughout this country, from the smallest pueblo to the biggest city. It really is amazing. And Spaniards, in general, are proud of their ancient heritage (maybe not as a collective nation, but in their individual regions). The government pays to help up keep the old churches, they keep a number of feast days as holidays (even if the name has been changed), and as I mentioned, it seems that in general, children get the sacraments. But it seems that most people view these long standing traditions the same way they view the castle down the road, 'This is our heritage, this is part of our community, but at this point, it's a museum.' 

I think problems arise when your religion and national identity are completely intertwined. Stepping back a bit, it's easy to see that a good way to keep Spain unified (after really not wanting to be unified) was with their Catholic identity. As a number of countries fell to some sort of Protestantism, it would have united them to be Catholic, with the Reyes Catolicos, pilgrimages, shrines, religious orders, and saints. And at the time, when Spain was a world power, they never thought their would be a downside. 

Fast forward to Franco. 

My knowledge of Spanish history is not extensive, but in summary, Franco dominated by using what we in the US could call 'conservative values'. He used the church and, it pains me to say it, many clergy went right along with him. Catholic and national identity, instead of representing a world power, came to represent a repressive, totalitarian government. What often gets overlooked is that so many priests, religious, and lay people, were killed in the civil war for refusing to renounce their faith, which is a good thing, whatever side they were on (recently 55 were canonized from the Diocese of Burgos, my region, you can get more info here). These beatifications (1,500 or so at this point) were quite controversial because of the church's involvement in Franco's regime, despite the fact that those beatified were not fighters, but priests dragged from their convents or churches and killed. I think the controversy over the beatifications explains the entire attitude towards Catholicism in Spain- The church did bad things, so now nothing good can be said about it. Or, in maybe a less severe statement, until the church admits she did wrong in supporting Franco, nothing good should be given to those who supported the republican side.

Of course, the church did a lot of bad things in supporting Franco. He was crazy, murderous, and deserves to be denounced. It's a deep wound here in Spain (though I would note that the highest percentage of mass attendees are those who would have been adults during his rule). It causes a lot of people to really dislike the church in general, while still enjoying the cultural heritage. I won't repeat them, but if someone really wants to swear in Spain, they go for blasphemy. 

After what was an extreme union of church and state, they've gone, in a lot of ways, the opposite direction. Catholic morality has been completely discarded at the governmental level. Even a lot of people that I know who are Catholic have done away with Catholic morality. Abortion, gay marriage, sex before marriage, contraception; all these are clear Catholic moral teachings that seem to be rejected without question. 

There are definite parallels between here and the US. But here, it's on a massive scale, a country-wide scale. It breaks my heart a little, seeing the history and the present. The great saints of Spain left their mark, and now it seems like so little remains (I promise I'll end the post with something positive, bear with me). I think that what we as a church must take away from this experience is not to look at things on a national level, but instead on the level of right or wrong. Not that we shouldn't get involved in politics. I think that's key (and I hate politics). But labeling ourselves and conservative or progressive or liberal or whatever could never encompass the solid truths of the Catholic church. In order to see things clearly, we first of all must be Catholic. If we don't, it's only too easy to get carried away in being Franco's church. 

As promised, the positives. About half the priests I know here are under 40. They're fantastic, devoted young men. There's an entire community of religious women in a town right down the road. They make up the majority of the population, and they're young! I've seen them on numerous occasions, and most are in their thirties! In fact they are a lot of religious orders, all of varying sizes. I know very deeply religious people. Not just older, but my age and younger. I've been on retreats with them, prayed in adoration with them, gone to dinner with them. They are the new generation of Catholics in Spain. Untainted by the regime of the dictator that Hitler called crazy, they are revitalizing the church. Overall I'm left with hope, and the the assurance from Christ that the gates of Hell will not prevail, the victory has been won, and the church, despite the fact that it's made up of all of us sinners, will stand firm. 

Happy New Year, Spanish Style

Following my Christmas adventure, I came back to Spain (and was quite relieved to be back in a country in which I speak the language). I passed out after Christmas, quite exhausted. But my lovely priest here, Raul, invited me to a prayer group with some people roughly my age. One of the women is just a little younger than me (though she looks 2 years old than me) and invited me to celebrate New Year's Eve with her family! Que maja. I accepted, as my previous New Years plans included buying twelve grapes, eating them at the stroke of midnight, and going to bed. Lame, I know.

Instead, I dressed up and went over to visit with her family. It was a delightful and cultural experience. Her family welcomed me, even showed me pictures from their son's wedding. I ate rich, typical New Years food, which, similar to Christmas, is sea food. They were nice enough to make it without shrimp for me (I'm allergic). It was delicious. A third of a fish, avocado filled with tuna, Spanish ham (so much better than American 'ham'), bread, and wine and beer from their vineyard. We had good conversation, and I was amused by the little nieces, who insisted on dancing with me, and told me all the English words they knew. It was a fantastic evening.

A momentary explanation of grapes. After we finished up dinner (about 11:30) we took several pictures, and waited for midnight, holding tiny wooden baskets filled with 12 grapes each. In Spain, there is no ball drop. Instead, they eat a grape with each stroke of midnight. Ours were vineyard grapes, authentic and seeded (which made them kind of difficult to eat with each stroke). They also have a tradition of wearing red, singing villancicos (carols) and partying into the early morning. Several times I was asked, "What do you eat on New Years?" "What are your New Years traditions?" My answer was always, "I usually watch the ball drop in New York." Lame, I know. I did get some amusement out of explaining how people shoot blanks on New Year's ("You mean with guns? That they have in their house?") though that probably didn't do anything positive for American stereotypes. In truth, I don't really have any New Years traditions. Perhaps I'll have to import some from Spain back to the States.

Afterwards, we went out and partied. I made it until 3:30 am, and then I was done (this was excellent for me, truth be told). My friends weren't even close to being done. They bought this pass that got them in for free to three bars, with a drink in each one. When I left at 3:30, we'd only been to one bar, and that wasn't even part of the pass deal. We got into that one for free! As you can imagine, the 1st is a national holiday, mostly because it's an important feast day, but also probably because everyone's passed out until the afternoon. (because in Spain, bars aren't just for 20 somethings. Everyone goes out and parties.)

So that's New Years in Spain. I hope to have an adventure in Salamanca in a couple weeks (the bus leaves at 5:45 am, hooray) but coming up in less than a month is my trip to London and Wales, which I just booked hostals for (and got a killer bus ticket from London-Cardiff). I'll try and write up a blog with some cheap London travel tips as well (if only the relationship between Pound and Euro was a little more in my favor. Damn you crisis!) Write more soon! (oh and I'll finish the promised Church blog as well)

Rome, Part 2

Alright, I think it's time (you know, three weeks after Christmas) to finish up my blog post on my Christmas travels. I've gotten a bit lazy with the blogging, I know (that's not the only thing I've been lazy about. Christmas vacation always does this to me).

I ended with my recommendation for Saint Clements's. I'd also like to include a recommendation for St. John Lateran, which contains the chair that the Pope sits on during his... swearing in ceremony. I can't think of the actual word right now, and I don't have too much time left at the library, so I'm going to leave it with 'you know what I mean'. They have a free audio guide which is neat, and if you pay five euro, you can see some artifacts in the courtyard area. I think 5 was a bit of a rip off, but they do have some cool stuff. And St. John L's is huge and beautiful, so it's worth spending the time there.

Other recommended places-

The Spanish Steps. Full of people, and very beautiful.

The Vatican Museums. Awesome. Spend at least 4 hours there and go in the early afternoon, anywhere from 1-3 pm, not in the morning. It will save you a couple hour wait in the lines (I had no wait). And see the Sistine chapel!

Stop random places- See an open church? Stop by! They're all beautiful, even the small ones. I stopped in a number of random churches on the way, and love every one of them! There are also ruins hiding everywhere. If you see one, stop!

Rome is gigantic. I guarantee you will not see everything, unless you spend at least a week there, maybe two. I was not able to see everything I wanted, so in case you have more time than I did, and you're still looking for things to see, here's what I recommend: St. Mary Major, The Holy Steps (they close at 12 and don't open until 3, be warned), St. Paul Outside the Walls (take a bus), St. Peter in Chains, the Coliseum, and the crypts under the Vatican (they were closed during the Christmas season). Lots I didn't get to see. But I believe I'm going back with the family, and we'll have more time to see them. Heck, maybe we'll even take a bus.

Oh, and don't forget to eat Gelato. Sweet, sweet, gelato.

 

Side note- Let's say you're like me, and your plane arrives at oh, 23:30. You may be worried about transportation, or getting to your hotel safely. No need to worry! Remember, Spaniards are nocturnal on the weekends. The metro in Madrid goes until 1 am, and the streets are packed until who knows when. Even getting to my hostal at 1, I didn't feel the least bit unsafe. In fact, I felt less safe at 10:00 am going to the bus station, when there was practically no one on the streets except for these two drunk guys that started fist fighting as I walked past them.

Rome, Sweet Home, Part 1

When I got into Rome on Christmas Eve Day, I did a very stupid thing. I didn't stop at the information desk. Always stop at the information desk. You get a free map! I thought, hey, I've got a map on my phone, what do I need a free map for? Always stop at the information desk. (and if you know me, you know my sense of direction is... how do I put this... really terrible)

So I wandered around Rome for quite some time looking for my hotel. After about two hours, I gave up, called a cab. I swear to you, he went through the most crowded parts of the city, and I had practically no Euro left. And guess which cabs do not take cards. Why, the ones in Rome, of course. I ended up having just enough (and I mean just enough, I used one cent coins) to pay the guy. Overall, it was kind of a stressful adventure. If only I had gotten a map, I would have realized that my hotel was within walking distance (about 45 minutes, but still).

Anyway, the hotel I stayed at was great. If I walked outside the hotel and down the street, I could see Saint Peter's. The location next to the Vatican was really priority for me, and I certainly got that. After settling in, I went there first. Most everything was closed by then, but I managed to get my first glimpses at the outside, and I watched some of the Christmas plays and whatnot they celebrated outside of the church, mostly, I think, to amuse the people waiting in line for Christmas mass at Saint Peter's. While I sent in for a ticket, I didn't end up getting one, but if you do get one, arrive early for that line. It was huge. It wrapped around the entirety of the square. I don't know how early you have to get there to get a good seat, but bring a snack.

My mass was at the Pantheon. It wasn't quite clear what time the place was going to open, so I showed up at about 9:30, with about ten other people. I had a good conversation with some American nerds (nerds attract nerds) and we waited. And waited. And waited. We had a number of people come up to us and ask what time the doors would open (we had no clue) and thus compiled a list of all the times we had heard the place would open. 9:30, 10:00, 10:30, and 11:00 were all on the list. The doors finally opened at 11:30, but we formed a line before that. I was in the front and got a seat, but if you show up and you're at the back of the line, expect to stand. We watched as they set up a series of metal fences around the doors, to keep people from cutting. Would someone actually do that, we wondered. Not a minute later, a whole bunch of people tried to cut right in. Oh brother. Have I mentioned yet that Americans have a strict sense  of right and wrong when it comes to lines, and that it doesn't carry over into other countries?

The mass was quite beautiful, as is the Pantheon. Dress warmly, as there is a hole in the ceiling. I wish I had worn pants, or at the very least thermals under my tights. But it's a lovely mass, and if you're okay with Italian, I recommend it. Plan to be out until 1:30, 2:00 though.

I'm going to run through the rest of my trip in a not so chronological order, as a lot of my time was spent walking places. I do recommend walking verses public transportation, but the major downside is that you don't always get to see everything you want to see. For example, I did not end up making it to the inside of the Coliseum. It was what I sacrificed to see other things. Also, I recommend, if you're walking to the sacred steps, leave early, because they close at noon and don't open again until three (what is this, Spain?). These were two places I really wanted to see, but didn't get a chance to. Luckily, when my family comes in June, I believe we're making a stop off in Rome, so I'll have another opportunity.

To start out, Saint Peter's. Go there. It's beautiful. I recommend heading over in the morning, before the security line gets too long. I love the exterior of Saint Peter's especially. I could stare at those statues for hours. The inside is filled with beautiful artwork. You can even go to mass (which I did on Christmas day) and confession. Confession in English! Luxury I tell you. Without a doubt my favorite thing in Saint Peter's was the Pieta, Michelangelo's statue of Mary cradling Jesus after he's been taken down from the cross. It's so moving- the way Mary's eyes are on her son, her one hand holding him, and her other raised up to heaven, offering Jesus to the Lord and to His plan, as she always did. In my opinion, it's the most beautiful piece of artwork ever.

I also recommend a trip to the roof. It's about 5 Euro, 7 if you take the stairs. I have quite a phobia of windy, small steps, so while going up was not an issue, going down was terrifying. But it's worth it for that view. And it's really not that many stairs, certainly not compared to the Toledo Cathedral, or even the one in Burgos. It was actually the only time I saw the Vatican gardens, since I couldn't find my way to them on foot.

Bit of advice--don't run on the Vatican rooftops. See, there's a point when you have to cross over the roof (not a roof roof, but an area that's exposed to the elements) to get to the last set of stairs down. And by the time I made it down to that section, it was pouring. There was torrential rain, complete with high winds. Everyone was mingling, wondering what to do, when a brave family stepped out into the rain. Their kids were jogging a little bit and I thought, hey why not. I opened my umbrella and stepped out, and attempted to run to the next entrance. Next thing I know, my umbrella has flipped inside out (I thought that only happened in movies). I'm laughing at it when, next thing I know, I'm sliding down the roof on my but (again, not the roof roof). It was at a slope, so I'm basically on a water slide for a few seconds. My stuff flies out of my purse (thank goodness my phone case is awesome, otterbox is totally worth it) and I land on my wrist. It was a little painful. The family who went first came back to help me up, which I really appreciated in the rain, and I continued on, wet but mostly unharmed. The moral of the story is, if you go up to the Vatican dome and see a sign that says, no running, that's because of me.

Other recommended places:

1. Trevi fountain. It's really cool, you throw in a coin over your left shoulder, and if you do so, I believe it means you'll be back in Rome again (hopefully June, for me). Also, there's a  gelato shop nearby with Nutella gelato. Nutella. Gelato.

2. Saint Clements's Basilica. The final resting place of Pope Saint Clement (and Saint Cyril), it's a small but beautiful church. The mosaic in the front is amazing. It's Christ on the Cross, surrounded by vines. It was featured in Catholicism by Fr. Robert Baron, and I really recommend stopping off to see it. It's also got a very famous painting of Mary in it. But even more than just the Basilica is what's under it. They excavated underneath in the 1800s, and found that not only was the Basilica built on an older Saint Clement's (4th-12th century, where they found the remains of Saint Cyril) but on top of an old Roman cult of Mithras building (which was converted from the house of an aristocrat). In the old Basilica you can still see the frescos on the walls (most of which have been restored). There's one in particular of the Virgin and Child that was behind another fresco. The top fresco was precariously attached, and fell right off the wall, only to reveal the fourth century Madonna. There are also frescos of saints, Christ rescuing the souls who died before him from the 'limbo of the church fathers' , and the story of Saint Clements's body. Saint Clements's body was attached to an anchor and thrown into the Black Sea, but was found and buried on an island. Every year, the tide would ebb and reveal his burial site. Well one year, a little boy was caught in the tide and take out to sea. But the next year, he was returned to the shore, safe and sound (now whether he was a year older or not, the fresco didn't say). Once you finish with the old Basilica, the next level down is a preserved building from before the fourth century (2nd, if I remember correctly). It used to be an aristocrat's house, and you can definitely tell. Not only is it huge, it's got running water. It was then converted into a cult of Mithras, and some of the artifacts are still there. Overall, Saint Clements's is worth the visit. And, they give student discounts if you've got your under 26 card (available on most travel websites).

Well, the library is going to close soon, and I at least want to get started posting these. I still have a few more recommendations, but I'll have to post them when I get here next time. I'll try to head over in the afternoon, but I'm sick, so I'm not sure if I'll be up to leaving my house twice in one day.

Christmas Layover

I recently, as you know if you're friends with me on Facebook (because I've posted probably 500 pictures and that's still not all the pictures that I have), had the pleasure of being in Rome over Christmas break. It was fantastic, and I'd like to fill you in as best I can, not only for the people who read my blog, but for me, so I remember what all happened there.

When I bought these tickets a few months ago, I decided that I wanted to have a layover somewhere, long enough that I could explore a new city. I chose Zurich on the way out, with Frankfurt on the way in. The latter was not long enough to go out and explore Germany, but my layover in Zurich was about 12 hours, so more than enough time to go out and explore. The train station is right near the airport, so after navigating the train schedules/tickets (I had to ask someone which train was mine (and by ask I mean point and mime)) I got to the main train station downtown. When you reach the main station, you're in Old Town, which, if you've only got a couple of hours, I recommend checking out. It's a beautiful city- old just like many parts of Spain, but in a more... orderly way. For example, if a building is crumbling down to nothing in Spain, say an old farmhouse or a storefront, they just let it crumble. There are half buildings everywhere in Spain. I don't think the same can be said for Zurich, at least not the part I saw.

I had two goals in mind- see the Grossmunster and the Fraumunster churches, and as a bonus goal, find a Christmas market. Luckily, both the churches tower above the skyline in that part of Zurich, and the Christmas market was on a street lit up with lights, so I managed to do them all. The Fraumunster was closed, and I thought the same thing would hold for the Grossmunster, but as I'm about to leave, I notice some people walk inside. I thought, heck, why not. If it's a service, the worst that could happen is a little embarrassment. So I walked in. It is a beautiful church and again struck me as more orderly than the churches in Spain (though I love them, they do seem sometimes to be designed oddly-throw a chapel here, throw a chapel there, etc.). To my surprise, there was an orchestra and choir practicing in the loft above me, getting ready for the Christmas Eve service the next day. It was like having my own private concert! It was just heavenly. I'm so glad I walked into that church. I stayed for about a half an hour before leaving. I wish I could have stayed more.

I did manage to find a large Christmas market, housed in the same main train station, off to the side of where the trains arrive. It was quite impressive. Every little stall offered something Christmas related; a nativity, a Christmas sweet, a Christmas ale. But they closed at nine, and I mean at nine. I went to buy a spiced orange drink at 9:01 (I checked my phone) and it was 'sorry, we're closed.' Talk about efficient. Afterwards, I boarded a train and went back to the airport, and settled down for an uncomfortable winter's nap on  airport chairs.

A note on sleeping at the Zurich airport- It's doable. However, make sure you get to the airport before 11, because they close down . You won't be able to get through security. Also, if you have an early morning flight, check your bag the night before, because you may just find that security opens after your flight leaves. I was fine, but I definitely heard two girls get told, you might as well find another flight, because they were stuck in such a situation.

Next post, Rome!