The great thing about patron saints is

Patron saint's day (i.e. a really big party). This last weekend I went to the nearby town of Segovia with my roommate Chris and another girl in our program named Caileen. It just so happened that Saturday was Dia de San Frutas de los Pajaros* who is the patron saint of Segovia. (*this is probably not the actual name of the saint, since it directly translates to "Saint Fruits of the Birds," but it's sure what it sounded like every time a local told me what was going on).

As a result of this coincidence, we not only thoroughly enjoyed Segovia's incredible castle, good views, and quaint streets, but also partied all night long with Segovians of all ages. After walking through a river park below Segovia in the evening and seeing the castle lit up against the background of nearby mountains, I almost wish that the University of Salamanca were in Segovia. When we got back to our pension (private residence that rents out cheap rooms), we found a large stage erected in the Plaza Mayor right in front of the cathedral. At about 10:30 p.m. segovians of all shapes and sizes began filling the Plaza, and a band began to play. Four and a half hours (and two wonderful bowls of some soup that are somehow associated with Saint whoever and distributed widely at midnight) later, the band finally stopped playing, and the people began to disperse. It was a little strange to dance to covers of classic American rock songs between some middleschool kids who knew every lyric and a cute old Spanish couple who nodded their heads to the beat while leaning on their canes. But all in all, a wonderful time.

This week I had two midterms, because apparently it is already 1/3 the way through the quarter, and managed to make it through my second full five day week for the year. Luckily, I'm not going to have another one until the week before finals in December. Today after class, I'm headed to Sevilla in southern Spain for a long weekend, since we have Monday off for "All Saints' Day." It's supposed to be in the high 80s in Sevilla, which is very unseasonal, but I don't think i'm going to complain.