La Rojigualda

Sorry, I didn't post yesterday. There was really no reason that I didn't. I wasn't too busy or anything, I just didn't get to it. But anyway, yesterday I went to the Rastro again, like last week. For those of you who don't remember, the Rastro is a huge street market that occurs every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rumor has it (Wikipedia says) that it got it's name because the people would transport the slaughtered cattle from the Matadero (Slaughterhouse) to the tanneries where they would tan the leather and they would leave a trail of blood. El Rastro means The Trail. On a side note, I live really close to what used to be the Matadero and when Karin and I were first exploring this area, we saw the Matadero and it appeared to be an arts center because of the signs that were up, but also the name suggested something different. (Matar means to kill). Also, because of where I grew up, the buildings looked like stables to me. Well, come to find out, Karin and I were right on both accounts. It is a slaughterhouse turned arts center.

Looks like state fairgrounds to me...

Anyway, I didn't buy anything at the Rastro; however, I did buy some things at a chino to make my room feel better, like hangers, a trash can, and the Rojigualda, also known as, the Spanish Flag. We also walked around for quite awhile looking for a specific store that we had been to before, but none of us were completely sure as to where it was. I thought I was positive that I knew where it was, but we could not find it on the street that I thought it was on. Luckily, it came to me where it was and we had only been one street off the whole time. So alas, we found it and Karin bought what she needed to from there. We hung out at Stephanie's for a little bit and then accompanied Karin to her place. She had bought one a Spanish flag to so Stephanie and I supervised as Karin put pictures, a mirror, and the Spanish flag up. Her room looks awesome, warm, and home-y. I was a little jealous, but soon enough, the flag will be hanging in my room.

Stephanie and I traveled home to eat dinner, but then returned to Karin's to watch a movie. We started to watch The Pianist, but we didn't finish because Karin had to work today and it got to be too late. So, I headed home and went to bed. It doesn't seem like we did too much today, but we did walk around a lot and got "important" things done. Stay tuned for my day today, which includes hanging my Spanish flag and having my first private lessons. Hasta luego.