Felipe

Remember when I went to the castle in the town Xativa?  Well, with the pictures on Facebook, there was this photo of King Felipe V..upside down.  Today I learned the reason why the portrait isn't right side up.  King Carlos II, the king before Felipe, died in 1700 without an heir, ending the Spanish Hapsburg dynasty.  There was a great debate about who would rule the vest empire which encompassed Spain, half of Italy, Holland, South America, Central America, Mexico and the western and southern states of America.  The French and Austrians fought over the successor and in the end, French King Louie XIV won and his nephew Philip, or Felipe, took the thrown.  The people in Eastern Spain (Valencia, Barcelona...) opposed the new king and tried to fight it.  When the troops of Felipe V surrounded Xativa, the citizens ran into the local church, which the troops burned to the ground, people included.  From that point, Felipe V and his descendants have their portraits upside down in Xativa to show their dislike and disagreement of his dynasty.  The most recent kings, Juan Carlos I and his son have the honor of correctly orientated portraits.

I know that the weather at home is a bit chilly, but we have been in the high 60s, low 70s everyday.  On Tuesday, my anthropology class was outside.  So we wouldn't have to sit in the dirt, my classmate took a bench off its rails and put it on the ground.  It was so funny.  It was wonderful to be able to be out in the warm, fresh air.

One thing that interests me is how people my age interact with each other.  When you greet any person, no matter the gender, you kiss their cheeks.  For me, it is very personal.  This stranger is in my space and it makes me a little uncomfortable.  At home, half the time you don't even shake hands when you meet someone.  Here, it is also very common to hug and drape arms around someone of the opposite gender, whether you are good friends with them or mot.  It is interesting on how different Spanish and American cultures are about social interactions and what is socially acceptable.

Fun Facts:

The first Spanish Pope was born in Xativa.

In Spanish, there are two words for the word "you."  One is used for people you are familiar with and the other is more formal.