Weekend Musings

If there's one thing I've learned from my time working with kids it's that you can never quite be sure what they are going to say. Whether the little ones are speaking English or Spanish their unpredictable utterances are often smile inducing and always memorable. Some of the best I've heard since starting work at the elementary school include: "You speak Spanish well for a British person.", "Why does it sound like a dog barking when you speak English?", "Why do you speak English if everyone else speaks Spanish?" and just the other day, "They speak Spanish in Seattle, don't they?". That last one is compliments of Alvaro, an 8 year old that I tutor. We we're finishing up class last Wednesday and had about 5 minutes left. He has a globe that sits on his desk so I thought to ask him if he knew where I'm from. He didn't, but after I pointed out Seattle he got really excited. Apparently the Disney show 'I-Carly' is based in Seattle and he wanted to know if I know the characters. I had to break it to him that unfortunately I do not, but that I do have some pictures of  the city I could show him. It was while we were flipping through the pictures that he made the above comment. I told that they speak English in Seattle and he said, "but the people in the show speak Spanish and you speak Spanish." After explaining the process of dubbing, I went on to explain that I only speak Spanish because I studied it and that neither my parents, my sister or my brother speak Spanish. His mouth dropped open in surprise and he said, "I always thought they spoke Spanish in Seattle."

Feria de Abril

  

Every year, two weeks after Semana Santa, Sevilla holds its annual fair. Originally organized as a livestock fair in 1847, the Feria de Abril has become a time for Sevillanos to eat, drink, dance and socialize with friends. From Monday night at midnight until the following Sunday the fairgrounds (which are conveniently located right down the street from my house) are awash with color and merriment. Women in flamenco dresses mingle with men in suit jackets, walking from here to there, weaving among the horses and dashing across the street to avoid the oncoming carriages. While some have come just to soak up the atmosphere, most are on their way to one 'caseta' or another. Red or green and white striped, the 'casetas' are owned by groups of friends or companies and are the heart of feria. Inside these tents is where the people dance 'sevillanas'  and where they order their pitchers of rebujito -a mix of Manzanilla wine and Sprite. It's also where you must be invited, making it difficult to enjoy every aspect of the fair if you don't have a "caseta' or know someone who does. Luckily through friends of friends I was able to experience all that is feria, including the sugar overload of one too many rebujitos. While I had a good enough time as is, everyone keeps telling me it's better if you dance. Looks like I have some 'sevillana' lessons in my future.

 

 

  

 

Our Andalucian Roadtrip

The first week of April was a busy one here in Sevilla. Not only was it Semana Santa, but my parents came to visit. This was their first time coming to Spain, so I was very excited to get to show them around. We spent the first two days of the trip getting to know Sevilla. I took them to the cathedral, the Alcazar, Plaza de Espana and Parque Maria Luisa. I know they both loved the cathedral and Alcazar and I know my mom really liked feeding the pigeons in the park, even if they swarmed her. The birds must have been starving judging by the way they acted. I don't think my mom had yet to open the bag of seed before they started flying around her and crowding at her feet. Needless to say it was quite the experience.

After our two days in Sevilla we picked up our rental car and took off for Granada. We spent our first hour in Granada lost, searching for the hotel. Road construction made it impossible for us to see the street we were supposed to turn down so we kept passing it by. It took several phone calls and one trip to the wrong hotel, but we finally managed to find ours. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city, seeing the sights and getting equally lost. The following morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to go to the Alhambra and wait in an enormous line in hopes of getting tickets. You can buy the tickets online, only I wasn't aware that they sell out weeks, if not a month, in advance. We waited for several hours that morning and luckily it was not in vain as we were able to snag some of the last available tickets for the morning visit. After the Alhambra it was time to get back to the car and head to Malaga.

Our arrival in Malaga was very much like our arrival in Granada. Road closure for Semana Santa made it difficult to navigate the streets and we drove in circles for our first hour (if not longer). Getting lost aside we had a nice time in the city. It was sunny when we got up in the morning and we took a stroll down by the port, looked at the shops and visited the Mediterranean. Our next destination was Cadiz, but tired out getting lost while looking for hotels we decided it would be easier to head back to Sevilla and drive to Cadiz in the morning.

Cadiz was quieter and smaller than the other cites we'd visited, but it was beautiful. It's also where my dad got to try Paella. A must for anyone visiting Spain. After a very relaxing day in we drove out of Cadiz just as the first raindrops started to fall.

The final stop on our itinerary was Cordoba to see the gran mezquita. The mezquita is a beautiful and enormous mosque built in the 8th century during the Moorish reign of Al-Andalus. It remained an important Islamic structure until Cordoba was captured by the Christian kings in 1236. The mosque was converted into a Catholic church and shortly after, King Alfonso X had a cathedral constructed in its center. The effect is slightly discombobulating. The cathedral seems out of place, bobbing in a sea of Islamic arches. Nevertheless it is a magnificent piece of architecture and a remainder of the historical struggle between powers.

Up until this point the weather had been less then amazing. Though still warm it had been cloudy and riddle with rain showers. Being from the Pacific Northwest my parents weren't complaining, but I was less than thrilled. I wanted my parents to experience the sunny Spain I was always talking about. As their ten day trip came to a close and we found ourselves back in Sevilla the weather finally decided to comply with my wishes. Their last three days in Spain were filled with warm weather and plenty of blue sky.

March Update

It rained yesterday morning and my clothes were still hanging up outside. I had to run up to get them and then hang them up in the bathroom. This is the most exciting that's happened so far this month, but after my travel-packed February it's been nice to just stay home and relax. It's also probably best to get some rest in now before craziness descends upon the city next month. The two largest celebrations of the year, Semana Santa and Feria, will bring bustling crowds to Sevilla during the first and third weeks of April and from what I hear neither festival is one to be missed. My parents will also be visiting next month, which needless to say, I am really looking forward to.

So for now I'm saving up my energy and euros and enjoying the calm. Reading books, running and just getting out and enjoying the sunshine. On that note, I'll leave you with some pictures of Sevilla from last week...spring has definitely sprung.

Venice

- "What way?"

Our first words uttered in Venice. Never a good sign. Armed with a map that consisted of white lines for streets, blue lines for canals and little else we decided to go right. We proceeded to get completely lost before running into an Italian man and asking him the way. He was kind enough to walk with us to the Ponte dell' Accademia and tell us where to go from there. Too bad his directions were in Italian. It's close enough to Spanish that we understood most of it, but 'most of it' doesn't cut it when it comes to directions. We wandered around some more until I looked up and noticed a street sign.

- "Stop. I remember that street name from when I looked up the hostel's address."

While I fumbled around my purse for the scrap of yellow paper I'd scrawled the hostel details on, Kathleen confirmed my suspicion.

-"Ya. I think we should turn right..."

and then there we were, standing in front of regular looking door. A yellowing piece of paper taped above the door bell the only indication we'd actually arrived at 'Venice Academy'.

The rest of our weekend was far less eventful. Venice is small and once you get the hang of it, not too difficult to walk around. It's filled to the brim with expensive Italian restaurants, bakeries, pizza stands and tourist shops. Fancy hotels. Men in striped shirts hawking gondola rides. But put these modern manifestation aside and you're left with an old warm charm. With the air of whimsy and romanticism we all associate with Venice. With peeling paint, deserted cobblestone streets, enormous stone cathedrals and absolutley no bicycles, mopeds or cars. Venice is unique and I am glad I got to experience it, but sadly I have to say the city can be seen in a day or two. Something to keep in mind if you ever get the chance to visit the 'City of Water'.

Nerja & Frigiliana (Ner-ha and free-he-lee-anna)

A few weekends ago I had the pleasure of going to the beach. The weather was warm, but not quite warm enough to sunbathe, though I'm sure the many British tourists laying out in their bikinis would disagree with me. I take it as a sign I've gotten used to the weather in southern Spain. I no longer think 7o degrees is warm enough to go outside in a tank top, let alone in a swimsuit. But I'm sure if I'd spent the winter in Seattle I'd be out there with the rest of them, soaking up the heat. As it was the beach was still enjoyable to stroll down and the town was a quiet relief from city life in Sevilla. I'd already visited Nerja four years ago when I was studying in Granada, so I didn't see much I already hadn't. The big surprise of the weekend was actually a little town located in the hills outside of Nerja.

Frigiliana is something out of an Anthropologie catalog. White houses snuggled together against bright blue skies and brown earth. The streets are set with tiny stones of different shades playing out patterns of swirls and the like. Plants take over every doorway, windowsill and hillside in the town. With every turn I took I couldn't help but expect to see a model perched on a ledge while a photographer snapped away. Nothing of the sort passed and that's what's so perfect about Frigiliana. It's quaint, it's not contrived, it's completely unplanned, it's beautiful.

Andorra

Located just north of Cataluña, between France and Spain, is a tiny little country called Andorra. Snuggled in the Pyrenees Mountains, it´s cold and snowy and a perfect winter sports destination. We stayed in the capital city of Andorra la Vella, located about 30 minutes from where we went skiing at Vallnord. (Catalan for north valley) We´d purchased a Groupon for our hotel and upon arrival found it to be a bit lacking in the decor department, but at least it had hot water and came at good price; 2 nights in the hotel room, 2 breakfasts, 1 dinner and 2 days of skiing all for 100 euros. We spent Saturday and Sunday skiing and although the snow was hard packed and icy in places due to the extremely cold and dry weather, the sun was out and shinning for us both days. When we weren't skiing we had time to venture out of the hotel and explore Andorra la Vella. We saw everything you´d expect in a typical ski town, stone buildings, ski shops, restaurants and at least one thing you wouldn't.

We walked into the commercial center in search of a place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee, only to see a spin classes taking place right there in the middle of everything. They had speakers playing the usual work-out music, two extremely pepping teachers in Spandex leading the group and about 30 people peddling along and sweating it out. The commercial center is three or four stories high and all the railings were lined with people watching the class. I admire those who were working out with everyone looking on. I don't think I'm brave enough.

After frolicking in the snow for two days, our weekend ended with a side trip to the beach. Located on the Costa Brava, Blanes is a beautiful little beach town that I'm sure is amazing to visit in the summer. Not that it wasn't amazing in winter as well, I'd just like to be able to go to the beach in a swimsuit not a ski coat. Hurry up warm weather, I'm ready to ditch the layers...

Andorra

Blanes