For out second and final holiday, three friends and I decided to go to Málaga and Marbella, along the Costa del Sol in the south of Spain. I wanted to do something relatively relaxing and low stress. I love travelling, but planes are a real hassle to me and I wanted to avoid them for this trip.
We walked to the bus station and hopped on the 2 ½ hour bus to Málaga. The Spanish countryside is beautiful, with many rolling hills and some mountains as we neared el mar. The plains are covered with trees and dotted with houses.
When we reached Málaga, we walked to our hotel, got settled in, and rested for a little. Even travelling by bus can make one tired. While checking in at the hotel, we got free breakfast every day with our ISIC cards (International Student). These cards have come in very handy and have given us many discounts on museums and such.
Our first excursion out in Málaga led us to the Castilla de Gibralfaro and the Alcazaba. We walked up to the Castilla first, which was a hike. I have not climbed a mountain like that in a long time ☺ But the view was very worth it-with the sea stretching out on one side, and a wall of mountains on the other. Málaga, the sixth largest city in Spain, sat in between. We explored the castle a little-mostly outside gardens and patios. From the top of the castle, we heard this loud music and coincidentally enough, Ave María by David Bisbal came on! It is one of my favorites by him.
We trekked down the mountain and walked through Alcazaba, which was very similar to Alcázar in Spain, except smaller. It was very beautiful though, with flowers in bloom and wonderful Arabic architecture. I found this perfect spot to read or relax: there was a bench with a roof of vines totally obscuring the sky. It was so beautiful and cozy ☺
We then ventured to a park we saw from above, which happened to be called Plaza España. It reminded us of a jungle with large palm trees. Outside of the park was a long row of little huts selling merchandise and food from all over the world. Countries such as Columbia, Italy, Kenya and Costa Rica were represented. Málaga is vying to be the cultural capital of Europe in 2016. We browsed the goods, then walked around the center of the city. This week was the Málaga Film Fesival, so red carpets were laid down on some of the main streets. It was fun to see the film posters and displays for the festival. We also passed by a big group of people waiting outside the luxury hotel for someone famous. We saw someone come out-and everyone screamed-but we didn’t know who he was.
After some scouting, we found a Spanish place to eat dinner. We had the menu del día, which comes with two main courses and dessert. I had paella first, and then adobo-which is tiny shark-for the main course. It was interesting tasting but I’m not sure it would top my list of favorite foods. I was glad to try it though, considering we are right on the coast.
Friday morning, we woke up and ate a very American breakfast. They actually had cereal and fruit, so we were glad to have a break from the daily toast. We then headed to the beach, Malagueta, and stayed there for a while. The water was pretty cold, but felt good to stick your toes in. For lunch, we decided to go with the international culture theme and ate Mexican food. I must say I was having a bit of cultural confusion being in a Mexican restaurant in Spain.
After lunch, we had a Picasso afternoon. We went to the house where he was born, which was in the middle of a lovely square. The house had a recreation of what a few of his rooms may have looked like. There was also a Dali exhibition, which I loved. He did a lot of magazine covers and American advertisements. They were very fun to look at and interesting to see how he combined his style with mainstream American products such as stockings or perfume. We then went to the Picasso museum. Only two of the rooms were open this week, but we did get to see the entire visiting exhibit. The works were from Frantisek Kupka a Czech artist. He seemed to have many different periods in his life like Picasso, and it was interesting to se the different paintings. He was also very aware of the word around him and like to combine elements such as biology and engineering into his work.
Continuing on the international cuisine theme, we ate at a Mediterranean restaurant for dinner. I had a delicious Veggie Pita-yes I voluntarily ate tomatoes. Afterwards we got gelato (Pitufo and Kinder for me) and walked around the city.
Saturday we headed to Marbella, the beach of the rich and famous. The bus was only about 50 minutes so it was not a bad trip. We arrived and walked down to the water. This town was much more quaint and more oriented with the water. It was a beautiful area. We relaxed on the beach for a while and walked around the town. For lunch we ate a t a restaurant right on the beach. It was so fun to look out at the water and enjoy the quality people watching. I had a refreshing salad. Emily was brave enough to eat the Sardines on a stick, which were cooked right on the beach over an open flame. After eating, we walked around more to the Plaza de los Naranjos and down the tiny side streets. Then back up the hill to catch the bus back to Málaga.
After showering from the hot day, we again walked around Málaga and ate dinner outside at an Italian place. We learned our waitress was from Argentina, which just seemed to cap off our international experience! Afterwards, we walked off a little of our dinner then went to a Moroccan tea place that also had batidos-or milkshakes. I had the best, best milkshake ever. It was called Galleta-which means cookie. There was a cookie on top, and I think one blended up in the batido. It was also made up of honey and azahar, which is the flower from the orange tree. It was divine.
Sunday we went to the Cathedral in the morning for mass. It was a pretty cathedral, similar to the one in Sevilla, but with more light. Afterwards we went to the contemporary art museum. There were a few exhibitions there, but the main one was by two British Men. It seemed as if they used the PhotoBooth on the Mac computers to take weird pictures of themselves then put a lot of British flags and medals in the background. It was kind of strange and I didn’t like it all that much. The other words were really neat too: there was a giant chandelier and a reflective glass that cast colors on the wall. One of the works was from an artist from Ohio! It was a vertical board with red words running up and down (like the signs that are at airports announcing the departures and arrivals). Sometimes the words ran both ways so they were unreadable, but other times they only ran one way, so the poem was readable.
After the museum, we walked around the city more, then headed back to the bus to go home. This was the perfect little vacation with not a lot of stress but still let us explore Spain more. Now we are in for a five-day week, which I’m sure will be rough. As the Spaniards say though, “No pasa nada.”
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Mirala cara a cara que es la primera....
It is Feria week in Sevilla, and that means horses, women in flamenco dresses and a lot of dancing. Monday night, the Feria began with the lighting of la portada, or the entrance. Apparently a new one is made every year and this year’s is amazing. We went Monday night to watch the grand lighting ceremony. There were thousands of people there…some dressed in flamenco dresses and the rest dressed up to the nines. With a dress and flats on, I definitely felt underdressed. It was amazing to peek into the little casetas (little houses) and see the lavish dinners and fancy atmosphere. While the casetas occupy one side of the Feria grounds, a mini amusement park occupies the other half. I can only describe this even as a combination of a tailgate-state fair but with people very dressed up. No farmers or fried oreos here. We walked around for a while and marveled at the surroundings. Some people were dancing Sevillana, but unfortunately I did not.
The next day, Tuesday, I had two classes and was then on break! During my Civilizations of Spain class, we took a field trip to a capilla (chapel) inside a hospital. Jose Grillo told us about the paintings in the hospital and the founder. He was quite the Don Juan before he met his wife. When she died, he dedicated himself to helping the less fortunate and put money towards building the hospital. I love how we can learn about something in class and the next day go see an example of it! Later in the day, we ventured to Feria again. More women were wearing flamenco dresses, which were all stunning. I found very few that I did not like. Old, young, fat, thin, all the women looked good. It was like prom-but every year! We rode la noria (I know-it could have broken down any second), which was amazing. We got a great view of the Feria as well as Sevilla. After that, we walked around both sections. Later in the evening, we went into a public caseta and danced Sevillana. It was very fun even if we had to invent a few steps ☺ I guess I should explain a little about the casetas. They are private, the spaces being rented out by a family or company. There are security guards at the entrance making sure no one comes in that is not invited. It is a pretty exclusive event, but I have heard that they have been trying to make it more public. There are a few public casetas with music and space for all to dance. After a few hours of walking around the grounds, I was exhausted and went home to sleep.
This morning, I worked on homework then went off to explore some Sevilla sights with Emily and Ed. In the beginning of the semester, I made a list of things I wanted to do in Sevilla. I have been completing most of them, but still have a few to do. We visited the Alcázar again-the old palace of the kings of Spain. We walked mostly through the gardens, which are incredibly beautiful. The flowers were in bloom and made the gardens even more beautiful with vibrant colors. After that, it was raining a little, so we decided to visit the Alfonso 13 Hotel. It is the nicest Hotel in Sevilla, the once where Tom Cruise stayed (I don’t know what he was doing). The hotel is very grand and impressive. We also walked around outside in the gardens and by the pool.
Ok, that's all for now. I am going to Feria again tonight. Hopefully for some more dancing!!
The next day, Tuesday, I had two classes and was then on break! During my Civilizations of Spain class, we took a field trip to a capilla (chapel) inside a hospital. Jose Grillo told us about the paintings in the hospital and the founder. He was quite the Don Juan before he met his wife. When she died, he dedicated himself to helping the less fortunate and put money towards building the hospital. I love how we can learn about something in class and the next day go see an example of it! Later in the day, we ventured to Feria again. More women were wearing flamenco dresses, which were all stunning. I found very few that I did not like. Old, young, fat, thin, all the women looked good. It was like prom-but every year! We rode la noria (I know-it could have broken down any second), which was amazing. We got a great view of the Feria as well as Sevilla. After that, we walked around both sections. Later in the evening, we went into a public caseta and danced Sevillana. It was very fun even if we had to invent a few steps ☺ I guess I should explain a little about the casetas. They are private, the spaces being rented out by a family or company. There are security guards at the entrance making sure no one comes in that is not invited. It is a pretty exclusive event, but I have heard that they have been trying to make it more public. There are a few public casetas with music and space for all to dance. After a few hours of walking around the grounds, I was exhausted and went home to sleep.
This morning, I worked on homework then went off to explore some Sevilla sights with Emily and Ed. In the beginning of the semester, I made a list of things I wanted to do in Sevilla. I have been completing most of them, but still have a few to do. We visited the Alcázar again-the old palace of the kings of Spain. We walked mostly through the gardens, which are incredibly beautiful. The flowers were in bloom and made the gardens even more beautiful with vibrant colors. After that, it was raining a little, so we decided to visit the Alfonso 13 Hotel. It is the nicest Hotel in Sevilla, the once where Tom Cruise stayed (I don’t know what he was doing). The hotel is very grand and impressive. We also walked around outside in the gardens and by the pool.
Ok, that's all for now. I am going to Feria again tonight. Hopefully for some more dancing!!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
18 de abril, domingo
Good morning! This weekend has flown by-like all of them have-and I didn’t even go anywhere! Thursday may have been one of the busiest days here-but very fun. I had the second half of a Civilizations test in the morning, which went pretty well. A side note about the tests here- they are really neat because they do not ask for grammar points or specific vocabulary words like all of the Spanish tests that I have taken in the past. These tests ask about content-and you just write away, explaining the theme in Spanish. I just think that is really cool-to finally be able to use Spanish on a test to explain something.
After that, I went on a tour with the school to the Flamenco museum. We first met with a man who gave us a brief history of flamenco. I learned that the dance incorporates styles from all over the world! The feet technique comes from France (the style of dance of the elite), the body movement from Africa, and the hands from India. It was neat to learn that Flamenco is ever evolving and has had so much influence from all over the world. We then walked around the museum to watch old shows, see the antique dresses and view some photographs. Our Sevillana instrctor, Lola, accompanied us to the museum, and was very excited to point out the famous dancers. While at the museum, we saw a picture of a man who we saw dance at the center! We were excited that we ‘knew’ someone famous in the flamenco world ☺
From the museum, I headed to the center to meet my English teacher for lunch. I was to teach the class later in the day, so she wanted to go over some plans with me. We went to a café for lunch and sat outside. I ordered a cold soup called Salmorejo, which is like gazpacho (but consists of tomato and bread) I also at e a flamenquín, which is kind of like a croquetta. I am so bad at remembering food names..need to work on that!. It was very nice to talk with her about here experience here (for the past 5 years) and how she became interested in teaching English to Spanish speaking people.
With a full stomach, I headed home for a little while, then back to school for my English class. I was a little nervous to teach the class-especially since it is a class of adults- but it actually went very well! I spoke slowly, which is a challenge for me, and learned to explain things in different ways for total comprehension. The students are all very nice and participate, so that definitely helped a lot. We learned about giving advice and warnings. They had fun giving me advice about Feria, which begins this week.
From class, I met up with my roommate and we went to the pre-Feria festival at the center. Daniel and his friend Antonio (both from my English class) accompanied us and we practiced our Spanish while they practiced their English. I knew there was going to be Sevillana dancers there, but what I didn’t know was that we would be dancing too! With Lola’s prompting, we joined in and danced the Sevillana. It was so fun and I was surprised I could actually do it outside of class ☺ Lola looked so proud of us, and we had a great time.
Friday
I was looking forward to a free day on Friday and so let myself sleep in ☺ When I woke up, Carmen wanted to clean the room, so I took off on a run and ran to Nervion! It is a neighborhood a little ways out there-about a 45 minute walk from my house. The weather was very nice and it was a pleasant run.
Later in the day, I met up with a few of the remaining people in Sevilla to walk around the city. We went to a place called yogurtlandia, which is kind of like a Cold Stone, except with ice cream. It was very yummy. We then walked by the Cathedral and went into some of the tourist shops. We also took a look at a poster shop, which was incredible! They had original poster of Corridas, Feria and Semana Santa! Those being way to expensive for me, I hope to buy a Feria copy after this week. We then took the Rick Steve’s tour of Barrio Santa Cruz, which was beautiful! There were quaint squares and lavish gardens. Rick also did an excellent job-as always- of providing interesting information and good directions.
Saturday
Saturday morning, Carmen informed me that some of her friends would be coming over to lunch. They are from her congregation (like her church). She described them to me as missionaries. I was a little apprehensive because I wasn’t sure what they would be like or if they would talk to me. These people were so nice though, and made sure to include me in the conversation. It is hard meeting new people because some have thicker accents than others, which makes it hard to understand them. These people were very welcoming me and asked me all about the US. They were also interesting in what I thought of Sevilla and if it lived up to my expectations. Of course it has! Carmen prepared a nice lunch with lots of good food. I tried gambas for the first time-prawns I believe they are called. They weren’t bad…..but I don’t think I will be ordering them any time soon ☺
After the lunch, I had to jet off to Nervion, where I was meeting some friends for a Sevilla futbol game! I was really excited to go even though I know pretty much nothing about futbol. I think the only time I actually watched a game was in summer gym. We met up by the stadium and bought the Sevilla scarves that everyone wears and holds up during the song. The game was very entertaining to watch and Sevilla won 3-0! They were playing a team from northern Spain. The crown was very enthusiastic, especially in the sections directly behind the goals. The cheered the entire game and even threw confetti when Sevilla scored. Instead of boo-ing when something bad happened though they whistled. The players were very dramatic and tried to do anything to get the ref’s attention. I guess athletes are the same all over. I really enjoyed the game and was glad I got to experience such a big part of Sevillano life.
After that, I went on a tour with the school to the Flamenco museum. We first met with a man who gave us a brief history of flamenco. I learned that the dance incorporates styles from all over the world! The feet technique comes from France (the style of dance of the elite), the body movement from Africa, and the hands from India. It was neat to learn that Flamenco is ever evolving and has had so much influence from all over the world. We then walked around the museum to watch old shows, see the antique dresses and view some photographs. Our Sevillana instrctor, Lola, accompanied us to the museum, and was very excited to point out the famous dancers. While at the museum, we saw a picture of a man who we saw dance at the center! We were excited that we ‘knew’ someone famous in the flamenco world ☺
From the museum, I headed to the center to meet my English teacher for lunch. I was to teach the class later in the day, so she wanted to go over some plans with me. We went to a café for lunch and sat outside. I ordered a cold soup called Salmorejo, which is like gazpacho (but consists of tomato and bread) I also at e a flamenquín, which is kind of like a croquetta. I am so bad at remembering food names..need to work on that!. It was very nice to talk with her about here experience here (for the past 5 years) and how she became interested in teaching English to Spanish speaking people.
With a full stomach, I headed home for a little while, then back to school for my English class. I was a little nervous to teach the class-especially since it is a class of adults- but it actually went very well! I spoke slowly, which is a challenge for me, and learned to explain things in different ways for total comprehension. The students are all very nice and participate, so that definitely helped a lot. We learned about giving advice and warnings. They had fun giving me advice about Feria, which begins this week.
From class, I met up with my roommate and we went to the pre-Feria festival at the center. Daniel and his friend Antonio (both from my English class) accompanied us and we practiced our Spanish while they practiced their English. I knew there was going to be Sevillana dancers there, but what I didn’t know was that we would be dancing too! With Lola’s prompting, we joined in and danced the Sevillana. It was so fun and I was surprised I could actually do it outside of class ☺ Lola looked so proud of us, and we had a great time.
Friday
I was looking forward to a free day on Friday and so let myself sleep in ☺ When I woke up, Carmen wanted to clean the room, so I took off on a run and ran to Nervion! It is a neighborhood a little ways out there-about a 45 minute walk from my house. The weather was very nice and it was a pleasant run.
Later in the day, I met up with a few of the remaining people in Sevilla to walk around the city. We went to a place called yogurtlandia, which is kind of like a Cold Stone, except with ice cream. It was very yummy. We then walked by the Cathedral and went into some of the tourist shops. We also took a look at a poster shop, which was incredible! They had original poster of Corridas, Feria and Semana Santa! Those being way to expensive for me, I hope to buy a Feria copy after this week. We then took the Rick Steve’s tour of Barrio Santa Cruz, which was beautiful! There were quaint squares and lavish gardens. Rick also did an excellent job-as always- of providing interesting information and good directions.
Saturday
Saturday morning, Carmen informed me that some of her friends would be coming over to lunch. They are from her congregation (like her church). She described them to me as missionaries. I was a little apprehensive because I wasn’t sure what they would be like or if they would talk to me. These people were so nice though, and made sure to include me in the conversation. It is hard meeting new people because some have thicker accents than others, which makes it hard to understand them. These people were very welcoming me and asked me all about the US. They were also interesting in what I thought of Sevilla and if it lived up to my expectations. Of course it has! Carmen prepared a nice lunch with lots of good food. I tried gambas for the first time-prawns I believe they are called. They weren’t bad…..but I don’t think I will be ordering them any time soon ☺
After the lunch, I had to jet off to Nervion, where I was meeting some friends for a Sevilla futbol game! I was really excited to go even though I know pretty much nothing about futbol. I think the only time I actually watched a game was in summer gym. We met up by the stadium and bought the Sevilla scarves that everyone wears and holds up during the song. The game was very entertaining to watch and Sevilla won 3-0! They were playing a team from northern Spain. The crown was very enthusiastic, especially in the sections directly behind the goals. The cheered the entire game and even threw confetti when Sevilla scored. Instead of boo-ing when something bad happened though they whistled. The players were very dramatic and tried to do anything to get the ref’s attention. I guess athletes are the same all over. I really enjoyed the game and was glad I got to experience such a big part of Sevillano life.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Novillada
April 13, 2010
Hola todos. I am sorry I haven’t written in a while. I really need to finish my entries about Barcelona, but in the meantime, I will write about my past week. Let’s see: this past Thursday, I had my teaching English class again. My teacher assigned me an exercise to do with the class. I was kind of nervous about it because she didn’t give me much warning, but it turned out alright. We talked about recycling. Before the class, I sat by the river and wrote in my journal. Last week the weather was incredible, and it was so nice to people-watch and relax. Ok, so after my class, Amanda and I went out with Daniel, her intercambio, and also a student in my class. We began the night speaking in English, and switched to Spanish halfway through. We talked about many interesting things like the accents of the people of Andalucía and the way of life here. We ate delicious tapas at a bar in the centro. The name escapes me right now, but they are little sandwiches with ham, bacon, tomato and a mayonnaise like sauce.
Friday began with a trip to the hospital…no not for me, but for a tour with my Health class. We went to a Red Cross hospital, called Victoria Eugenia. The class (consisting of six people) first met with some of the directors of the hospital to talk about the public healthcare system and their specific hospital. Spain has both a public and private healthcare system. The doctors were very enthusiastic about the public system and when asked what the disadvantages were, they did not have a reply ☺ The head director stepped in for a while to greet us, btu I had such a hard time understanding him! I haven’t had to concentrate on someone’s speech like that in long time (which I guess is a good thing, but at that moment was a little intimidating). We then took a tour of the hospital to see the rooms and equipment. It resembled most hospitals. The only big differences I noticed was that it did not look like a typical American hospital from the outside. It is an old building, but is modern inside.
After the visit, we took the bus back to Triana (I can actually ride a bus now!), and ate lunch. Amanda and I did some homework then we got ready to go to a Novillada! It is a bull fight, but with amateurs instead of the ‘real’ toreros. There were three of them, all around 20 years old. They each fought two bulls. It was amazing to watch! First, they paraded out and saluted the crowd. A ‘pep band’ played regal music and horses pranced around as well. It almost felt like we had stepped back in time. For each fight, there are three stages. The first, Tercio de Varas, involves four or five banderilleros, which look like the toreros but have pink and yellow capes. They would lure the bull around the ring to get him dizzy and so that the main torero could observe the movements. Next, three banderilleros would each stick two banderillas (like small lances) into the bull’s back. That was my favorite part because the banderilleros had to get really close to the bull and kind of jump up to stick the bull. In the Tercio de Muerte, the torero comes out with his red cape and ‘fights’ the bull to the death. We he has determined the time is right, he sticks a sword (estoca) deep into the back of the bull. Hopefully he does it right, and the bull is seriously injured. The banderilleros will come out again and run the bull around until he collapses. A team of three horses will them come out to haul the bull away. Sometimes the band would play music while the torero was fighting, and other times it would only play at the end of each stage. After one fight, the people stood and waved their handkerchiefs at the torero. Occasionally they did say “Bien!” and “Olé!”. I loved the experience, and was not grossed out one bit ☺ I hope to go back to another one soon.
Well, this has turned into a novel, so I think I will stop for now. I do have a Civilization exam tomorrow…so I need to study. Adios!
Hola todos. I am sorry I haven’t written in a while. I really need to finish my entries about Barcelona, but in the meantime, I will write about my past week. Let’s see: this past Thursday, I had my teaching English class again. My teacher assigned me an exercise to do with the class. I was kind of nervous about it because she didn’t give me much warning, but it turned out alright. We talked about recycling. Before the class, I sat by the river and wrote in my journal. Last week the weather was incredible, and it was so nice to people-watch and relax. Ok, so after my class, Amanda and I went out with Daniel, her intercambio, and also a student in my class. We began the night speaking in English, and switched to Spanish halfway through. We talked about many interesting things like the accents of the people of Andalucía and the way of life here. We ate delicious tapas at a bar in the centro. The name escapes me right now, but they are little sandwiches with ham, bacon, tomato and a mayonnaise like sauce.
Friday began with a trip to the hospital…no not for me, but for a tour with my Health class. We went to a Red Cross hospital, called Victoria Eugenia. The class (consisting of six people) first met with some of the directors of the hospital to talk about the public healthcare system and their specific hospital. Spain has both a public and private healthcare system. The doctors were very enthusiastic about the public system and when asked what the disadvantages were, they did not have a reply ☺ The head director stepped in for a while to greet us, btu I had such a hard time understanding him! I haven’t had to concentrate on someone’s speech like that in long time (which I guess is a good thing, but at that moment was a little intimidating). We then took a tour of the hospital to see the rooms and equipment. It resembled most hospitals. The only big differences I noticed was that it did not look like a typical American hospital from the outside. It is an old building, but is modern inside.
After the visit, we took the bus back to Triana (I can actually ride a bus now!), and ate lunch. Amanda and I did some homework then we got ready to go to a Novillada! It is a bull fight, but with amateurs instead of the ‘real’ toreros. There were three of them, all around 20 years old. They each fought two bulls. It was amazing to watch! First, they paraded out and saluted the crowd. A ‘pep band’ played regal music and horses pranced around as well. It almost felt like we had stepped back in time. For each fight, there are three stages. The first, Tercio de Varas, involves four or five banderilleros, which look like the toreros but have pink and yellow capes. They would lure the bull around the ring to get him dizzy and so that the main torero could observe the movements. Next, three banderilleros would each stick two banderillas (like small lances) into the bull’s back. That was my favorite part because the banderilleros had to get really close to the bull and kind of jump up to stick the bull. In the Tercio de Muerte, the torero comes out with his red cape and ‘fights’ the bull to the death. We he has determined the time is right, he sticks a sword (estoca) deep into the back of the bull. Hopefully he does it right, and the bull is seriously injured. The banderilleros will come out again and run the bull around until he collapses. A team of three horses will them come out to haul the bull away. Sometimes the band would play music while the torero was fighting, and other times it would only play at the end of each stage. After one fight, the people stood and waved their handkerchiefs at the torero. Occasionally they did say “Bien!” and “Olé!”. I loved the experience, and was not grossed out one bit ☺ I hope to go back to another one soon.
Well, this has turned into a novel, so I think I will stop for now. I do have a Civilization exam tomorrow…so I need to study. Adios!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
March 26-27 Barcelona
March 26
Whew! Today was an eventful day. Well, let me begin with Thrusday. I had my last two classes, then went back home to pack and get things ready. I then headed back to school after lunch to help Lola teach the parents on family week how to dance the Sevillano. It was a pretty interesting experience. I then went home again to shower and take a nap. Returned to school once more for my education class. The professor had meetings with each student so we watched a movie. The students didn’t take much interest in the movie though, and talked amongst themselves. I talked to one student who is studying Architecture at the University.
I went back home, got a little sleep,then woke up at 4 and hurried to get ready and leave by 4:30 to walk to the plaza to catch the bus to the airport. I was a little nervous about checking in and going through security, but everything couldn’t have gone better. We were on time, and took the 1 ½ hour plane ride to Barcelona. It was fun to be in the same airport as when I first arrived in Spain. We then took another bus to Placa Catalunya, near our hotel. We couldn’t check in yet, so we left our maletas at the hotel and walked down Las Ramblas. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed seeing the statues, people, stores, flowers and animals for sale. Yes, fish, bunnies, chickens and birds are sold on Las Ramblas. Enroute, we decided we needed some caffeine, so of course we went for the good old Starbucks. I know, not very adventurous. We walked to the end of the street, to the Christopher Columbus statue and crossed a bridge to La Ramblas del Mar. We were right by the water-which was such a lovely blue color. After resting a while, we walked back to our hotel to check in and get settled. After another little rest there, we walked to Park Ciutadell. It is a grand park, with a huge fountain and zoo! The park was beautiful and it was so nice to see people walking around outside and having picnics. At the beginning of the park, was the Arc de Triomf. We encountered some Romans there, who apparently thought I was like the tower of pisa and tried to pose like they were holding me up. We talked to them, but quickly learned that they couldn’t speak English or Spanish, we scooted away and continued our walk.
Speaking of languages, in Barcelona, they speak Cataloñia, a mix of Spanish and French. The region of Cataluña is very distinct, and doesn’t consider themselves part of Spain. The only thing I could think of that may be similar is the relationship of Texas and the rest of the U.S. We were prepared to not be able to understand the language very well, but ended up really only speaking English. People could quickly recognize that we were American and so would speak English with us. We would respond in Spanish usually, just to keep in practice. All of the restaurants we went to had English, Castillan (Spanish), Catalán and French menus.
After the park, we continued our walk near the water in an area called Barceloneta. It was pretty as well, and we walked on the beach for a bit. I got to stick my feet in the water! It was cold though ☹ After seeing two naked men near the beach, we walked back to Las Ramblas to find a place for dinner. We ate a three course meal-the menu of the day, which is pretty common in all of the restaurants here. After a fulfilling meal, we walked back up to our hotel, and realized how sketchy the bottom of Las Ramblas can be after dark. We decided not to walk on it after 8 or so to avoid some mysterious people. Before returning to the hotel to sleep, we went in Sfera for a little just to look around. It was the same one where I bought a dress last time I was in Barcelona. This whole trip I had a lot of flashbacks about my good memories.
Ok, I will write about the other days later. Happy Easter to all!
Whew! Today was an eventful day. Well, let me begin with Thrusday. I had my last two classes, then went back home to pack and get things ready. I then headed back to school after lunch to help Lola teach the parents on family week how to dance the Sevillano. It was a pretty interesting experience. I then went home again to shower and take a nap. Returned to school once more for my education class. The professor had meetings with each student so we watched a movie. The students didn’t take much interest in the movie though, and talked amongst themselves. I talked to one student who is studying Architecture at the University.
I went back home, got a little sleep,then woke up at 4 and hurried to get ready and leave by 4:30 to walk to the plaza to catch the bus to the airport. I was a little nervous about checking in and going through security, but everything couldn’t have gone better. We were on time, and took the 1 ½ hour plane ride to Barcelona. It was fun to be in the same airport as when I first arrived in Spain. We then took another bus to Placa Catalunya, near our hotel. We couldn’t check in yet, so we left our maletas at the hotel and walked down Las Ramblas. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed seeing the statues, people, stores, flowers and animals for sale. Yes, fish, bunnies, chickens and birds are sold on Las Ramblas. Enroute, we decided we needed some caffeine, so of course we went for the good old Starbucks. I know, not very adventurous. We walked to the end of the street, to the Christopher Columbus statue and crossed a bridge to La Ramblas del Mar. We were right by the water-which was such a lovely blue color. After resting a while, we walked back to our hotel to check in and get settled. After another little rest there, we walked to Park Ciutadell. It is a grand park, with a huge fountain and zoo! The park was beautiful and it was so nice to see people walking around outside and having picnics. At the beginning of the park, was the Arc de Triomf. We encountered some Romans there, who apparently thought I was like the tower of pisa and tried to pose like they were holding me up. We talked to them, but quickly learned that they couldn’t speak English or Spanish, we scooted away and continued our walk.
Speaking of languages, in Barcelona, they speak Cataloñia, a mix of Spanish and French. The region of Cataluña is very distinct, and doesn’t consider themselves part of Spain. The only thing I could think of that may be similar is the relationship of Texas and the rest of the U.S. We were prepared to not be able to understand the language very well, but ended up really only speaking English. People could quickly recognize that we were American and so would speak English with us. We would respond in Spanish usually, just to keep in practice. All of the restaurants we went to had English, Castillan (Spanish), Catalán and French menus.
After the park, we continued our walk near the water in an area called Barceloneta. It was pretty as well, and we walked on the beach for a bit. I got to stick my feet in the water! It was cold though ☹ After seeing two naked men near the beach, we walked back to Las Ramblas to find a place for dinner. We ate a three course meal-the menu of the day, which is pretty common in all of the restaurants here. After a fulfilling meal, we walked back up to our hotel, and realized how sketchy the bottom of Las Ramblas can be after dark. We decided not to walk on it after 8 or so to avoid some mysterious people. Before returning to the hotel to sleep, we went in Sfera for a little just to look around. It was the same one where I bought a dress last time I was in Barcelona. This whole trip I had a lot of flashbacks about my good memories.
Ok, I will write about the other days later. Happy Easter to all!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Semana Santa Pictures
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=199644&id=699307852&l=0c2db5d224
Hopefully if you take this link, it will lead to some pictures of the pasos I saw before Semana Santa, and the procession I saw last night.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=203045&id=699307852&l=31a6752c4d
And there's the one for Barcelona...I will write the posts soon!
Hopefully if you take this link, it will lead to some pictures of the pasos I saw before Semana Santa, and the procession I saw last night.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=203045&id=699307852&l=31a6752c4d
And there's the one for Barcelona...I will write the posts soon!
Semana Santa
Hola! I am sorry that I have not written in so long, but it has been a really busy week! I will being by telling about our experiences with the pasos last night, then about our trip to Barcelona.
Ok, first the pasos. As you know, it is Semana Santa, and Spain being such a big Catholic country, that means a lot. Actually, to be a Catholic seems to me to mean something different here than we believe in the States. Not that many people go to mass, but there are statues and churches everywhere. During the whole week of Semana Santa, these float type structures, called pasos, leave from various churches and make a procession to the main Cathedral, then back to their church. The pasos are accompanied by bands, incense and hermanos-members of the church group-who wear an outfit similar to the KKK. I know that sounds bad (check out my pictures to see), but that’s what we all think of when we see them. I am still getting used to not being scared when I see one of them walking down the street towards their procession. This whole process is a little hard to explain, but hopefully I will be able to put up my photos and videos soon.
Each paso has a name, like Esperanza de Triana, El Gran Poder (Great Power), El Silencio or El Buen Fin. A paso either consists of a life size statue of Jesus or some scene from Holy Week, or a statue of Mary adorned with a long cape and surrounded by many flowers.
Each paso leaves at a designated time out of the church doors, and makes it’s way slowly to the Cathedral. The band comes first, then the hermanos, the incense and finally the paso. Now here is the real catch-these paso are not on wheels. People CARRY them. All through the street. On their shoulders. About 30-50 people stand hunched over underneath the paso carrying it for about 12 hours. I find this totally incredible and such an amazing feat. They costaleros (carriers of the pasos) are covered up, but sometimes you can see their feet. They have a sort of cheerleader, or guide behind them, giving instructions and encouragement.
The churches are open the week leading up to Semana Santa so people can go in and get a close up view of the pasos. It is amazing to see them close up with the intricate detail with the flowers and candles. I went on a tour with a teacher from school, and she explained that sometimes the paso are so tall and the doors not big enough, that the costaleros must get on the knees and shuffle out of the door before standing up. Conso (our guide), said that usually that part if quiet, but when they costaleros stand up, there is a big round of applause. Amazing.
The hermanos usually carry candles or crosses, depending on the paso. The crosses signify a promise that they made. The also may carry little charms or prayer cards and hand them out to the crowd.
Ok, so we decided to attend one of the Madruga pasos (Thrusday night to Friday morning). It is called La Esperanza de Triana, and is very convenient because it is in our neighborhood. We arrive at the route at 11 pm and staked out our spot. We waited there for 3 hours before the actual paso began-a few streets down from us (where the church of Sant Ana is located). By two hours before the paso, the streets were filled with people, and everyone was very territorial of their spot. Oh-I forgot to mention that with the pasos come hungry and tired people. Good thing there are men walking up and down the route selling ‘sillas sillas sillas’ aka the chairs that you use to watch soccer games or take to track meets. There are also stands of food-like at a fair-selling popcorn, chips, cotton candy, coconut and these bean-lookng things.
Anyways, after waiting, we saw the lights go off and could hear the band playing. First up was the band-this one consisting of younger people. They had white uniforms on and played proud but somber music. Then the hermanos: probably about 1,000 of them, all carrying candles. The crowd was not strictly silent during this part, but listened when the band went by. We then heard some clapping, and knew the paso was on its way. We could see the candles of the paso in the distance. Everyone started ‘shhhhh’-ing one another. The costaleros seemed to carry the paso a little ways, then rest and maybe set down the paso. When they stood back up, the people would clap.
The paso finally reached us, and it was incredible. Just being able to see it sway due to the shift in the costaleros was incredible. They still had a long ways to walk. Actually, it’s about 12:20 p.m., and we can still hear the beat of the drums. Good thing they have costaleros that switch out so they can rest. The Esperanza de Triana depicted Jesus carrying the cross with a Roman soldier showing him the way.
After the paso went by, more hermanos followed, then another paso of Mary. This one had a covering and people were throwing flowers over it from the balconies.
As soon as both pasos went by, the people booked it out of the neighborhood. Thank goodness we were close to home, as it was 4:30 in the morning and I was tired ☺ It was a great experiences though, and just so different from anything I have ever seen. I hope to catch some more in passing today and tomorrow.
Ok, first the pasos. As you know, it is Semana Santa, and Spain being such a big Catholic country, that means a lot. Actually, to be a Catholic seems to me to mean something different here than we believe in the States. Not that many people go to mass, but there are statues and churches everywhere. During the whole week of Semana Santa, these float type structures, called pasos, leave from various churches and make a procession to the main Cathedral, then back to their church. The pasos are accompanied by bands, incense and hermanos-members of the church group-who wear an outfit similar to the KKK. I know that sounds bad (check out my pictures to see), but that’s what we all think of when we see them. I am still getting used to not being scared when I see one of them walking down the street towards their procession. This whole process is a little hard to explain, but hopefully I will be able to put up my photos and videos soon.
Each paso has a name, like Esperanza de Triana, El Gran Poder (Great Power), El Silencio or El Buen Fin. A paso either consists of a life size statue of Jesus or some scene from Holy Week, or a statue of Mary adorned with a long cape and surrounded by many flowers.
Each paso leaves at a designated time out of the church doors, and makes it’s way slowly to the Cathedral. The band comes first, then the hermanos, the incense and finally the paso. Now here is the real catch-these paso are not on wheels. People CARRY them. All through the street. On their shoulders. About 30-50 people stand hunched over underneath the paso carrying it for about 12 hours. I find this totally incredible and such an amazing feat. They costaleros (carriers of the pasos) are covered up, but sometimes you can see their feet. They have a sort of cheerleader, or guide behind them, giving instructions and encouragement.
The churches are open the week leading up to Semana Santa so people can go in and get a close up view of the pasos. It is amazing to see them close up with the intricate detail with the flowers and candles. I went on a tour with a teacher from school, and she explained that sometimes the paso are so tall and the doors not big enough, that the costaleros must get on the knees and shuffle out of the door before standing up. Conso (our guide), said that usually that part if quiet, but when they costaleros stand up, there is a big round of applause. Amazing.
The hermanos usually carry candles or crosses, depending on the paso. The crosses signify a promise that they made. The also may carry little charms or prayer cards and hand them out to the crowd.
Ok, so we decided to attend one of the Madruga pasos (Thrusday night to Friday morning). It is called La Esperanza de Triana, and is very convenient because it is in our neighborhood. We arrive at the route at 11 pm and staked out our spot. We waited there for 3 hours before the actual paso began-a few streets down from us (where the church of Sant Ana is located). By two hours before the paso, the streets were filled with people, and everyone was very territorial of their spot. Oh-I forgot to mention that with the pasos come hungry and tired people. Good thing there are men walking up and down the route selling ‘sillas sillas sillas’ aka the chairs that you use to watch soccer games or take to track meets. There are also stands of food-like at a fair-selling popcorn, chips, cotton candy, coconut and these bean-lookng things.
Anyways, after waiting, we saw the lights go off and could hear the band playing. First up was the band-this one consisting of younger people. They had white uniforms on and played proud but somber music. Then the hermanos: probably about 1,000 of them, all carrying candles. The crowd was not strictly silent during this part, but listened when the band went by. We then heard some clapping, and knew the paso was on its way. We could see the candles of the paso in the distance. Everyone started ‘shhhhh’-ing one another. The costaleros seemed to carry the paso a little ways, then rest and maybe set down the paso. When they stood back up, the people would clap.
The paso finally reached us, and it was incredible. Just being able to see it sway due to the shift in the costaleros was incredible. They still had a long ways to walk. Actually, it’s about 12:20 p.m., and we can still hear the beat of the drums. Good thing they have costaleros that switch out so they can rest. The Esperanza de Triana depicted Jesus carrying the cross with a Roman soldier showing him the way.
After the paso went by, more hermanos followed, then another paso of Mary. This one had a covering and people were throwing flowers over it from the balconies.
As soon as both pasos went by, the people booked it out of the neighborhood. Thank goodness we were close to home, as it was 4:30 in the morning and I was tired ☺ It was a great experiences though, and just so different from anything I have ever seen. I hope to catch some more in passing today and tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
