Holy Week..Sevilla! Cadiz! Barcelonaaaaaa!!

So, back in good ol' Calata, the weekend over as well as the week long adventure around Spain. Glorius things are happening here in my life. Just being happy everyday is an incredible feeling. And I feel as I'm going to get a few skeptics who are reading this, saying under their breath "Yea, well you should try my job sometime," or "you're just on a really long vacation, of course you're happy everyday." However, being here, with people who have really good energy and are thankful for things like sunshine, open windows, or the fact that they have fresh basil at the supermarket is contagious, and everyday there is a reason to smile. :) So try it!

So bring on Semana Santa, a week long excursion to Sevilla, Cadiz and Barcelona! Karli and I hopped a train down to Andalucia two weeks ago, since all the regular tickets had been sold we were kinds forced into buying 1st class tickets (yea....it was a rough ride all right.) So we had nice seats, movies, lunch, and a bar at our disposal. I mean, you can't see fresh Spanish Cava on the wine list and not get it, right? So to celebrate our journey we decided to have a bottle of Cava with lunch. The train ride was pleasant and we arrived in nice and toasty warm Sevilla around 3:30 in the afternoon. The whole world was traveling down to the south for Semana Santa, so things were a bit crowded. Sevilla is like the Mecca of Semana Santa in Spain, everyone in the world heads down to this city to do some celebrating.

Riding 1st class down to Sevilla....
Hurray for individual bottles of Cava...

SO we arrived at our hostel, sweaty and hot from the bus ride and it turns out that the hostel was a converted old Spanish house, complete with central atrium that let i nthe sunshie and marble floors to keep in the cool. Exploring was a must, processions were happening everywhere and we needed to see some of this goodness that was happening in the streets.

The Guadalquivir

It did not let us down.

Isn't this tree great?

The Guadlquivir

So, Sevilla is famous for their processions, the fact that their traditional dress is extremely similar to that of the KKK is something interesting and shocking at the same time. It doesn't really hit you until you see them coming down the line all dressed alike and extremely solemn. I'm sorry, but the only time I have seen that image was in my history books with these hoods trailing down a dusty road with a lynching in the next tree over. Some shivers continued up and down my spine the whole weekend. However, these processions have NOTHING to do with that sort of thing and it just dates back hundreds of years.

There are not only procession of people dressed in white. In Sevilla, they have what are called cofradias, or brotherhoods, and each one is responsible for representing a different point of Jesus' story. They have a procession in a part of the city and they each carry a different float with the image of Jesus or Mary. The coolest thing about this is that the floats are not pulled by 18-wheelers or trucks, every single one is carried by people, about 20 to thirty people that manually get under the float and carry it throughout the parade route. It truly is something impressive to see. Also, the music is somber and melancholy, never leaving the minor range, the whole tone is just set throughout the city.

One of the floats while it was still inside the church.

Karli grabbed this shot. It looks like God is trying to say something....

The giant Mary float. It really was giant.

People actually pay money to get good seats for these processions....

Funny story about this actually. Karli, thinking that we weren't going to see many people dressed up (this was early on in the trip) saw these guys crossing the street, an said 'Sara, run, go get their picture!' So, 5 blocks later, staring people, and 3 strollers...I got them in front of a Burger King. Go figure.
Doens't it feel like the Ghost of Christmas past should be here?
Me and a cofradia

This sucker is pulled by about 20-30 people...

Procession time....
Now, since one can only see so many processions, Karli and I decided to wander around beautiful Sevilla. This city is magical, and there is no wonder that it is so famous. We walked the river, the famous Guadalquivir, sat under one of its bridges, the famous Puente de la Triana, (Bridge of Triana) which is the neighborhood where it is said that Flamenco sprang up so many years ago. We walked over to the beautiful Plaza Espana, which in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful plazas in Spain. We were entering a random back door when we looked up and discovered that we had entered through the 'Puerta de Aragon'...what luck! So random too. As the sun was setting, is just changed the beautiful colors of the plaza into this frenzy of warmth and wonderfullness....I think I could have spent all day there.

Puerta de Aragon!

Plaza de Espana


Representing all of those Aragoneses in the world....relaxing on the Aragon Bridge
The architect of this project knew what he was doing. Look at the way the sun sets on this Plaza...

ZARAGOZA!!!!

The next day was Palm Sunday, or Domingo de ramos...and EVERYBODY was dressed to the nines....not a single Spaniard was caught dead in jeans or a regular tshirt. It definitely set apart the travellers from the natives. Again, more processions were to be watched and friends to made. Karli and I decided to create a botellon for ourselves next to the river one night and we made friends with the group next to us....all Americans! (Some were from Mexico, some Brazil, some Argentina) it was an American mixture waiting for us! They were fun people and we enjoyed speaking in spanish and playing the guitar with them. A perfect way to end the night in Sevilla. The next day was on to Cadiz!

For some reason, all little boys were dressed like this. I didn't realize they manufactured red shoes like that for little boys!

La Giralda

The beautiful, gothic, Sevilla cathedral

haha. I just can't get away....

Cadiz, located on the southwest coast of Spain, is said to be the oldest, continually inhabited city in western Europe. Also known as little Havana, because it was the port city that connected the Americas with Spain. First thing we did when we arrived there was head for the ocean....Oh! How I'd missed the Atlantic! The sound of waves is something we take for granted. There's something about the sound and about the way the waves hit the shore that is breathtaking. We frolicked and played there for awhile appreciating the fact that for the next three days the ocean was ours. Our hotel was pretty bomb, thank you internet deals. Four star hotel for 30 euro a night? Yes please. The only downside was that there was a ten minute walk to get into the old center, but since when was walking bad for you?

GO ATLANTIC!


The Roman forum...second in size only to Pompeii

The beautiful Cadiz Cathedral

The casco antiguo was impressive. There was something about his port city that was just a little different than all the others. There was a lightness about it that I've only seen in the Caribbean. Old stones, great baroque architecture mixed with Roccoco, and throw in some neo-classical just for fun. A mixture of styles. Of course, since we hadn't left Andalucia, there were still processions going on and we caught them in front of the breathaking Cadiz Cathedral. Such a gorgeous piece of architecture. Add the full moon in and you have got yourself a beautiful evening.

I stumbled across this chruch one day....completely white.

From afar....

We decided early on that Cadiz was going to be our relaxing piece of our trip. We wanted to do absolutely nothing. We spent time on the beach (that's right, we were on the beach in March) and we went shopping and just slept a lot. We found some bomb bakeries with some traditional gaditano treats and we just passed the days under the sun. The ocean was good to us and the weather stayed warm, with a hint of ocean breeze coming from the west. Processions were all around us...you just could not get away from them! It's a good thing holy week is only once a year.

More processions. This time, at night.


The sunsets were absolutly breathtaking...

On Holy Thrusday, we had to go back to Sevilla to catch our flight to Barcelona. While we were sitting having a coffee we realized that Holy Thursday is the day that all of the Spanish women dress in black and wear their traditional mantillas. It was actually extremely somber looking, however I have never seen so many incredibly beautiful women. They were absolutly gorgeous and completly decked out. What a sight to see all of these elegant ladies like that.



After that, Karli and I caught our flight to the Barcelona airport where we reunited ourselves with Emily and her friend Alex, who had spent the week in Amesterdam, and with Lindsey, My friend from Mallorca, and Karli's friend Kendi, who is spending three weeks with us here in Spain. All of us had a friend with us! So the threesome became six....what a party! It was gonna be good....

This is already to long. Part two: Barcelona, coming your way soon....

Las Fahyas....said in your best Rhode Islandese.....

So I just finished my weekly lesson with one of my students, Alejandro, a super intellegent soul that is aiming to be a military pilot here in Spain. (big goals!) We do an hour of conversation every week, but it usually results in him teaching me something! (Today I learned all about the forces of planes and some physics too!) His English is getting better which is cool and we have some great conversations! I wish every student was like that!

Haha. End of the trimester here in Spain...everyone is itching for Semana Santa to begin. Karli and I leave on Saturday for the south of Spain...beach weather baby! The sun has finally decided to show its face around here. It just makes everyone happier.

Today is our big presentation in the Language School. It's their culture week, and we have been asked to give some talks about the United States. Karli's talking about the Native Americans, Emily's talking about the top ten things to do in Seattle, and I'm discussing the University life, with focus on the Northeast. Definitely should be fun. The university here is quite different than the USA, so I'm interested in seeing what these kids think about it. Hopefully I don't start tripping over my words! blah. We will see.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to Valencia with Sonia (This girl is taking me everywhere!) for Las Fallas, the most important festival in the Valencian province. It all started back in the day when carpenters needed to burn the materials and things that they no longer needed, so they started making large bonfires and burning what they needed to burn. They coincided the burning to fall on St. Joseph's day, the day of the carpenter! haha (coincidental? I think not...) So over the years, the festival evolved into the different neighborhoods each banning together and building their own 'creymera' or 'falla' that during the week before St. Joseph's day, would be judged. The winning falla would be spared for the following year, while all the others (There are hundreds!) would be burned throughout the city on the 19th of March.

As the years evolved, each of these bands of people got together, and along with building their own falla, they decided to form a club that during the month of March became like a big place to party and enjoy the festivities. There were fallas everywhere! Luckily, Sonia lived right next to one, so I could see it up close and personal. (Not so nice the next day when they started playing music at 11 in the morning.)

Yay!

The Valencian Post Office

We enjoyed ourselves though. One Sonia's friends was celebrating her birthday, so for dinner we went to a comedy club....I didn't think they even existed here in Spain! It was awesome, the comedian was absolutely hilarious, and I actually understood most of it! Afterwards I got to meet more of Sonia's friends and we went out dancing until dawn. Valencia was really pretty....warmer than Calatayud, yet still cool. We were able to walk around in light jackets and be ok. There's something about a place that is near water....it just makes the atmosphere so much more relaxed. I was happy to be near the ocean though...there's something about it that made me feel closer to home. I'm going stir crazy in this landlocked town!!!

The Falla next to Sonia's house

The Falla from Sonia's balcony

Throwing fireworks in a parking lot....a Falla tradition
I threw my first ones!

This is for you dad! Look at all the paella possibilites.....

The club where there is music and dancing and food and merriment....
All ready to go out!!!!!!

Ok....so I'm a little late on this one....

Teruel, Aragon

The bridge connecting the old city with the new part of the city....

Ok, ok...no follow up on the Teruel lovers until now, I know, I know....

The weekend was awesome. My friend Sonia took me here (she went to college there) and we spent the weekend amongst the middle ages royalty. Teruel is a really old city (the story alone was from the 1200's) and its famous for its mudejar architecture. So, add a whole bunch of people dressed up in medieval clothing, and you've found that you've teleported back to the middle ages.

The Teruel town hall....note the mudejar styling

The town gives the people three days off from work to enjoy the festivities (thrusday, friday, and monday) and the important parts of the story of Isabel and Diego are reenacted in the streets and churches of the town. (It's really impressive too see!) Two college students from the university are elected to play Diego and Isabel, and they learn all the parts. (It's very Romeo and Juliet-esque!)

Bread anyone??

Dad and Grandpa...this one is for you! That's right, open flame baby! It doesn't get any fresher than that!

You betcha there was wine in those barrels. They aren't joking around here...

This one too....Grandpa would go nuts for all those olives!

The market place!

Also, many people form jaimas, which are most similar to a club, but it's a group of people who get together and form a group. They research a name, and a coat of arms and build a tent/clubhouse kind of thing...true to medieval form. In the jaima, people cook over open fire, drink out of lambskin flasks and enjoy their time dressed up like their ancestors. It is super fun to see, and it is not at all uncommon that they will invite you in!

This guy let me into his jaima....
(just kidding, we knew him..well, not me personally, but my friends did...)

Outside the jaima, I put your focus, not on the three lovely ladies, but on the cauldron brewing over an open flame....
The blonde is Sonia!
Gotta love new Spanish friends....

We started the night off with some txakoli...a wine-like drink famously known in this city, mostly tasting like white wine. And we sampled things all night long.....empanadas, crepes, pacharan, you name it...we tried it. We ended up in a jaima at one point, dancing was involved, and lots and lots of coldness! Overall, it was an exciting night.

The next day, we returned to catch some of the drama demonstrations, and Karli and Emily joined us from Calatayud. The mudejar architecture surrounding in the city is absolutely gorgeous and really sets the stage for this festival. (I just realized....think King Richard's Fair....only ten times bigger, and much cheaper) Every available space was covered in peñas, so many people participated! I guess that is what was the most impressive thing for me. There were truly people of all ages there, and everyone was really into the festival....many people not in a jaima participated and dressed up. It was really exciting! Calatayud has a similar festival in June, so I'll be sure to keep you all posted! It was really neat to see a town celebrate its history so proudly.

In other words, Calatayud is settling in nicely. Teaching is going well, and my students are actually learning things. Back in February two of my sixth grade classes started doing an email exchange with April's daycare students, we ask them a question, they ask us one. This week's homework is the kid's have to look up what a 'bubbler' and a 'grinder' are!!! This should be interesting! (Especially since the first thing that shows up when 'bubbler' is searched for is a bong! hahahahha. I had to explain that one a little bit! hehehe.

Also, six of my class have started a letter exchange with my friend Lindsey's classes in Mallorca. They actually got super excited about the project and wrote really great letters (in English!) to these kids. Hopefully we get a response soon!

My kids taking pride in what they were writing!

Weather is finally warming up here....well, I hope I'm not speaking too soon, but the hotness factor should be going up, and maybe we'll get a nice weekend. And we're growing up....we've been making friends! We had a nice dinner in our apartment last week where a wicked good risotto was made and devoured in one sitting. Haha. Betty Crocker, here I come. Also at this dinner, it was sung, and recorded, the Spanish version of the theme song from 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.' You all know you want to hear it..... I'll get it up here someday ;)

A beautiful risotto!

It doesn't get much better than good friends. Especially ones that can make a pyramid....

I'll try and get more in this week!