My last week on the farm started out fairly calmly; we didn't have any huespedes, so there were less people around. In addition to that, Candela left for her trip, and Esther left the next morning. It was really quiet and sad with nobody around :(
Lindsey and I went on a quest to find the conejos one day, since I was never able to find them. They were sequestered off in a tiny area behind a fence behind what looks like an old garden. We couldn't see much, but we saw them sitting in their little cages. They were really cute! We looked at them for a while, and then got ready to leave. As we were walking away, I saw an oddly dark patch of grass. When we looked closer, we saw that it was actually a patch of dried blood! And there were little tufts of hair nearby. It was really sad to see that.
A few days later, Lola finally took me in to see the bunnies! It was very exciting. Two of the bunnies (the largest male and a smaller male) had an ear fungus. We had to go in to give them fungicide to treat it. Lola went in to pick up the bigger male, and I stood ready with the fungicide spray. He was not happy about being picked up, and began flailing wildly and squealing. I didn't even know rabbits could make audible sounds, but apparently they can scream! She put him back down, and ended up just holding him in place so he would stay still enough for the medicine. It was really sad, but Lola said this fungus could kill the rabbits, so it was important to treat it now. We sprayed both of his ears, and then treated the next rabbit, who wasn't nearly as resistant. The fungicide spray was neon pink, which I enjoyed quite a bit.
Lindsey and I went for a walk a few evenings before I left, on a quest to see El Gordo, a big fat olive tree in Almajalejo. En fin, we weren't able to distinguish which tree was El Gordo, but the trip was still exciting - we ended up walking through Almajalejo, and saw some very interesting things. We stopped first at Isabel's (Lola's mother) house to see if she was home, but she didn't come out. We kept walking, and soon found a fenced in area of turkeys, chickens, and dogs. The chickens and dogs were cute and regular, but the turkeys were of a variety that I have not seen before.
These were the weirdest turkeys I have ever seen in my entire life. Their heads were wrinkled, bald, and BLUE. They had flaps of skin hanging over their beaks. And they were gigantic. We sat watching them for a few minutes, in complete awe at their appearance.
Then they started squawking. They flared up their big, black tail feathers and pranced around making odd guttural noises at each other. It was quite a spectacle.
After the turkeys, we went on to another fence, where we saw goats. I embarrassingly pointed out some chickens to Lindsey that were actually pigeons on the way. We quickly got over my failed animal identification though when the goat walked by, fully endowed with the largest udder I have ever seen. It was almost touching the ground, and looked like it was about to explode / part ways with the body of the goat any second.
Crazy, crazy animals they have there in Almajalejo...
We made more bread and bizcocho one morning. Lola has an horno de lena, so we cooked the foods outside. It was really incredible to watch: Isabel would fill the oven with little twigs and dried olive tree branches, and we waited for them to burn. When everything was burned out, the oven was swept and we were able to cook the bread and bizcocho. With no timer, no temperature monitor, nothing! The oven just functioned off of the lingering heat from the fire. It was amazing.
Exciting as the baking adventure was, I hadn't been feeling very well for a few days, and the day Esther left I got especially sick. For the next few days, I wasn't able to eat and had a very high fever and a lot of stomach pain. My stomach was gurgling and making lots of weird and loud noises. I couldn't work, and I spent all day and night in bed, either sleeping or trying to sleep or just being in pain. It was a really sad way to end the trip, but I guess it's good that I was able to get home to make sure I was okay.
Surprisingly enough, my trip home was far more successful than my trip over. I caught the bus on time, and was actually feeling a little better when I left the farm. The bus arrived, and though my bag was a little overweight, I was able to get on my flight without any problems or extra charges. It was sad to leave Huercal Overa and the farm, but it's great to be back home in New York!
Hasta luego Espana! Encantada.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Almajalejo and Taberno
The other day I went for a walk during our afternoon descanso. Instead of walking the way I usually do (along the main road to Huercal Overa), I decided to turn down a new path that led to a town called Almajalejo. Almajalejo is about 1km off of the main road, so it was a fairly short walk.
After a short while I saw a few houses, so I figured I had reached the edge of the town. NOPE. That WAS the town. Almajalejo, I learned, is not actually a pueblo (town), but an aldea (a really really tiny town. Apparently the word in English is "hamlet"). This little place is perhaps the most interesting and unbelievable anachronism I have ever witnessed first hand: the street was lined with huge houses with little garden patios; old ladies were sitting outside listening to the radio playing. From the outside (and perhaps the inside too, I don't know), it looks as if Almajalejo has not changed since Franco. I didn't get to see too much of the place though, because right when I arrived a dog / savage beast creature came over and started barking at me. I am not usually afraid of dogs; this was actually just a monster and he was not thrilled with my presence. He ran up to his gate (he was locked away under a sign that said CUIDADO CON EL PERRO) and stood there yelling at me the entire time. I figured he would stop once I past the house, but he didn't, so I ran away back to the farm.
A couple of days later, we went to another nearby town called Taberno with a few of Esther's friends who came to visit. Upon arriving, we set off to find the town church (if there is one thing EVERY inhabited place in Spain has, it's a church) and its plaza. The church looked like it was a hundred years old - very worn down, with cracked paint and a severely compromised foundation. After looking at the plaque, however, we realized it had been constructed in 1971!
After looking out at the town from the view at the top of the church plaza, we decided to walk around to find a bar to get some ice cream. While we were walking, we passed an old woman sitting outside her house with several little girls. We went over to say hi, and saw that they were all working on some very detailed embroidery. Bolillos, as I learned this type of work is called, is an intricate design made out of many different strings, usually in floral or other repeating patterns. Bolillos can be attached as trimmings for tablecloths, towels, sheets, etc. The girls' grandmother was teaching them how to make bolillos: attached to a long, round pillow are tons of strings wound up on wooden sticks (these sticks are called bolillos). You rotate the bolillos to create the design, a photocopy of which is usually pinned underneath to guide the work. It looked unbelievably complicated, but the finished products were beautiful. We stuck around talking to the girls for a little while longer to hear more about bolillos and just to make small talk.
Afterwards, we went to the bar and ordered ice cream. We sat outside on the patio to eat, and discussed various Spanish accents (whether the Spanish lisp is correct or not; saying escuela or colegio, etc). While we were eating, we saw a man ride down the street on a horse, stop, tie his horse to the window of a building, and come to the bar for a drink. Though a painfully touristic moment, we obviously had to go take pictures with the horse. Never in my life have I seen someone actually use a horse as transportation. The man enjoyed us though, and offered to have us mount his horse for the pictures. It was excellent.
Yesterday afternoon, Candela's grandmother Isabel invited us all over to come see her house. She lives in Almajalejo, so we made the quick trip over following our afternoon naps. Her house is gigantic and absolutely gorgeous. It is just as architecturally ingenious as Lola's; even in the 100+ degree weather, it remained cool and fresh inside without any fans or air conditioning. Isabel showed us around, showing off all of the bolillos she has done (which is no small amount - I can't even remember how many towels and sheets and blankets and napkins and tablecloths she showed us, and every surface of the house was covered with something she had either made entirely from scratch or had embellished in some way). She is very proud of her work (obviously), and it was incredible to see the kind of things she has made. She also showed us parts of Candela's ajuar she is preparing. An ajuar is a collection of sheets, tablecloths, towels, and other linens that relatives embellish and prepare (with bolillos, cross stitching, embroidery, etc) for when a young girl in the family gets married. The Spanish tradition of developing an ajuar is largely outdated in most major cities, but apparently still thrives in the country. Isabel was very excited about the ajuar for Candela, and secretly showed us the photocopied designs for the parts she has not yet created. I was less than thrilled when I heard about this tradition, but what Isabel is preparing really is beautiful.
We looked at tons of old photographs, of Isabel's parents, Lola as a young girl (she was BEAUTIFUL - and Candela looks just like her), and a handful of neices, nephews, and cousins. We also saw Isabel's collection of dresses she keeps stored away for Lola and Candela, which was fun. As we walked through the house, she pointed out pieces of furniture that had been passed on to her from her parents, and their parents. Nearly everything in the house had been in the family for nearly a hundred years.
After an extensive tour of the house and the newly converted apartments above Isabel rents to vacationers, we sat outside in the garden for a snack. Those Almajalejans know how to merendar: Isabel prepared cheese and pineapple and little salmon with cream cheese bread pieces, followed by homemade ice cream sandwiches (with turron ice cream - it's made from almonds and is VERY delicious). We sat and ate and talked about life in Almajalejo and Isabel's past. We learned that she was born in one of the houses on Lola's farm (Casa Abuela, now rented out to huespedes), and has spent her entire life in Almajalejo and Huercal Overa. We asked if she had a lot of family nearby. She said no, but then went on to list what sounded like a lot of family that live in Almajalejo and Huercal Overa. Isabel has spent her life tending to the house and garden of her family. When she was younger, they worked on a dairy farm, but that was too difficult. Now she works with Lola, and maintains a small garden of her own in addition to preparing Candela's ajuar.
The conversation quickly turned to Candela, who just left today for an 11 day trip to Tarragona and Paris to celebrate her friend's birthday. Isabel has never been to the beach, and is afraid of any type of travel that is not work-related. She has been sneaking behind Lola's back to try to convince Candela not to go on the trip (which she was told was just a trip to a friend's house in Alicante). She told Candela she would get sick and that she was already in pain because Candela was leaving. It was really sad and strange to see that she did not see any value in her nieta traveling, but I know next to nothing about their lifestyle and have no right to say what is best for Candela. At the very least, this trip was an eye-opening experience, and I'm happy to have gleaned some insight into what the rural parts of this region in Spain are like.
It has been really incredible to see and explore these little towns out in the country of Spain. I feel like I am getting to see a really interesting part of Spanish culture (no matter how outdated it may be for the cities and other urban areas).
After a short while I saw a few houses, so I figured I had reached the edge of the town. NOPE. That WAS the town. Almajalejo, I learned, is not actually a pueblo (town), but an aldea (a really really tiny town. Apparently the word in English is "hamlet"). This little place is perhaps the most interesting and unbelievable anachronism I have ever witnessed first hand: the street was lined with huge houses with little garden patios; old ladies were sitting outside listening to the radio playing. From the outside (and perhaps the inside too, I don't know), it looks as if Almajalejo has not changed since Franco. I didn't get to see too much of the place though, because right when I arrived a dog / savage beast creature came over and started barking at me. I am not usually afraid of dogs; this was actually just a monster and he was not thrilled with my presence. He ran up to his gate (he was locked away under a sign that said CUIDADO CON EL PERRO) and stood there yelling at me the entire time. I figured he would stop once I past the house, but he didn't, so I ran away back to the farm.
A couple of days later, we went to another nearby town called Taberno with a few of Esther's friends who came to visit. Upon arriving, we set off to find the town church (if there is one thing EVERY inhabited place in Spain has, it's a church) and its plaza. The church looked like it was a hundred years old - very worn down, with cracked paint and a severely compromised foundation. After looking at the plaque, however, we realized it had been constructed in 1971!
After looking out at the town from the view at the top of the church plaza, we decided to walk around to find a bar to get some ice cream. While we were walking, we passed an old woman sitting outside her house with several little girls. We went over to say hi, and saw that they were all working on some very detailed embroidery. Bolillos, as I learned this type of work is called, is an intricate design made out of many different strings, usually in floral or other repeating patterns. Bolillos can be attached as trimmings for tablecloths, towels, sheets, etc. The girls' grandmother was teaching them how to make bolillos: attached to a long, round pillow are tons of strings wound up on wooden sticks (these sticks are called bolillos). You rotate the bolillos to create the design, a photocopy of which is usually pinned underneath to guide the work. It looked unbelievably complicated, but the finished products were beautiful. We stuck around talking to the girls for a little while longer to hear more about bolillos and just to make small talk.
Afterwards, we went to the bar and ordered ice cream. We sat outside on the patio to eat, and discussed various Spanish accents (whether the Spanish lisp is correct or not; saying escuela or colegio, etc). While we were eating, we saw a man ride down the street on a horse, stop, tie his horse to the window of a building, and come to the bar for a drink. Though a painfully touristic moment, we obviously had to go take pictures with the horse. Never in my life have I seen someone actually use a horse as transportation. The man enjoyed us though, and offered to have us mount his horse for the pictures. It was excellent.
Yesterday afternoon, Candela's grandmother Isabel invited us all over to come see her house. She lives in Almajalejo, so we made the quick trip over following our afternoon naps. Her house is gigantic and absolutely gorgeous. It is just as architecturally ingenious as Lola's; even in the 100+ degree weather, it remained cool and fresh inside without any fans or air conditioning. Isabel showed us around, showing off all of the bolillos she has done (which is no small amount - I can't even remember how many towels and sheets and blankets and napkins and tablecloths she showed us, and every surface of the house was covered with something she had either made entirely from scratch or had embellished in some way). She is very proud of her work (obviously), and it was incredible to see the kind of things she has made. She also showed us parts of Candela's ajuar she is preparing. An ajuar is a collection of sheets, tablecloths, towels, and other linens that relatives embellish and prepare (with bolillos, cross stitching, embroidery, etc) for when a young girl in the family gets married. The Spanish tradition of developing an ajuar is largely outdated in most major cities, but apparently still thrives in the country. Isabel was very excited about the ajuar for Candela, and secretly showed us the photocopied designs for the parts she has not yet created. I was less than thrilled when I heard about this tradition, but what Isabel is preparing really is beautiful.
We looked at tons of old photographs, of Isabel's parents, Lola as a young girl (she was BEAUTIFUL - and Candela looks just like her), and a handful of neices, nephews, and cousins. We also saw Isabel's collection of dresses she keeps stored away for Lola and Candela, which was fun. As we walked through the house, she pointed out pieces of furniture that had been passed on to her from her parents, and their parents. Nearly everything in the house had been in the family for nearly a hundred years.
After an extensive tour of the house and the newly converted apartments above Isabel rents to vacationers, we sat outside in the garden for a snack. Those Almajalejans know how to merendar: Isabel prepared cheese and pineapple and little salmon with cream cheese bread pieces, followed by homemade ice cream sandwiches (with turron ice cream - it's made from almonds and is VERY delicious). We sat and ate and talked about life in Almajalejo and Isabel's past. We learned that she was born in one of the houses on Lola's farm (Casa Abuela, now rented out to huespedes), and has spent her entire life in Almajalejo and Huercal Overa. We asked if she had a lot of family nearby. She said no, but then went on to list what sounded like a lot of family that live in Almajalejo and Huercal Overa. Isabel has spent her life tending to the house and garden of her family. When she was younger, they worked on a dairy farm, but that was too difficult. Now she works with Lola, and maintains a small garden of her own in addition to preparing Candela's ajuar.
The conversation quickly turned to Candela, who just left today for an 11 day trip to Tarragona and Paris to celebrate her friend's birthday. Isabel has never been to the beach, and is afraid of any type of travel that is not work-related. She has been sneaking behind Lola's back to try to convince Candela not to go on the trip (which she was told was just a trip to a friend's house in Alicante). She told Candela she would get sick and that she was already in pain because Candela was leaving. It was really sad and strange to see that she did not see any value in her nieta traveling, but I know next to nothing about their lifestyle and have no right to say what is best for Candela. At the very least, this trip was an eye-opening experience, and I'm happy to have gleaned some insight into what the rural parts of this region in Spain are like.
It has been really incredible to see and explore these little towns out in the country of Spain. I feel like I am getting to see a really interesting part of Spanish culture (no matter how outdated it may be for the cities and other urban areas).
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Granada!
Lindsey and I had our day off alone this week, because Esther had friends visiting and she went with them. Since we no longer had transportation, we had to work something out with the one bus that stops in Huercal Overa.
Originally we were thinking of going back to Mojacar, since we can shop there and also go to the beach. The bus only goes to Mojacar once a day, and in the afternoon, so we couldn't do that. Then we started thinking about taking a longer trip and going farther away, and we decided to go to Granada, which is just under 3 hours away. We talked to Lola about it, and she was super nice and told us if we went to Granada we would have to stay the night because it would be ridiculous not to. As it turned out, there was also a family of huespedes staying with us at the time who are from Granada, and Lola was able to talk them into driving us out there! So in the end, we only had to buy tickets to take the bus back - it was perfect!
We woke up early Monday morning to eat breakfast and pack up for the day. We got tickets to see La Alhambra, and planned to stay the night in a hostel (the father of the family actually knew a girl who runs a hostel in Granada, so we were thinking of working something out to stay there) before catching the bus at 12:30pm the next day. We got in the car around 10ish and set off for Granada.
The family has a little boy named Gonzalo, who is absolutely adorable but also a genius. He goes to a French school, so he is fluent in Spanish and French, and he loves to read - and he's only 3! The entire car ride was spent reading Gonzalo's Mi Primer Diccionario and discussing which animals scare us (nothing scares Gonzalo, apparently, and he thought it was hilarious that we were afraid of anything). Luckily the ride was super fast - we ended up getting to the city before noon.
When we got there, we got coffee and started walking up towards La Alhambra (a gigantic series of palaces and fortresses from the Nasrid family) and the Albaicin (a preserved neighborhood of silk and other markets with tiny streets). Everything we passed was amazing: there was a ton of greenery worked into the city, with rivers and streams running right through the middle of the streets. We got a map from the Oficina de Turistas, and started heading uphill towards La Alhambra.
It took us a while to find the Albaicin (it is very easy to get lost / sidetracked looking at everything), but when we finally got there it was incredible. We walked under an archway and up around a corner and found ourselves on a tiny street filled with teterias and open shops selling clothes, rugs, pareos, and tons of plates, cups, and beautifully decorated tea pots. The Albaicin was filled with streets like this one, winding up and around each other. We walked around and shopped for several hours, and ended the journey in a bar. We got beers and tapas (every drink comes with complimentary tapas! I love Spain.) and then headed off to La Alhambra - we were told we would need at least 4 hours there - so we wanted to get there early.
As we started walking, I decided to fall violently ill and could not move. My stomach was dying and I thought I was going to get food poisoning. We stopped for a while and I contemplated how perfect my timing was: I would get food poisoning the one day I come to Granada. I WOULD. I was not happy.
I decided we needed to keep going anyway. We got on a bus to go up to La Alhambra (I was not about to walk up the mountain in 100+ degree weather when I was on the verge of death), and arrived about 7 minutes later. We exchanged our tickets, and headed in to look at the gardens.
The gardens of La Alhambra are what I imagine the Garden of Eden would look like. We walked out onto a path lined with massively tall cypress trees, filled with fountains and flowers and delicious smells. I can't even describe how painfully beautiful it was, but I felt much better about five minutes after arriving. It was actually magical.
We walked through several gardens like this one, passing through archways constructed entirely out of plants and flowers, posing with 5-foot-tall roses, and dipping our feet in exposed rivulets of water that ran between the fountains. We went into palaces, baths, and studies, marveling at the intricate engravings that covered nearly every square inch of the walls and ceilings. We even picked fruit off of the trees (a Granada from Granada, of course)! --but pomegranates are not quite in season yet so it was too green to eat :(
Eventually we got to the Nasrid Palaces (the main attraction of La Alhambra). We had to wait outside for a few minutes before we could go in. The view of Granada from this height was breathtaking (you could see the entire city from this palace), but it was too hot to breathe. Lindsey and I stood dripping in sweat, feeling our backs and legs burning to a crisp. Coming from this position of discomfort made walking into the palaces even more amazing: when we got past the gates, we were welcomed by cool shade from the towering cypress trees, and more delicious fruity smells from the orange trees and roses around us. The palaces we saw were filled with massive and beautiful rooms with intricate carvings all over the walls and windows: carvings of shapes, words, and stories. I wish I spoke Arabic so I could understand what they said, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
Several hours and a ridiculous amount of pictures later, we completed our tour of La Alhambra. We shopped a little more in the Albaicin, and then stopped for some wine and tapas. While sitting on the terrace of a bar in the Plaza Nueva district (a popular spot for college students), we saw the father from the family of huespedes walk by on the street below us! He stopped to talk to us, telling us he had just finished his yoga class and was now heading over to meet his friend Paco for drinks. We paid for our drinks (and not the tapas because they are free! woo!) and headed off with Cuamo.
As it turns out, Paco lives in the Albaicin. His building, like all of the buildings of the neighborhood, is preserved from several centuries ago. In addition to being located in the greatest neighborhood ever, the building also has a garden and a patio in the middle. As obsessed as I am with Yale housing, I have to say this might be a teensy bit better.
Paco showed us around the Albaicin some more, taking us through the residential parts we had not yet seen, and leading us to a spectacular viewpoint from which we could see the Alhambra, which is illuminated and even more beautiful at night. This spot isn't well known, so there weren't any tourists, which was nice. After looking at the Alhambra for a little while and hearing more about the history and current situation in Granada, Paco took us out to his favorite tapas bar. We sat and drank and ate delicious food, watching a live flamenco performance and talking about Granada and our lives. Paco and Cuamo are paleontologists and professors at the University of Granada, so we had a really interesting discussion about our experiences with museums (I worked in the American Museum of History during high school and am now working at the Yale Peabody Museum). I had noticed on the drive out that the ground in this part of Spain is surprisingly white (usually indicating a high presence of calcium carbonate, which preserves fossils well) so we talked about that for a while too. Overall a very nerdy, but very intriguing conversation.
Several drinks and complementary tapas later, we walked Paco back to his apartment, spotting an abnormally large number of salamanders on the way (they are all over the walls of the buildings). After leaving Paco and Cuamo, we discussed housing options. In the end, we decided it was probably best to stay out all night and not worry about housing, so we could "really experience Granada." And thus we headed out to find a discoteca.
We had a really hard time finding anything that was open, since it was a Monday night and the middle of the summer. We ran into two British girls, and they offered to show us to a discoteca they had found. They kept warning us to prepare ourselves, but I still could not believe it when we walked into a dance club that was COMPLETELY EMPTY. The two girls ran out to the dance floor and started dancing; Lindsey and I decided we wanted to keep looking.
After asking several groups of people on the street that seemed to be our age for recommendations on where to go, we ended up at a discoteca near the river. It was pretty empty, but the music was good and we were enjoying ourselves. The bartender told us more people would be coming, but it was already 2:30am so we didn't really believe him.
Surprisingly enough, a ton of more people did come, and after making a request for Lady Gaga we started to have a lot of fun. We met some really interesting people, and some not as interesting people. Overall it was a great time though, because before we knew it it was 6:30am and the bar was closing. We ended up leaving with an odd group of kids we had met (a brother and sister, her girlfriend, and some other people somehow involved with all of them - it was difficult to keep track of the details). They kept telling us they lived really close to the center of Granada, so we left with them to sleep for a little bit.
I'm pretty sure we slept for about 10 minutes, because we woke up and left the house before 7:30am. We were completely disoriented and not prepared to be awake and functioning for the day, reeking of smoke and alcohol and general discoteca smelliness, but we left anyway to get breakfast. We stopped at the first open diner-type place we found, and had coffee with bread drenched in olive oil. We set off to walk back to the city after getting directions. We were actually 8km away from the city (nbd), but we decided the walk would be nice since we could see cool things on the way, and we both love walking.
We ended up walking to the bus stop, and decided it would be better if we took the bus. The other man waiting for the bus told us it would be no more than 30 minutes. Three times. Eventually we left and decided to just take a cab.
When we got back into Granada, we were ready for another breakfast. This time we decided we needed to have eggs and a milkshake. Apparently nobody has eggs for breakfast here, because we had to go to at least 4 restaurants before finding one that served eggs. By the time we finished eating, stores were beginning to open up, so we did some last minute shopping in and around Alcaiceria (a small street filled with more tea shops). After lots of sweaty speed-shopping, we left to go meet the bus.
On the way to the bus stop we found some more necessary shopping, so we lost track of time a little bit and ended up rushing to get a cab 15 minutes before the bus was supposed to depart. Luckily we made it just in time. We both passed out for several hours on the bus, completely exhausted from the trip. We woke up about 3 hours later, still not in Huercal Overa, and began to worry that we missed our stop. We didn't - the bus ride just ended up being 4+ hours long. It wasn't too bad though, because we got to sleep a little bit.
When we arrived in Huercal Overa, we called Lola to have her pick us up. She told us she wasn't coming into town for another hour, so we could wait there or take a cab back. We decided to take a cab, because we were smelly and disgusting and tired. We got in the cab and realized we didn't have an address to give the driver. GREAT.
We told him we were working on a farm staying with Lola at Casa Rural Huercal Overa. I overestimated the size of this place yet again, as he immediately knew where to take us (everyone knows everyone, even though the farm is 6km away from the town). When we got back, we jumped in the pool, ate, and slept for 4 hours. We ended up not having to work that day (!) and just slept straight through until dinner. We showered (finally eliminating the lovely smells we had absorbed) and went to bed. We were super exhausted, and I'm still tired now, but it was so worth it. Granada was amazing!
Originally we were thinking of going back to Mojacar, since we can shop there and also go to the beach. The bus only goes to Mojacar once a day, and in the afternoon, so we couldn't do that. Then we started thinking about taking a longer trip and going farther away, and we decided to go to Granada, which is just under 3 hours away. We talked to Lola about it, and she was super nice and told us if we went to Granada we would have to stay the night because it would be ridiculous not to. As it turned out, there was also a family of huespedes staying with us at the time who are from Granada, and Lola was able to talk them into driving us out there! So in the end, we only had to buy tickets to take the bus back - it was perfect!
We woke up early Monday morning to eat breakfast and pack up for the day. We got tickets to see La Alhambra, and planned to stay the night in a hostel (the father of the family actually knew a girl who runs a hostel in Granada, so we were thinking of working something out to stay there) before catching the bus at 12:30pm the next day. We got in the car around 10ish and set off for Granada.
The family has a little boy named Gonzalo, who is absolutely adorable but also a genius. He goes to a French school, so he is fluent in Spanish and French, and he loves to read - and he's only 3! The entire car ride was spent reading Gonzalo's Mi Primer Diccionario and discussing which animals scare us (nothing scares Gonzalo, apparently, and he thought it was hilarious that we were afraid of anything). Luckily the ride was super fast - we ended up getting to the city before noon.
When we got there, we got coffee and started walking up towards La Alhambra (a gigantic series of palaces and fortresses from the Nasrid family) and the Albaicin (a preserved neighborhood of silk and other markets with tiny streets). Everything we passed was amazing: there was a ton of greenery worked into the city, with rivers and streams running right through the middle of the streets. We got a map from the Oficina de Turistas, and started heading uphill towards La Alhambra.
It took us a while to find the Albaicin (it is very easy to get lost / sidetracked looking at everything), but when we finally got there it was incredible. We walked under an archway and up around a corner and found ourselves on a tiny street filled with teterias and open shops selling clothes, rugs, pareos, and tons of plates, cups, and beautifully decorated tea pots. The Albaicin was filled with streets like this one, winding up and around each other. We walked around and shopped for several hours, and ended the journey in a bar. We got beers and tapas (every drink comes with complimentary tapas! I love Spain.) and then headed off to La Alhambra - we were told we would need at least 4 hours there - so we wanted to get there early.
As we started walking, I decided to fall violently ill and could not move. My stomach was dying and I thought I was going to get food poisoning. We stopped for a while and I contemplated how perfect my timing was: I would get food poisoning the one day I come to Granada. I WOULD. I was not happy.
I decided we needed to keep going anyway. We got on a bus to go up to La Alhambra (I was not about to walk up the mountain in 100+ degree weather when I was on the verge of death), and arrived about 7 minutes later. We exchanged our tickets, and headed in to look at the gardens.
The gardens of La Alhambra are what I imagine the Garden of Eden would look like. We walked out onto a path lined with massively tall cypress trees, filled with fountains and flowers and delicious smells. I can't even describe how painfully beautiful it was, but I felt much better about five minutes after arriving. It was actually magical.
We walked through several gardens like this one, passing through archways constructed entirely out of plants and flowers, posing with 5-foot-tall roses, and dipping our feet in exposed rivulets of water that ran between the fountains. We went into palaces, baths, and studies, marveling at the intricate engravings that covered nearly every square inch of the walls and ceilings. We even picked fruit off of the trees (a Granada from Granada, of course)! --but pomegranates are not quite in season yet so it was too green to eat :(
Eventually we got to the Nasrid Palaces (the main attraction of La Alhambra). We had to wait outside for a few minutes before we could go in. The view of Granada from this height was breathtaking (you could see the entire city from this palace), but it was too hot to breathe. Lindsey and I stood dripping in sweat, feeling our backs and legs burning to a crisp. Coming from this position of discomfort made walking into the palaces even more amazing: when we got past the gates, we were welcomed by cool shade from the towering cypress trees, and more delicious fruity smells from the orange trees and roses around us. The palaces we saw were filled with massive and beautiful rooms with intricate carvings all over the walls and windows: carvings of shapes, words, and stories. I wish I spoke Arabic so I could understand what they said, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
Several hours and a ridiculous amount of pictures later, we completed our tour of La Alhambra. We shopped a little more in the Albaicin, and then stopped for some wine and tapas. While sitting on the terrace of a bar in the Plaza Nueva district (a popular spot for college students), we saw the father from the family of huespedes walk by on the street below us! He stopped to talk to us, telling us he had just finished his yoga class and was now heading over to meet his friend Paco for drinks. We paid for our drinks (and not the tapas because they are free! woo!) and headed off with Cuamo.
As it turns out, Paco lives in the Albaicin. His building, like all of the buildings of the neighborhood, is preserved from several centuries ago. In addition to being located in the greatest neighborhood ever, the building also has a garden and a patio in the middle. As obsessed as I am with Yale housing, I have to say this might be a teensy bit better.
Paco showed us around the Albaicin some more, taking us through the residential parts we had not yet seen, and leading us to a spectacular viewpoint from which we could see the Alhambra, which is illuminated and even more beautiful at night. This spot isn't well known, so there weren't any tourists, which was nice. After looking at the Alhambra for a little while and hearing more about the history and current situation in Granada, Paco took us out to his favorite tapas bar. We sat and drank and ate delicious food, watching a live flamenco performance and talking about Granada and our lives. Paco and Cuamo are paleontologists and professors at the University of Granada, so we had a really interesting discussion about our experiences with museums (I worked in the American Museum of History during high school and am now working at the Yale Peabody Museum). I had noticed on the drive out that the ground in this part of Spain is surprisingly white (usually indicating a high presence of calcium carbonate, which preserves fossils well) so we talked about that for a while too. Overall a very nerdy, but very intriguing conversation.
Several drinks and complementary tapas later, we walked Paco back to his apartment, spotting an abnormally large number of salamanders on the way (they are all over the walls of the buildings). After leaving Paco and Cuamo, we discussed housing options. In the end, we decided it was probably best to stay out all night and not worry about housing, so we could "really experience Granada." And thus we headed out to find a discoteca.
We had a really hard time finding anything that was open, since it was a Monday night and the middle of the summer. We ran into two British girls, and they offered to show us to a discoteca they had found. They kept warning us to prepare ourselves, but I still could not believe it when we walked into a dance club that was COMPLETELY EMPTY. The two girls ran out to the dance floor and started dancing; Lindsey and I decided we wanted to keep looking.
After asking several groups of people on the street that seemed to be our age for recommendations on where to go, we ended up at a discoteca near the river. It was pretty empty, but the music was good and we were enjoying ourselves. The bartender told us more people would be coming, but it was already 2:30am so we didn't really believe him.
Surprisingly enough, a ton of more people did come, and after making a request for Lady Gaga we started to have a lot of fun. We met some really interesting people, and some not as interesting people. Overall it was a great time though, because before we knew it it was 6:30am and the bar was closing. We ended up leaving with an odd group of kids we had met (a brother and sister, her girlfriend, and some other people somehow involved with all of them - it was difficult to keep track of the details). They kept telling us they lived really close to the center of Granada, so we left with them to sleep for a little bit.
I'm pretty sure we slept for about 10 minutes, because we woke up and left the house before 7:30am. We were completely disoriented and not prepared to be awake and functioning for the day, reeking of smoke and alcohol and general discoteca smelliness, but we left anyway to get breakfast. We stopped at the first open diner-type place we found, and had coffee with bread drenched in olive oil. We set off to walk back to the city after getting directions. We were actually 8km away from the city (nbd), but we decided the walk would be nice since we could see cool things on the way, and we both love walking.
We ended up walking to the bus stop, and decided it would be better if we took the bus. The other man waiting for the bus told us it would be no more than 30 minutes. Three times. Eventually we left and decided to just take a cab.
When we got back into Granada, we were ready for another breakfast. This time we decided we needed to have eggs and a milkshake. Apparently nobody has eggs for breakfast here, because we had to go to at least 4 restaurants before finding one that served eggs. By the time we finished eating, stores were beginning to open up, so we did some last minute shopping in and around Alcaiceria (a small street filled with more tea shops). After lots of sweaty speed-shopping, we left to go meet the bus.
On the way to the bus stop we found some more necessary shopping, so we lost track of time a little bit and ended up rushing to get a cab 15 minutes before the bus was supposed to depart. Luckily we made it just in time. We both passed out for several hours on the bus, completely exhausted from the trip. We woke up about 3 hours later, still not in Huercal Overa, and began to worry that we missed our stop. We didn't - the bus ride just ended up being 4+ hours long. It wasn't too bad though, because we got to sleep a little bit.
When we arrived in Huercal Overa, we called Lola to have her pick us up. She told us she wasn't coming into town for another hour, so we could wait there or take a cab back. We decided to take a cab, because we were smelly and disgusting and tired. We got in the cab and realized we didn't have an address to give the driver. GREAT.
We told him we were working on a farm staying with Lola at Casa Rural Huercal Overa. I overestimated the size of this place yet again, as he immediately knew where to take us (everyone knows everyone, even though the farm is 6km away from the town). When we got back, we jumped in the pool, ate, and slept for 4 hours. We ended up not having to work that day (!) and just slept straight through until dinner. We showered (finally eliminating the lovely smells we had absorbed) and went to bed. We were super exhausted, and I'm still tired now, but it was so worth it. Granada was amazing!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Oh the Wilderness
Wednesday afternoon started out fairly well; I did a dictado with Lindsey and Candela followed by the usual English lesson. I only had one new vocab word from the dictado, which was exciting (usually there are several). After that, Lola had me fregar all of the floors (UGH), but it was okay because in the end she said I did a good job! Finally! I have officially learned how to mop.
After fregando Lola sent me out to water the olivos. I went to the really big finca - there are 20+ trees there - and started watering. Everything was going well as usual; I sat and read my book and left the water running. Usually it is difficult to find a good place to sit, because the trees are in the middle of the wilderness. They are surrounded by tall grass and pointy plants, and there's usually maybe 2 sq ft of shade to sit in. I was walking around scouting out a place to sit, when I found a patch that was just dirt with no plants (!). So I sat there and started to read.
After un rato, I decided to get up and walk around / play with the dirt (exciting times regando los olivos). The ground here is really entertaining to me because I have never seen a desert before - the dirt is hard and cracked like it is in The Lion King. I like to poke it and make new cracks sometimes.
Anyway, as I was walking around observing and playing with the dirt, I saw a weird crack that surprisingly circular. And large. It also had twigs surrounding it in a clearly organized manner, so I figured some animal lived there. I peered in to see who it was (the hole was a bit smaller than my fist), and saw three big hairy legs.
I FREAKED OUT and screamed at the top of my lungs. It was a scream of pure terror, and I'm pretty sure everyone between here and Huercal Overa heard it. I had never seen a spider that huge before, and I was not happy.
I backed away a little bit, but kept my eye on the hole (obviously). The spider started to come out, and was just sitting there half out of his hole. I stamped my foot and he went back in. We did this for about 7 minutes - him coming out, me scaring him back in - while I devised a plan.
The tree I was watering was about 5 ft away from the hole, so I wasn't worried about recollecting the hose, but the next tree I wanted to water was directly in the path of the spider death trap. I debated trying to drown it, but I was worried that it wouldn't die fast enough and it would come kill me first. I was also concerned that it would be able to jump up onto the hose and climb up and kill me that way. (I also debated whether or not this was a life or death situation, and decided it was: the finca I was watering was super far from the house, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to stumble back to the house before lapsing into a coma and dying). I determined that I would not be able to drown the spider monster, so I collected the hose and walked the long way to get to the next tree. I left the hose there, even though I was only halfway done watering, and started heading back home.
At this point I was absolutely terrified of everything. I was concerned about leaving the spider hole, because 1. he could follow me and make a sneak attack and 2. he was still alive in there and could kill me anytime. Or anyone else who goes to water the olive trees. Or he could follow me home.
Walking back was difficult, because I had switched to the wrong side of the trees to avoid death. Nobody walks on that side, so the grass is taller than usual. I learned that in addition to my underground spider assassin, there were also equally-sized grass dwelling spiders here! I almost walked straight through a web that was strung between the tall grass, but I saw it's GIGANTIC constructor just in time. I screamed again (obviously) and ran around to the other side. To make matters worse, a huge bug hit me in the face as well while I was walking back.
Eventually I made it back to the path and got home. I immediately went online to determine what kind of monster I had encountered in the wild. I determined that it was a wolf spider. EXCELLENT. Apparently there are quite a few dangerous animals indigenous to this region. Lindsey saw a scorpion the other day (!) but Lola killed it and everything was okay.
Eventually I relaxed and everything was good. We had a nice dinner, watched I'm Not There (highly recommended). Of course that wasn't the end of it though. I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a HUMONGOUS hairy spider on the wall above my head. I didn't know what to do so I wrapped myself up in my blanket and curled up in a ball. I sat like that for about 15 minutes, literally dripping with sweat (it was probably upwards of 85 degrees in my room at the time), before I realized it had been a dream. I sat there for a little while, still panicking, and slowly unwrapped myself. Eventually I fell back asleep.
Luckily I have not seen any scary creatures since then, and several exciting things have happened so I'm over it. I went on a quest yesterday to determine what kinds of fruit trees we have here. It turns out we have apple trees, fig trees, almond trees, olive trees, pomegranate trees, lime trees, quince trees (I had never heard of quince before coming here, but apparently that is another fruit), and grapes. I think that's everything, but I'm not sure. The trees are just growing around the property, around the pool and around the houses. It is so cool to see the little fruits growing on them.
Lola also made us ice cream yesterday which was very exciting. It only had three ingredients (leche, limon, and brevas) and it was DELICIOUS. She made it with the Thermomix, which is this machine that is very popular in Spain and can do everything. It's actually magical. She uses the Thermomix to make just about everything: arroz con leche, almond milk, various pates, any kind of cooked food, bread crumbs from bread that is harder than a rock, and apparently ice cream too! And all you do is put the ingredients in, and it mixes everything together. You can control the temperature, speed, and time. It can cook cold and hot things, and also weighs the ingredients as you put them in! I want one.
After fregando Lola sent me out to water the olivos. I went to the really big finca - there are 20+ trees there - and started watering. Everything was going well as usual; I sat and read my book and left the water running. Usually it is difficult to find a good place to sit, because the trees are in the middle of the wilderness. They are surrounded by tall grass and pointy plants, and there's usually maybe 2 sq ft of shade to sit in. I was walking around scouting out a place to sit, when I found a patch that was just dirt with no plants (!). So I sat there and started to read.
After un rato, I decided to get up and walk around / play with the dirt (exciting times regando los olivos). The ground here is really entertaining to me because I have never seen a desert before - the dirt is hard and cracked like it is in The Lion King. I like to poke it and make new cracks sometimes.
Anyway, as I was walking around observing and playing with the dirt, I saw a weird crack that surprisingly circular. And large. It also had twigs surrounding it in a clearly organized manner, so I figured some animal lived there. I peered in to see who it was (the hole was a bit smaller than my fist), and saw three big hairy legs.
I FREAKED OUT and screamed at the top of my lungs. It was a scream of pure terror, and I'm pretty sure everyone between here and Huercal Overa heard it. I had never seen a spider that huge before, and I was not happy.
I backed away a little bit, but kept my eye on the hole (obviously). The spider started to come out, and was just sitting there half out of his hole. I stamped my foot and he went back in. We did this for about 7 minutes - him coming out, me scaring him back in - while I devised a plan.
The tree I was watering was about 5 ft away from the hole, so I wasn't worried about recollecting the hose, but the next tree I wanted to water was directly in the path of the spider death trap. I debated trying to drown it, but I was worried that it wouldn't die fast enough and it would come kill me first. I was also concerned that it would be able to jump up onto the hose and climb up and kill me that way. (I also debated whether or not this was a life or death situation, and decided it was: the finca I was watering was super far from the house, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to stumble back to the house before lapsing into a coma and dying). I determined that I would not be able to drown the spider monster, so I collected the hose and walked the long way to get to the next tree. I left the hose there, even though I was only halfway done watering, and started heading back home.
At this point I was absolutely terrified of everything. I was concerned about leaving the spider hole, because 1. he could follow me and make a sneak attack and 2. he was still alive in there and could kill me anytime. Or anyone else who goes to water the olive trees. Or he could follow me home.
Walking back was difficult, because I had switched to the wrong side of the trees to avoid death. Nobody walks on that side, so the grass is taller than usual. I learned that in addition to my underground spider assassin, there were also equally-sized grass dwelling spiders here! I almost walked straight through a web that was strung between the tall grass, but I saw it's GIGANTIC constructor just in time. I screamed again (obviously) and ran around to the other side. To make matters worse, a huge bug hit me in the face as well while I was walking back.
Eventually I made it back to the path and got home. I immediately went online to determine what kind of monster I had encountered in the wild. I determined that it was a wolf spider. EXCELLENT. Apparently there are quite a few dangerous animals indigenous to this region. Lindsey saw a scorpion the other day (!) but Lola killed it and everything was okay.
Eventually I relaxed and everything was good. We had a nice dinner, watched I'm Not There (highly recommended). Of course that wasn't the end of it though. I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a HUMONGOUS hairy spider on the wall above my head. I didn't know what to do so I wrapped myself up in my blanket and curled up in a ball. I sat like that for about 15 minutes, literally dripping with sweat (it was probably upwards of 85 degrees in my room at the time), before I realized it had been a dream. I sat there for a little while, still panicking, and slowly unwrapped myself. Eventually I fell back asleep.
Luckily I have not seen any scary creatures since then, and several exciting things have happened so I'm over it. I went on a quest yesterday to determine what kinds of fruit trees we have here. It turns out we have apple trees, fig trees, almond trees, olive trees, pomegranate trees, lime trees, quince trees (I had never heard of quince before coming here, but apparently that is another fruit), and grapes. I think that's everything, but I'm not sure. The trees are just growing around the property, around the pool and around the houses. It is so cool to see the little fruits growing on them.
Lola also made us ice cream yesterday which was very exciting. It only had three ingredients (leche, limon, and brevas) and it was DELICIOUS. She made it with the Thermomix, which is this machine that is very popular in Spain and can do everything. It's actually magical. She uses the Thermomix to make just about everything: arroz con leche, almond milk, various pates, any kind of cooked food, bread crumbs from bread that is harder than a rock, and apparently ice cream too! And all you do is put the ingredients in, and it mixes everything together. You can control the temperature, speed, and time. It can cook cold and hot things, and also weighs the ingredients as you put them in! I want one.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Lots of New Experiences!
On Monday, I woke up as usual (which is slightly earlier now, around 8/9 am, depending on my mood). I have been acting as camarera for the huespedes this past week, preparing and serving their breakfasts each day. I like it because I get to organize the food in pretty arrangements (not THAT exciting; breakfast is pretty much just bread and coffee - different kinds of bread though). I don't like that I also get to wash everyone's dishes afterward, but it's ok - I've become a rather efficient dish washer.
ANYWAY. I woke up on Monday, and went into the kitchen for breakfast, where I was pleasantly greeted by a bucket of raw meat. And by raw meat I mean FRESHLY SLAUGHTERED BUNNIES. Skinned bunnies. With the little black eyeballs still there. I have officially learned what purpose the bunnies serve on our farm.
Lola caught me staring with horror at the bunnies, who looked just like regular happy bunnies mid jump, except for the fact that they were bloody and skinless. She told me that I would have to learn how to kill a bunny myself if I wanted to leave this farm a true campesina. I told her no.
Since it was Monday, we went into town again for the market. As always, it was full of wonderful things and people and I wanted to buy everything. I came home with a few more goodies, including a new cortina for our shower to replace the moldy one we have right now. It was long overdue.
On Tuesday, we worked all morning to have the afternoon free. In the afternoon, Esther, Lindsay and I took a little trip to Mojacar, because the closest bank Esther can go to is in that town. We had some time to explore the pueblo, which is super tiny and located on a mountain overlooking the ocean. There are no cars, and most of the streets are narrow and sloped. Potted plants and flowers hung from the sides of buildings, most of which were painted white. It was BEAUTIFUL. We went into a few of the shops, which were filled with wonderful little trinkets and clothes. We're going to go back because it was so amazing.
One of my favorite things about this farm is that we can live largely off of our own land: the vegetables come from the huerto, we get fruit from Lola's parents, we make our own bread, we clean our wastewater to use for the plants, we eat one of the weeds (sala), and today we ate cactus!!
There are gigantic cacti growing all around the property, and Lola cut off a few branches (? is that what they are called?) to make chumberas for lunch. We took off the pinchos and cooked them and they were surprisingly delicious!
One final note: the cats of the house are both pregnant and very fat. Today, one of the cats came out and was really skinny and had lots of floppy belly skin - she gave birth last night! We can't see the little gatitas for about a week, but I'm super excited. The other cat is looking pretty plump too, so I'm hoping she will da a luz pronto as well :)
ANYWAY. I woke up on Monday, and went into the kitchen for breakfast, where I was pleasantly greeted by a bucket of raw meat. And by raw meat I mean FRESHLY SLAUGHTERED BUNNIES. Skinned bunnies. With the little black eyeballs still there. I have officially learned what purpose the bunnies serve on our farm.
Lola caught me staring with horror at the bunnies, who looked just like regular happy bunnies mid jump, except for the fact that they were bloody and skinless. She told me that I would have to learn how to kill a bunny myself if I wanted to leave this farm a true campesina. I told her no.
Since it was Monday, we went into town again for the market. As always, it was full of wonderful things and people and I wanted to buy everything. I came home with a few more goodies, including a new cortina for our shower to replace the moldy one we have right now. It was long overdue.
On Tuesday, we worked all morning to have the afternoon free. In the afternoon, Esther, Lindsay and I took a little trip to Mojacar, because the closest bank Esther can go to is in that town. We had some time to explore the pueblo, which is super tiny and located on a mountain overlooking the ocean. There are no cars, and most of the streets are narrow and sloped. Potted plants and flowers hung from the sides of buildings, most of which were painted white. It was BEAUTIFUL. We went into a few of the shops, which were filled with wonderful little trinkets and clothes. We're going to go back because it was so amazing.
One of my favorite things about this farm is that we can live largely off of our own land: the vegetables come from the huerto, we get fruit from Lola's parents, we make our own bread, we clean our wastewater to use for the plants, we eat one of the weeds (sala), and today we ate cactus!!
There are gigantic cacti growing all around the property, and Lola cut off a few branches (? is that what they are called?) to make chumberas for lunch. We took off the pinchos and cooked them and they were surprisingly delicious!
One final note: the cats of the house are both pregnant and very fat. Today, one of the cats came out and was really skinny and had lots of floppy belly skin - she gave birth last night! We can't see the little gatitas for about a week, but I'm super excited. The other cat is looking pretty plump too, so I'm hoping she will da a luz pronto as well :)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Huercal Overa: Que Locura!
Yesterday started out being the worst day ever. Both Lindsay and I were sick - Lindsay has a cold or something I think, but I was just super dizzy and nauseas and it was not fun. I couldn't really do any work so I just sat around and deshelled almonds and cleaned things. After lunch I took a long nap, and didn't really feel better afterwards :(
Eventually later in the afternoon I went and threw up and then everything was fine.
Lindsay, Esther and I went into Huercal Overa to watch the epic final partido of the world cup. We sat outside of the town's two bars again; most of the town was out watching the game with us in the church plaza. Everyone was decked out in their world cup t shirts, Spanish flag capes, and tons of red and yellow face paint. The ninos were all screaming the entire time and blowing into their horns and noisemakers. The walls of the bar were covered in Spanish flags as well. Everyone was eating and drinking and yelling and so excited the entire time. It was wonderful!
As it turns out, I could not have been luckier with my timing for this trip. Not only am I having the most wonderful time here in Spain, but I got to be here for the MOST EPIC SPANISH WORLD CUP VICTORY EVER. The game went into overtime before either team scored, and when Spain finally made the one and only goal, all of Huercal Overa went nuts! Everyone was jumping and yelling and making noise and pouring beer and it was glorious. We sat through the next three minutes, all eyes completely fixed on the screen. Then the match ended, and Spain was declared the winners of the world cup!
Everyone in Huercal Overa came out and ran into the plaza, screaming and jumping and making noise and running and celebrating. All of a sudden everyone was in the fountain in front of the church, Lindsay and I included. We jumped and screamed and hugged and got wet and sang with the locals. We ran around the plaza singing and screaming and playing in the water, joining a conga line and almost exploding with the firecrackers that were being set off far too close to us every few seconds. It was epic.
Lots of pictures and videos from this night - of course I'm sure it was a thousand times crazier in Madrid, but those Huercal Overans...que locura!
Eventually later in the afternoon I went and threw up and then everything was fine.
Lindsay, Esther and I went into Huercal Overa to watch the epic final partido of the world cup. We sat outside of the town's two bars again; most of the town was out watching the game with us in the church plaza. Everyone was decked out in their world cup t shirts, Spanish flag capes, and tons of red and yellow face paint. The ninos were all screaming the entire time and blowing into their horns and noisemakers. The walls of the bar were covered in Spanish flags as well. Everyone was eating and drinking and yelling and so excited the entire time. It was wonderful!
As it turns out, I could not have been luckier with my timing for this trip. Not only am I having the most wonderful time here in Spain, but I got to be here for the MOST EPIC SPANISH WORLD CUP VICTORY EVER. The game went into overtime before either team scored, and when Spain finally made the one and only goal, all of Huercal Overa went nuts! Everyone was jumping and yelling and making noise and pouring beer and it was glorious. We sat through the next three minutes, all eyes completely fixed on the screen. Then the match ended, and Spain was declared the winners of the world cup!
Everyone in Huercal Overa came out and ran into the plaza, screaming and jumping and making noise and running and celebrating. All of a sudden everyone was in the fountain in front of the church, Lindsay and I included. We jumped and screamed and hugged and got wet and sang with the locals. We ran around the plaza singing and screaming and playing in the water, joining a conga line and almost exploding with the firecrackers that were being set off far too close to us every few seconds. It was epic.
Lots of pictures and videos from this night - of course I'm sure it was a thousand times crazier in Madrid, but those Huercal Overans...que locura!
Friday, July 9, 2010
It's too hot
Yesterday we went back to the biblioteca to take out books. I took out five (the max, of course):
El Principito, a book of short stories Esther suggested I read, and three science books (a small encyclopedia about the Earth, a book on alternative energy, and a bio book --> I would.). I'm super excited about them and now all I want to do is read!
I also found this magazine in the library which I am now in love with. It's called Integral, and it's about food/nutrition, energy, sustainability, and international issues. It's wonderful. And they have a website: www.larevistaintegral.com. Go look.
When we got back from our trip into town, I finally got to work with Lola in el huerto! It was exciting. It looks pretty sad right now because it is summer and it's too hot for most of the plants to grow very much, but I got to see what everything is, and I saw a few baby eggplants, tomatoes, and zucchinis growing. In the garden, I watered the plants and added compost to them. Lola told me the compost was made just of our old food, but she was definitely lying because my hands STILL smell like poop.
I learned today that I am the worst cleaner in the world. I tried to mop the floors yesterday, but apparently I used too much soap so now they look really ugly. Lola had given me the soap in a little open cup, so I just assumed she had measured out the amount she wanted me to use. NOPE. She had given me all of the soap; she just happens to keep it in a little measuring cup. Of course this was the one time I decided to go all out and mop every single floor, so the entire house looks terrible and all of the floors have this weird ugly film of soap/dirt on them. Another thing I learned: when you mop with too much soap it takes a very very very long time to fix the damage. WOO!
Thus, I have spent almost the entire morning mopping and remopping and mopping again and remopping again and again and again with water and ammonia trying to take off the soap. Every time I finish it looks promising; everything is shiny and clean and beautiful. Then it dries and the weird crustiness comes back! UGH. Hopefully I will be able to fix them soon...
I also learned today that there is a part of the awning above the part of the awning that nobody can see that nobody can see either, and of course Lola wants me to paint that too. I like it up there though because there is a lot of cool stuff on the roof for me to explore, and Lola sealed all of the beehives I was worried about.
A word about the beehives: this part of the awning has little holes in it literally every 5 inches leading into what is probably the most intricately networking beehive I have ever seen. I saw a huge black bee the size of my second toe (just his body, no wings or stinger included in that size measurement) go into one of the holes. He was huge and fat and slow and loud and I do not want to see him again. So Lola came and sprayed insecticide into all of the holes and then covered them up with cement! She can do everything.
El Principito, a book of short stories Esther suggested I read, and three science books (a small encyclopedia about the Earth, a book on alternative energy, and a bio book --> I would.). I'm super excited about them and now all I want to do is read!
I also found this magazine in the library which I am now in love with. It's called Integral, and it's about food/nutrition, energy, sustainability, and international issues. It's wonderful. And they have a website: www.larevistaintegral.com. Go look.
When we got back from our trip into town, I finally got to work with Lola in el huerto! It was exciting. It looks pretty sad right now because it is summer and it's too hot for most of the plants to grow very much, but I got to see what everything is, and I saw a few baby eggplants, tomatoes, and zucchinis growing. In the garden, I watered the plants and added compost to them. Lola told me the compost was made just of our old food, but she was definitely lying because my hands STILL smell like poop.
I learned today that I am the worst cleaner in the world. I tried to mop the floors yesterday, but apparently I used too much soap so now they look really ugly. Lola had given me the soap in a little open cup, so I just assumed she had measured out the amount she wanted me to use. NOPE. She had given me all of the soap; she just happens to keep it in a little measuring cup. Of course this was the one time I decided to go all out and mop every single floor, so the entire house looks terrible and all of the floors have this weird ugly film of soap/dirt on them. Another thing I learned: when you mop with too much soap it takes a very very very long time to fix the damage. WOO!
Thus, I have spent almost the entire morning mopping and remopping and mopping again and remopping again and again and again with water and ammonia trying to take off the soap. Every time I finish it looks promising; everything is shiny and clean and beautiful. Then it dries and the weird crustiness comes back! UGH. Hopefully I will be able to fix them soon...
I also learned today that there is a part of the awning above the part of the awning that nobody can see that nobody can see either, and of course Lola wants me to paint that too. I like it up there though because there is a lot of cool stuff on the roof for me to explore, and Lola sealed all of the beehives I was worried about.
A word about the beehives: this part of the awning has little holes in it literally every 5 inches leading into what is probably the most intricately networking beehive I have ever seen. I saw a huge black bee the size of my second toe (just his body, no wings or stinger included in that size measurement) go into one of the holes. He was huge and fat and slow and loud and I do not want to see him again. So Lola came and sprayed insecticide into all of the holes and then covered them up with cement! She can do everything.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)