Granada

I love this walk by the river in between the two hills. And jumping out of the way for traffic!

View of Albaicin and Mirador San Nicolas from Alhambra.

Inside the Alhambra.

View from our hotel room of the old center of Granada.

Greenery! Something I rarely see in Seville!

Do buses really drive there? Oh yes, they do!

Me and Alhambra.


Dad and I did Granada last weekend. We took the train across Andalucia and then walked and walked and walked for days until our feet were aching! There are two main hills (large hills!) in Granada, with tons of greenery! The Albaicin (old white city and Muslim area) with ancient stone roads and walls and a great lookout where you can see for miles and miles (Mirador San Nicolas). The Alhambra is the HUGE fortress, palances and gardens perched atop the other hill. We did that half the day Saturday. Amazing. Also in Granada when you order a drink you get free tapas and they are good! Ohhhh free tapas! I could eat my way through Granada, and had I had more time, I would have. The Spanish call it "el tapeo" or "tapear" to tapa oneself through town. If I ever go back, I'm definitely doing that. Though Dad and I gave it a go!

Overall I loved Granada. Beautiful, tons of history and gorgeous sites, tons of students and tourists (dang a lot!), buses plodding through streets you'd never guess they could drive on, and definitely a different atmosphere from Seville. If only it were closer!

Dad and I had planned to hit Ronda this weekend, but it looks like we will be relaxing in Seville instead. It's Dad's last weekend here, so maybe we'll go back to the Alcazar.

In other news, I am coming home just a bit earlier than planned. Either very late May or early June. Yay!

Things in Spain are good. :)

Plaza de Toros (bull ring)

What the bull ring used to look like!



A very old advertisement.

A famous bull fighter from the past.

Dad inside the bull ring.

Dad on top of a cool restaurant overlooking the river from the Triana side.

Dad at Plaza de Espana.

Dad and I are having a great time! Doing some new things, hanging out, and eating and drinking our way through Seville! :)

Costa del Sol

Dad and I went for a quick mini-vacation during Semana Santa to escape the craziness. We headed down to the Costa del Sol and stayed in a quiet little town by the beach, Rincon de la Victoria. Very beautiful!

Semana Santa (Holy Week)

It's Holy Week craziness right now in Seville! People have flocked in from all over to crowd the streets and watch the brotherhoods's processions. They wear the robes with the hoods (sometimes a bit creepy for me!) and walk through the streets with bands, candles, crosses and big pasos that have Jesus and sometimes Mary on them, which are shouldered by lots of big strong men! The processions take anywhere from 5-14 hours and most are during the day except for Thursday when they go all night.

Dad is here and it's great! We are off to the Costa del Sol (Rincon de la Victoria) on Wednesday to find a beach and hopefully start work on that tan! It's fun times in Seville! :)

Dad's hard at work back home

Dad has been redoing my wc back home. It has been a long time coming, and I am soooo excited! It had this horrible dark brown wallpaper that made it feel tiny, and linoleum that really needed to go. So Dad got rid of the wallpaper, fixed the walls, painted the ceiling and walls ("latte" - Jennie just like the house!) and is ripping up the floor to put down tile. Dang! But he is waiting for me to pick out fixtures when I return. Talk about some serious work! He sent me some pics, so here is the progress!

Check out the before pics! And below the ceiling was in desperate need of some paint!

Soooooo much better! Thanks Dad!

As I was walking to my various classes today I was observing the other people in the streets, as usual. I still love how the Spanish dress their little children like old people, especially the little boys! I just can't get over the brightly colored tights under shorts and matching bright and shiny shoes. And of course the copious amounts of hair gel that usually matches their father, who is generally walking beside the stroller with his arms clasped behind his back.

I also admit to have taken to the habit here of washing my hair every other day. Ok, so maybe they wash theirs even less, but I'm liking the every other day thing. As I sat in Spanish class this morning, exhausted after another night of poor sleep, I realized most of us had not washed our hair. And I was the only female wearing make up. Sometimes I adore Europe. Lol.

Of course in all fairness, the Spanish women, especially in Seville, also have a tendency of dressing up like crazy. Sometimes I find myself staring at them, in their amazing outfits, hair, make up and shoes. Or sometimes I stare because of the crazy trends, like the sudden affinity for very brightly colored tights. Under shorts or skirts and with equally bright foot wear. Purple seems to be a favorite at the moment. And fur seems to be big. That Flo Rida song that Emma and I enjoy so much, "boots with the fur"? Maybe it was written here! If only I could photograph the people and send pics home. The entertainment never stops!

Dad gets here this weekend as Semana Santa starts and I get a week (sort of) off of work and am sooooo ready for it!

I thought I saw something else crazy today that I felt the need to share, however now it is eluding me. Oh well, just another day in Sevilla....

Rain...

I had so hoped for a sunny weekend so I could enjoy being outside and get some color, but no. Rain today and supposedly tomorrow. So I've been inside and not too happy about it. I briefly went out this morning to get some more prunes and chicken from the market. I do love that market! It's not completely open-air, but very nice and they have the freshest foods. I stay away from the fish area because the smell is a bit much for me, but sadly the flowers are over in that direction!

I and the people around me noticed how appalling my Spanish was this morning. Though they were kind and forgiving. I was reduced to pointing and using hand gestures. How sad.

Dad'll be here in one week! Yay! And it will be Semana Santa and I have a week off of work and that will also be lovely!

A New Season

Sorry for slacking on the posting!

The weather suddenly changed about a week ago and it has been lovely ever since! 60s and 70s during the day! Last weekend the girls and I couldn't believe it and took the opportunity to sit on their roof one day with chocolate and music (bliss!) and sit down by the river the next. When the sun is shining and it's warm, the city comes to life and I fall in love with it all over again.

Today we took advantage of our short work weeks and met Paola for coffee. We'd not seen her in months due to the cowering in our apartments, hiding from the hideous weather. But today we sat in a lovely square and had coffee and discussed the news. Sonia is off to Japan to teach for a year come August and we are well excited for her! Paola is moving to England come summer to teach and hopefully stay there for a bit (she's from Argentina but has lived in Italy, Spain and England as well - I'm a bit envious!).

Then Sonia and I walked around town and we bought some black flip flops as we are both in need of a pair and soon we will be able to wear them! You can tell the tourists from the Spaniards will no trouble at all at the moment. The Spanish are still trekking around in winter coats, boots and scarves. The tourists wear flip flops and shorts and sun themselves. The natives won't break out summer clothes until after Feria in April. My desire to blend in is competing with my love of the sun and wanting to walk around in sandals. But I think we'll continue to sun on the roof on the weekends to get a bit brown, as I am feeling so pale!

The city is preparing for Semana Santa, or Holy Week, and Jesus and Mary are suddenly everywhere. During Holy Week schools are off and people have vacation and people from all over come to Seville to see the festivities. It is insane, or so I hear. I think Dad and I will see a few days of it and then leave the madness, probably to the Costa del Sol and then up to Ronda. I am excited to have some time off of work and travel a bit, as I've not traveled in quite awhile! I can't wait to show Dad around.

I am also glad Dad is bringing my new Sketchers as I have now sown up my only pair here twice. That is slightly pathetic. But they are my best walking shoes, and I walk a lot to my classes. They only need to last one more week!

I also heard that Jennie is having a baby boy! How exciting! Personally, I wanted her to have a girl, but I don't think my vote had much sway.

That's it for now! Greetings from the (finally) sunny and lovely Seville! Hasta pronto y tenga un buen fin de semana!

Dios mio la lluvia...

The constant rain and dark skies are getting me a bit down - it's like being back in Hamburg! As I walked out of my last class of the evening, I was on the top floor of the apartment building on the outside walkway, and I looked across to see the other roof full of people's clothing and bed sheets. There was row after row of them, just blowing in the wind and pouring rain. And I took a sick pleasure in knowing that other people's clothes got soaked as well. Not a proud moment, but true.

As I walked home I ran into a student's mother, and I expressed my dislike for the constant rain. She said yes, it's a special year, at which I laughed. Then she said, "I guess we'll just have to keep singing in the rain!" Now, on as far as the corniness factor is concerned, let's just say it was muy grande, but I had to appreciate her good humor about the sucky weather. So thank you, Maria Luisa's madre, for the perspective.

Still, I will stay inside tonight and make soup and try to watch Buffy Cazavampiros and try to understand what they heck they are saying in Spanish. English anyone? :)

19 days til Dad gets here and I can't wait!!!!!!!!

And Dad is sending me rain boots. I can't express my gratitude with words!

Oops

Being the clean freak that I am, I did two loads of laundry this morning as I cleaned the apartment. The first load had two large blankets in it, and since the rain hadn't started yet, I figured I'd put them up on the terrace for a bit. When my second load finished and it still hadn't started raining, I decided to test my luck and put them upstairs for awhile too. When I unlocked the big door to the shared terrace, however, I only saw one blanket. The big, fat red one was no longer there. Nor was it on the terrace. I climbed up the ledge to peer over the street but couldn't see it below. I'm guessing the strong winds took it from the clothes line and it must have ended up on the street or another roof. Hopefully the new owner will enjoy it. Luckily my new place came with plenty of blankets. Guess I don't have to worry about it drying now....

I did hang my clothes up, with lots and lots of clothes pins though, and will go check sporadically, because I really don't want to lose my clothes!

Exploring the world of alternative medicine while speaking a foreign language

During the last part of my Spanish class on Thursday I started to lose my vision, which thoroughly unnerved me. So I walked home, despite my teacher's offer to walk me to a doctor or hospital. I made it home, laid down and closed my eyes. For the next hour or so my vision kept coming and going and I was scared so I called Mom. Ah my wonderful mother! While I was clueless, she, naturally, knew what was going on. She calmly told me to chill out, I was having a migraine, and to find a chiropractor. Now, I've not had a migraine in around 10-15 years, so I didn't think of that.

I checked online and pulled out my Spanish Yellow Pages. In all of the metro that is Seville, I found THREE chiros. Seriously? I found the nearest one, called, and lo and behold the Spanish just came pouring out of me! It was amazing! I had no idea I could speak like that, but I guess that whole necessity thing came into play.

What a fabulous visit! I felt soooo much better after seeing her. This woman who worked on me for quite a long time and just kept speaking Spanish to me. It was like my very own intensive class while visiting the dr! lol.

In other news, it's STILL raining. Sheesh. Really makes drying my laundry a pain. :)

Hello Sunshine!

In these crazy weeks of rain, we had a break today and for a few hours there was sun, in between big clouds that brought some small sprinkles. I escaped my apartment and sat at Las Columnas, our standard hangout on the Alameda, and slowly drank a cafe con leche and studied Spanish. I must have sat outside for at least two hours, thoroughly enjoying this lovely, warm yellow thing in the sky! Lol. It was a really lovely day, plus very productive because I made it through four chapters in the Spanish textbook I'm doing on my own to catch up to my new class. So now I'm halfway through it! Yay!

This past weekend the girls and I went to the most wonderful and affordable Italian restaurant in barrio Santa Cruz near the Cathedral. It used to be an old Arabic bathhouse, but has been converted to a beautiful restaurant. As we walked in we saw a picture of the owner with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise when they were in town. Lol. The food was delicious and surprisingly cheap, and I will definitely be taking Dad there when he visits!

Speaking of Dad, he leaves for Cancun tomorrow and I admit I'm a bit jealous. He'll be hanging on the beach and I'll be trodding around in the rain. But at least I'm not home in the snow! hee hee.

Not much else to update. Just working, learning Spanish with a passion, and counting down til Dad's visit in five weeks!

:)

Triumph!

My Spanish class ended today. I passed the exam! We went out for coffee and chatting to end the course, quite nice. I've been seriously debating whether or not to take the next course. Today I spoke with a lady at the school and asked her if it would be possible to skip the next course and do the one above that. I think it would be more challenging. She said I could try it tomorrow morning if I wanted because it started yesterday. So I went out and got the book for the last class and have been skimming it today in between my own classes. I think within a week I can be caught up and hopefully the teacher will let me stay!

After my last class tonight, as I was leaving, my boys' father asked me if I knew the forecast for the weekend. I sighed, then in Spanish said it was supposed to rain all weekend, but it didn't matter because I have a new Spanish class and I need to study anyway and I will be in my house most of the time. He just stared at me wide-eyed. Then he goes, "your Spanish has really improved! And your accent is really good!" At this point I was grinning wildly. So then he says, "but of course, it's not perfect". LOL. Of course. I just laughed. It was great because he was obviously stunned. I wished him a good weekend (in Spanish) and left smiling.

I'm excited about my class tomorrow! :)

So I'm pretty sure it was food poisoning. Only two of the five of us who went for sushi got ill. But Christina and I had it pretty badly. Yesterday wasn't great, and today I'm up and moving, but only what I have to. I went to Spanish and took my test, went to the pharmacy (I think I've visited the Spanish pharmacy more than the American doctors in the past few years!), and headed home to made soup and rest. I'm going to work tonight, I only have 3 hours and don't start til 5, so I can rest until then.

And it's pouring again. Lovely. The streets in this town are hell on shoes, and I've literally tried to repair two pairs of shoes myself. I've tried sewing and supergluing, and so far they seem to be holding up ok, but I will definitely be trashing some shoes I adore before leaving this town. Make the rain stop! I love how all the Sevillanos tell me, but it almost never rains here, this is most unusual! Well, glad I could be here for it. I guess it's better than being home at the moment with tons of snow and having to drive in it. When I think about that, wet feet aren't so bad!

Ok, I'm going back to lay down.

ouch

I think I may have food poisoning. We'll suffice it to say we had sushi last night and I spent most of the night in the wc. Very unpleasant. This morning Mark brought over some rehydrating salts (very sweet!) and that's the only thing I've been able to consume. I don't like being sick so far from home. Lol. I just want to curl up under my covers and watch a movie. Sadly my dvd drive won't work. Aw oh well. I'm sure tomorrow will be better. Can I fast forward?

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain...

Como lluvia en al agua fria.....

It's been an unusual winter for southern Spain. We've had much more rain than is normal, and it's been really chilly! It seemed to be warming up the past few days, but today came with pouring rain and wind and a strong chill. It feels like winter again, and my China store umbrella is not up to the challenge! Luckily I only had one class. I've been holed up in mi casa most of the day, working on things and reading. And studying for my big Spanish test on Monday.

It is Carneval time, but the only place they really celebrate it in Spain is in the very south, in Cadiz. Which seems like a combination of Halloween and Carneval to me, since everyone dresses up in random costumes. But the celebration there is also well-known for its singing competitions during Carneval. Sadly I missed them, but it's quite a big deal.

I think this will be a quiet weekend spent with books, maybe a few trips to cafes, and some studying. I'm enjoying it already.

My address

I've had some requests, so here is my address:

Kate Austin
Calle Divina Enfermera 4, 1 C
41003, Seville
Spain

You can check it out on Google Maps!

Cordoba

Sonia and I finally got out of Seville this weekend and made a day trip to Cordoba, just about an hour away on the train. It was so nice to see countryside and greenery and get away from the madness that is Seville!

We wandered around the lovely city that is a mix of Arabic and Spanish architecture. The Jewish neighborhood is the center where the famous mosque (la Mezquita) is located. Inside the mosque the Christians (naturally!) built a church. Very interesting. There is also a palace (Alcazar) like in Seville, with beautiful gardens, but much more water/fountains. And my favorite kind of trees. Also, there are lemon and orange trees, lilies, and Roman ruins. The old town center has tons of tiny, winding streets with potted plants and flowers hanging on walls and from windows.

We also had the most amazing chickpea stew and fried eggplant with honey! Mmmmmm!

The river is one big slab of mud, but there's a lovely bridge you can cross and get a magnificent view of the old town.

Holly and Megan went to Ronda while Sonia and I did Cordoba, and from their pics, I will definitely have to go there as well! It's a few hours on the bus (I prefer trains, except for the death train Sonia and I took back last night! Yikes!), but absolutely stunning. A village built on a massive cliff with white buildings and stunning scenery. It's on the list.

Andalucia and traffic

This morning Holly and I met for a cafe con leche and then biked the other way down the river towards Triana. We crossed over and cycled down Betis, which has lovely buildings that I must photograph someday, and where at night it is packed as the going out spot in Triana. We cycled through town, where as I observed traffic I saw cars zooming in and out at dangerous speeds and very small spaces, nearly crashing into each other constantly, motorcycles and mopeds attempting even more dangerous feats, buses and taxis (they're the scariest! I can't watch when I ride in one!) and bikes. And right in the middle of this loud madness are the African men selling tissue and I think juice boxes. Standing right there in there in the middle of the street! I don't know how they survive. Holly and I stayed on the bike path and only had to dodge pedestrians and construction, but I watched the insanity and was glad I don't drive here. Interesting to watch, however.

As always, I never bring guidebooks with me when I go abroad. But I should. I just never think of it. So I'm borrowing Holly's to do some research about where I want to take Dad while he's here. I would love to head to the far north, just because I've never been there, but I think he'd prefer not to. As I was reading about Andalucia, the autonomous region where I live, the book states: "Spain's most southerly region is the true home of typically Spanish experiences. Bullfighting, tapas, flamenco, the guitar itself, all began in Andalucia and remain deeply embedded here. Other aspects of Spanish life take on their most extreme forms here: Andalucian fiestas are the noisiest and most colorful, Easter processions have more pageantry, the summer heat is more broiling, the people are at their most vivacious, fun-loving and family-oriented. But beyond the cliche images, Andalucia is a land of surprises and contradictions....Deeply traditional yet ready to seize the modern world, Andalucians always live life to the full. Few visitors to their land fail to get caught up in the fun."

So true.

"Vegetables"...Spanish style

I'll translate for those of you who don't habla the espanol. It says "vegetable sandwiches" then goes on to list the types: tuna, chicken and some type of meat and cheese. Clearly, since there is no pork (cerdo) it's not really meat. Oh Spain, how I love you and your funny ways!

No hay mas un olor malo en mi bano! Yay!

The repairman for my building came today and fixed my drain. There was a ton of gross stuff in it, hence the smell. Ew. I'm very glad he fixed it! He cannot fix my hot water problem because, he told me (entirely in Spanish) that I have a very, very small hot water tank/heater thing and it will never have much hot water. Well, good to know. Five more months of luke warm/chilly showers. At least he looked at it, I do appreciate that.

I am surprised sometimes by how much I am able to communicate despite my obvious lack of Spanish. I'm starting to doubt that five more months will improve my Spanish enough. I feel like I'd need another year here to really get it, maybe in the middle of nowhere where there aren't English-speakers. Hmmmmm.