Adiós España

Esto será mi última entrada de blog. Gracias por leer sobre mis aventuras en Valencia. Siento tener que ir, pero tomo memorias de este país hermoso, la gente caliente, comida asombrosa, y la maravillosa ciudad de Valencia conmigo. Sobre todo, gracias a mis estudiantes, el programa WCCCSA, y mis amigos de escuela AIP. Amé cada día aquí. Siempre recordaré esta experiencia.

Con gran afecto,
Helen

Ultima dia en Madrid

I’m finishing my adventure where it began, in Madrid.  I’ve enjoyed re-visiting some sites and finding new ones.  I finally made it to the Reina Sofia Museum of Modern Art to see the one painting I was determined to see for three months:  Picasso’s Guernica.  After learning about the horrors of the bombing of Guernica, when Franco invited Hitler to “test” his bombs on a civilian population, I knew the painting would be powerful.  Picasso painted it in France after learning of the bombing, and it only came to Spain after Franco’s death. I’m so glad I got to see it; what a special moment on the last day.

A new challenge:  I’ve seen a lot of demonstrations around town, but I found out today (accidentally from a Spanish man on the train to Toledo–once again, I didn’t get the memo), that tomorrow a national strike is planned.  From what I understand, starting in the morning all public transportation (buses, metro) will be shut down and workers from many areas will be taking to the streets to protest current economic policies.  It happens that this is my “get-away day,” as my grandma used to say, so getting to the airport and up in the air should be interesting.  I wish I could stay and observe, but if all goes well, I’ll be winging my way stateside tomorrow.  It seems a fitting close to my adventure–nothing here is ordinary (at least to me) and the people are passionate about their politics as well as their families, their food, and their culture.

Madrid has some beautiful boulevards and plazas.

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Plaza del Sol, the central plaza in Madrid

A nursery in town for my gardening friends.

A demonstration on Plaza del Sol.

Another on Plaza de Cibeles.

These demonstrators were in Toledo; I believe they were talking to store owners about joining the strike.

The Reina Sofia Museum.

View from the fourth floor.

An example of cubism by Picasso: A Woman's Head

There were also quite a few paintings by Salvador Dali.

We were not allowed to photograph Guernica, so this is downloaded from the internet.

The gardens of the Reina Sofia.

In the end, you can find anything with a good map and hospitable people.

¡Toledo santo!

Holy Toledo!  According to Señor Rick (Steves), this expression likely originated with Sephardic Jews who called Toledo the holiest city in Europe (back when Jews, Muslims, and Christians thrived together here).  I spent the day exploring Toledo, only a half hour train ride from Madrid, and found it absolutely charming (of course, I have yet to meet a Spanish city I didn’t like).  Perched up on a hill, the whole city has been declared a national monument, keeping its rich historic, artistic, and spiritual center intact.  I visited the Cathedral, which Señor Rick calls one of Europe’s best, as well as the central plaza, shopping district, and several former synagogues, now museums. This is definitely a town worth visiting.

The view of Toledo with the Alcazar and Cathedral on the way in on the bus.

The San Martin medieval bridge over the Tajo River, which rings the city on three sides.

The Plaza Zocodover, in the middle of town.

Toledo has many charming streets with shops and restaurants.

Too bad I wasn't in the market for a good knife or a sword...these are specialties of Toledo.

...as is marzapan, which I had to sample.

I wish I had held out some money and room in my suitcase to shop here!

The Cathedral was jaw-dropping, inside and out.

The high alter was made with real gold on wood by artists from all over Europe.

This was a cool feature: a "transparente," or hole cut in the ceiling to let in the light...a Baroque technique.

The "Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca" has Moorish architecture, was a Jewish synagogue, and became a church in 1492 when Jews were required to convert or leave the country.

The train station has neo-Moorish architecture as well. Everywhere, there are signs that different cultures once lived here in peace.

It was a beautiful day, but my feet hurt! So I grabbed the tour bus down to the train station.

Adiós a Valencia

I will still be posting a couple more blog entries from Madrid and Toledo, but tomorrow I leave Valencia, so I thought I’d round up a few parting photos. Today I met with and said good-bye to the staff at the AIP school, which was hard to do…everyone there has been just lovely to work with.  My son Jordan and his girlfriend Kelsey took off by train this morning to return to the states.  A great travel story here:  we were at the Juan Sarolla train station right on time, about 6:45 for a 7:10 train.  Unfortunately, all of the clocks showed 7:45, and the 7:10 train was long gone. I definitely did not get the memo that daylight savings time kicked in this weekend!  Fortunately, they were able to get on another train and made their flight, but only with the addition of a 50 euro taxi ride from the train station to the airport!  Just one of the joys of travel, and really, it is a joy even with bumps in the road. Valencia feels like home and I will miss it very much.

Triumphal Arch, Plaza Tetuan, Puerta del Mar

At the beach with book group and kids.

City of Arts and Sciences with friends

Jordan and Kelsey try the traditional Horchata drink, made from chufa nuts.

Jordan was brave enough to have the pulpo (octopus) at the Vintaro Taverna.

We also got pizza at Nam-Nam’s–the best! Homemade on the spot.

…and we managed to work in cupcakes along with churros and chocolate..all the basic food groups!

I finally got to a flamenco performance at a small club..sorry for the blurry photo but she was moving pretty fast! The music was local and wonderful.

While some of my students went to see the bull fights over Fallas weekend, I passed on this one. I understand the cultural significance, but it doesn’t seem like a fair fight and I’d rather not see what happens to the bull.

For the last few days, I’ve been revisiting some of my favorite buildings, especially in the Barrio del Carmen.

…the Serrano Towers…

…the post office…

…the train station…

…and other buildings in the Plaza de L’Ayuntamiento…

…the Lonja silk exchange…

…Calle de la Paz…

…Calle Sant Vicent Martir…

…the plazas around the Cathedral…

…and most of all, my apartment on Plaza de la Reina.  I will miss living here!

Catalán clase de cocina

As previously noted, one of the highlights of our trip to Barcelona was a Catalan cooking class offered by the “Cook & Taste” school in the historic district.  Our chef, Lluis, was the perfect teacher, with Spanish charm and advice about everything from how to drink from a glass to which olive oil to use. Our menu consisted of roasted sweet onions with romesco sauce, red bell pepper soup with saffron and cod, Valencian style paella, and Catalan creme.  I’m not sure I’ll ever make any of these, but I’ll bring the recipes home for my cooking friends. We all participated in preparing the food, and of course enjoyed our handiwork for lunch, which was delicious.  We also had some other amazing food in Barcelona, including wonderful salads and tapas like shrimp in garlic and olive oil, mussles, thin ham and cheese, olives, poppers, and good vino y cervezas.

Chef Lluis puts us to work cutting up vegetables and fish. Fortunately, I only had to scoop olives.

Here he's demonstrating to Sam how to cut and cook squid.

Kirsten is cutting artichokes down to the heart.

The ingredients are lined up for the paella from least to most moisture.

Prawns are seared.

Then come the vegetables.

Rice was added in a cross form, then gently pushed in even layers.

This is the "soup" stage.

Voila! Aqui es el producto final!

We learned how to make a Catalan creme from egg yokes and sugar. for dessert.

Lluis used sugar and a blow torch to add a carmelized finish.

We had some other great meals in Barcelona as well.

Okay, foodies...here you go: scallops on mushroom risotto.

...goat cheese salad...

Lamb shank with sweet potatoes and chestnuts.

Sea bass and prawn.

Paella back in Valencia was not bad either!

Barcelona, ​​¡sí!

I’m glad I left Barcelona until near the end of my stay in Spain…what a beautiful city!  I traveled there with three friends and their husbands, and my son and his girlfriend also came up by train to see a Barcelona FC game in Nou Stadium, one of the best teams in one of the best stadiums in the world.  The first day was rainy, but the sun came out on the second day and we were able to get to many of the sights.

Of course, Barcelona is known for the creative architecture of Antoni Gaudi, but it is also the capital of Catalunya, Picasso’s birthplace, the cradle of moderniste architecture, a soccer capital, and a popular European travel destination.  There’s an old city with a beautiful cathedral and historic Jewish district, the well-planned Eixample district with wide avenues and walkways, Barcelona’s main pedestrian walkway, the Ramblas, a mountain, the waterfront, and more. It was thrilling to see Gaudi’s work on the Sagrada Familia as well as Park Guell and other structures…unbelievably creative!  A highlight of the trip was a Spanish cooking class, but I’ll describe that in the next entry.

The Sagrada Familia (Holy Family Church) is a work in progress; it was started in 1883 and is projected to be finished in 2026. I hope I’m around to see it!

Gaudi, whose vision continues to inspires the builders who continue his work, used nature imagery in much of his design.

My buddies and I were awe-struck by the architecture.

Some people liken this outside facade of the nativity scene as “frosting in the rain.”

This drawing in the Gaudi Museum depicts what the church will look like when finished.

Other works by Gaudi include this apartment building, Casa Mila (also known as La Podrera–the Quarry)…

…and Casa Batllo. On the same block, called “The Block of Discord,” other architects put up competing moderniste designs.

I think my favorite Gaudi project was Park Guell, a 30-acre garden that was supposed to be housing project. The project flopped but the imaginative structures are wonderful.

My friend Anne and I enjoying the view of Barcelona from the tile-seated terrace.

Off in the distance, you can barely see the hotel shaped like a sail; that’s the W where we spent the first two nights.

Of course, there are many other beautiful buildings in Barcelona, including the Catalan Concert Hall (stunning)…

…the Cathedral…

…complete with geese, once used as an early warning system…

..and other lovely buildings along the various boulevards.

Government building in the Placa de Sant Jaume.

From the top of the Ramblas, the long pedestrian walkway with all kinds of shops, restaurants, and activities.

The view from our hotel on a rare stormy day.

At the “W.”

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you, Rick Steves.

 

 

 

Las Fallas!

The final four days of Las Fallas were everything I had been told they’d be.  The population of Valencia swelled to more than double, there were non-stop parades and firecrackers going off, the “falleras” and “falleros” were everywhere in their amazing costumes, people were cooking paella in the streets, and giant ninots or puppets were around every corner.  In my neighborhood, there were two days of parades that were 10 hours long!  The falleras and falleros, picked by their communities, filed past my apartment carrying flowers that they would deposit on a gigantic wooden structure of Mary in the Plaza de la Virgen. Every morning for four days a series of firecrackers were lit right outside the window at 8 a.m.—a little disconcerting, to say the least.  Valencians love their firecrackers…even small children could be seen throwing “poppers” everywhere. Along with the students, my son Jordan, his girlfriend Kelsey, and several friends arrived in town just in time to see the show.

The holiday climaxed Monday night. We attended the “Parada de Mora,” parade of the Moors, in which various groups dressed in Moorish costumes marched by, accompanied by camels, horses, and wonderful North African and Middle Eastern music…fantastic.  Finally, at midnight, each of the fallas or ninots were burned while crowds cheered…literally, the city was on fire. From my balcony, I could see the figure of Elvis go up in flames.

I must say, I’m glad to have the “usual” Valencia back, but it was an amazing experience.  At 2 am, I went to see the majority of my students off as they got on a bus for Madrid.  Four of them will continue to travel for a while, but the rest should be home in Washington  by now.   I will be here for another 10 days, with some side trips to Barcelona, Madrid, and Toledo.

For two straight days, 10 hours each day, the falleras and falleros paraded past my balcony on the plaza.

Boys and girls from all over Valencia participated along with their parents.

Even babies participated!

Behind the Cathedral, in the Plaza de la Virgen, the flowers were mounted on the wooden structure by hand.

This was the finished project. There were flowers all over this plaza as well. There must have been thousands of fallaras and falleros who participated in this “Ofrenda de Flores a la Virgen de los Desamparados.” 

Our students competed in a paella making contest as part of a community street paella contest.

Friends and I watched the “Parade of the Moors” as part of Las Fallas.

Thousands of people came out on Saturday and Sunday nights at 1 a.m. for an incredible fireworks show, called “the Night of Fire.”

…and finally, all of the ninots or puppets were burned at midnight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my plaza, I watched Elvis burn while the band played on.

Amazingly enough, by morning all of the debris had been cleared, the fiesta-goers had disappeared, and Valencia returned to normal, at least until next year at this time.

Las clases terminan, las Fallas se calienta

This week, students took their finals in Spanish and psychology, we celebrated with end-of-the-quarter activities, and Las Fallas, the huge Valencian festival, began to take over the city.  Each community (some 500 in number) prepares for an entire year for the Fallas, building a falla or ninot, planning events, and selecting the Fallares (an honorary position requiring quite a bit of work).  This week, the Fallas went up all over town, as did bunello stands and large white tents for community meals. The mascleta, the daily firing of firecrackers in the center of town, continues unabated, and is now accompanied by random firecrackers going off day and night.  Today is the Friday of the four-day weekend during which Las Fallas reaches a fever pitch, and then on Monday all but a few of the Fallas will be burned at midnight.  Should be something to see!

Our Spanish class tackles the future tense. We will all miss the Chinese, British, German, and other students who have made our classes so rich and who have become our friends.

Students finishing papers and preparing for exams.

Many resorted to chocolate pastries as a coping device.

My Psychology of Adjustment class is happy to be finished with the final exam.

...as is my Cross-Cultural Psychology class (smallest class EVER).

We had a nice farewell meeting where we were able to give our instructors gifts and hear from the director of AIP about how this is just the beginning of our journey...

Each of the students (and I!) got a certificate for Spanish. Miguel showed a slide show of our experience, bringing us back to the very beginning 10 weeks ago.

The meeting was followed by a great meal at a nearby restaurant, with our "profesores" as well.

Meanwhile, we attended another Mascleta...

...another soccer game (Valencia tied)...

...and an excursion to the amazing Oceonografic Aquarium...

...along with the nearby IMAX Theater, both at the City of Arts and Sciences.

Fallas are going up all over town. Here's one being transferred on a truck.

A Fallas display in the Supermercado.

Cranes are used to install the Fallas in many different neighborhoods.

Here's one we really liked.

We're all excited to see what this weekend will bring.

Las Fallas Ninots

The build-up toward Fallas, the huge Valencian festival which will go into overdrive from Mar. 15-19, is clearly evident now, with daily firecracker shows, adults and children dressed in traditional Fallas wear, parades, live music, bunyol (like churros) stands, and paella-making in the streets.  Miguel took the students and I to the exhibit of the Ninots, the puppets constructed for Fallas that will eventually be burned the night of Mar. 19.  That is, all but one will be burned; we participated in voting for the one children’s ninot and the one adult ninot that will be “saved” and installed in the Fallas Museum.

Most of the ninots are satirical:  they make fun of public figures, daily life, and political issues (some of them make fun of American figures). I enjoyed the humor and think we could benefit from some “lightening up,” but I was also a little uneasy about some of the themes (I would not want to be the butt of some of these jokes!).  Some ninots reflect well-known characters (e.g. from Disney or rock stars) and some are more traditional.  Apparently it takes several months to make these figures out of paper, wax, wood, and styrofoam, and each community has at least one.  The ones we saw in the exhibition are life-size at most, but there are some in the street that are as tall as buildings.  All will be sent up with firecrackers and fireworks around midnight on the 19th.  I’ve just added a sample below–there are more than 500 of these.

The Ninot Exhibit.

Some of the children's ninots.

Seline taking photos.

The adult collection was larger and more satirical.

There were many of Spain's current president, Mariano Rajoy Brey.

This is the mayor of Valencia sitting on top of the president.

This is one of several of our president, in this case with Chinese characters dragging him down...hmm.

Lady Gaga was the focus of several ninots.

The soccer coach of Real Madrid poking the eye of the coach of the Barcelona team, which reportedly did happen.

According to Miguel, this lady is a member of the "aristocracy" who was made fun of in several ninots for marrying a younger (reportedly greedy)husband.

This ninot satirized government corruption.

A Valencian futbol fan.

This one makes fun of the justice department.

Our Whoopie.

The King.

Some were more traditional, or more beautiful.

We enjoyed the artistry and imagination, even if we didn't pick up on a lot of the satire and contextual cultural humor.

Meanwhile, Las Fallas continues...this was cooking in my street when I got home! Now THAT'S a paella pan!

Falleras infantil.

Excursión a la escuela y un hogar de ancianos

Thanks to Fernando, the assistant director at our school, we were able to organize an all-day excursion this week to another school and a nursing home.  This school is a private school for children ages 3 (and some younger for day care) to 18, and once again we were impressed with the level of academics as well as the behavior of the children.  We were able to visit classes at every level and observe many of the projects the children were working on, including making “fallas” in an art class for the upcoming festival.  We particularly enjoyed hearing children in an English class recite poems they had written that were quite funny, tough to do in a second language! Children attend classes from 9 until 5, and have regular homework from the primary grades on up.  Of course, we realized that this private school had many advantages unavailable to children in the public schools; the disparity here is not unlike that found in U.S. schools.

After lunch in the teacher’s cafeteria, the two school psychologists who showed us around also escorted us to a nearby nursing home.  Since those older adults who are functioning relatively well live with or near their families in Spain, the residents of this home were by and large incapacitated by Alzheimer’s and other serious health problems.  The students particularly enjoyed seeing the farm animals on the property; apparently the residents are responsible for feeding and caring for the animals as part of their therapy.

As with the previous school, I’m not including any pictures in which children can be identified, nor any photos of the “ancianos” at the nursing home (I’m feeling pretty anciana myself!).  I’m also including a few photos from Spanish class as we wind down the quarter.

Fernando, the two school psychologists who showed us around, and a visiting friend of one of the students.

The younger children were writing music notes on a smart board.

We applauded as students performed their poems in English. They were quite funny...one about homework excuses, one about Grandma snoring, and one about whether to tell a friend about spinach in his teeth!

Jenni, an American who is an art teacher at the school as well as Fernando's sister-in-law, shows us the structures the children are building for the Fallas fiesta.

I found the gender role behavior on the playground pretty interesting.

We are all enjoying the beautiful weather here.

We also got a kick out of the faculty coffee shop (notice the bottles on the upper shelf--not happening in American schools or college coffee shops). To be fair, the community uses this facility, too, which is pretty cool in itself.

The school and the nursing home were located in a very upscale neighborhood.

We didn't think that upscale neighborhoods in the U.S. would be zoned for the farm animals they had at the nursing home, though.

The nursing home has about 100 patients, with one doctor, two nurses, a physical therapist, and many nursing assistants on staff.

The bedrooms and activity rooms seemed to be on par with what we've observed in the U.S.

It's nice that the school has a close working relationship with the nursing home, with some of the students volunteering here.

Meanwhile, back in Spanish class, our teacher Gemma and classmate Dave from Great Britain are demonstating the conjugation of the verb cantar (to sing).

We enjoy messing with Gemma.

Cross-cultural psychology in the park!