Tres ciudades en tres días

With the students otherwise occupied, I had the chance to travel and visited three cities in Andalucia, Southern Spain, last weekend:  Sevilla, Cordoba, and Grenada.  In typical American whirlwind fashion, I spent one day in each city, traveling by plane, train, bus, tram, and my tired feet. I’m sure I did not do any of these beautiful cities justice, especially because I did not take advantage of the night life, but I’m happy to report that I was able to hit the major sites in each one.  I headquartered in Sevilla, in a nice hosteria in the Barrio Santa Cruz, and traveled by train to the other two destinations for day trips.

The history of this area is reflected in the architecture of all three cities.  The Moors ruled Spain for 700 years; during much of this time, civilization flourished and Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived a relatively peaceful co-existance.  Moorish architecture is particularly evident in the south, which is close to North Africa and which was a stronghold of Islamic culture.  When the “reconquista” of the Catholic monarchy eventually took over the Iberian peninsula, Muslims and Jews were required to convert or leave, which many did. Interestingly enough, it was 1492 when the last Moorish king surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella, and when the “Reyes Catolicos” signed the Alhambra decree expelling all Jews from the country, followed soon by the Inquisition.  What I thought was interesting was that the historic (and most charming) districts in each city had at one time been either the Jewish Quarter (Cordoba and Sevilla) or the Muslim Quarter (Grenada).  There are both historic remnants and current signs of life of all three major religions in each city.

I must have taken hundreds of photos, but I’ll limit my entries here to just a sample for each city.  First, Sevilla:

My charming hosteria in the heart of the historic district, Barrio Santa Cruz

The gardens and plazas in this neighborhood are beautiful, with the trees and streets too narrow for cars providing a cool refuge.

I've seen some nice cathedrals, but the Catedral de Sevilla took my breath away (third largest church in Europe)

The Avenida de la Constitucion, one of the main streets of central Sevilla

Part of the Plaza de Toros, the bullring, in the white and gold colors of Sevilla. Bullfighting is controversial here and banned in some places, but still takes place in Sevilla.

I like the blend of old and new in this photo.

Now onto Cordoba, a mere 45-minute bullet train ride from Sevilla.  Cordoba once served as a regional capital for both Roman and Moorish sites, and is home to the Mesquita, a mosque dating from 784, as well as a maze of streets known as the Jewish Quarter.

Sign leading to both the mosque-turned-cathedral and the Jewish Quarter

The Mesquita has hundreds of columns with red and white arches, Romanesque and Visigoth style, seemingly receding into infinity.

This is the Mihrab, or high altar, in front of which as many as 20,000 people could pray at once.

In the middle of the mosque is a 16th century cathedral rising to soaring heights. As Rick Steves (hereafter known as Senor Rick) says, it's a wonder that the mosque was preserved rather than torn down, and that the builders of the cathedral recognized the beauty of the mosque and built their church into it.

The narrow streets of the Jewish Quarter

The inside of a preserved "Sinigoga," built in 1315.

Patios are highly valued in Cordoba. This one is associated with an artists' collective.

A more modern section of Cordoba, this plaze noted for its art deco architecture

Many, many charming corners in Cordoba

I’ve saved the best for last, at least in terms of my impressions:  Granada.  It took a 3-hour milk train run out and back from Sevilla, but it was totally worth it.  I know some of you reading this blog have been to Granada, but if not, I’d encourage consideration of this spot for bucket lists. Above all else, the Alhambra fortress , the last stronghold of the Moorish kingdom in Spain, almost defies description. Senor Rick had warned four times in his guidebook that no one without reservations would be admitted to the palace in Alhambra, so I was prepared to be disappointed and just view the outside.  Instead, because it’s the low season for tourists, I was able to get right in and see the whole enchilada.  Wow.  On top of that, rising into the hills is yet another charming neighborhood, the Albayzin, a former Moorish quarter, with the breathtaking San Nicolas viewpoint.  A cathedral, street vendors, street musicians, a diverse collection of people, great food, and lots of colorful plazas add to the city’s charm.

I met a nice British couple at the Alhambra. The Albayzin neighborhood is in the background.

The gardens alone are amazing.

The Courtyard of the Myrtles in the Palacio Nazaries

Apparently this symbol for Allah is repeated 9,000 times throughout the palace.

Street vendors in the Albayzin

Plaza Nueva is a happenin' place for flamenco guitar and food.

Awesome, just awesome.

Glad to be “home” in Valencia again…so grateful I had this opportunity. 

Centro cultural islámico, horchatas, y futbol

This week we went on a field trip, along with some of the students from New York who are also attending our school, to the Islamic Cultural Center of Valencia. According to our guide, this is an award-winning model of service centers in Spain.  In addition to providing a mosque for prayer, the Center provides language classes, assistance to families, a library, and a “home” for Muslims in the area. We were able to see the mosque and various rooms used for teaching and counseling. With only two paid staff and dozens of volunteers, this agency provides services for anyone in the community in need…good for our students to see.

Later in the week, Miguel was able to arrange to rent a soccer field for our first co-ed soccer match.  We have a couple of serious soccer players in the group and most of the rest of the group joined in (I watched, ahem).   It was a ton of fun.  On the way to the match, Cassandra, one of the students, and I stopped for an horchata, the famous drink from Valencia made from tiger nuts (no clue).  This weekend, many of the students are going out of town, so I am taking the opportunity to visit Sevilla, Granada, and Cordoba.  More on that when I get back!

The Islamic Cultural Center and Mosque

The library, with books on many subjects and in many different languages for the community to use.

The prayer area. Our host told us that everyone must wash and remove shoes before entering this room. The women have a separate prayer area.

 

Our guide explains the role of the center

Me standing next to a hand-written copy of the Koran from the 16th century.

Group shot: our students and the students from Albany

We rented a field in the Turia Gardens Park for a rousing soccer match.

Final score: 4 to zip

Happy, sweaty students with some of our friends from the school and Miguel.

Before the game, a stop at a 200-year-old horchata shop.

Horchatas and fartons--yes, that's what those cream filled little bits of heaven are called.

At the risk of repeating myself, yum!

La fiesta de cumpleaños

In addition to going to the Sant Antoni Fiesta, I had the pleasure of attending a children’s birthday party in the country last weekend. Cristina, the academic director of the school we’re attending, was kind enough to invite me to join her, her husband Hector, and her daughter Julia for an outing to the country where their friends were hosting a party for two of Julia’s friends.  The house was about a thirty minute drive from Valencia, a second home owned by the abuelos (grandparents) of one of the families. There were about 60 people there, including about 20 children, most in the 4-5 year old range.

While there were similarities to American birthday parties, the event was distinctly Spanish. There was paella, of course! Most of the parents met through the children’s school, and have formed a close, supportive network of families.  They all brought amazing home-made food (like our potlucks), but in addition they looked after each other’s children and all stayed around to clean up and put the furniture away when the party was over.  There were a number of grandparents in attendance as well. Of course, there were lots of besos, including for me…nothing like getting kissed on both cheeks by 40 strangers to make your day!

There were two little girls celebrating their birthdays, and they were each given an identical set of three small presents (puppets, a witch doll, and a book).  Cristine told me the parents make a conscious effort to keep presents to a minimum so the real focus of the party is to be with friends.  It was a long party…from 12 to 6…and it was evident that the children and the parents thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company.  It was challenging to spend a long time with a large group in which very few people spoke English, but I so appreciated getting a “behind the scenes” look at Spanish family life.

The setting for the party was in a lovely rural area.

The house is a second home for a large extended family.

There were amazing traditional dishes served, including this empanada.

This is a Spanish tortilla, an omelette made with vegetables and potatoes, different than what we usually think of as a tortilla.

Spanish pizza

This is a typical Valencian dessert, a pastry with currants and nuts.

The children had a ball getting their faces painted...

One of the birthday girls

Cristina and her daughter Julia

One of the family members makes the paella in shed designed for that purpose.

Not the traditional wood fire, but a special stove element designed for the paella pan.

Stage 2

Stage 3--almost ready!

The children get served the paella first.

This photo says it all in terms of the centrality of children in Spanish life; every child has a parent behind them cutting up meat and helping them to eat the paella. Enculturaion in action!

After the children were served, they wanted to give a plate to "the Señora"--that would be me.

"Feliz cumpleaños" sung to the same tune as happy birthday.

The children were given sweets in addition to the cake; Cristina tells me this is a new tradition.

One of the moms, who is Mexican, brought a piñata and taught the crowd a song to go along with the activity. This is Julia taking a whack.

What struck me was how orderly and patient the children were; the older children waited until each little child had a turn, and after their turns the little ones waited and cheered their friends on.

Of course, once the piñata was down, the response was the universal one. The children made sure that everyone had some candy, though.

The few gifts were opened.

All in all, it was a lovely afternoon.

Fuego y caballos

This weekend I attended an event with the students that tops anything I’ve ever done for just plain crazy.  The Festival of Saint Antoni, patron saint of animals, is celebrated in various villages around the area, often with a church service in which people bring their animals for a blessing. The AIP School arranged for an outing to one village (pueblo), La Vilanova de L’Alcolea, in conjunction with several other language schools in the area.  Eight of our students, our guide Miguel, and I boarded a bus along with students from Germany, Italy, and Japan, and headed off into the night out in the middle of nowhere.  When we arrive at the village, we see that brush has been piled up in the middle of every street (in some cases not more than 4 feet from the houses on either side).  We watch a fireworks show in the town soccer field.  Okay…fireworks, animals in the church…so far, nothing too far out.

We follow the crowd back into the streets, and in the middle of the crowd, a priest gives a prayer, a band comes through, and horses parade by.  Suddenly, the brush is lit and the whole town is on fire.  If that’s not enough, people start running alongside, and in some cases over, the burning brush.  The horses, specially trained for this event all year, also run through and jump over the fire (I know, animal-lovers).  Words fail me here…the entire town is running through the burning, smoke-filled streets.  I lose my students for a while, and think “I’m done for…the smoke inhalation alone will get me.”  Eventually, I catch up to them and we hold hands as we run along the street next to the fire.  I’m serious…this goes on for two hours until the fires die out.

One of the students was run into by a horse (I don’t think our insurance covers this), and the rest were experiencing their inner pyromaniac; they had a blast.  I was glad to get out alive.  The bus left at 2 am and by the time I walked home it was 4 am.  Wow…not on the bucket list, but definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

You can see the brush piled up in the street behind me.

Bonfire and fireworks...so far, so good

Horses are paraded through the village

Crowds pack the streets.

Suddenly, the streets are on fire...

People are running alongside and through the fire...

Our students happily join them...

Posing from a (fairly) safe distance...

Really??

Our group relaxes afterward. I'm happy to report that minus a few eyebrows everyone got home safely. Crazy!!!

¿cómo se dice “foodie”?

Last night, the assistant director of the school, Fernando (whom some of you met when he came to Seattle), and his wife Martina were kind enough to take me for dinner to a tiny Moroccan restaurant in my neighborhood, Al Adwaq. Muy delicioso!  Photos are below, along with a photo of my favorite local dinner fare, paella de mariscos (seafood) at Tabernas Vintara. For the chocolate lovers, I’m attaching photos of four kinds of chocolate drinks from Valor Chocolates, dangerously situated next to my apartment.  They also have chocolate and fruit fondue, bombones (chocolates), and helado (ice cream). ¡Caray!

Martina, Fernando, and me. Martina and Fernando are expecting their first child any day!

Hummus and a spicy spread

Falafel

Couscous with Moroccan lamb

The vegetarian version

A lamb dish

Sweets for dessert

Green tea with mint

Our camarera, the daughter of the owner

Ah, paella de mariscos y vino blanco

From l to r, chocolate 52% pure cacao (consistency of pudding), chocolate a la Francesco (cold), chocolate a la Espana caliente (spicy), chocolate blanco Nepal (sweet). Yum!

Las protestas y futbol

Last night on my way to the soccer game I saw my first political protest, with about 200 people marching and police walking with them around the perimeter.  I didn’t understand what they were chanting, but I know there is a lot of dissatisfaction with the current political and economic situation in Spain.  Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the European Union, with 40% unemployment among the 20-24 year old group, along with a ballooning budget deficit and a collapsing housing market.  Recently, Mariano Roy of the conservative Popular Party gained a parliamentary majority after the government of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of the Socialist Party lost favor (although Zapatero managed to institute a lot of progressive social policies before he left office).  Roy’s proposed austerity program of tax hikes and spending cuts has met with criticism, with young people in particular taking to the streets.  I wish my Spanish was better so I could have understood more!  What did strike me was the relaxed attitude of the police, who seemed to be mostly interested in redirecting traffic, and the peacefulness of the protest.

On a completely different front, fans at the futbol game in Estadio Mestalla were also chanting, but less peacefully!  Valencia CF was playing Levante UD, both teams from Valencia.  The hometown rivalry is intense, naturally.  The students were interpreting for me; I won’t sully the blog with the exact names that were being called, but suffice it to say it had say most had something to do with one’s mother and/or with one’s sexual behavior.  It was fascinating that the fans spent most of the match engaging each other rather than yelling at the teams on the field.  For those of you who know soccer, there were 11 yellow cards given, an indication of how aggressive the game was.  We really enjoyed the whole experience (Valencia won 4-1).  I wish my photos of both events had been better, but there you go.

The protest march down Carrer de la Pax

Valencia CF vs. Levante UD at Estadio Mestalla, which holds 55,000

Students enjoying the game

This guy sat in front of us and spent most of the game yelling obscenities at the Levante fans

Good soccer, good times

Trabajo y la escuela

It’s a challenge to be both a student and a teacher, but I am enjoying both roles. First, there is my walk to work, 30 minutes each way, some of which goes through city streets but with a long stretch along the city botanical gardens after crossing a bridge over the Turia Gardens. I have a new alternative mode of transport as well: the Valenbici, which is a bicycle system that allows you to ride bikes in the city from one station to the next for a nominal fee. I believe Portland has a similar system. I can pick up a bike from a stand near my apartment, and ride to a stand near the school. You have 30 minutes to ride the bike with no additional fee. Very cool!

I often stop for café con leche in the morning at one of the numerous coffee bars; breakfast is typically toast or a sweet pastry. In the morning, I take Spanish with the students, and in the afternoon I teach my psychology classes, one with 8 and one with 5 students (I usually teach 120+ each quarter)! For some reason, it still takes the same amount of time to prepare, but the grading is a breeze! There are many things that are different about how the simplest things (like printing) are done, so flexibility and patience are key. The students are struggling to keep up with homework as they try to balance their homestays and their social lives (as we repeat the mantra, “this is study abroad, not party abroad”), but generally they are a good group and they are showing up for class! We often go out for lunch to the University of Valencia cafeteria for paella or bocadillos (sandwiches) or a Moroccan place for gyros. The staff at the school are wonderful and are doing everything they can so that students and I have a successful experience.

Off to watch a Valencia futbol (soccer) game with the students tonight. I hope everyone in Seattle is staying warm and safe!

Early morning walk down Calle de la Paz

...over the Pont del Real...

...walking by the Jardines del Real...

and, yes, real Valencian orange trees.

For my gardening friends...

Over the Turia Gardens

As an alternative to walking, the Valenbici!

The AIP School

Our Spanish teacher, Rafa, in the green

My classroom...very nice

Seline, one of our students, in the student lounge

Students hanging out in the computer area

Me, doin' my thing.

On my way home...the Santa Catalina bell tower in the distance is where my plaza is.

Un buen fin de semana

My first full weekend in Valencia has been restful and fun.  I scoped out the public transportation including buses, the subway, train stations, and the airport, and wound up meeting students at several different locations for more exploration.  Valencia is quite a bit larger and more modern than I anticipated, but it still has many charms and older neighborhoods to investigate.  I located a supermercado in the basement of a Cortes Ingles, the largest department store here (this would be something akin to finding a Safeway in Macy’s basement), and found the largest swapmeet ever behind the estadio de futbol on Sunday morning.

The students have been kind enough to call and invite me places (we all bought local phones in Madrid).  Last night, they went to a soccer game at 10 pm and out to the clubs from midnight to 6 am (very common here).  I passed on both of those, but went to the market and to lunch with three students on Saturday and to the swapmeet and the beach with a student today.  One of the students, Eric, had his 20th birthday yesterday, and apparently his señora (as they call the homestay mothers) made him a special dinner and baked him a cake. All but a few of the students are very happy with their homestay families, and seem to be enjoying it here as much as I am.  The weather has been beautiful–cool, but sunny with blue skies.  I’m posting a few more pics of the surrounding area, then time to get ready for work and school.  I found a translation of some of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speeches to share in Spanish class tomorrow. I hope you are all doing well…is it true that it’s snowing in Seattle?

Another view of my apartment from the street: second row from the top, third window from the left.

Looking down and to the right from my balcony.

More of the Plaza de la Reina

Students Simon and Zach with me at the Mercado.

Just me and the pulpo (octopuses? octopi?)

Swap meet behind the stadium.

A beautiful square in the middle of the city called Plaza del Ayuntamiento.

Student Cassandra and I have bocadillos (sandwiches) for lunch; hers is bacon y patatas.

The north train station.

I don't know if you can see this, but the dog (perro) whisperer is available in español (found at the swap meet).

El Mercado Central

Today was a day off of school and work, and I finally made to the Mercado Central, the large market near my apartment which is only open from 8 until 2.  This place deserves a blog entry of its own.  Apparently there are more than 800 different stands in the market, which was built in 1914 in the modernist style with broken tiles used in a mosaic design. I had as much fun taking pictures as I did stocking up on groceries. I didn’t take, or didn’t include, photos of animal parts like heads and hooves, which are prominently displayed.  I appreciate seeing where our meat comes from, rather than having it antiseptically wrapped at the supermarket, but I’m still somewhat squeamish in this area. Otherwise, I tried to include a small sample of the displays below.  Shopping in the Mercado, with the noise, color, smells, enthusiastic vendors and shoppers who love to negotiate, was an experience I look forward to repeating every week.  I know the students plan to visit the Mercado over the weekend as well so we can swap stories on Monday.

The Mercado Central

With fresh fruits and vegetables...

meats, especially pork...

huevos…

nuts...

salamis...

pastries...

all kinds of fish, and much much more.

Española Si!

Hola! The director of the school here said that Valencia (pronounced Balenthia) is the perfect place to learn Spanish, since very few people here speak English.  In the last week, I have found this to be true, and have been humbled by my inability to speak the language adequately in many contexts. I have also been humbled by my students, who with few exceptions know more Spanish than I do (and are helping me…interesting role swap).  I had been invited by the school to take Spanish with the students, and at first thought I would drop in from time to time.  That’s changed:  I’m in class with the students from 9 to 1 Monday-Thursday and doing the homework as well.  I’m committed to improve my communication in Spanish as much as I can!  My goal is to post my last blog message in Espanol.

Yesterday, we took a walking tour in the older part of the city, the barrio del carmen, very close to my apartment.  Stops included the Serrano towers, one of two remaining towers of 12 that guarded the city when it was a kingdom, the Mercado Central, the Valenician government building (regional governments are very independent and influential here), and the Lonja de la Seda, the Silk Exchange building built between 1482 and 1548 that is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. We also briefly toured the Catheral of Valencia and the basilica.  I hope to return to all of these spots over the weekend to spend more time and learn more about them (and take more pictures).  For now, I have classes to prepare for and Spanish to study! Adios~

The Serrano Towers, considered to be the largest gothic gateway in all of Europe, constructed in the 14th century.

On the steps of the Lonja Silk Exchange Building

The Lonja Silk Exchange, a major mercantile and trading center in the 15th century.

Students stopping for a snack

The regional Valencian government building

Taking a break on the slide in Gulliver Park