If you go to one city in Spain, go to Toledo.....
It's absolutely incredible! (I'm not putting pictures up because my computer and SD card are having a disagreement) I was going to go on Thursday but got a later start than I wanted to. I finally realized I was only going to have about 2 hours when I got there before I'd have to come back so I scrapped that plan. I went to Sevilla with Conrado and Elena and had a great time, as usual. When I came back Thursday evening I looked online and found a hotel in the old part of Toledo for less than $70 for Friday night! Say what you will, that seemed like a deal to me. Yes, that is a dollar sign, not a euro sign. So I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to spend Friday night and most of Saturday in Toledo.
I left Arahal yesterday around 1 because I decided I'd rather wait for a ride than take the bus. Manolo and Rossy dropped me off at Sevilla Santa Justa station (my favorite station of the whole Eurail system, seriously). Normally it's not a problem to just go get a ticket for the next train but on Friday it was packed at the station. When I finally got to the front of the line and asked for the next train for Madrid, the guy behind the desk said that the earliest train they had was at 4PM and only 1st class tickets were still available. I quickly reasoned thusly: 39 euro seems like a lot, but if I don't get on this train I don't know if I can catch the last train from Madrid to Toledo; better go for it. So I put down the money and waited for almost 3 hours in the station where I have logged so many already. I boarded the train and observed that, contrary to my prior belief, people who travel in first class look just like the people in second, for the most part. It was a pretty awesome experience! The waiter offered complimentary glasses of water, orange juice or cava, Spain's version of champagne. We also got a mid-trip snack which was fortuitous for me, since I had previously decided I would have to fast for the rest of the trip to recoup my perceived losses on the first class ticket.
I had less trouble getting to Toledo than I thought; I had a wait of less than an hour for my train to Toledo and, having read travel tips about reaching Toledo by train, made my way straight to the bus stop. Also fortunate was that the bus went straight from the station to the Plaza Zocodover, very close to the Alcázar, which my hotel was right next to. I spent the evening (what was left of it) wandering around Toledo looking for somewhere to eat. I had (some name I can't remember), a traditional Toledan dish of beef, pork, sausage, and peas in tomato sauce - delicious, as with all Spanish food. Apparently mazapán (marzipan) is big here, some believe it originated here (had to double-check wikipedia to make sure I wasn't hallucinating). On the merit of that alone, I tried some for dessert. My previous experiences with marzipan have not impressed me; I wasn't a fan by any means previously. This stuff was amazing. I lack the sufficient culinary vocabulary to paint for you a picture of the flavor but suffice it to say that if you go to Toledo and don't try marzipan, your life will have been in vain.
I woke up this morning and explored Toledo. Toledo of old was known for its superb swords and the tradition of sword-making continues. I can only imagine how I would have reacted if I had visited this city when I was 12. There are sword shops everywhere. It was like paradise; the quintessential medieval city. Picturesque doesn't even begin to describe it. Here, just do a google image search for Toledo, Spain real quick, I'll wait.
See? Amazing! Anyway, another thing Toledo is famous for is Damascene, the art of gold and silver inlay. Examples of this can be found everywhere in the city and all are breathtakingly gorgeous. I wanted to go to the museum in the Alcázar to see the Colada, the sword of Rodrigo Diáz, El Cid; if you were nerdy enough to play Age of Empires: the Age of Kings, then you know just how awesome that would have been. Unfortunately, there was a huge line and I had limited time. I went back to my hotel to pick up my bag and head to the train station (I had left it with the desk attendant because I had to check out of my room by noon). I was distressed to find my bag had disappeared and the desk attendants had no idea where it had gotten to. As I have had a bit of experience travelling, I know better than to leave valuables (e.g. wallet, passport, Eurail pass) in the hotel, so I had the really important stuff with me. What I didn't have was my Zune, my Kindle, my Spanish journal and dictionary (contrary to popular belief I am actually here to study Spanish), and my personal journal. That was probably what was most distressing to me; that's like the last 7 months of my life completely gone. I talked to the hotel people, left a number and headed back to the train station. There wasn't anything else I could do. God has really showed me a lot about trusting him on this trip, even in the comparatively small things such as this. Because of these lessons, I didn't freak out like my personality would suggest I would. I just took it in stride and said, "God, you know I want my stuff back and you know where it is. I want it back but after all, it's just stuff. I can live without it." I'm not saying this to brag or in any way elevate myself; I'm writing this to show how much God has done in me to bring me to a point where I was able to say that!
It was a long ride back to Sevilla from Madrid. I still wasn't frustrated or anxious. I just had this peace that it would all be alright. I hadn't been back in the house for more than 20 minutes when the hotel called and said they had found my bag! One of the porters had thought it belonged to someone else and had taken it with the other person's luggage up to their room. They'll be sending it to me on Tuesday, just in time for me to have it before my flight home. God is good. Thanks for reading such a massive posting!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Córdoba!
Well, it's been a while since I updated last.
One week from today I head to Madrid to fly out Thursday morning. I'm excited to see everyone back home but I am sad to leave. These past two months have been incredible! I'm still not fluent in Spanish but I definitely speak much better than when I first arrived. Now I just need to read books and watch movies in Spanish to continue towards fluency. I'm coming back here someday.
I meant to go to Toledo yesterday but I was having ATM problems. Hopefully I can go tomorrow, now that I've gotten things sorted with the bank. Earlier in February I went to Córdoba a couple of times. What a beautiful city! One of the most interesting places in Córdoba is the Mesquita, a mosque that dates from the 8th century. It was later appropriated (surprise, surprise) by the Catholic Church, which built a cathedral inside the mosque grounds. Inside the walls of the mosque is a grove of trees watered by a fountain through an ingenious system of trenches. The Mesquita sits above the Rio Guadalquivir, which is spanned by the Puente Romano, or Roman Bridge.
One week from today I head to Madrid to fly out Thursday morning. I'm excited to see everyone back home but I am sad to leave. These past two months have been incredible! I'm still not fluent in Spanish but I definitely speak much better than when I first arrived. Now I just need to read books and watch movies in Spanish to continue towards fluency. I'm coming back here someday.
The Mesquita de Córdoba
The Puente Romano. Still impressive!
It is barely original because most of it has been replaced but it retains most of its original style and probably looks about the same as it did when it was first constructed in the time of Augustus. Another interesting area of Córdoba is the Judería, the old Jewish quarter. My friend Conrado and I walked around in this area quite a bit and went into a museum of torture devices from the Inquisition. Not exactly what I'd call pleasant, but still really interesting. One of my least favorite devices was nicknamed the "Head Crusher" because that's exactly what it was. A metal plate fitted over the crown of your skull was tightened by screw until you gave in or your head was crushed. At the very least your teeth would be impacted and/or crushed into your jaw.
And we call water-boarding "torture"
The Inquisition was definitely a lot more real to me when we left that place. On to more pleasant topics... Let's return to food. If I didn't say this before, I was in Córdoba with Conrado and Elena, because Elena's family is from there. We had lunch at their house and Elena's mom cooked probably the best fish I've ever eaten. She also cooked this Cordobéz dish called Salmorejo. It's about the consistency of tomato soup and is made from tomatoes, onion, garlic, and other stuff; you eat it with eggs and bread and it is delicious. Apparently it's really easy to make so I'm going to get the recipe from Elena so I can try it at home. Another point for Spanish food!
I've really been enjoying Arahal these past few days. I love going to El Galeón for breakfast or coffee and I enjoy just walking around seeing this beautiful town. I've also been enjoying the company of my friends here at the church. I'm certainly going to miss them all. The pastor of the church before Manolo was Johannes, a German missionary. (Manolo calls him the German shepherd because in Spanish the word "pastor" is shepherd too) Anyway, Johannes came to visit for the weekend and brought one of the leaders from one of the churches in Germany with him. His name is Joshua and he is an ethnic Kurd (his parents came from Kurdistan and he was born in Germany). His testimony is incredible! We became good friends over the few days they were here. We even shared a mutual interest of the TV series Breaking Bad. It's amazing how prevalent American culture is everywhere.
Talking with Joshua and others as well as observing things over here has opened my eyes to something: as an American, I live in one of the most open, accepting countries in the world on all issues. And yes, granted, there are exceptions, but I'm talking about the attitude of the government and general public. I also was previously unaware of how influential America is globally. Virtually all the movies and series on tv here are American with Spanish voice-over. There's a USAF base about 15 kilometers away from Arahal (and the F16s are really loud). Like it or not, America does have a huge global responsibility to lead. You can sit and argue all day long about how it happened and the motivation behind it but it doesn't change the fact that we have a huge global presence and responsibility. Ok, sorry, no one wants to hear my express my foreign policy views....
I'm doing my best to make the most of the last week I have here. I want to travel to other cities and hopefully the coast. I can say unequivocally that I'm going to make every effort to come back here someday, even if it's just occasional visits to see my friends here. I could definitely live here! I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to do with the rest of my life so who knows? Maybe someday I'll be speaking more Spanish than English......
The Mesquita, from the Puente Romano
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Philosophy Football
There are few things more unifying across ethnicity and nationality as football (not trying to be pretentious, it's just much easier and more logical). That's something that has been very evident to me over the past few weeks.
Sometime in October or November my brother brought to my attention the fact that Roma would be playing a home match the last night we were in Rome in January. Roma as a club has had a special place in my heart ever since the 2007 Champion's League match at Old Trafford. (see below)
So we decided to go while we were in Rome. On Saturday (the day before the match) we found out that the match was actually that night. Steve and I ended up being the only ones who decided to attempt to go so we set off from the hotel with vague directions from the staff about what metro station to get off at to catch the tram. At the tram station we asked an attendant who gave us even more vague instructions, involving "It's somewhere around [*don't remember the name] Plaza, you'll see the lights. We sat on the tram for a good 20 minutes as the time toward kick-off dwindled rapidly. We had just decided that we had given it a good effort but weren't going to be able to find the place when I suddenly noticed a woman wearing an AS Roma scarf. It was a little like a scene from a movie; I saw the scarf, saw the name of the plaza on a bus, and saw a faint glow beyond the bus station. We got off the tram and after a short walk found ourselves at the Stadio Olimpico! After a little difficulty (mainly because I was being a cheapskate) we bought tickets off a scalper and went in. It was a little dicey at the gate because the attendants refused to believe our names were Antonio and Fernando, as our tickets so clearly indicated. But we got in and on the way up to the seats got to know an Iranian guy and a Bulgarian couple. Our respective nationalities represented 3 continents but we were all there for the same reason, because we love the game. It was really amazing to me. The game was awesome; 3-0 to Roma, got to see Totti play, and had the incredible privilege of watching European football in Europe. It was an experience that already is one of my favorite memories.
Then in Barcelona, I started talking to one of my roommates at the hostel (Ferdinand from Peru) about how there was a United match on that night and we decided to find a place to watch it and the Barça match right after. We found a place that was showing it but missed the first 15 minutes due to the fact that the Asian Cup final between Australia and Japan was in extra time. Australia ended up losing, causing the Aussie contingent to start directing dark and meaningful glances at the exuberant Japanese contingent, who left soon after. During the United match (a 2-1 victory for the Comeback Kings) we started talking to an Aussie who turned out to be a goalkeeper like me. We swapped stories, compared fingers bent from breaks, talked about football as it stands in both our countries and how utterly mental it is that Qatar was given the World Cup over the US. The three of us found another pub (if you want to watch sports while travelling, find an Irish pub. you'll never go wrong) after the match that was showing the Barça match. When that was over it was around 10 pm, dinnertime in Spain, so we all went and got tapas. Once again, people from around the world brought together by mutual interest. This obviously wouldn't have happened had I been a baseball fan.
Back in Arahal, I started talking with my friend Conrado (lives in Spain but is Mexican by nationality) about how I wanted to see a match in Spain. Long story short, Conrado and his wife, Elena, and I all went to watch Sevilla/Málaga a couple of weeks ago. Another amazing experience. As a match, Sevilla really played down to Málaga's level and the result was a fairly boring 0-0 draw, but the experience was what I really loved. We found really good seats for what we payed. It was awesome to sit in a packed stadium and listen to the chants. I didn't understand all of them but the ones I did understand were a little too colorful to record here, even in Spanish. I have been really blessed to have friends who will take the time to make sure my Spain experience is the best it can be.
And another thing, in Córdoba a couple of weeks ago I saw a guy wearing a Metrostars scarf! (the Metrostars became the NY Red Bulls a few years ago). I've never seen one in the US but I see one in Códorba. Crazy.
So, if you know your football, you have a connection to just about anyone here in Europe. You may not speak the same language but you know a good goal, a botched call, and a sloppy challenge when you see it. Even the people who don't like football here at least know the big names and teams. My passion for football has provided me with awesome experiences here in Europe. It has brought me into contact with people representing 5 continents and 6 countries and has given me common ground with people whose cultures are very different from my own. You can say that's the power of sports in general, which is partially true, but one need only look at the World Cup to notice there's something about football. It's the world's language.
(If you like Monty Python and understand football, you'll love this video)
Sometime in October or November my brother brought to my attention the fact that Roma would be playing a home match the last night we were in Rome in January. Roma as a club has had a special place in my heart ever since the 2007 Champion's League match at Old Trafford. (see below)
So we decided to go while we were in Rome. On Saturday (the day before the match) we found out that the match was actually that night. Steve and I ended up being the only ones who decided to attempt to go so we set off from the hotel with vague directions from the staff about what metro station to get off at to catch the tram. At the tram station we asked an attendant who gave us even more vague instructions, involving "It's somewhere around [*don't remember the name] Plaza, you'll see the lights. We sat on the tram for a good 20 minutes as the time toward kick-off dwindled rapidly. We had just decided that we had given it a good effort but weren't going to be able to find the place when I suddenly noticed a woman wearing an AS Roma scarf. It was a little like a scene from a movie; I saw the scarf, saw the name of the plaza on a bus, and saw a faint glow beyond the bus station. We got off the tram and after a short walk found ourselves at the Stadio Olimpico! After a little difficulty (mainly because I was being a cheapskate) we bought tickets off a scalper and went in. It was a little dicey at the gate because the attendants refused to believe our names were Antonio and Fernando, as our tickets so clearly indicated. But we got in and on the way up to the seats got to know an Iranian guy and a Bulgarian couple. Our respective nationalities represented 3 continents but we were all there for the same reason, because we love the game. It was really amazing to me. The game was awesome; 3-0 to Roma, got to see Totti play, and had the incredible privilege of watching European football in Europe. It was an experience that already is one of my favorite memories.
Los Hermanos Craig at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Back in Arahal, I started talking with my friend Conrado (lives in Spain but is Mexican by nationality) about how I wanted to see a match in Spain. Long story short, Conrado and his wife, Elena, and I all went to watch Sevilla/Málaga a couple of weeks ago. Another amazing experience. As a match, Sevilla really played down to Málaga's level and the result was a fairly boring 0-0 draw, but the experience was what I really loved. We found really good seats for what we payed. It was awesome to sit in a packed stadium and listen to the chants. I didn't understand all of them but the ones I did understand were a little too colorful to record here, even in Spanish. I have been really blessed to have friends who will take the time to make sure my Spain experience is the best it can be.
The Sevilla FC stadium in Sevilla
And another thing, in Córdoba a couple of weeks ago I saw a guy wearing a Metrostars scarf! (the Metrostars became the NY Red Bulls a few years ago). I've never seen one in the US but I see one in Códorba. Crazy.
So, if you know your football, you have a connection to just about anyone here in Europe. You may not speak the same language but you know a good goal, a botched call, and a sloppy challenge when you see it. Even the people who don't like football here at least know the big names and teams. My passion for football has provided me with awesome experiences here in Europe. It has brought me into contact with people representing 5 continents and 6 countries and has given me common ground with people whose cultures are very different from my own. You can say that's the power of sports in general, which is partially true, but one need only look at the World Cup to notice there's something about football. It's the world's language.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Europe: the Whirlwind Tour
So I just got back to Arahal last night. I had an incredible trip! I flew Ryanair from Madrid to Rome. The interior color scheme of Ryanair flights sort of makes you feel like you're on a U of M team plane. I flew into Ciampino, the small airport in Rome, and got to the train station, Termini, because my hotel was close to it. I had a little trouble finding it at first but everything worked out ok. All my previous big-city experience had been with other people so being by myself in a completely foreign city was a new and slightly intimidating experience. The next day, I met the CCC group at the other airport, Fuimicino, and spent the next three days touring Rome with everyone. It was really nice to see people I had known longer than 2 weeks. The best way to sight-see is with friends.
We went to the Colosseum, Forum, Ostia, catacombs, Mamertine Prison and many other places. It was a lot of fun to wander around Rome and find cool things to do. We found a place with really good gelato on Via Del Corso when we went to the Trevi Fountain. It was amazing to see so many famous places. St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City is mind-bogglingly immense. One particular highlight for me was seeing the Sistine Chapel, after seeing pictures of it my entire life. They truly do no justice. The amount of detail and the size of the building can't really be portrayed in a photo. I also loved seeing the Colosseum. It was really sobering to think of the incredible amount of life lost in that place (5,000 animals and 2,000 people in the first 100-day inauguration ceremony alone). Our guide told us that there weren't many Christians killed there but I think she was operating from a slightly revisionist paradigm. It was an amazing 3 days!
Let me take this opportunity to talk about pizza. I had previously subscribed to the opinion that pizza as I knew it was pretty much at its culinary apogee, there wasn't much that could be done to make it better than it was. I freely admit now the error of this belief. Steve, Brendan, Ethan, Emily, Lenny and I went searching for a good pizza place on the last day of our Rome foray. We eventually found a small restaurant tucked away somewhere and ordered pizza. It was a revelation. The pizza I had was topped with cherry tomatoes, mozzerella, basil and rocket (hard to describe, but delicious). Absolutely astounding.
I left Rome when the others did and went to Florence (Firenze) for a day. Too short a time! I was able to climb to the top of the Duomo and view the entire city. It was a little hazy but still beautiful. The hills around Florence looked pretty much the same as the background of the Mona Lisa. I had real spaghetti and it was delicious. I tried to go to the Galeria Academia but, like the Uffizi Gallery, it was closed because it was Monday. I spent the rest of the day walking around Florence. I also found Dante Alighieri's house but, sadly, it was also closed. Obviously, this only served to feed my already strong distaste for Mondays.
The next day I got up early and went to the Ufizzi Gallery and spent time looking at such incredible pieces of art as Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" and DaVinci's "Annunciation". It was incredible! I then had a little time left over so I went to the Galeria Academia and saw Michelangelo's "David" and several other unfinished sculptures. It was an great experience and I'm glad I had time to do it. I then headed to the station to catch the train to Bern.
Instead of getting to Bern around 6, which my Eurail timetable led me to believe was possible, I didn't get there until 9:30. This wouldn't have been such a problem had my phone not been out of minutes (apparently, though Vodafone serves the entire continent of Europe, minutes can only be purchased in the phone's home country). I was supposed to meet my friend Tracy in the town of Lyss at 6 and didn't have any way to contact her until I got there. I tried the number on a phone in the only grocery store in Lyss that was open but for some reason it didn't work. By this time it was about 10PM and starting to snow. Someone I talked to told me there wasn't a hotel in Lyss. Great. For the first time in my life I was considering trying to find someplace warm in an alley to spend the night. I went back to the grocery store and asked the guy there and he gave me directions to the hotel (which was in Lyss after all; just goes to show, you can't trust McDonald's employees). I checked in an went to the YWAM base that Tracy's going to discipleship school at the next day. In retrospect, that was pretty fun.
Switzerland was gorgeous but all good things must come to an end. I went early to the station in Bern because my timetable told me the only day train to Barcelona left at 8:30AM. Apparently (surprise, surprise) my timetable was wrong again and there wasn't any direct train. The guy said he could get me trains as far as Perpignan, France but then I'd be on my own from there. Not what I wanted to hear. I had to wait 2 hours in Bern and catch the 10:30 to Geneva, Geneva to Lyon, and Lyon to Perpignan. In Lyon I just barely had time to go to the ticket office and get tickets for the trains from Perpignan to Barcelona. The lady told me there wouldn't be any available seats and was really surprised when there were. I wasn't. I'd been praying the entire day and I know many other people were too. I finally got to Barcelona around 11 and caught a taxi to the hostel, which was super nice and seemed more like a hotel. One of the more stressful travel days I've ever had.
Barcelona was fun. Got to go to La Sagrada Familia, the architectural masterpiece of Gaudí. I found out that I like traditional cathedrals more than new ones. I spent 2 days just exploring Barcelona, especially the Barri Gótic, the medieval neighborhood. One of the other guys in my room at the hostel and I went and found a place to watch the United match and then the Barça match after it. We met up with an Aussie and talked football for 4 hours. Then we all went and got tapas. Briefly, my favorite one I had was a slice of baguette with Iberian ham on it, on top of which was placed at thick slice of brie cheese and then more ham. It was delicious. We also had a Barcelona specialty, octopus with salt and pepper on boiled potatoes. Pretty much blew my mind! In the morning I took the train from Barcelona to Madrid and saw more snow on that trip than I'd seen all of 2010 in KS. Then I headed from Madrid to Sevilla, where Manolo and Juan met me at the airport.
So now I'm back in Arahal. My trip was amazing, but I'm glad to be back among friends. I guess I'm more of a people person than I thought. Sorry this turned out to be so long and so late, but thanks for reading!
We went to the Colosseum, Forum, Ostia, catacombs, Mamertine Prison and many other places. It was a lot of fun to wander around Rome and find cool things to do. We found a place with really good gelato on Via Del Corso when we went to the Trevi Fountain. It was amazing to see so many famous places. St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City is mind-bogglingly immense. One particular highlight for me was seeing the Sistine Chapel, after seeing pictures of it my entire life. They truly do no justice. The amount of detail and the size of the building can't really be portrayed in a photo. I also loved seeing the Colosseum. It was really sobering to think of the incredible amount of life lost in that place (5,000 animals and 2,000 people in the first 100-day inauguration ceremony alone). Our guide told us that there weren't many Christians killed there but I think she was operating from a slightly revisionist paradigm. It was an amazing 3 days!
Let me take this opportunity to talk about pizza. I had previously subscribed to the opinion that pizza as I knew it was pretty much at its culinary apogee, there wasn't much that could be done to make it better than it was. I freely admit now the error of this belief. Steve, Brendan, Ethan, Emily, Lenny and I went searching for a good pizza place on the last day of our Rome foray. We eventually found a small restaurant tucked away somewhere and ordered pizza. It was a revelation. The pizza I had was topped with cherry tomatoes, mozzerella, basil and rocket (hard to describe, but delicious). Absolutely astounding.
I left Rome when the others did and went to Florence (Firenze) for a day. Too short a time! I was able to climb to the top of the Duomo and view the entire city. It was a little hazy but still beautiful. The hills around Florence looked pretty much the same as the background of the Mona Lisa. I had real spaghetti and it was delicious. I tried to go to the Galeria Academia but, like the Uffizi Gallery, it was closed because it was Monday. I spent the rest of the day walking around Florence. I also found Dante Alighieri's house but, sadly, it was also closed. Obviously, this only served to feed my already strong distaste for Mondays.
The next day I got up early and went to the Ufizzi Gallery and spent time looking at such incredible pieces of art as Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" and DaVinci's "Annunciation". It was incredible! I then had a little time left over so I went to the Galeria Academia and saw Michelangelo's "David" and several other unfinished sculptures. It was an great experience and I'm glad I had time to do it. I then headed to the station to catch the train to Bern.
Instead of getting to Bern around 6, which my Eurail timetable led me to believe was possible, I didn't get there until 9:30. This wouldn't have been such a problem had my phone not been out of minutes (apparently, though Vodafone serves the entire continent of Europe, minutes can only be purchased in the phone's home country). I was supposed to meet my friend Tracy in the town of Lyss at 6 and didn't have any way to contact her until I got there. I tried the number on a phone in the only grocery store in Lyss that was open but for some reason it didn't work. By this time it was about 10PM and starting to snow. Someone I talked to told me there wasn't a hotel in Lyss. Great. For the first time in my life I was considering trying to find someplace warm in an alley to spend the night. I went back to the grocery store and asked the guy there and he gave me directions to the hotel (which was in Lyss after all; just goes to show, you can't trust McDonald's employees). I checked in an went to the YWAM base that Tracy's going to discipleship school at the next day. In retrospect, that was pretty fun.
Switzerland was gorgeous but all good things must come to an end. I went early to the station in Bern because my timetable told me the only day train to Barcelona left at 8:30AM. Apparently (surprise, surprise) my timetable was wrong again and there wasn't any direct train. The guy said he could get me trains as far as Perpignan, France but then I'd be on my own from there. Not what I wanted to hear. I had to wait 2 hours in Bern and catch the 10:30 to Geneva, Geneva to Lyon, and Lyon to Perpignan. In Lyon I just barely had time to go to the ticket office and get tickets for the trains from Perpignan to Barcelona. The lady told me there wouldn't be any available seats and was really surprised when there were. I wasn't. I'd been praying the entire day and I know many other people were too. I finally got to Barcelona around 11 and caught a taxi to the hostel, which was super nice and seemed more like a hotel. One of the more stressful travel days I've ever had.
Barcelona was fun. Got to go to La Sagrada Familia, the architectural masterpiece of Gaudí. I found out that I like traditional cathedrals more than new ones. I spent 2 days just exploring Barcelona, especially the Barri Gótic, the medieval neighborhood. One of the other guys in my room at the hostel and I went and found a place to watch the United match and then the Barça match after it. We met up with an Aussie and talked football for 4 hours. Then we all went and got tapas. Briefly, my favorite one I had was a slice of baguette with Iberian ham on it, on top of which was placed at thick slice of brie cheese and then more ham. It was delicious. We also had a Barcelona specialty, octopus with salt and pepper on boiled potatoes. Pretty much blew my mind! In the morning I took the train from Barcelona to Madrid and saw more snow on that trip than I'd seen all of 2010 in KS. Then I headed from Madrid to Sevilla, where Manolo and Juan met me at the airport.
So now I'm back in Arahal. My trip was amazing, but I'm glad to be back among friends. I guess I'm more of a people person than I thought. Sorry this turned out to be so long and so late, but thanks for reading!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Good night, Sevilla
Well it's Sunday again...
I'm at Manolo's parents' house with Juan because Manolo and Rossy are in Israel for a church conference. It's nice because it's more centrally located, but I haven't really availed myself of this desirable proximity to the old part of town to walk around (due largely to my underconfidence in my conversational Spanish). Poco a poco.
I was talking with Juan today and he told me that people here in Andalucía talk faster than those in northern Spain. It made me feel a little better that even to other Spaniards these people seem to talk fast. Speaking of being a Spaniar, Manolo told me the other day that if I just didn't talk, people would assume that I'm Spanish. This was demonstrated later when someone asked if I was his cousin. It was quite gratifying to me. It's because of my dark hair and eyes and the fact that I don't wear American brand names emblazoned across my chest.
Winter in España is pretty mild. I don't think I've yet seen a low below 45 F. The high is usually around 60 F which is pretty warm if you're fresh from Kansas, but the houses here do not have heat. Chances are if you're indoors in Kansas, you're warmer than I am. On a good note, I've been doing tons of push-ups and sit-ups to warm up. I still haven't run. Maybe tomorrow....
Last martes (Tuesday) we went to Sevilla at night to look around at some of the sights. We walked past the University of Sevilla which was really old and beautiful. We didn't get to the Plaza de España, which is where something to do with Queen Amidala from Guerra de los Galaxios (Star Wars) was filmed. At least I think that's what they were saying. We walked into the center of the city and got to see the cathedral which is the largest Gothic building in the world and the third-largest church in Europe (after St. Paul's in London and St. Peter's in Rome - incidentally, by January 23rd I will have seen all three!). We didn't get to go in but hopefully sometime in February I'll be able to go back during the day. Seriously, this building is huge.
It incorporates some elements of Arab architecture from the mosque that stood there previously (because of the Moors), specifically the Giralda Tower, which is enormous.
My Frommer's guide (gracias, mamá y papá) says "The Catedral de Sevilla was designed by builders with a stated goal - 'that those who come after us will take us for madmen.'" This is also where DNA-verified remains of Christopher Columbus are interred (Ferdinand and Isabella actually welcomed Columbus back from his voyage at the Alcázar in Sevilla, the oldest royal residence still in use. Needless to say, the history nerd within me was going crazy. And yes, I had read all this before I went.
Sorry for the history lesson. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet week. Juan introduced me to an amazing streaming sight that has How I Met Your Mother available on it and as such I have been able to catch up finally! The best thing I've eaten this week was prepared by Manolo's mom, Maria - beef tips in a puré of home-grown tomatoes with pepper, garlic and olive oil, served hot. Amazing! The olives are still blowing my mind.
Thanks for reading and for your prayers. Please continue to pray for me as I head to Rome on Thursday to meet up with the Turkey, Greece and Rome trip. Hasta luego!
I'm at Manolo's parents' house with Juan because Manolo and Rossy are in Israel for a church conference. It's nice because it's more centrally located, but I haven't really availed myself of this desirable proximity to the old part of town to walk around (due largely to my underconfidence in my conversational Spanish). Poco a poco.
I was talking with Juan today and he told me that people here in Andalucía talk faster than those in northern Spain. It made me feel a little better that even to other Spaniards these people seem to talk fast. Speaking of being a Spaniar, Manolo told me the other day that if I just didn't talk, people would assume that I'm Spanish. This was demonstrated later when someone asked if I was his cousin. It was quite gratifying to me. It's because of my dark hair and eyes and the fact that I don't wear American brand names emblazoned across my chest.
Winter in España is pretty mild. I don't think I've yet seen a low below 45 F. The high is usually around 60 F which is pretty warm if you're fresh from Kansas, but the houses here do not have heat. Chances are if you're indoors in Kansas, you're warmer than I am. On a good note, I've been doing tons of push-ups and sit-ups to warm up. I still haven't run. Maybe tomorrow....
Last martes (Tuesday) we went to Sevilla at night to look around at some of the sights. We walked past the University of Sevilla which was really old and beautiful. We didn't get to the Plaza de España, which is where something to do with Queen Amidala from Guerra de los Galaxios (Star Wars) was filmed. At least I think that's what they were saying. We walked into the center of the city and got to see the cathedral which is the largest Gothic building in the world and the third-largest church in Europe (after St. Paul's in London and St. Peter's in Rome - incidentally, by January 23rd I will have seen all three!). We didn't get to go in but hopefully sometime in February I'll be able to go back during the day. Seriously, this building is huge.
It incorporates some elements of Arab architecture from the mosque that stood there previously (because of the Moors), specifically the Giralda Tower, which is enormous.
Giralda Tower, left
Sorry for the history lesson. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet week. Juan introduced me to an amazing streaming sight that has How I Met Your Mother available on it and as such I have been able to catch up finally! The best thing I've eaten this week was prepared by Manolo's mom, Maria - beef tips in a puré of home-grown tomatoes with pepper, garlic and olive oil, served hot. Amazing! The olives are still blowing my mind.
Thanks for reading and for your prayers. Please continue to pray for me as I head to Rome on Thursday to meet up with the Turkey, Greece and Rome trip. Hasta luego!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Food and Jesus
I feel like all I write about is food but it really is awesome. Here's a picture of what I was talking about in the first post.
Crazy, huh? Kind of makes me want to just eat one like a drumstick, sans the fat, of course.
This one is of a traditional Andalucian breakfast food, I don't think it has a specific name. Bread (lightly toasted) with olive oil, a meat paste sort of thing, tomato sauce (like salsa but without chunks or anything else), and sea salt. It's sooooo good! The coffee is delicious - really strong.
I would like to take this opportunity to talk to you about olives. I thought I hated olives, but it turns out that I was wrong and I love them. The Saboridos pick and preserve their own olives at home and, let me tell you, they are nothing like the olives we have in the states. I like food.
Yesterday we went into Sevilla, about 20 minutes away. Being in Europe is awesome because there are so many interesting old buildings, like the small castle by the highway on the way into Sevilla. While we were there we had an apparently massive electrical storm. Being from Kansas, I was not overly impressed, but it was still awesome to watch. We went to a couple of malls because the first couple days after Tres Reyes Magos are kind of like Black Friday here, lots of sales. I got a phone! Here they're called movìles. It took forever but I believe it will be worth it. One of the stores we went to was called Eroski. Polish? I would have possibly thought so but no, apparently it's Basque. They're an separatist group (and somehow an ethnic demographic I think) who like to set off a bomb every so often to get some point or other across. Here, rather than explain it here, allow me to let the good folk of wikipedia.org do a much better and exhaustive job. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_people. All that to say, Spain is really diverse and interesting.
Jesus
We had church today. I really had no idea what to expect but I was interested to see how church is practiced here in Spain. I was really surprised to sing the song "Come, Now is the Time to Worship" in Spanish ("Ven"). We also sang a lot of praise and worship songs in Spanish with which I was unfamiliar but I understood really well. We ended up singing the chorus of "How Great Thou Art" in Spanish too. That, for me, was one of the most awesome moments I've experienced since I've been in Spain. I was singing in English and everyone else was singing in Spanish of course and I was impressed again with how absolutely amazing God is and what an incredible thing it is to be a part of the Church globally. Here we were singing in different languages, from different cultures and yet we were (and are) completely and intimately known by the object of our worship. I felt so connected to the whole church around the globe, like a family. It was really cool. (sometimes modern English frustrates me because it feels as if I'm missing around a hundred adjectives and am therefore unable to adequately express myself)
The songs we sang highlighted an interesting cultural difference for me. In Spanish there are 5 verb forms (6 in the Castellano we speak here) and one of them, the nosotros form, is like "we" in English. All the songs we sang were in this form. There's a much more corporate focus with the worship here, I feel. So many songs we sing in English are from the first person and, for me, when I sing them I many times feel like I'm just repeating someone else's sentiment and therefore the sincerity is diminished. Now I'm just saying this is my experience, I'm not trying to indict the American church. I just feel that there is a different focus here. I like it.
One more thing - I was just realizing that exactly one year ago today I was just finishing my first day in England. I had NO IDEA that on the corresponding day of the next year I would be sitting here in Spain. God is incredible and I cannot wait to see where I will be on January 9, 2012.
Well, that's all for now folks, it's almost 1:30AM here and I'm trying this new "get up at a reasonable hour before 11 AM" thing. Thanks for reading!
Crazy, huh? Kind of makes me want to just eat one like a drumstick, sans the fat, of course.
This one is of a traditional Andalucian breakfast food, I don't think it has a specific name. Bread (lightly toasted) with olive oil, a meat paste sort of thing, tomato sauce (like salsa but without chunks or anything else), and sea salt. It's sooooo good! The coffee is delicious - really strong.
I would like to take this opportunity to talk to you about olives. I thought I hated olives, but it turns out that I was wrong and I love them. The Saboridos pick and preserve their own olives at home and, let me tell you, they are nothing like the olives we have in the states. I like food.
Yesterday we went into Sevilla, about 20 minutes away. Being in Europe is awesome because there are so many interesting old buildings, like the small castle by the highway on the way into Sevilla. While we were there we had an apparently massive electrical storm. Being from Kansas, I was not overly impressed, but it was still awesome to watch. We went to a couple of malls because the first couple days after Tres Reyes Magos are kind of like Black Friday here, lots of sales. I got a phone! Here they're called movìles. It took forever but I believe it will be worth it. One of the stores we went to was called Eroski. Polish? I would have possibly thought so but no, apparently it's Basque. They're an separatist group (and somehow an ethnic demographic I think) who like to set off a bomb every so often to get some point or other across. Here, rather than explain it here, allow me to let the good folk of wikipedia.org do a much better and exhaustive job. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_people. All that to say, Spain is really diverse and interesting.
Jesus
We had church today. I really had no idea what to expect but I was interested to see how church is practiced here in Spain. I was really surprised to sing the song "Come, Now is the Time to Worship" in Spanish ("Ven"). We also sang a lot of praise and worship songs in Spanish with which I was unfamiliar but I understood really well. We ended up singing the chorus of "How Great Thou Art" in Spanish too. That, for me, was one of the most awesome moments I've experienced since I've been in Spain. I was singing in English and everyone else was singing in Spanish of course and I was impressed again with how absolutely amazing God is and what an incredible thing it is to be a part of the Church globally. Here we were singing in different languages, from different cultures and yet we were (and are) completely and intimately known by the object of our worship. I felt so connected to the whole church around the globe, like a family. It was really cool. (sometimes modern English frustrates me because it feels as if I'm missing around a hundred adjectives and am therefore unable to adequately express myself)
The songs we sang highlighted an interesting cultural difference for me. In Spanish there are 5 verb forms (6 in the Castellano we speak here) and one of them, the nosotros form, is like "we" in English. All the songs we sang were in this form. There's a much more corporate focus with the worship here, I feel. So many songs we sing in English are from the first person and, for me, when I sing them I many times feel like I'm just repeating someone else's sentiment and therefore the sincerity is diminished. Now I'm just saying this is my experience, I'm not trying to indict the American church. I just feel that there is a different focus here. I like it.
One more thing - I was just realizing that exactly one year ago today I was just finishing my first day in England. I had NO IDEA that on the corresponding day of the next year I would be sitting here in Spain. God is incredible and I cannot wait to see where I will be on January 9, 2012.
Well, that's all for now folks, it's almost 1:30AM here and I'm trying this new "get up at a reasonable hour before 11 AM" thing. Thanks for reading!
Friday, January 7, 2011
I Can't Get Away from Spongebob
There he is....
I had just started working on my Spanish journal this morning when I heard a multitude of voices outside. My window, I'm convinced, has no sound-deadening properties whatsoever; if anything, it amplifies them. I looked outside and to my chagrin was greeted by this insipid buck-toothed smile (no, it was not my own reflection, thank you). It just reinforces for me how prevalent American culture is throughout the world. I heard Avril Lavigne in the super the other day. All the movies on TV are American movies with Spanish dubbing. It is just slightly disappointing.
In other news - the food here is delicious. Did I mention that?
My body doesn't seem to want to establish a normal sleeping pattern. Since we eat around 11 or, at the earliest 10, I'm not used to going to bed one hour after I've eaten. So the past few nights I've been up til 3 or so. This may be partially due to the fact that I don't have an alarm clock as yet and still haven't been able to run because it's been raining. If anyone sees Seth Case, please remind him to run. We're going to run the OKC marathon in May!
Houses here are small and expensive. Manolo was telling me that a house similar in size to the one we live in costs in the neighborhood of 200,000 USD. Parking is a huge issue in Spain at the moment. Cars line almost every street and if you drive you end up having to walk a long way anyway just to get where you want to go.
Check my facebook for more pictures!
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