¡Dia EXTREMA!

We’ve officially kicked off the summer- a BBQ/pool party at Angel’s house on Saturday. Unfortunately, we also had the first cool/drizzly day in weeks on Saturday, which didn’t stop us from bbq-ing but did put a hold on the swimming plans. Nonetheless we had a great turnout and a great time and grilled a ton of meats and veggies on a huge homemade grill while the guys took turns dj-ing on the turntables.

Sunday was a day of EXTREMES! Angel invited me to go for a moto ride in the mountains, which to me sounded lovely (I’m thinking picnics, hot sun, cool breeze, great views, etc.) First of all, he showed me the shortcut to his garage from his kitchen: a 3-story high fireman pole. I put on my brave face and some moto gloves and gave it a go- it turns out it wasn’t nearly as scary as I had imagined. The moto ride however was MUCH SCARIER. For this we took the lighter off-roading moto, and he told me it would probably be a lot like riding a horse. NOT TRUE. Those off-roading moto drivers are crazy!! Angel went easy on me, not doing many of the jumps or going too fast next to the side of the cliffs, but every other moto we saw was either 5 feet in the air or completely sideways or both (none of the horses we saw were in either of these situations). Crazies. The scenery was gorgeous, from what I could tell behind my squeezed-shut eyes, and I think Angel was only a little embarrassed by me screaming at the top of my lungs when we went over the scary parts. (Don’t worry mom I was completely safe the whole time). At one point we were on top of a mountain and even passed some parachuters. Summary: Great experience, not to be repeated.

SABES QUE…

This rider is doing the "Superman Seat Grab". 

Additional information:
I completely left out the part of the story where we stopped to fill up the off-roading moto with gas and I was left alone with it while Angel went to pay. At this point, a car full of about 9 people pull up behind me and signal for me to scoot the thing up so they can pull up and get gas. So I have no idea how to move a moto or even turn it on and as I struggled with the thing not only did the car of 9 along and all of the people in the other cars watch in awe and amusement but when I looked up everyone inside the gas station was lined up against the window watching and laughing as well. I finally ended up knocking both myself and the bike over before Angel came out and saved me. Stupid fancy “on” buttons.

Also- Georgie got a haircut and a job! Apparently something for the city that involves wearing a jumpsuit. I am very proud of him. (Remember Georgie?)

Chocolate Outrage

FIRST OF ALL, the orange peanut m&m’s here are more of a salmon/melon color, which is a little disconcerting.

As Ale, Clare and I sat sipping café con leche outside a popular café near Plaza Nueva yesterday in the gorgeous Spanish afternoon weather I had another moment of ‘wow- this is my life. I am so lucky.’ That peaceful moment was quickly interrupted by some crazy people who walked by (the main reason we go to this café is for the phenomenal people watching). Our waiter also kept stammering unintelligible things to us, and then brought us extra tapas and some lollipops. (Cafe Lisboa- pictured)

Day 2 of bartending was crazy, but good. It started off slow and then about 100 people came into the bar at once, sending me into a little bit of a panic, but was able to handle everything. There was one table of 15 that ordered shots and then refused to pay for them, which pissed me off, and they ended up leaving 15 1-cent coins as a tip, the jerks. There were also a ton of really drunk and not so pleasant Irish and Scottish fellows that I had a harder time understanding than the Spaniards. Towards the end of the night half of the bar was occupied by some of my friends who had come by for support so it actually ended up being a lot of fun. I also really enjoyed the other bartenders who were working with me, especially one girl from Denmark (it took ALL of my self control not to quote Hamlet all night. Seriously much harder than any bartending.).

Lately I have gotten into the habit of watching 2 or 3 hours of Spanish game shows every week. My favorite is one that was popular in the 60s (70s?) in the states- called Password. I get really wrapped up in it- I sit on the edge of my seat frantically flipping through my Spanish/English dictionary and yelling things at the screen. I love high-anxiety word games. The other one I watch a lot is pretty much a Spanish Wheel of Fortune, not great, but it always seems to be on. I have yet to guess any of these correctly.

SABES QUE…

Forrest Mars, Sr., founder of the Mars Company, got the idea for the confection in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War when he saw soldiers eating chocolate pellets with a hard shell surrounding the inside, preventing them from melting.

This Rough Spanish Life

What are the stereotypes that come to mind when “Spain” is mentioned? Bullfighing, flamenco, and of course, languorous meals that stretch over hours. Before I came I tried to practice making meals last that long, but to no avail. No matter how slowly I ate, I still couldn’t seem to sit there for more than an hour-tops. Yesterday I feel like I finally REALLY experienced this iconic Spanish tradition.

Around one o’clock, Angel and I headed out to meet his cousin (Angel) and his cousin’s girlfriend (Estre) at a charming restaurant in a pueblo outside of Granada called Huetor Vega (pictured). We sat outside on the patio in the shade, enjoying the cool breeze. We were immediately served beers (Alhambra Reserva, which has become one of my favorites) and tapas and given menus. After about 30 minutes of discussing different options (I noted that “Secretos” were for sale for 8.90 €, I wondered who’s secrets we would be getting? And would they really be worth almost 9 bucks? Angel informed me that they are actually a cut of pork, surprise surprise.) I finally decided on the Medallones de Pimientos, which is some sort of pork thing involving a red pepper. When the waitress finally returned, she told us that they weren’t actually serving from that menu that day and that our options were pork, chicken, other pork, or some fish thing. We all started with a salad or gazpacho, and then each ordered something different. These courses came slowly and lasted about an hour each. Afterwards, we each had a different dessert and then the afterdinner cordials which are almost always served and are usually very very sweet. By this point we were all feeling incredibly lazy and enjoying the sun. When we left we made a quick stop to the public fountain for a drink and some splashing and then Estre discovered a tree with blackberries- moras, which were absolutely delicious and we all left with purple stains on our fingers/shirts/faces. (4 HOURS after we had started the meal.)

Last night I met up with Alessandra and Clare and the three of us headed to a fairly fancy nightclub called Cafe Aliatar. One of Ale’s friends’ bands was playing and they were fantastic! They’re an 80’s rock cover band, and although the singer (Ale’s friend, Jessica) is Spanish, her English lyrics were perfect and her voice was amazing. We had a great time rocking out amidst candelabras and red wine. We even made some new friends- some girls from Granada, (normally less open to foreign friendships than the guys).
All in all, an excellent day.

SABES QUE…
Blackberries were enjoyed by the ancient Greeks, who believed them to be a cure for diseases of the mouth and throat, as well as a preventative against many ailments, including gout.
http://www.pickyourown.org/blackberries.htm

Pour Me

Day one as a bartender went alright. Once I got over my stupid pride about working in the service industry with a college degree I decided that bartending was definitely the best option for the summer. No one wants to take English classes (I have a friend that can’t give them away for free right now) and most of the Spaniards go to the beach, so I will have to put my classes on hold until the fall and meanwhile I can practice my Spanish with drunkies. Considering I have no bartending experience whatsoever I think it went fairly successfully last night. It helped that there were never more than 20 people in the bar. It was weird because when I showed up they just gave me a t-shirt and said “ok, go.” I like how relaxed it is. I’m sure that it gets insane on weekends though. Vamos a ver.

Today I went to my landlord’s office to pay our electricity bill (a whopping 16 euros for the entire month- I love this country) and there were two guys sprawled out in the street/doorway to the office covered in blood and tons of people gathered and police, firemen, news reporters, ambulances etc. I started freaking out because that’s where Angel works so I immediately thought it was a moto accident or something and almost started crying. Then he drove by and stopped to ask me what was going on. From what we could piece together, we think it was a father and son that just happened to be walking by the office when they got into a huge fight and beat the crap out of each other. There might have been a knife involved? Very unusual for Granada. We couldn’t really get the story, but I think they both were going to be ok and were taken to the hospital. So it has been quite an odd morning.

This afternoon Alessandra comes back to Spain!!!

SABES QUE…
Nigeria is the third-leading market for the Guinness - behind only Great Britain and Ireland. Cameroon is No. 5. The sweeter, strong African version of Guinness is a huge hit on the continent, where it's said to enhance virility, according to a recent Reuters report.

Guadix and Goodbyes

Another busy weekend. It all started on Thursday night with Paul and Gillians’ going away party. This was on their rooftop terrace in the Albaycin (INCREDIBLE views) and entailed a ton of food, drinks, and even a little guitar. I was very sad for them to leave, as they were some of my very first and closest friends in this country. Karen and her boyfriend Angel will be leaving this week, which leaves just me from our original bi-weekly dinner parties. The three of us went out for tapas and ice cream last night.

Friday night was also eventful- Melinda and I grabbed dinner, met up with Clare, John and Casey for drinks and tapas at Circulo then all headed to my favorite bar in Granada- Eschavira. We were joined there by Anaise and some of her friends, as well as Angel, Nando, and Angel’s cousin and cousin’s girlfriend. Our party ended up taking a good section of the top floor of the bar. I love that bar because it is tucked away a little bit, and has a fantastic authentic atmosphere where live flamenco is often likely to spontaneously happen. After Eschavira came dancing at several different bars, ending of course in the wee hours at Camborio in Sacromonte.

Saturday was a much needed lazy sleepy day, and Granada had a surprise thunderstorm with hail, very rare here. (Fortunately not “golf ball sized hail”).

On Sunday morning I received a call from Clare, who had randomly decided to go to Guadix for the day and wanted to know if I was up for a day trip (which I always am). The group ended up being Clare, me, and two younger guys from her house- Casey (American) and Ruben (Dutch). After a 8 Euro, 45 minute bus ride we arrived in this small town (still in the province of Granada, just further east). It was the perfect day for it- sunny with a nice breeze, and we enjoyed walking around. The thing about Guadix is that it is comprised of rolling hills, mostly occupied by charming cave homes. 

We saw the 16th century Cathedral, Plaza de la Constitución, The Church of Santiago (I like to refer to this one as the ‘Party Hat Church’), The Alcazaba (11th century Moorish fortress), The Mirador de la Magdalena and of course the Barrio de las Cuevas. We were able to go into one of the cave homes- owned and lived in by a man named Jose. It was incredibly cool inside which was refreshing, and definitely appealing. We also had a very delightful but simple lunch in a café on Calle Peñuela. All in all, a very fun day trip.

SABES QUE…Over half of the population of Guadix lives in cave homes.

Championship Futbol Game

Anoche fue la partido grande de futbol.
Los equipos: Barcelona y Manchester United.
El Ganador: Barça!! (2-0)
Chaos ensued.
I went with Jamie, David and Angel to their friends’ house in some pueblo outside of Granada. They had a big TV set up outside and we had cerveza and a whole bunch of grilled meat. It was the first futbol game I had ever sat through in its entirety (actually the first one I have watched more than 2 minutes of) and I surprisingly found myself getting caught up in it. My favorite moment of the viewing was when the camera cut to a shot of one of the coaches falling asleep. We had a great time, but the real entertainment began when we left. There were people in the streets EVERYWHERE. When we drove back into Granada, Angel took me to a big plaza in the center of town where apparently EVERYONE goes after a Spanish futbol win to climb in/on/around the fountain and just yell. (En la fuente de las Batallas) There were people setting of firecrackers, honking horns, and jumping on things- absolute chaos. Apparently they stay there all night until the police and bomberos finally hose them down around 7 a.m. and they all go to work.

SABES QUE…
 It is Barça’s sixth appearance in the final. Of the previous five, they won two (1992 and 2006) and lost three (1961, 1986 y 1994). It is United’s fourth final, but they have won every time they have made it so far (1968, 1999 and 2008).
http://www.fcbarcelona.cat/web/english/index.html

(image de http://www.ideal.es/granada)

Cordoblackjack

Nothing very exciting happened last week, besides a few evenings of tapas with either Melinda, Angel or the Melrose guys. We did have a fun evening on Thursday night, Jamie, Angel, Nando, Pablo and I had a little bit of a game night. We played chess, backgammon, and ended up with a little Texas Hold ‘Em (where I CLEANED UP bigtime! Too bad we weren’t playing with real money.) Pablo brought over some little skewers of cutlets, which we grilled, and Angel brought a bag of fresh cherries that he had picked in the campo- Delightful! Fun night.The rest of the week was filled with the odd working out (I actually used two wine bottles for weights one day- with excellent results I might add), the occasional lunch with the guys (sometimes tacos, sometimes pasta, sometimes a veggie concoction) followed by a viewing of Animal Planet during which we always inevitably fall asleep.

Friday I woke up early and headed off to Cordoba by bus. As usual, I slept the entire time. I did feel really special though because I had bought my ticket in advance and was assigned seat #1. That’s living large, if you ask me.
Once in Cordoba, I checked into my hotel, Hotel Alfaros and headed straight for the pool. About 7 hours later I got up, slightly more tan and very relaxed, and spent the rest of the evening doing some final research on all of the schools in attendance for the fair. Saturday was the jobfair itself. Unbeknownst to me the Association Against Hiring Poor Good-Hearted Americans As English Teachers (that might not be their official name) has been really cracking down the past few months and so a lot of the schools are dead-set against giving jobs to us. I did however interview with some of the schools, so we’ll see.

That night was the big night of Cordoba’s Feria (every city has a Feria, like a big carnival festival fair, the same week every year, but different dates for different cities. Anyway, Cordoba's started this past weekend.) I headed out there with a couple of people I had met at the job fair and we had a blast! It had all of the carnival delights I adore (the rides, the booths, crazy people) but also lots of little bars that had been set up with great dancing- probably 30 or so different ones! We tried a lot of them and danced quite a bit, mostly to latin music. We also got kicked off a cute little train that was supposed to only be for senior citizens. Although in our defense, it was not clearly labeled. The best thing, however, was that the main snack to be found was the beloved GOFRE!!! There were stands and stands of them, all with different toppings. I savored the classic chocolate with a hint of caramel. Incredible.

SABES QUE...

Cordoba has been declared a World Heritage Site, and is one of the few places in the world that can boast of having been the capital of a Roman province, the capital of an Arab State (Al-Andalus) and a Caliphate. It is also the hometown of Seneca, Averroes, and Maimonides.

(wikitravel.org)