15 Weeks Down, 27 to Go!

Let's see here. I think the two main points in this update are New Years and a short trip to Sevilla.

Since Meagan had her troop of friends visiting and Alicia was also here we had a New Years dinner party. Most restaurants in Madrid charge upwards of 70€ per person for New Years dinner, and we all agreed that was ridiculous. We gathered in Meagan and Theresa's living/dinning room and feasted. The general feeling in the room was really nice; everyone was friendly and chatting freely. The food was amazing. Meagan and Theresa supplied chili and tortilla española, I made cornbread and the guests picked out a nice apple tart for dessert.

Let me pause for a moment for a story about how things in Spain are never as simple as I want them to be. Since I have an oven, the hosts requested that I bake something for the dinner. Not a problem, I actually love to bake back home. I decided that since they were going to make chili I would make cornbread. Before going to the store for ingredients I looked up the word for "corn meal' which was translated to "harina de maiz" (literally, flour from corn). I found the product in the store and bought two boxes.

Later in the day I went to make the corn bread. My butter was melted, my ingredients were lined up and I opened the box of harina de maiz and took a peek inside. Harina de maiz turned out to be corn starch; you know, the very fine powder most people use to thicken stews or pie juices, not make bread. I had to pack away the corn starch, haul myself back to the grocery store and pray they were open and that had actual corn meal. My first clue should have been the ease with which I found the harina de maiz. It was just sitting there, waiting for me. Too easy.

Luckily, I found the right product in the Mexican foods section and proceeded to make a cornbread like food. It didn't turn out right, and I'm still working out why not. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and it tasted alright, the fluffiness was just a little low.

After the feast we went to Puerta del Sol to countdown until 2009. This was basically the Madrid equivalent of going to NYC Time Square. The crowds were huge, there was a security checkpoint so you didn't bring in bottles. Thankfully, the city was smart and passed out huge cups so you could bring in the beverages just not the containers. We figured that it was the danger of carbonated drinks, like Cava (Spanish Champagne) posed to the crowds. Imagine bunches of corks popping into a packed plaza. That sounds like a recipe for disaster.

We found a spot and hunkered down for about an hour, maybe a little more and waited. While we were waiting a slide show of pictures of the city played, as did some pop music. Finally it was time. The Spanish countdown from 12 because you are supposed to eat one grape per second to bring good luck into the next 12 months. I managed to finish my grapes, but many did not. We got a little bit of a late start and had to play catch-up. We struggled not to laugh our half-chewed grapes out onto the side walk, as the idea of herds of people forcing down grapes seemed comical.

I'm not sure what kind of luck the grapes will bring this year, as shortly after finishing them I got punched in the head. It was a total accident and it wasn't that hard. What happened was one of Meagan's friends tried to put his hand in a picture and in doing so reached over me. When the picture subjects realized what was going on they pushed his fist out of the frame and into my forehead. It mostly startled me and I'm fine now. I just hope it was the manifestation of all of 2008's bad luck leaving!


On New Years day Theresa, Alicia and I went on a trip to Sevilla. We took the bus that left at 11 pm and arrived in Sevilla the following morning. It was kind of difficult to sleep on the bus, but I made it work. When we arrived at the bus station it was way too early for any sightseeing, as the sun wouldn't be up for three more hours and the sights wouldn't open for four more. We camped out in the Cafe and fueled up on Churros and warm beverages.

Sadly, our trip was basically rained on the whole time. We had a nice stretch in the afternoon, but most of the morning, including the walk to the sights from the bus station was rainy. We started with the Royal Palace. This was constructed on top of a former Moorish building. Back in the day, and I mean way back, like 900's, the Moors invaded Spain and held on for a few hundred years (until somewhere around 1492, I think). Even though the original building was removed the new castle had many Islamic influences, such as water features, courtyards and arches upon arches. The Royal Gardens also produced enough oranges to prevent scurvy in all of Spain, but the fruit was sadly falling to rot. The building was gorgeous.

Across the plaza was the Cathedral. It is the second largest Cathedral, after Saint Peter's in Rome and Saint Paul's in London. Now I have been to two of the three, and I hope to check Saint Paul's off before crossing back over the Atlantic. One can't help but be impressed by things like that. They were designed to impress and show power. I just can't wrap my brain around why Churches would spend so much money on golden tapestries or HUGE statues when the funds could be put to helping people. I'm sure this is a lesson they learned in time, as these types of churches were constructed long ago, but still I have to wonder if somewhere in the planning stages others found it silly also.

After those two big sites we ate lunch and went on a walking tour in our brief period of sunshine.

We closed the night with a few drink in a "Tapas" bar recommended by the guide book, but actually does not serve food. We were a little bummed, as we like to sample local foods whenever possible. But we had a nice drink then moved on to our last item. The Flamenco show.

I don't know if there are words to describe Flamenco. I really think you have to see a show, if you get the chance. (If you end up in Sevilla, I can recommend a good cultural center with cheap tickets!) I have to admit, I didn't catch many words in the singing, but I did catch the elevated levels of emotion. I also was enthralled by the dancing. Both the man and the woman were stomping and stepping with such precision and passion that I couldn't take my eyes off them.

After the action packed day we walked back to the bus station in a monsoon. I kid you not, it POURED to the point that there were currents of water rushing through the streets. Theresa and Alicia popped into a store to buy a change of socks (I had packed one in a moment of temporary genius) and a towel to dry our feet with. We made it almost back to the bus station when the rain proved too much and we hid out in a Pizza Hut to eat and wait it out.

When we got on the bus I removed my soaking shoes and put on the dry socks and settled in for a 6 hour ride back. We jam-packed our day in Sevilla, but it was nice. I would love to go back sometime when it isn't raining and stay for a few days. On our walking tour we ended up in the labyrinth of the Barrio Santa Cruz. Thank God Theresa is an expert map-reader, because I would have ended up so lost in that maze. What I did notice while she lead the way was there were hostels abound there. I would love to stay in one and really explore the city and that neighborhood in particular.

Now I have three more days of vacation left and to be honest I haven't thought about school once. I should probably crack open my teacher's editions and see what I will be getting back into, but for now I will continue to rejoice in doing nothing.