Hola gentle readers! Guess what? I have been in Spain a whole four months! I am definitely loving it here, although it is far colder than I anticipated.
My travels
The most exciting thing about my time here is definitely traveling. Thus far I have visited Seville, Granada, Murcia, Cartagena, Huercal-Overa, and now Barcelona! I am slowly coming to love Spain, although I still feel like a bumbling foreigner.
For Halloween, I decided to visit Belgium, where I went to Brussels, Antwerp, and Brugge for the long weekend. I managed to catch the Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra concert in Antwerp where I met some great people, and got comically lost several times. In short, I had the time of my life. I paid for it by losing my voice for a week.
Then I went to Granada for my birthday weekend. Nothing better than turning 24 in a seedy hostel and rising with the sun to see the Alhambra, and then nights full of tapas. Here’s a picture of me eating a lox tostada!
And my friends and I
Next I visited Barcelona to see a friend for New Years! Traveling with a local was amazing. She showed me where to purchase a ukulele my first afternoon, and we celebrated the beginning of 2013 on Las Ramblas with thousands of other people. We ate twelve lychees each at midnight (although grapes are traditional) and got wet from burst champagne. I cannot describe my joy and excitement, so here is a picture!
Las Ramblas a Nuevo Año con Mercé y Esther.
Holidays
Spain loves Holidays! Generally there is a “Dia de Andalucia” or holiday spaced out so everybody gets a break every few weeks. Puentes (literally translated to “bridge”, 4-day weekends) are more vacation opportunities, and if you like to travel, it is a good idea to book your hostel far in advance because they fill up fast. In addition to the winter holidays that are celebrated in America, Three Kings Day is January 6th, where gifts are traditionally given. I am looking forward to celebrating Valentine’s Day here next!
Food and Drink, the Most Important Part of Spanish Culture
When I heard “café culture” I pictured Starbucks at 11pm on a schoolnight. Not so! Actual conversation, food and drink happen in a café. I have never seen a laptop in public. Eating is a social activity in Spain!
The infrastructure of Spain revolves around the meals. Schools and all shops close at 2 (sometimes 1:30) for lunch or “siesta” and do not reopen until after 4 or later. Banks do not reopen after 2. This causes frustration if you have to run errands.
Five meals a day are all named. La Desayuna (breakfast), El Almuerzo (basically 2nd breakfast, around 11:30 on the workday, generally a sandwich or bocadilla), lunch or La Comida (2pm, on the dot, a large family meal), La Merienda (snack around 5-6), and La Cena (dinner, around 9pm or later). There is a great deal of speculation about if this is a superior way to eat from a health standpoint.
The most amazing food practice is tapas. Tapas are pre-prepared food served in small portions, generally served with a beverage. In Granada, and certain other parts of Spain, a tapa comes free with every beverage. Getting something tasty (olives, a small sandwich, piece of manchengo cheese, Russian salad, Spanish tortilla, fried fish) with your beverage (bubbly drink, wine, beer, glass of water) encourages you to eat, and therefore order more. It is delicious, and it is very popular to spend a night bar-hopping for tapas and drinks. Tapas tend to cost 2-5 euros each, so it is a cheap way to sample many things.
Breakfast! A fancy one. Cafe con leche y pan is usual.
Dulces traditional
Tapas en Barcelona
Comida o Cena, a lovely pasta in Granada
How to Navigate in Spain: (Poorly!)
Google Maps will lie to you. Official maps may not reflect reality, for example in Almeria Ciudad, the street names change midway through and back again. The grid system (think NYC) is not applicable, the cities tend to be very organic.
Street names are written on the sides of buildings, but only sometimes. Usually at the corner, or a little ways down. Sometimes the plaque is the same color as the building, so it is hard to spot. Traffic lights are not popular, and if they exist, they are on the shoulder of the road.
Giant rotunda turnabouts are preferred, especially in rural areas. You see the sense of them immediately; no waiting for a light to change, fewer accidents, except maybe bumper bumps from people zooming around them. No speed limits.
Here’s a postcard I sent to my friend, Anamica:
Adventures in Andalucia 