A Spanish Christmas

So before I took off for my random travels to different European locations (and also inbetween trips), I had a couple different Christmas experiences here in Sagunto, including the ESDES Christmas party, the girls' dorm Christmas party, and the church Christmas concert.

The ESDES party took place on Nov. 30 in the hall of the Theology/ESDES building. We "celebrated" all the different dates that the Spaniards observe as a part of the holiday. We started with a "lottery." Every year, on Dec. 22, the Spanish national lottery has its biggest drawing. This lottery is such a big deal that they start selling tickets for it in August. Crazy, huh? Well, we had our lottery and I actually won! Woot woot! Unfortunately, my prize was a box of coconut turrón and since I'm not a fan of coconut, I ended up giving it to one of my professors sitting nearby who expressed an interest in it since he loves coconut but never gets any at home because his wife doesn't like it.

Next, we celebrated Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) by singing "Silent Night" in Spanish. For Christmas morning, we all opened up our gifts. We had drawn names and were supposed to buy small gifts for under 5 euro. I ended up receiving a candy-filled cup from Belros, probably the biggest Spanish candy chain company, and a little stuffed animal ordament.

After that, we celebrated New Year's Eve (Nochevieja) with bubbly and eating grapes and confetti. The Spanish tradition for Nochevieja, especially in Madrid, is to eat twelve grapes at midnight, one at each bong of the clock in the main square. If you manage to eat all twelve with the right timing, you supposedly have good luck for the coming year.

The last holiday that the Spaniards celebrate as a part of the Navidad season is Epiphany or "Dia de los Reyes" - Jan.6. In most houses, this day is actually a bigger event than Christmas and the kids get just as many, if not more, gifts than on Dec. 25.

And that was the ESDES Christmas party. Cheers!

A couple days later, on Dec. 3, we had the dorm party. For this, there was food and birthday cake for all the birthdays between August and December

and a white elephant gift exchange.

Only two of the ESDES students stayed for the gift exchange and I'm glad to say that I was one of them. It was actually quite fun watching the girls ooo and ahhh over every gift as it was unwrapped and fight over the stuffed animals. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of opening a new gift rather than just choosing an already unwrapped gift and so I ended up with candy coal and a lollipop, that of course no one wanted and therefore didn't steal from me.

Bah. Oh well, I still had fun socializing with all the dorm girls, even if they were highschoolers.

We had our last day of classes on Dec. 6 and then on the 10th I left for Paris. Yes, there is a post coming soon about that trip. But I returned back to Sagunto on the night of the 13th so that I could be here for one last rehearsal and the concert on Saturday night the 15th. Although some people told me I should just skip and use the time for traveling instead, I'm really glad I stuck with my commitment and came back for the concert. Not only was it a chance to rest and recuperate and eat/sleep for free, the concert was a blast.

The concert wasn't just the orchestra; the primary/secondary choir and the bachiller/theology/community choir both performed as well.

Also, a church member and his son performed with the orchestra director in a trumpet/trombone/percussion trio. The kid had to only be about 5 or 6 and yet he demonstrated AMAZING rhythm and musical skill on his little drums and cowbell. He was SOO cute! I've got a picture of him but I wish I had a video as well.

The last song on the program was Silent Night and first just a two violins, the piano and a cello accompanied the choir. Then the entire orchestra played while the congregation joined in the singing. It's such a pretty arrangement that I arranged with a friend beforehand to have her videotape it. And now you have the option of listening to either the choir version (which is prettier) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OUQPKijYWM or the congregation version (where you can see me playing the flute). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9VB-9kpbBM Take your pick.

One other thing pertaining to Christmas: Union sent all of us carepackages and I have to show you the customs slip. It's so entertaining. The package contents listed and package value marked are totally not correct.

Much more was included and it was worth a LOT more than they say. But whatever. I got my package and it made me very happy. Many thanks to everyone who contributed!

And thus ended my Spanish Christmas festivities.

Gira a Barcelona: Days 3 & 4

The first half of our first full day in Barcelona could rightly be called "Gaudí's Barcelona."*(see note at bottom) We started out by visiting La Sagrada Familia, a cathedral that was started in 1882 and they're still working on it today.

I'd have to say that my first impression from the outside was, "wow, that's pretty ugly for a cathedral." Once inside though, the view improves. Inside it's all smooth white columns with a spiky ceiling.

I think I read once that the inside is supposed to resemble a bat cave. I'm not sure that's the vibe I received, but it's still pretty cool. The only question I had while inside was, "why didn't I think to build something that I can charge admission for while I'm still building it?"

Granted, Guadí, the guy who designed it, is now dead, but I bet his family's still benefitting. Thankfully though, they have blueprints up so you know what it's *supposed* be eventually.

The parts that I liked the most about the cathedral were the stained glass (there needs to be more) that shines prettily on the columns,

and the front doors.

These doors were covered with different Catalán names and frases from the Bible. Also, he stuck this nifty square of numbers on one of the doors that when combined in different patterns, the numbers add up to Jesus' age at the time of his death.

In the basement of the cathedral they have a museum of the construction of the cathedral along with various furniture pieces (like lecturns and confessionals) that have been finished for future use (assuming that they finish it before Jesus returns, which I highly doubt) and explications for different parts of the cathedral (like the number square thing). They also let you look into Gaudí's old workshop where artisans and engineers and architects still work today.

After the cathedral, we went to the Park Güell,

a park that Gaudí designed to surround houses of the "rich and affluent." There we saw Gaudí's own house

and a bunch of cool mosaic-type benches

and towers and even a lizard/salamandar/thing.

The park was huge and beautiful and I'd love to see it sometime in spring, when I'm sure it's really blooming.

After the park, they took us to Las Ramblas, which is basically like the main shopping trip of Barcelona. In the middle of the street is a pedestrian strip where you can find vendors selling everything from the normal touristy stuff to flowers to small pets. It was in one of these flower shops that I saw cotton bolls on sale for the first time. Wish I had taken a picture, sorry. Along this strip, you have Spain's largest food market (that reeked of meat), the opera, and other random stores. It was here that Kimmy, Erin, and I had an unsatisfactory lunch (well, they didn't like theirs, mine was fine) and so we went in search of some gelato to make ourselves feel better. Lady Luck was with us and we entered a gelatería where the guy working the counter was cute, the gelato amazing, and we each got 6 or 7 samples before finally making our choice. Everytime after giving us a sample, the guy wouldn't wait for us to ask if we could have another sample but would just hold us three more sample spoons and wait expectantly for our next choice. Both the service and the gelato were amazing. Afterwards, we wandered around the streets with no particular destination in mind. Except for me of course. I had done an internet search before leaving Sagunto and had in hand several addresses for yarn stores in Barcelona. Unfortunately, the only store I found was closed at the time for siesta. Bahhh!

The next item on the agenda was meeting back at the hotel so that we could all walk together to the Picasso Museum in Old Town.

I have to admit that I didn't anticipate liking the museum since I'm not a fan of Picasso's abstract art. However, the little known fact about Picasso is that before he went wacko with his paintings, he did some really cool, realistic paintings. He was a genius and painting crazily well when still in his teens. Of the abstract ones, the only painting that I really liked was an adaptation of Velazquez's "Las Meninas" (which I just realized from my internet image search, is unfinished).

And it is here that I state that I am soooo glad that I took an art history class before coming to Europe because it has enabled me to recognize and appreciate better the famous paintings in the various museums I've visited. For example, when I saw this painting and its title, I could see in my mind the original. Thanks Schroeder!

After Picasso (we could leave when we wanted: I was there for about 2 1/2 hours and I heard later that some people actually stayed there 5 hours), we had free time but some of the group, including myself, chose to stay with Luis Amoros, the teacher in charge of the trip, for a nighttime tour/walk of Barcelona. We went through the old part, down to the wharf,

and back up Las Ramblas. It was a great time to hang out and I got a better perspective of Amoros as a professor in the more relaxed setting. By the time we got to the start of Las Ramblas, it was late and freezing so I hurried my way back to the hotel with some friends.

The next day, we started out early and headed to the town hall of Barcelona

and the Capitol (as it were) of Cataluña (both in the same plaza opposite each other).

Then we went to the "castle" where Colombus presented his New World treasures to Isabel and Ferdinand.

After that was the cathedral of Barcelona (covered up in the midst of a restoration project, just like the rest of Europe)

with a sign that seemed to come directly from an Adventist academy

and then more free time until we boarded the bus to return to Sagunto. During this free time, I went off on my own so that I could be sure to make it to my yarn stores. Luckily this time I was able to find two stores, both open. One I found for the first time, and the other was the one that had been closed during siesta the previous day. I was really happy to find them open because the other shop that I had found the very first day had been closed every time I went past EXCEPT for when we were walking as a group to the Picasso Museum and I couldn't stop. Just a little irritating. But in the end I was able to buy myself Spanish yarn, and all's well that ends well.

On our way out of town, we stopped for few minutes at Olympic Village where the summer Olympics were held in 1992.

Yay for getting to be in Olympic Stadium. How cool is that? I just wish someday I could be in one for the summer olympics as a sand volleyball athlete. *sigh*

Then it was back in the bus for 4/5 hours as we drove back to Sagunto. But luckily I had my books and knitting to keep me occupied.

* Jacque, this is probably the day that you'll recognize pictures from Barcelona.

Gira a Barcelona: Days 1 & 2

A long, long time ago, the school took us on a trip ("gira" in español) to Andorra and Barcelona. Hopefully I'll be able to remember most of the details as it's about two months now since we went. Yes, I hear the complaints about my blogging skills. Maybe someday they'll be better, maybe not. The world will just have to live with me as I am. :D

Anywho, so we left on a Monday for Andorra and after about 4-5 hours in the bus, we arrived in Andorra. En route, we stopped for lunch in a small town and discovered a circus that had all of its animals staked out for the afternoon. I held on the horns of a bull! Okay, so maybe it was just a cow with horns, but I can make it sound as cool as I want right? And he was scary enough looking to call a bull, so why not?

For those who don't know, Andorra is a teeny-tiny country on the border between France and Spain. According to Wikipedia, it has the longest life-expectancy on earth, is a tax haven, and is governed by both the president of France and the bishop of Urgell, Spain, but is still technically it's own country. Regardless, it was a pretty country with "mountains" of sorts (think of mountains of a size in-between the foothills of boise and the rockies). But probably the best thing was that while we were there, the school paid for us to go to a famous spa of sorts.

Called Caldea, it was basically a bunch of different hot tubs, warm-water pools, and saunas that was extremely relaxing and fun. Except of course that I couldn't get my head wet. That kind of put a damper (ironically, lol) on things. And why couldn't I get my head wet? The same reason that I look funny in all my pictures from the trip, I still had the steri-strip/paper stitches/things on my face from the volleyball accident. Unfortunately, the trip to the ER to have them removed occurred in Barcelona AFTER we went to Andorra. And although I should have gone to the doctor sooner than Barcelona, Andorra's its own "country," which means it doesn't have the same socialist medical system that Spain does. But no worries, it didn't affect the trip that much and I was still able to enjoy all the different areas at Caldea except for the wet sauna. Just had to make sure I didn't go under water or let any of the random fountains hit me.

(Random cool horse/knight statue in Andorra)

Anywho, carrying on. We were only in Andorra for one afternoon and night and did nothing but wander around the town we were in and go to the spa. And no, I do not know the name of the town we were in, they never told us. However, in that wandering around, Sharon and I wandered into a snowboard shop so that I could drool over all the pretty equipment. They happened to have some funky mannequins with huge heads so of course we both posed with them (out of sight of the salespeople :P ).

After we decided that we had walked pretty much everywhere on the main strip, I caved to Sharon's craving and we ate supper in KFC/Pizza Hut. It was my first time actually using an American restaurant chain for something other than a potty break (Yay for McDonald's free bathrooms!). Good fast food but with the same price number as in the States, which with an exchange rate the way it is, translates to really expensive food. :( oh well. Oh and another bummer note from Andorra was that apparently we didn't walk far enough up on the main strip cause we missed seeing a yarn store. Boo! Yes, I'm a yarn nerd, and no, I don't care. :)

The next day we took off for Barcelona. On the way, we stopped at Montserrat.

This is a monastery up in the mountains that you get to via a really curvy road right on the side of a steep mountain. And I would just like to add here that I'm glad Spanish bus drivers know what they're doing. Anyway, this monastery has the first found/oldest black virgen statue there is within the Catholic church system and that's basically why the place is famous.

While there, we listened to the boys' choir, which was a bit of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong, they had great voices and it sounded really cool in the cathedral, but I was expecting a bigger choir, not just 20 or 25.

What I DID really enjoy from Montserrat was their chocolate. Apparently their monks have been making chocolate for years and they still do today. And let me tell you, their dark chocolate was GOOD. Mmmmmm.... I'm really sorry now that I didn't more bars as souvenirs for friends and family. Sorry guys!

After Montserrat, we drove and drove some more until we arrived in Barcelona. It was late afternoon and they took us to Tibidabo. This is a cathedral up on a hill that gives you an amazing view of all of Barcelona and the ocean and the hills behind. Pretty cool, if I do say so myself. As we were walking up from where the bus parked, we passed these fences that I thought were really cool. However, when I commented so, one of the guys asked what other satanic inclinations I had. Which I have no clue where that comment came from considering it's just a cool spiky fench. Who knows? You be the judge.

The cathedral itself has amazing architecture with cool arches

and nooks to hide in.

And look! There's even a bench mark for Dad.

For those curious, "Generalitat de Catalunya" is the region/province of Cataluña, kind of like a state. "Institut Cartográfic" is pretty self-explanatory and "Senyal Geodésic" means that it's a benchmarker (more or less). I don't know what exactly the numbers stand for though. Oh, and it's written in Catalán, another language that they speak in Cataluña, which is like a mix of French and Spanish.

The cathedral also has a big Jesus statue at the top, kind of like a imitation of the huge one down in Brazil.

I'm curious which one was constructed first. And speaking of Brazil, here's a random fact that I learned while here in Spain. Did you know that Brazil has the largest Adventist population of any country in the world? Quite interesting, I thought.

Back to Barcelona. Before arriving at the hotel, we stopped at the hospital ER so that I could have my steri-strips removed. Yay! Refer to previous post for more information on that adventure. After arriving at the hotel, we all had free time to go eat and roam the city at night. Kimmy and I went with Erin to try to find an instant photo booth so she could get pictures taken for a new passport (Hers had gone through the laundry AND gotten ironed so she was going to go visit the American embassy in Barcelona the next day). The first metro station we went to that the hotel worker had told us had a booth didn't have a booth so we went wandering on our own to try and find another metro station that might have one. In case you're curious, almost every airport/metro/train station in Europe has those photo booths like you see in the malls in the States. Only these booths are more for getting passport/ID photos taken than just goofy pictures with your friends. During our search, we came across a yarn store (it was closed, poo!) and the Spanish version of the Arc d'Triumph. I also was able to sample my first roasted chestnuts from a street vendor and they were quite tasty.

After getting the photos, we started searching for some place to eat. We came across this bar/cafe place that was amazing! It was 5-star service for a 1-star price. Quite the experience especially since my pear was served on a plate with a dessert fork and knife. And no it wasn't already cut into a dessert-looking serving, it was still whole. But I decided to go for the authetic experience and thus ate the pear with fork and knife. A difficult task that I challenge you to try sometime. After that restaurant, we asked the bartender for directions to a nearby grocery store. Since it was really late by then, we had to run to get there in time. But we made it and I had my first dark chocolate KitKat and it was amazing, just like everything else here.

And that's all for the first two days! More to come later...