Lovin' Lisboa

Hello everyone!

It has officially jumped from spring to summer here in Sevilla, with highs reaching the mid 80's. For Sevillanos these temperatures are still pretty moderate, but I for one am definitely feeling the heat.

Throughout this semester I have been part of a club in my program called Sevilla y Las Americas. It's goal is to get students familiar with the history of Spain's relationship with Central and South America. We have done many activities together, visiting various museums and exhibitions that have to do with Iberian-American relations. This weekend, we went to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, where there is a big exhibition about the Iberian Peninsula and the Americas.

I had very little clue of what to expect from Lisbon. I thought it would be fairly similar to Spain, but with a slightly different language. I could not have been more wrong. Lisbon is an incredibly unique city with a completely different vibe from Seville, not to mention that Portuguese is pretty hard to understand even though it is similar to Spanish.

Our group left early on Friday morning. After a 6 hour bus ride, we arrived in Lisbon and immediately started sightseeing. Our first stop was the Cristo-Rei statue which was built in the 1940's and inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio. The pedestal Christ is on is about 270 feet high, and the statue itself is about 90 feet tall!

Cristo Rei

The views from the top of the Christ statue were breathtaking. Also, if you guys were thinking that that bridge looks similar to the Golden Gate in San Francisco, you are not mistaken! Like San Francisco, Lisbon is a city that is very subject toearthquakes, so the city hired American architects who had worked on the Oakland Bay Bridge (not the Golden Gate) to build the 25 de Abril bridge in Lisbon. 

   





On Friday we also toured the Belem Tower, part of Lisbon's 16th century maritime defense system, from back in the day when it had a fairly sizable empire. The tower, which lies along the Tagus River, is now one of Lisbon's most famous landmarks.

Also along the Tagus River is a monument dedicated to the discovery of the Americas, which was built for a world fair in the 1940's. It's a really cool monument and offers a beautiful view of the city. The monument was the end of our sightseeing tour, and we spent the rest of the day chilling and meandering the hilly streets of Lisbon. 

discovery monument

view from the discovery monument

Saturday we woke up bright and early to go to the Expo of 1998, which was about Iberian-American relations. While nowadays there is not much left of the original expo, you can still tour all the buildings that were built for it. The cable car built for the exhibit is still running, and offers a pretty view of the ocean. 

Cable Car at Expo 98

Saturday afternoon we toured Castillo Sao Jorge, a castle dating back to medieval times that was used by both Christian and Moorish kings. Today it's one of Lisbon's big tourist destinations. You can walk the ramparts of the castle walls and enjoy the beautiful views of the city. 

View from Castillo Sao Jorge

 Probably the most comical event of our trip was attempting to take a cable car ride. And by cable car, I mean not the modern kind of Expo 98, but the old fashioned cable cars that were a legit form of transportation back in the day. We crammed all 22 of us students into one cable car, which was already decently packed with many Portuguese locals. We careened down a few of the roads, being flung this way and that until we finally got off at our stop.

wild ride, my hair flying

Cable Car

On Sunday we woke up early to enjoy one final morning in Lisbon before heading back home. It was a glorious day filled with sunshine so most of the morning was spent near the ocean. Like most places in Europe, there isn't a whole lot open on Sundays to begin with, so a chill ocean morning was absolutely perfect. 

I got back to Sevilla around 9pm and discovered that crowds are already pouring in for Sevilla's annual Feria, or fair. It has the elements of your average carnival - fair food, bright lights, and rides- but it also has its own Spanish flair. Flamenco is danced all week, and the bull fighting season starts. I will be trying on a Flamenco dress for the first time this week, and am hoping to not stick out too much! I'll keep you all posted. Until then, hasta luego!

Semana Santa

Hello Everyone!

It was many people's spring break this week. I hope you enjoyed your break and got to relax! Here in Sevilla I also had the week off, and during that time I got to fully enjoy the spectacle that is Semana Santa, or Holy Week.

Spain, especially Andalucía, is famous around the world for its Holy Week traditions, which are quite beautiful and elaborate. The most well known tradition is the procession of pasos throughout the streets. Pasos are statues depicting either various scenes of the life of Jesus that occur between Palm Sunday and Easter, or representations of the Virgin Mary. Many of these statues are hundreds of years old, which only makes it more impressive that they are paraded around the city. In Seville these processions are organized by various Christian confraternities, with each fraternity organizing the procession of the statue from their respective church. On average there were about 8 processions a day, with the final ones ending on Holy Saturday.

Here are photos of a procession of the "Hermandad de Las Cigarreras," whose procession went right in front of my apartment on Holy Thursday. There are various parts to a procession so I'll talk a little bit about each one:

Marching Bands!

While some processions are completely silent, most have 2 or 3 marching bands. The music makes the spectacle all the more breathtaking.

Nazarenos

These men in the pointed caps and gowns are called nazarenos. They usually start off a procession. At night, many carry lit candles, and they process in complete silence. As an American, it was a little difficult to look at these robes and not be reminded of a dark period of our own history, but here in Spain these caps and robes are simply religious garments.

Nazareno giving caramels

For little kids, the nazarenos can be kind of intimidating, so they often give sweets to the kids watching. You could hear the kids chant "Nazareeeenoo, dame un carameeeeelo," "Mr Nazareno, give me a caramel!" It was quite adorable.

El Cristo

The first paso of a procession is always Christ. This particular paso was of Christ being taken by the Romans. The people carrying the statue, called costaleros, are completely hidden underneath the platform that it is resting on. They statues weigh a ton; each costalero has to carry about 150-160 pounds. They carry it not with their heads, but they rest the statue on the nape of their neck. If that seems a bit painful to you, that is right. For many costaleros, it is an honor to be able to carry the statue of Jesus, and as Jesus struggled while carrying the cross, the costaleros seek to make this procession a physical struggle and challenge.  

El Paso

The costaleros stopped to rest right in front of where I was standing, so I got to snap some pretty sweet pics. You can see how elaborate and heavy these things are. At night, the candles are lit. When the costaleros get up, they jump to their feet and the whole paso kind of jumps up a little bit. I still don't understand why they do it that way, but it's really impressive.

Un Penitente

After the Cristo, comes a wave of penitentes. These people carry crosses for a variety of reasons. Some wish to be forgiven of a sin (hence penitent as the root word), others hope that their prayers will be heard, and others are making certain promises to God. 

La Virgen

After another wave of nazarenos, comes the paso of La Virgen. Practically every little neighborhood of Sevilla has their own representation of the Virgen Mary, and the people are very devoted to it. Most Virgens have tears running down their face, representing the anguish of seeing Christ crucified. La Virgen is the final part of the procession, which can last anywhere from 4-12 hours. Every procession leaves its church and parades around its neighborhood before making it's way to the Cathedral of the Seville. The procession laps around the cathedral and then heads back to its church. Depending on where you are in the city, that can take quite some time.

So I have been trying for an hour to put videos of the processions on this post but they are failing to upload. Hopefully I can add them later or put them on my facebook! The videos give you a real feel for the procession with the music, and candles and nazarenos.

Apart from the pasos, the next best thing about Semana Santa was the food. Little food booths sprung up all over Seville selling candy and treats to eat as you watched the processions. At home, my host mom Macarena made torrijas. Think mini french toast, but the bread is soaked in wine and honey before being dipped in sugar and then fried. The torrijas definitely won out as my favorite treat of the week.

Macarena's torrijas

Funnily enough, Easter Sunday is rather anticlimactic. There are no processions. Many people attend mass, but other than that there are not a whole lot of other festivities. There was no traditional Easter food. It was alright though, the week more than made up for any Easter traditions that I missed back home.

And that's about all I have on Semana Santa! It was quite the week. This week is my final "chill" week before start a whirlwind month of weekend travel frenzy. Lisbon, Copenhagen, London, and Paris are all in my future! I'm still not sure sometimes that this is real life. I will try to stay up to date with the blog, but we'll see how it goes. Until then, hasta luego! 

Being the Tourguide

Hola Todos!

It's really beginning to feel like spring here in Sevilla. We had lots and lots of heavy rain last week, but this week the sun has reappeared, the orange trees are starting to bloom, and spring break is just a week away!

This past week was midterms week. Although it was nowhere near as stressful as exam time back at UW, I still had to kick it into gear a little bit. They all went just fine, and now it's time to enjoy the weekend.

Per usual, I'm playing a bit of catch-up on the blog. Two weeks ago, my good friend Jenny came to visit. Jenny has been studying in Rennes, France this entire year, and came down with her friend Sally to take advantage of the warm Sevilla weather during their spring break. We had a great time. It was quite fun to be able to show Jenny and Sally around, doing all the touristy things, as well as visiting places slightly off the beaten path. Here's a few of the things we did:


 Plaza de España:











I have mentioned this place in a few other blog posts, but it is without a doubt one of my favorite places in Sevilla. Built for a Latin American and Iberian exposition in 1929, this building is absolutely stunning.

Jenny and me!

Climb La Giralda: 

The view from the top of this cathedral bell tower is bellísima! 

Real Alcázar de Sevilla

I can never tire of touring this palace. Everything from the gardens of palm trees, walls of ceramic tile, ornate wooden ceilings, to the palace peacocks are simply charming. 

Apart from the big 3 tourist attractions, we spent our time walking the streets, tasting tapas, and enjoying the weekend in Sevilla. I will be seeing Jenny again come May, when we take on the streets of Paris!! 

In other news, a week ago Monday, I went to a Sevilla FC fútbol game. This was my second time at Ramón Sánchez Pizuán Stadium. Fútbol (sorry folks, I honestly can't call it soccer) is a huge huge huge part of Spanish culture. I had always thought American football rivalries were pretty intense, but I feel like team rivalry is even stronger here. Seville has two football teams, Sevilla FC, and Real Betis. My spanish family are fans of Sevilla FC, so naturally I have adopted them as my team of choice. 

Last Monday was USA day at Sevilla FC's stadium. Part of an intercultural promotion, all US citizens got discount tickets for 5 euros and a free scarf plus there were various American "cultural" events throughout the game. 

This "country-jazz" band Crooked Tree, played at the beginning of the game. I    have never heard of this band, have you?

  

At half time they played American football. It was possibly one of the most comical events I have ever seen. They used half the soccer field, the passes were quite silly, and the players sometimes weren't sure which direction they should run. I'll give them an A for effort though. 

And that about wraps up the past two weeks. I have one more week of classes before we have a week off for Semana Santa. I am really excited to see this holy week celebration, which is sure to be spectacular!

Finde en Salamanca

Hola Todos!

I hope everyone's semester is going swell! It's hard to believe March is just around the corner. El tiempo vuela (time flies), as they say.

Classes are now in full swing, with midterms coming up in about two weeks. I have been learning un montón de español, especially in my direct enrollment class with Spaniards. I thought I'd comment a bit on how my Spanish university experience differs from my experience back home at UW-Madison:

In general, lecture in Spain is just like lecture in the States. The professor talks while the students take notes and ask questions. Here however, the professor makes very little use of aids such as powerpoints or outlines; he will simply talk and expect you to write down what he is saying. While this can be frustrating at times, especially when you miss a key point, overall it's really great in terms of developing listening skills. It also forces student collaboration. Students will meet up outside of class to go over notes and concepts the professor has talked about.

The workload is a lot less rigorous than what I'm used to at UW. There are no homework assignments and no quizzes or essays throughout the whole term. That is not to say that there is no work, however. The professor expects you to work independently outside of class, reading works from an extensive bibliography given at the beginning of the semester. My grade is based solely on one final exam (85% of my grade) and one final paper (the remaining 15%). Both grades are based on my understanding of material presented in class, as well as my demonstration of having read works from the bibliography. I'm used to having more exams and homeworks factor into my grade, so this grading system is definitely intimidating, but I think I will do just fine.

In other news, last weekend I traveled with other kids on the yearlong program to the city of Salamanca, about 6 hours north of Sevilla. Salamanca is a city with a really rich history. Its university was founded in 1218, making it the oldest university in Spain, and the 3rd oldest in Western Europe. To this day, Salamanca continues to be a popping college town, attracting students from across the globe.

Friday on our way to Salamanca, we stopped in the town of Mérida, which is famous for its Roman ruins. We toured the old amphitheater and theatre, both very impressive.

While the amphitheater was not as big as the Colosseum in Rome, or the amphitheater in Itálica, it is still amazing to think that it has remained standing for hundreds and hundreds of years.

The Roman theater was jaw-droppingly astounding. It wasn't discovered until 1910, and the excavation and restoration continued up until the mid 70's. The theater has been put back to use for outdoor summer performances.

After our stop in Mérida, we continued on to Salamanca where we arrived in time for dinner. Our hotel was perfectly located, about 15 minutes walking distance from the center of the city where all the good restaurants and bars were located.

Saturday we woke up bright and early to do a walking tour of the city. Salamanca has a much different feel than Sevilla. All the buildings are made of stone, and you definitely felt that college town vibe. Among some of the sites we saw were:

Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor is the central plaza of Salamanca. It's quite charming, with various shops and restaurants all around the square.

Door of the University

This main door of the University has beautifully detailed engravings all over it. Legend has it that if you can find the engraving of the frog hidden within that ornate picture, you will pass your exams.

Casa de las Conchas/ House of Shells

Salamanca is an important stop on the pilgrimage path to Santiago de Compostela. If you are a loyal reader of this blog (which I know you all are :P), you'll remember I mentioned in my Santiago post that the symbol of this pilgrimage is the seashell, which would explain why this building is covered in them.

                         
Catedral de Salamanca

Old Cathedral

New Cathedral

Technically, Salamanca has 2 Cathedrals which are conjoined. The old cathedral was built in the 12th Century and has a very romanesque, slightly gothic style. The "new" one was built in the 16th century and has a slightly gothic, very baroque style. Both are stunning. Despite the large number of cathedrals and churches I have seen during my travels, I am still always dumbfounded by the overwhelming beauty of each and every one.

Casa Lis

Saturday, we also toured Casa Lis, an Art Nouveau museum. Art Nouveau is a style that became popular in the 1890's and early 1900's. It is characterized by dynamic, moving figures, the use of curves, and elements from nature. While this style can be seen in painting and sculpture, it really made a big impact in interior design and decorative arts. On display in Casa Lis were a variety of furniture, jewelry, ceramics and decorative household items. It was unlike any other art museum I had been in, and was a delight to tour. 

Ceiling of Casa Lis

View of Salamanca from Casa Lis

hot chocolate with toffee!

Not to mention I had the best hot chocolate of my life in the museum café.

As you can see from the hot chocolate, I ate really well in Salamanca. Our Saturday night pinchos (tapas) dinner was PHENOMENAL. I am so sad that I forgot my camera to take pics, but here are some descriptions of a few of the tapas that I ate:

Lomo con Queso Roquefort - A pork tenderloin sandwich with blue cheese. I ate two of these. 

Morcilla con Queso y Chocolate - So Morcilla is blood sausage. Which is gross. Normally I can't stand to take even a bite of blood sausage. However the combination of cheese and chocolate somehow made this dish DELICIOUS.

Setas- Mushrooms. Another thing I generally don't like. They were doused in olive oil and salt and had a great taste. 

The best part about all these tapas: They were only one euro each! Ah the beauty of a college town. Eating well at a great price.

Saturday evening we hit up the bar scene and found a place that was having a 50's night, and we proceeded to dance the night away to some oldies. It was a quality ending to a quality day.

Sunday we woke up early to hit up one final tourist attraction before heading to Sevilla. We toured the Convent of St. Esteban, a Dominican convent that has been around since the 13th century. We got to tour the church and the cloisters, a perfect activity for a peaceful Sunday morning. 

And that about wraps up Salamanca! It was a great weekend. In other news, I'm looking forward to the arrival of my friend Jenny, who is studying in France! Jenny and I were roommates back at UW, and I am looking forward to seeing a familiar face as well as playing tour guide. It should be a rather fun weekend! 

The Carnaval Experience

Hello All!

The school week has finally come to a close, so I finally have time to catch up on the blogging. It is now two weeks into the regular semester, and I have only just finalized my schedule..whew! Here's a little info about my classes; it's shaping up to be pretty great semester!

1) Translation-Theory and Practice:
This will probably be the most useful class I take this semester. Transferring the same meaning and emotion from one language to another is no easy task, and I'm excited to develop this skill.

2) Methods of Teaching Spanish as a Second Language:
While I don't plan on being a Spanish teacher, I do work at UW as a Spanish tutor. In this class we are going to learn a bunch of different strategies and methods for teaching Spanish, which will most definitely be useful when I get back to Wisconsin.

3) 20th Century European Art History
This class is purely for enjoyment. I loved my Art History class so much last semester, I figured why not take another one? This is probably the last time in my academic career that I have room for a non-major related elective, so I am going to savor it!

4) Spanish of the Americas

I am really jazzed about this class for a variety of reasons. Firstly, this is a direct enrollment class at the University of Sevilla! That means I am in class with Spaniards, which will be a great way to meet students my age. Secondly, this is a super duper cool linguistics class! We learn about how the Spanish language evolved in Central and South America after Columbus arrived in 1492.

In other news, last weekend I went to the Canary Islands to experience Carnaval, a two week long pre-Lenten celebration. In my view, it was like Mardi Gras and Halloween combined. People dress in masked costumes, and there are parades and large street parties. Needless to say, it was quite an interesting weekend. It was also quite a learning experience. Not everything went as planned, but we learned to go with the flow and accept that things aren't always how you imagined.

We arrived really late on Friday night on the Island of Gran Canaria. We headed straight to bed to catch an early morning ferry to the island of Tenerife, where we were told the biggest Carnaval celebrations were taking place. We had bought tickets for just a daylong trip from 9am-8pm figuring that that would be plenty of time to experience Carnaval and explore the island.

We thought the ferry ride was only an hour long. It was not until halfway through the ride, when we asked someone on the ship, that we found out it was in fact 3 hours. No pasa nada, we thought. 9 hours is still plenty of time to view the island and see Carnaval.

We got to the island and, fell in love right away. Tenerife is quite charming. It's a mountainous island with beautiful views. The town was fun to walk around and explore, and the weather, while not hot, was better than the 60 degree weather in Sevilla. After walking around for a bit, we asked around for information about Carnaval activities happening that day. Upon finding a program, we realized with disappointment that the majority of activities would not start until 5 that evening. We were more than a little upset about missing the biggest part of Carnaval, but there was nothing we could do. We spent a beautiful day on a beautiful island. In the great scheme of things, how bad is that? Not bad at all.

The one Carnaval activity during the day were children's choir concerts in the park. Each school choir dressed in costume, and sang a few songs about Carnaval. While this was obviously geared towards the locals, and not the tourists, it was quite fun to watch.

We headed back on our 3 hour journey to Gran Canaria around 8pm. We were a little bummed out because we could hear the festivities starting, but we figured we would find something to do on Gran Canaria that evening. Carnaval was still going on on Gran Canaria (just not as big of a celebration) and we ended up finding a free concert where we danced the night away. Pop star Henri Mendez made an appearance. This song of his is really popular on Spanish radio right now:

Sunday we spent the day at the beach. While it wasn't quite warm enough to swim in the ocean, it was hot enough to sit out on the sand and soak up the sun. The beach front was so tranquil. We spent the day listening to the ocean, eating at different cafés, and relaxing.











Overall, the Canaries was quite a nice trip. We did not get to see as much of Carnaval as anticipated, but we still had a great time. We learned our lesson about trip planning. Had we been a bit more diligent in planning we would have seen more of the Carnaval that we wanted. However, we also learned to roll with the punches and savored our weekend on the islands.