tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90547232035365179662024-03-06T00:28:25.538+01:00la chica americanaThe adventures and misadventures of an American girl in Spain.Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-13913663566257883692011-07-08T19:01:00.000+02:002011-07-08T19:01:12.116+02:00Closing Thoughts<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear Reader,</span></span></i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I tell you my last story of my final days in Spain and the return home, I wanted to thank you. Writing this blog has been one of the best parts of my last three months, and it would not have been the same if it weren’t for you. You’ve motivated me, inspired me, and supported me throughout this entire journey, and I could not be more grateful. </span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This won’t be the end of lachicaamericana. I have a few ideas for continuing this little relationship of ours post-España, but I’ll be taking a short break first to settle back into life stateside. Until then, though, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe, and...</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQfLdobyDTLN9QLLvY9Y55sLD1vGbtZPrasPEhTlzyLVwc_JlAqMqDxqArTbnCrZEwLyuLCpdTdaQ-yu7flFmITcCbj_mPBqt0fXpf-8Q9md8FtVEFsTrs49njTj-Rt1yp8TxyIBP2_Q/s1600/IMG_7004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQfLdobyDTLN9QLLvY9Y55sLD1vGbtZPrasPEhTlzyLVwc_JlAqMqDxqArTbnCrZEwLyuLCpdTdaQ-yu7flFmITcCbj_mPBqt0fXpf-8Q9md8FtVEFsTrs49njTj-Rt1yp8TxyIBP2_Q/s640/IMG_7004.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love, love, love,</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alicia</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;">Endings and Beginnings</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Home. The homeland. The promised land. The motherland. The mothership. The nest. Headquarters. Home base. Home plate. Place of birth. Place of growth. Place of being. Here. I’m back.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I can’t quite believe it. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s been a week and a half since I made the return trip across the Atlantic, and I still haven’t been able to really come to grips with the fact that my Spanish adventure is behind me and real life is staring me in the face. Nothing’s really changed around here. There’s leaves on the trees and grass on the ground. The cat’s grown. But the people, the places, the conversations. It’s almost as if I’d never left. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it makes me think, was Spain just a dream? It did really happen, right?</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I have pictures. And I have blogposts. And I have emails. Concrete evidence that the last three months came and went and that I was in a foreign country for all of them. Maybe it’s just the reality of it all that makes it so hard to wrap my head around. A little country bumpkin from Caledonia hops on a plane to Spain without any plans or any spanish. There, she finds beaches, sun, friends, memories, and a little bit of herself. She falls in love with Fanta Límon, chocolate croissants, travel, writing, photography, and the sea. She narrowly escapes near-fatal experiences with jellyfish, pierogies, and unexpected swarms of male genitalia. And she realizes the value of her friends, the support of her family, and her potential. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I woke up at 6:00 am on my last day in Spain to meet the sun as it rose above the sea. The air was warm, but with that slight tinge of coolness that defines a summer night. The sand was almost cold, having lost the heat it carried the day before. The sea was steel grey and the sky was lavender and peach and beautiful and sad all at the same time. And after snapping some photos, I sat down on the boardwalk, and I just sighed and dropped a tear or two into the sand. The clenching in my chest I felt about leaving Spain wasn’t really about Spain. It was about the people I came to love, the moments of absolute happiness I had, and the feeling of a journey completed. I thought about where I was a year prior to this, compromising my goals and dreams, grappling to hold together a relationship that just wasn’t holding. I thought about where I was in February and March, starting to find happiness again running, dancing, and feeding cows; anxiously embarking on this big journey in the hopes that I’d pop out the other side a whole person again. And I thought about where I was and who I’d become. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaNPixiGbi7U2DnsCH4D2cv2zv_Z9otkJDMejNIW7VeqG3m8F_voXQ6DOlXKgF9McfY-Rf35AO0S_uksRV75jsydZ32dYn1oKZHO8ctw5_hJh6vx7ao6UMaMdc673wMBAvce4-xeeSms/s1600/IMG_6886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaNPixiGbi7U2DnsCH4D2cv2zv_Z9otkJDMejNIW7VeqG3m8F_voXQ6DOlXKgF9McfY-Rf35AO0S_uksRV75jsydZ32dYn1oKZHO8ctw5_hJh6vx7ao6UMaMdc673wMBAvce4-xeeSms/s640/IMG_6886.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYt0dIdjwuzGcyXKhH2Mh7zmGL_37M-pnMpsUM27IfUvVi7_IX9X-FSqY_8dLhCJXKrwBxYfICsRtjTv3WudJ0WyGQA3MQzj01yqdGJzxfsOakV_cSNBiaYX9GpZEk-G-67cuziSoApE/s1600/IMG_6904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYt0dIdjwuzGcyXKhH2Mh7zmGL_37M-pnMpsUM27IfUvVi7_IX9X-FSqY_8dLhCJXKrwBxYfICsRtjTv3WudJ0WyGQA3MQzj01yqdGJzxfsOakV_cSNBiaYX9GpZEk-G-67cuziSoApE/s640/IMG_6904.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NzR1wY2R-mcCucL8b3ts33y7fiHekj1civHRYdbwTS_r9oDIrjSqcoBZSFmsbsFQLhq9phFo9UNqC_YAw5WiwBH7Q-u_m_24Li0BVZIKPggLa1H526B5mTi_awoTDOoiwsy0zxCvXHU/s1600/IMG_6921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NzR1wY2R-mcCucL8b3ts33y7fiHekj1civHRYdbwTS_r9oDIrjSqcoBZSFmsbsFQLhq9phFo9UNqC_YAw5WiwBH7Q-u_m_24Li0BVZIKPggLa1H526B5mTi_awoTDOoiwsy0zxCvXHU/s640/IMG_6921.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOXgXLfRJ7NMMpbXyVhdot8WPDQo9W4Gdeu0EHZjRzHTKjCfp7lpJDfllQpQ0HdqHNRH9KSk7PbtmeAxFJpCcityEeHpGimYoiUsgubqpC8ZIKA_xatX_N8y_E8oRii5GT6Aqb6BJp10/s1600/IMG_6928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOXgXLfRJ7NMMpbXyVhdot8WPDQo9W4Gdeu0EHZjRzHTKjCfp7lpJDfllQpQ0HdqHNRH9KSk7PbtmeAxFJpCcityEeHpGimYoiUsgubqpC8ZIKA_xatX_N8y_E8oRii5GT6Aqb6BJp10/s640/IMG_6928.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_D_4XN5sV1h9Ggof6KD9EjK0LIuNo_bEUtH4xw7De7jUU3Z0of0NFuenaz5iuIIO-1aSdNyQiT3sSLeN-uH0CB-2UiikIZ14uCto9EZCNibqCM2VpJ9BN6m44E53DZyOYvZpQ6s5akxw/s1600/IMG_6937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_D_4XN5sV1h9Ggof6KD9EjK0LIuNo_bEUtH4xw7De7jUU3Z0of0NFuenaz5iuIIO-1aSdNyQiT3sSLeN-uH0CB-2UiikIZ14uCto9EZCNibqCM2VpJ9BN6m44E53DZyOYvZpQ6s5akxw/s640/IMG_6937.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBMgPE9RE5EOL2ZbN1M5W1kR1UZhMqn1-jTriGq0Z1BiNgyiysRNLCNwokB7CE9llIUQLXu4DUv_MnGeO5NdThcvZ4GaNhDthjmFf_83g_trcU4ZpiI9WOGWA_ZrjzEqd6npTi6VPhqg/s1600/IMG_6957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBMgPE9RE5EOL2ZbN1M5W1kR1UZhMqn1-jTriGq0Z1BiNgyiysRNLCNwokB7CE9llIUQLXu4DUv_MnGeO5NdThcvZ4GaNhDthjmFf_83g_trcU4ZpiI9WOGWA_ZrjzEqd6npTi6VPhqg/s640/IMG_6957.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So did I find what I was looking for in Spain? Perhaps. I’m still not quite sure what it was I’d lost in the first place. My groove? My mind? A little piece of my heart? Myself? My way? Maybe a combination of those things. There wasn’t one thing missing from my life pre-Spain that I could point to and say “Yup, that’s it. That’s the missing thing.” But wherever the holes were, and whatever you call them, they’re filled. Do I know myself completely? Absolutely not. If anything, this trip taught me that I have quite a lot more learning to do. But do I feel whole again? Yes. I feel bright and shiny and brand new. Ready. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In closing, I want to share with you an excerpt from my first journal entry in Spain:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">April 4</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Now I’m here. I’m in Spain. Three blocks from the Mediterranean Sea. And I sat here in my little room and looked at how the sea changes color with depth and distance, and I cried. I wondered, I marveled, I believed. I thought, for the thousandth time in the last few months, about what a truly lucky, lucky girl I really am. Happiness found me, or I found it. It doesn’t really matter. But this trip, this journey, is both an end and a beginning all at the same time. And I am so grateful.”</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Full circle we have come, my friends. Now, it’s time to start again. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m happy. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m ready. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m back.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and thanks for everything,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alicia</span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6v-NpRee7pqJtspHP3rLckA3W_A3Ya0P7FOaGVmF4uN61SLXsVBbfXzUC2ddfn3e2V96qfmHVmwIY8d6n3meg4kfN5ZUwKMORb6TjIPIt3GRYD-vEFt-VOvyQoCiNE5RlL6vUO0VuIs/s1600/IMG_7020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6v-NpRee7pqJtspHP3rLckA3W_A3Ya0P7FOaGVmF4uN61SLXsVBbfXzUC2ddfn3e2V96qfmHVmwIY8d6n3meg4kfN5ZUwKMORb6TjIPIt3GRYD-vEFt-VOvyQoCiNE5RlL6vUO0VuIs/s640/IMG_7020.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-68966046080661176512011-06-23T16:56:00.000+02:002011-06-23T16:56:12.573+02:00If You Play With Fire...<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it’s already the 23rd here in Spain, I officially leave in 5 days. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whoa.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And as the days seem to pass faster and faster, I can’t quite come to the realization that the last three months have already come and gone. I won’t go into my misty-eyed, staring-off-in-the-distance recounting of how quickly time passes (not yet, atleast), but it does seem that this final week is really just flying by. As I’ve been a bit silent with my posting (sorry about that guys), I’m going to give you some quick updates about the happenings with me and in Alicante before I go into a short description of the gigantic festival that’s going on right now.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*I returned to Tabarca, the island of the demonic jellyfish, to find the water crystal clear, warm, and, amazingly, perfectly jellyfish-less. I did a little snorkeling, laid on the beach, and explored the island. It was a beautiful day, although I’m still dealing with the repercussions of thinking I have a “base tan” and therefore am exempt from wearing sunscreen. Silly Alicia.</span></span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMCE7hUkFGjXBUQV12X0AgvvCi4YIQav0bucf_lJMhFDq0LhwF2Y3MLXjhjrn4S0eHrCjbi0IJlokbrufpXeInm9K0utIE-7OOSva7q6bAT_vC6O9HoaLLAZZlVyjPVfMJAm1-vrDXKk/s1600/IMG_6477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMCE7hUkFGjXBUQV12X0AgvvCi4YIQav0bucf_lJMhFDq0LhwF2Y3MLXjhjrn4S0eHrCjbi0IJlokbrufpXeInm9K0utIE-7OOSva7q6bAT_vC6O9HoaLLAZZlVyjPVfMJAm1-vrDXKk/s640/IMG_6477.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmoo7IFFjS10h4YtD4fZ34FRpPHpMs__uQ2R4cb0REpoVP9Qbz7L4Z_kB8ZD6GJ7qJ7dRTyGCugCVKKM1cJNh25exvLU4DXRHOWjGLYhdr7TMnpYJnNfPCPy5_DTaVVF62CGAE-NcXBc/s1600/IMG_6479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmoo7IFFjS10h4YtD4fZ34FRpPHpMs__uQ2R4cb0REpoVP9Qbz7L4Z_kB8ZD6GJ7qJ7dRTyGCugCVKKM1cJNh25exvLU4DXRHOWjGLYhdr7TMnpYJnNfPCPy5_DTaVVF62CGAE-NcXBc/s640/IMG_6479.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMQMfU30_cyZw-E-JYH0-kjB3Z_K4-nuIYzoHwDzZcQyozJdlswwYph0EKleztDOe-2UXOY2sZYgpdXYziUs_LiP-RtXS5azwDENYZ5R5uv5WYRVj8Ew8UC-4t8ERmH-vdcJl0VEboJM/s1600/IMG_6508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMQMfU30_cyZw-E-JYH0-kjB3Z_K4-nuIYzoHwDzZcQyozJdlswwYph0EKleztDOe-2UXOY2sZYgpdXYziUs_LiP-RtXS5azwDENYZ5R5uv5WYRVj8Ew8UC-4t8ERmH-vdcJl0VEboJM/s640/IMG_6508.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSjRVqEkSapJGsb1NfB0oY87cCUQeFw4dvAhaJ8Sdcq0wp4OgF3m_qHEHlUBSVgEWKfe7SbUqaJG1OS4FudzH_2Sv_Gyj_LWTwBYYMQM_w7cHMfELdQ2BeXVwf_3LQGCXBHSzsu4QJCQ/s1600/IMG_6514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSjRVqEkSapJGsb1NfB0oY87cCUQeFw4dvAhaJ8Sdcq0wp4OgF3m_qHEHlUBSVgEWKfe7SbUqaJG1OS4FudzH_2Sv_Gyj_LWTwBYYMQM_w7cHMfELdQ2BeXVwf_3LQGCXBHSzsu4QJCQ/s640/IMG_6514.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkK5LkxeRUXN9K7niQf8bGDgim1y6a103CwW0u4ONYziKJovCtgfoV2cjs5krjTDiVKUIW0MFIzjZHqLaVqtF40u72VylPZoqKKhSyVFPK_3QbKKlq6Z97DjFNLncM9yPgpkMlkQg4Q4/s1600/IMG_6519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkK5LkxeRUXN9K7niQf8bGDgim1y6a103CwW0u4ONYziKJovCtgfoV2cjs5krjTDiVKUIW0MFIzjZHqLaVqtF40u72VylPZoqKKhSyVFPK_3QbKKlq6Z97DjFNLncM9yPgpkMlkQg4Q4/s640/IMG_6519.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89mp7Sq1SCCGdGzd3mdcE__0NO5W6pOy2SiwpjxcL3pBVThOrpZV8r592sL4dozP55Prqi-oCmi8vBFipIoHKBjCQil0SHmiTj4nv1Deh_Lul3kPeGC_DcKVuIj2rgrUSev6_Bb-xhFo/s1600/IMG_6530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89mp7Sq1SCCGdGzd3mdcE__0NO5W6pOy2SiwpjxcL3pBVThOrpZV8r592sL4dozP55Prqi-oCmi8vBFipIoHKBjCQil0SHmiTj4nv1Deh_Lul3kPeGC_DcKVuIj2rgrUSev6_Bb-xhFo/s640/IMG_6530.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5JmiLdi-Jdk2i9LQr9za2dRu_AaMOSqNp1ttXmrLnwEwCHgnafRWfxAZCd9TGcEbQa4aijKPV9udXd82gq_syJDOCh7jd1Ww999CnUEnuG4wP_aNt3r0pd66gTBAfGSP3o_50DV99NM/s1600/IMG_6535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5JmiLdi-Jdk2i9LQr9za2dRu_AaMOSqNp1ttXmrLnwEwCHgnafRWfxAZCd9TGcEbQa4aijKPV9udXd82gq_syJDOCh7jd1Ww999CnUEnuG4wP_aNt3r0pd66gTBAfGSP3o_50DV99NM/s640/IMG_6535.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*José Antonio and I spent 25 minutes looking for my house keys the other day. He found them. They were in my glasses case. Though I’m not surprised that they were in a strange location (I have the tendency to absentmindedly put the TV remote in the fridge, among other things), this whole debacle does beg the question: soooo, where are my glasses? Well, they were on the bookshelf, of course. Because normal people not only display their favorite reads, family photos, and nostalgic mementos on bookshelves, they also put their glasses there for all to see. At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself to calm my soon-to-be-25-years-old-and-I’M-GETTING-OLD panic. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Now the best, and possibly most miraculous news of all (which isn’t too new for the Facebookers out there), I SOMEHOW passed my Spanish class!!! Not quite sure how this happened, but it did. So, technically, my Spanish is Intermediate level, but don’t have any preconceived notions about my speaking abilities when I get home. I still sound like a robot and often take a full 2 minutes to piece together an incorrectly-pieced-together sentence. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that the excitement of the exam has passed, I can direct my attention to more important matters. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In no particular order, these are:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My tan</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Socializing</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoying the nightlife</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sampling EVERY chocolate pastry available</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spending as much time at the beach as possible</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shopping</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sangria</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With only 5 days left, a girl has to prioritize. In truth, though, the biggest priority for me is to experience </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Las Hogueras de San Juan</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, which means, The Bonfires of Saint John. </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hogueras </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(pronounced oh-GAIR-ahs), as it’s informally called, is Alicante’s biggest celebration. From what I’ve observed so far, it’s 4 days and nights of fireworks and drinking. Everyone buys fireworks and lights them from streets, windows, lawns, beaches, wherever. This includes children. More than once this week, I’ve been surprised by a rolling ball of smoke stumbling to my feet, and moving just in time before the bang. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the irresponsibility with explosives does not only lie with the children. On a few occasions now, I’ve seen adults being carried off on stretchers because of an amateur attempt at pyrotechnics gone bad. Also, there are these big things, called </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hogueras</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, which will eventually get burned to smithereens on Friday night with hundreds of people dancing around the flames.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...ummm.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Does anyone else see that this stuff is DANGEROUS?!?!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Precarious firework displays and 5-story bonfires aside, here’s how </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hogueras</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> works: The city is divided up into 86 districts, each district then commissions an artist to create an </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hoguera </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">based on a theme so 86 </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hogueras</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> are built throughout the city. Now, on top of that, each district also has a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">barraca</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, which is a private, fenced-in area in the middle of their district where the members of that district can go to socialize with each other, eat, drink, and dance the nights away. So, throughout the streets of Alicante, you have 86 GIGANTIC statues and huge sections of streets closed off for parties. This isn’t to mention the nightclubs, bars, restaurants, food stands, and temporary shops also set up IN THE STREET. On top of this, each district also has beautiful lit arches that frame the streets of their district and identify them from the others. I have never seen an entire city get so involved in a festival before. It’s exciting, invigorating, and makes me want to dance the night away with locals and foreigners alike.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHdf_WQcZT2XVjcvUHv3Dj5jPDC6T9u3QthWPtjeJLyZMvvleBUjRXCbnDr_uysw3aGfPmvR0hLAuSM3A3KlevWYnwlfLBZcEmw_svpbQGohY-RVh9e1XRyo9jO0XJ0WcJpy2KaVsCz4/s1600/IMG_6416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHdf_WQcZT2XVjcvUHv3Dj5jPDC6T9u3QthWPtjeJLyZMvvleBUjRXCbnDr_uysw3aGfPmvR0hLAuSM3A3KlevWYnwlfLBZcEmw_svpbQGohY-RVh9e1XRyo9jO0XJ0WcJpy2KaVsCz4/s640/IMG_6416.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An example of the lit arches in one district</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwZSK0TL1PW5ao4BAyQT-cZRG3sinsG8jiYxHWNdMSOWv_cIVkC7-zlxH7mQLlXt8Xe6kGxc63rrQ0qeUyjmxh80OnPCMTUOAJ4EZqMWSptIp0kU5CmOYmv0ax3Mzwa_m_Gp29FY1zdk/s1600/IMG_6574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwZSK0TL1PW5ao4BAyQT-cZRG3sinsG8jiYxHWNdMSOWv_cIVkC7-zlxH7mQLlXt8Xe6kGxc63rrQ0qeUyjmxh80OnPCMTUOAJ4EZqMWSptIp0kU5CmOYmv0ax3Mzwa_m_Gp29FY1zdk/s640/IMG_6574.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the <i>barraca</i> of my friend Nerea's district </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIOvquH11bKFiNJri7rCVeNt5Gax_rraJJTVtjAZCt-i0WiU38oeqc4SRFh5n0-q4tcinRhYxZxg1WMcb7AFSaBA11Uv9Lx4yZD1VwkXkTkw-FII7yoHwqIlOyd9FVG19PLDA5ffSp3E/s1600/IMG_6597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIOvquH11bKFiNJri7rCVeNt5Gax_rraJJTVtjAZCt-i0WiU38oeqc4SRFh5n0-q4tcinRhYxZxg1WMcb7AFSaBA11Uv9Lx4yZD1VwkXkTkw-FII7yoHwqIlOyd9FVG19PLDA5ffSp3E/s640/IMG_6597.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hoguera</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTV1ch-mkGpq-wQPP0XfhR5L81lxi2iDUQlhGJkFDsyx7BFU0JbRZinFpCt4TgVlz9Ye8eLH56yDUSWSLM3tqEMlV7inkReechMinEmWur72MXj9Rcaz_tgK-GyNxApel6pmus_oyVxi8/s1600/IMG_6601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTV1ch-mkGpq-wQPP0XfhR5L81lxi2iDUQlhGJkFDsyx7BFU0JbRZinFpCt4TgVlz9Ye8eLH56yDUSWSLM3tqEMlV7inkReechMinEmWur72MXj9Rcaz_tgK-GyNxApel6pmus_oyVxi8/s640/IMG_6601.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And another two blocks away</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx5_Tuoxd0NBYJbWtiPlwJJ6mlK-w7CTze6P5Tx5m0-nBlVmAVLr7TueSFUBr2bKWeri4Sqba2_RQc80IhrH2hjTEpM9gnD7caXtX4rQ5RVjN8lpOveDt56OzVCb1gW62UAlz6B18klI/s1600/IMG_6602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx5_Tuoxd0NBYJbWtiPlwJJ6mlK-w7CTze6P5Tx5m0-nBlVmAVLr7TueSFUBr2bKWeri4Sqba2_RQc80IhrH2hjTEpM9gnD7caXtX4rQ5RVjN8lpOveDt56OzVCb1gW62UAlz6B18klI/s640/IMG_6602.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An outdoor nightclub</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGJ3c1nnddUikzRd9yrUBpUhyphenhyphenp9sbdALhGC5ypPbym4jxxKo4M9tp5ue33t2YqFJZf6YYFbuqoEAVObrEl0dRJUxzZXlklr8IVtj1CNlXhYJ3qw-oKhMim47LMFlCSStGhgL2KNvYBnA/s1600/IMG_6616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGJ3c1nnddUikzRd9yrUBpUhyphenhyphenp9sbdALhGC5ypPbym4jxxKo4M9tp5ue33t2YqFJZf6YYFbuqoEAVObrEl0dRJUxzZXlklr8IVtj1CNlXhYJ3qw-oKhMim47LMFlCSStGhgL2KNvYBnA/s640/IMG_6616.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And another right in the middle of the street</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you may imagine, with all of the roadblocks there is also a lot of strange traffic, changes in bus and tram schedules, and all sorts of general transportation squabbles. So, as you’ve probably rightfully deduced, just as I’m starting to get a hang of the bus schedules here in Alicante, they go and switch them all on me. I just can’t win. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So now that you have a little background info, I’m headed back to Alicante to enjoy the next two days which are traditionally, “the craziest.” I’ll write a post with my conclusions on the festival this weekend, but if you haven’t heard from me by Sunday, just pray I haven’t been the victim of a drive-by fireworking. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia </i></span></span></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-18260767274586166582011-06-16T00:12:00.000+02:002011-06-16T00:12:54.490+02:00A List<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I apologize for my lack of blogging this week as I’m experiencing the sudden onset of ‘Blog Block.’ Coupled with a generally uncomplicated and disaster-less week, I haven’t had much material or gumption with which to conjure up a good story. I’ve also spent most of the last week complaining about the Spanish exam I’ll be “taking” tomorrow. I know it’s difficult to picture me complaining about anythingggg butttt.....(I can hear my Mom in my head laughing out loud right now). </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may remember that, this being the Intermediate Spanish course, and me being an extreme beginner Spanish speaker, I vowed to grab the quintessential Spanish bull by the horns and “rock” this class. Turns out when you live on a beach, it’s very difficult to motivate yourself to move your limbs, much less exercise your mind. And since I’ve been spending quite a lot of time lately on the sandy shores of the Mediterranean, my old habits of procrastination have been running the show here in regards to studying. So far, I have logged exactly 4 minutes making a list of things I need to study. So now you may be wondering what I have been doing all this time instead of hitting the books. Luckily for you, I’ve compiled a list:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">25 Things I’ve Done Besides Study for My Exam Tomorrow</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Napped</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Laid in bed wishing I was napping</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Facebooked</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Swam in the pool</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Swam in the sea</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Laid in the sun</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Edited video footage</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looked through alllll my old photos</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watched the two part reunion special of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Real Housewives of Orange County</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (it was awesomeee)</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watched 5 episodes of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So You Think You Can Dance</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (also awesome)</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Facebooked</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Researched the cost of shipping boxes of stuff home</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Stressed about the cost of shipping boxes of stuff home</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Donated stuff to charity</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Clicked around the internet...all of it</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Went to the beach...a lot</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Ate chocolate...a lot</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Tried to think of more ways to use “...” in my writing...</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Danced around Alicante</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Planned summer barbecues</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Planned summer 5Ks to counteract the effects of said barbecues</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Skyped with whoever would possibly talk to me</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Facebooked</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Messed with Zipi’s emotions</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Wrote this blog post</span></span></span></li>
</ol><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alicia</span></i></span></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-35297864719388105322011-06-10T00:15:00.000+02:002011-06-10T00:15:26.484+02:00In Which I Lose Again<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As my days in Alicante are dwindling, my general demeanor has quickly gone from “Ahhhh...relllaaaxxxx” to “I only have 2 and a half weeks to see EVERYTHING.” The last minute pitfalls of living in a heavily tourist-ed area are starting to show themselves as I have been putting off visiting the region’s major attractions. Since I've been living with the mentality that "I can just see it another day" for quite a while now, those other days are numbered. Now, I’m paying for it as I watch my To Do list grow longer than all of my past Christmas lists combined. To kick off this flurry of activities, I made a date with one of my Dutch friends (or as Dad calls them, Hollandaise), Lori, to make the journey to the top of Mount Benacantil where the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Castillo de Santa Barbara</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> sits overlooking downtown Alicante. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKp4B4gZA7rxAkSpwDT9Y2uyEG6pZHRelmRXB5diyKZQezjv5Q3Pf1eOlNBOfqkScpLu7FrZg5-hpkD4HlJ8Stqn4fUXpD6Pn0ppC2Ezp4FsaO_ObRdTk5WSLCZ4VQzj13x81U_eQPtcE/s1600/IMG_6112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKp4B4gZA7rxAkSpwDT9Y2uyEG6pZHRelmRXB5diyKZQezjv5Q3Pf1eOlNBOfqkScpLu7FrZg5-hpkD4HlJ8Stqn4fUXpD6Pn0ppC2Ezp4FsaO_ObRdTk5WSLCZ4VQzj13x81U_eQPtcE/s640/IMG_6112.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lori and I.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Wlfi3as2R7mRXtqbo7XbhEksNVY53cKZjdhYLD5FyOec78sfv4gagG_U-S2Wv6aji1lnuM3zxm3zaYEypi2xHiO_Gzsemb4x4ei6LQTSIHXo52Jyy_zYYbMQey_UZKV_tzFx4E0i7cI/s1600/IMG_6057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Wlfi3as2R7mRXtqbo7XbhEksNVY53cKZjdhYLD5FyOec78sfv4gagG_U-S2Wv6aji1lnuM3zxm3zaYEypi2xHiO_Gzsemb4x4ei6LQTSIHXo52Jyy_zYYbMQey_UZKV_tzFx4E0i7cI/s640/IMG_6057.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our goal</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At 166m (roughly 550 ft.) this is by no means a mountain, but since all those feet are accomplished in a very short distance, the trek can get a bit steep. Thinking ourselves smarter than the average bears, we opted to take the elevator to the top of the mountain (what? don’t alllll late 9th century castles have elevators in them?) with the plan of bounding down the stairs, sweat-free and jovial back into the city. Upon our arrival, we discovered that the elevator was in fact, closed, (I mean, it's me, what did you expect?) and that if we were going to get to the castle, we were going to have to hike it. Now, there are a few routes to get up there and, naturally, we chose the most difficult, as that’s just how things work out with me. Thus began our climb of Mount I-Don’t-Wanna-Do-This-Anymore. Also known as I-Wasn’t-Supposed-To-Sweat-Like-This Peak and Is-This-NORMAL?! Hill. Keep in mind, these are the names I’ve deemed suitable for a family reading audience. You can use your imagination about the others.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcWelC9CsgsPD_zx4ASAryPgVFiDkVGkYZEmQdQow3Y3aqZ3Ky_-iHfeYYF8HLHQxTf4oiJwyVVjRslYWMq3Zd5Kc42odBtOBEKP0noZK_FYoYCwNb5f9cd95CKw0y9RJTNAQ7aJ-J98/s1600/248790_10150200340011347_680041346_7507979_6840490_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcWelC9CsgsPD_zx4ASAryPgVFiDkVGkYZEmQdQow3Y3aqZ3Ky_-iHfeYYF8HLHQxTf4oiJwyVVjRslYWMq3Zd5Kc42odBtOBEKP0noZK_FYoYCwNb5f9cd95CKw0y9RJTNAQ7aJ-J98/s640/248790_10150200340011347_680041346_7507979_6840490_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sizing up the trek to those litttlleee tinnyyy lookout towers which were our destination.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And you can imagine our surprise (forced smile) when we finally reached the top of our grueling, sweat-drenched, calf-burning, 90% incline hike (alright, it wasn’t that much...but it was close) and viewed...THE PARKING LOT. With CARS. Connected to the ROAD that you can DRIVE on to the top. Such fools we are! But we were calmed by the knowledge that neither of us has a car, so we’d have to walk anyway. Oh, that’s such a relief. For a second, I thought we were justifiably dumb. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I held onto that happy ignorance for a few hours until I talked to my Mom after I got home and she informed me, “Ya know, you can take the bus up there. You know, the public bus, it goes right up there.”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">....Kill me.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So friends, as usual, the Alicante Bus System wins <a href="http://lachicaamericana.blogspot.com/2011/05/open-letters.html">again</a>. Someday, I will be smarter than it. Someday.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the climb and necessary usage of my beautiful Barcelonian scarf as a sweat mop, the views from the trail and summit were well worth the trouble. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-nl00t292MxG9NAQ6Wa0nFUvzlYiYm3Uk3WNj9d55D1Gisl0b2c-ZkTXQtmUvzWzSTA2pv_40jKVWQo76nGxWWmQL_8n6-q0x5aqrkJu0jDfqHRo6JF1lM8VHagcYj4Akln6y8IIZ9I/s1600/IMG_6064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-nl00t292MxG9NAQ6Wa0nFUvzlYiYm3Uk3WNj9d55D1Gisl0b2c-ZkTXQtmUvzWzSTA2pv_40jKVWQo76nGxWWmQL_8n6-q0x5aqrkJu0jDfqHRo6JF1lM8VHagcYj4Akln6y8IIZ9I/s640/IMG_6064.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk97Yjop-4pjNAsxczpINfKJ3zoiUm3EgMrS4rbZasjACHDg2c973s1266mlo-g3AbUhNofaFNT5hyphenhyphenRfwnCI0v7NYHjVM_RLsuVq68OzFNFvE6RPjLIHTusJaRD8G94J7goPH-cph2q90/s1600/IMG_6082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk97Yjop-4pjNAsxczpINfKJ3zoiUm3EgMrS4rbZasjACHDg2c973s1266mlo-g3AbUhNofaFNT5hyphenhyphenRfwnCI0v7NYHjVM_RLsuVq68OzFNFvE6RPjLIHTusJaRD8G94J7goPH-cph2q90/s640/IMG_6082.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvd2HUpt3YQOH1mkUwD1IXO5hrzxg29uxHFO8JMCTw88sQrlhLMUF_baZvswmgRI9f5_kbpaVHkFxRTgXQnXs7yNjEJpWWFIFYYeypr6TRnauf4dRzh9CrWuO3nb8sSf2zjj4hWhwonE/s1600/IMG_6097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvd2HUpt3YQOH1mkUwD1IXO5hrzxg29uxHFO8JMCTw88sQrlhLMUF_baZvswmgRI9f5_kbpaVHkFxRTgXQnXs7yNjEJpWWFIFYYeypr6TRnauf4dRzh9CrWuO3nb8sSf2zjj4hWhwonE/s640/IMG_6097.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloUp3DxL5_7F0jPJvUFv6AcHFeS_Bbb7mu_EPvo42l-eJ-GQSw6CpCydsiLzDD53ay4vqQGS8-LKwwiX1cLSJ58DvYJlvsYuRhp82pWwOJf3PJFPR9a6lS4GlH7tZI0-74LbK1Q-kqGY/s1600/IMG_6105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloUp3DxL5_7F0jPJvUFv6AcHFeS_Bbb7mu_EPvo42l-eJ-GQSw6CpCydsiLzDD53ay4vqQGS8-LKwwiX1cLSJ58DvYJlvsYuRhp82pWwOJf3PJFPR9a6lS4GlH7tZI0-74LbK1Q-kqGY/s640/IMG_6105.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goofing around...as usual.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfwRAWgE_7DwmRX5_8GuIYgjHeIswLMSBrd5RYCYQH-4aXkgOp_-dj1GCDVKilla2LWuuojzfKw_lauGtjOVdwF-zzO4h3AukHHO8y8ToSXmnupOo-QZaD57ZXyuDRNCHu5y10wvSXCw/s1600/IMG_6113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfwRAWgE_7DwmRX5_8GuIYgjHeIswLMSBrd5RYCYQH-4aXkgOp_-dj1GCDVKilla2LWuuojzfKw_lauGtjOVdwF-zzO4h3AukHHO8y8ToSXmnupOo-QZaD57ZXyuDRNCHu5y10wvSXCw/s640/IMG_6113.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndQV5wWH5_lMxc9loXM25aYa_mBLpmLN0KTU-XOiFpl5U3w3lY87Yl6j69X7CLY-qvRbvfTujC1Lbs-7TAGyBc7ItHVOB7_lkyiJHUtycWV0iOrroGWRmRNRFHZrzGj-qFEzDatDn5YE/s1600/IMG_6118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndQV5wWH5_lMxc9loXM25aYa_mBLpmLN0KTU-XOiFpl5U3w3lY87Yl6j69X7CLY-qvRbvfTujC1Lbs-7TAGyBc7ItHVOB7_lkyiJHUtycWV0iOrroGWRmRNRFHZrzGj-qFEzDatDn5YE/s640/IMG_6118.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">San Juan. That's where I live!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFluh0xX-xh8IX-__WBG0t0PMnQw20Njd8The_jr_ftiFyVOak9V7oXrwJLE2ttPj4bCFOSflquZnsWTxDR0AxnHUtqNoaiAznrWmr2r-mzbAX80WUS3fXiYlli7Ygh215iaNqnszUlbU/s1600/IMG_6128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFluh0xX-xh8IX-__WBG0t0PMnQw20Njd8The_jr_ftiFyVOak9V7oXrwJLE2ttPj4bCFOSflquZnsWTxDR0AxnHUtqNoaiAznrWmr2r-mzbAX80WUS3fXiYlli7Ygh215iaNqnszUlbU/s640/IMG_6128.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDMV9GcZXCGDwTLGscUvBRJ9cj3tL2mPINUB2sXOFpVdH4jk7MlYFFtoFjSFP4GDm9mlZ80463tsNDDMfdNXbCmOXVk7eZu2SIk6XCSqDIvUN8CCxIxANfk_EAVQHD3C7CRaPgjhv4eg/s1600/IMG_6138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDMV9GcZXCGDwTLGscUvBRJ9cj3tL2mPINUB2sXOFpVdH4jk7MlYFFtoFjSFP4GDm9mlZ80463tsNDDMfdNXbCmOXVk7eZu2SIk6XCSqDIvUN8CCxIxANfk_EAVQHD3C7CRaPgjhv4eg/s640/IMG_6138.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgxyCA5de1yM_ZzfZ_Zo23GnzXH69Z5O8L0LzkBsYZZaUV1xL3AInbQ8gPC9EYMzRDHYjudbE9gFqp1_dlrqYnSdIBjn9p_jC6HW8d-RY5z8ZzSo9N6RQZiAbsjjZZKYbM-qdk2fi_wE/s1600/IMG_6155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgxyCA5de1yM_ZzfZ_Zo23GnzXH69Z5O8L0LzkBsYZZaUV1xL3AInbQ8gPC9EYMzRDHYjudbE9gFqp1_dlrqYnSdIBjn9p_jC6HW8d-RY5z8ZzSo9N6RQZiAbsjjZZKYbM-qdk2fi_wE/s640/IMG_6155.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After some more picture taking and exploring, we descended down the much LESS slanted path from the castle back into the city. And as I was looking over the twinkling lights of Alicante, boats passing in the sea, and the distant sign of life over on jellyfish island (Tabarca), I couldn’t help but come to some thrilling conclusions after the day's journey:</span></span></span></div><ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love this place.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I should be a princess.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Freakin' buses.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m out of shape.</span></span></span></li>
</ol><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And with that, Lori and I made our way to the first ice cream parlor we could find. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span></span></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-9592341218088745752011-06-05T20:59:00.000+02:002011-06-05T20:59:31.884+02:00F.O.L.C.A.: G.H., V. 1<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I am in between thrilling adventures of unparalleled peril and close encounters with the Spanish kind right now, I decided to throw together a little compilation of my friends’ and families’ greatest hits (and a little dash of my own quips from my journal mixed in for good measure). </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Explain? Ok.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we are just over three weeks away from the end of this exciting, sunny, and oftentimes absolutely ridiculous adventure, I’m spending a lot more time thinking about what has transpired in the last months. Luckily for me, I have a very large network of people alllll over the world who have not only been my support system, but have provided lots of thoughtful, heart-wrenching, philosophical, metaphysical, and hysterical quotes that I have personally enjoyed greatly during my time in Spain. Little did all of you know that I have been closely monitoring our Facebook/email/snail mail conversations for humorous musings and tidbits of advice for me, the lonesome traveler (not really lonesome, but I thought it sounded dramatic) that would resonate with an even larger audience of faithful readers, family, and friends alike. With two months of frequent communication under my belt, it’s impossible to include a little something from everyone here, especially when many of your comments are so wonderful, that I needed to keep them allllll to myself...</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They’re my preciouses, and I shall call them my preciouses.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxW24ZCQw78Nex3vp2HRdxOhWOQvjR92UwJM6KiUOydwpYfdptw7H9Q7F-1IrfUJ6zfKYOTFdQsZprVH6wQlhMAQLwKqKr4MnYax5O_RAYGj6fI0qfUxKRBaHkplbtG6o43us-SGsV4Y/s1600/gollum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxW24ZCQw78Nex3vp2HRdxOhWOQvjR92UwJM6KiUOydwpYfdptw7H9Q7F-1IrfUJ6zfKYOTFdQsZprVH6wQlhMAQLwKqKr4MnYax5O_RAYGj6fI0qfUxKRBaHkplbtG6o43us-SGsV4Y/s320/gollum.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ohh...K. You get the point.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I’m displaying here some of the great transmissions of the last months. Except in cases where the identity of the writer (other than myself) is relevant to understanding each quote, I’ve disguised my unknowing blog participants with initials in the hopes that, in the event that I accidentally post something controversial, I’ll be able to use the excuse “But no one knows it was you!”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, with that being said, let me present:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Friends of La Chica Americana: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Don’t eat too many churros...we warned you!” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- J.D. & M.D. </span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“This is your story of rediscovery and new discovery, and you are the only one that can write it.” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- K.R. (aka M.R.)</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I’ve been here a month and a half and still have no idea what ‘asada’ is from the Taco Bell menu.” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Excerpt from my journal, May 15th.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Note: I have since found out...and by since, I mean today, that it means meat that is baked in an oven).</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Who knows what Spain has yet to teach you. Be present there.” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-T.F.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Borja’s cat, Zipi, continues to dislike me. 24 lbs. We weighed him at the vet last week. He spends most of his day sleeping, throwing around a stuffed toy dog, and sitting outside my door and glaring at me while I write blogposts. I call him ‘pantera.’” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Excerpt from my journal, May 10th.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“As soon as you think your life is set there is usually something that will happen and, in return, flip your life upside down. You have to roll with the punches like missing a key change in the middle of a piece when Trost [my high school band teacher] is giving you the eye in the middle of a concert. You are in the prime of your life where doing is much more important than dwelling.” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- E.O. (aka F.F.F.)</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I think Spain is making me: tanner, more social, a better dancer, more self-assured, more confident, better looking, more independent, happier, and even more hilarious (and obviousssllyyy humble, too).” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Excerpt from my journal, May 28th.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I began to see that none of us ever make it through this world without scars...but now I know that there are no good stories without messy parts. Tales without complications are rarely retold. Pain is one of grace’s greatest disguises, and how thankful I am for the transformation that always comes along with it.” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- L.M-V. (quoting plansinpencil.wordpress.com).</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I think you are stumbling across a beautiful truth.” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-I.K.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I only speak English with Borja and sometimes his father, José Antonio. With everyone else, I speak Spanish. And by “speak,” I mean that through a series of incorrect pronouns, unconjugated verbs, hand motions, clicks & whistles, and smoke signals, I get my point across about 70% of the time.” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Excerpt from my journal, May 4th.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“U will write again soon and be interesting.” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gagee, my grandmother</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“With </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lachicaamericana</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, I’ve somehow tricked my family and friends into finding my life interesting enough to follow in a blog. Small moments, events, I’ve turned into posts that they find interesting!” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Excerpt from my journal, May 15th.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I hope you had a great weekend and you are swept away by some hunk with large deltoids. Are those the ones in your neck? I don’t know. A stud with a large neck. No wait, that doesn’t sound right either. A stud with fat shoulders. Oh, crap, let’s go with a decent looking, moderately to not-so-hairy man who may or may not have a good personality. As long as he doesn’t sweep you away forever.” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- R.F.S.H.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Keep dreaming, keep dancing, keep writing, keep smiling. Keep both feet on the ground and remember:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Only when we lose the world will we find ourselves,” Henry David Thoreau.” </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- M.R.G.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally, one of the best and most meaningful compliments I have received about </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lachicaamericana</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Oddly enough, your blog makes me feel a little less homesick.” </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Senior Airman Justine Wolff, U.S. Air Force, from Bragman Army Base, Afghanistan</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m so darn lucky to have all of you.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And all of YOU!! Let me just quote one more excerpt from my journal (June 1):</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I literally have </span></span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the most supportive</span></span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> friends and family in the entire world. They make me feel so happy and so incredibly confident in myself as a writer, as a person, and in the choices I’ve made.”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, you see, I really just wouldn’t be able to do this without all of you. Whether I hear from you all the time, a few comments here and there, or I just hear through the grapevine that you’re reading along, it’s all supportive, and it’s all appreciated. So, I’ll see you in three weeks, but until then, I’ll keep writing, and as always,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alicia</span></i></span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
</span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-73287119634578005472011-06-01T14:36:00.000+02:002011-06-01T14:36:59.504+02:00In Search of Christopher Columbus: Barcelona, Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>And now, the thrilling conclusion of my four days in Barcelona...</i></span></div><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Henceforth, the Saturday I was in BCN shall now be known as Wild Goose Chase Day as I spent the entire morning playing the most vicious game of “he said, she said” with cell phone carriers and train station employees. For being an international city, everyone that you need to speak to about something important (like, changing train tickets and adding money to your pay-as-you-go phone) doesn’t speak English. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But when you’re talking to anyone on the street or in a shop, and you ask them a question in Spanish, nothing says your handle on the language is not improving when they answer you in English. In Barcelona, signs are written in at least three languages (</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Castellano</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (the official language of Spain), </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Catalan</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (a regional dialect of the Eastern coast of Spain), and English) and most people speak at least some English (except for EVERYONE I talked to on Wild Goose Chase Day). Walking around, you hear many different languages spoken (mostly by the tourists of course, of which there are many). Another great thing about the international nature of Barcelona, aside from meeting people from all corners of the globe, was that I didn’t feel quite so much like an Amazonian woman as I usually do in Alicante. I got lots of comments from blog readers about the ‘average inches taller than most Spanish men I am’ statistic in <a href="http://lachicaamericana.blogspot.com/2011/05/meet-me-halfway.html">Meet Me Halfway</a>, but it’s true. Being a beautiful, beachy city, Alicante has it’s fair share of tourists, but on the street, you encounter mostly Spanish people, and in general, they’re short. This was not the case in the areas of BCN that I visited. It felt more normal to have men taller than me, rather than face to face with my chin. But alas, I only have 27 more days of feeling freakishly tall before I’m back in the States, surrounded by fellow tall people once more. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With tickets changed and the hostel booked for another night, I ventured out with Anna and Ben to do a little sightseeing. We headed back toward </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Las Ramblas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and ended up walking through the Gothic quarter of the city, <i>Barrí Gotic</i>. Just gorgeous. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_XZQnwtfXOTgJ8idmm0QYBMJNANqzy-1hw9cv1ZbGm6SPI_SKAJG2awF_QVgl95cno7MxhudYWwks_M9dUeu83kaaHNedDwO7Ka9pF5_OmLbYBvTleWSnOErNzHa-Y3tNZRPlx86b5I/s1600/IMG_5923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_XZQnwtfXOTgJ8idmm0QYBMJNANqzy-1hw9cv1ZbGm6SPI_SKAJG2awF_QVgl95cno7MxhudYWwks_M9dUeu83kaaHNedDwO7Ka9pF5_OmLbYBvTleWSnOErNzHa-Y3tNZRPlx86b5I/s640/IMG_5923.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWQ_c0GhtOLqKBuo4hPr41WPKP4hGkdpjDBjAfnrO-xEFlAEDER6IDCB3gr7-Xi7JxlI0hhRzkDr1yPzA7pWW1fZB0DnCY0PywBbSIzqKmwn2M22ud-PD_9iwp4NRVG21Nl8YS6M-9Aw/s1600/IMG_5926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWQ_c0GhtOLqKBuo4hPr41WPKP4hGkdpjDBjAfnrO-xEFlAEDER6IDCB3gr7-Xi7JxlI0hhRzkDr1yPzA7pWW1fZB0DnCY0PywBbSIzqKmwn2M22ud-PD_9iwp4NRVG21Nl8YS6M-9Aw/s640/IMG_5926.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gOz2EmD0uTDD3_4w7f_Dd82YuYdcMpjW2Q-B9NS5ttCFt2YO4BAuA9XaszEO7i-sz9sH2pN-ixXC-Ur4KHUOGf5Pc_B6tw9_ZITm8NyWHK5Nn_Xoh80WyyMbKSunq3iVKqP9YdvVji8/s1600/IMG_5932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gOz2EmD0uTDD3_4w7f_Dd82YuYdcMpjW2Q-B9NS5ttCFt2YO4BAuA9XaszEO7i-sz9sH2pN-ixXC-Ur4KHUOGf5Pc_B6tw9_ZITm8NyWHK5Nn_Xoh80WyyMbKSunq3iVKqP9YdvVji8/s640/IMG_5932.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVJbf67MhSPS9yv3ma_WxhcOKYUejgzYvHMi3yrJPugthQTAk2SICf7Vf7suAFCjCW0bxIqB0Ba02AfV28BwBLxRLX17oovbPvM2ZCJYepGjUDbfiud_Q01j3nvwTdT9sh3dNsO0eGIc/s1600/IMG_5934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVJbf67MhSPS9yv3ma_WxhcOKYUejgzYvHMi3yrJPugthQTAk2SICf7Vf7suAFCjCW0bxIqB0Ba02AfV28BwBLxRLX17oovbPvM2ZCJYepGjUDbfiud_Q01j3nvwTdT9sh3dNsO0eGIc/s640/IMG_5934.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After more shopping (I just can’t stop) and tapas, we headed back to our respective hostels for quick siestas to prepare for the night ahead. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2wbr1vs-7LqjMSLd4RiJAqXGlvTB4C7D3mnJZFkmEc-5PCFppaamLpXwUmIUxOjrtuc4dP3cdl1hJQqFgqUSmPneXLhHm5X6z-r4lY1APv-9_YA4MCrlJizXcItHDiyOlAg3hJY5pE8/s1600/IMG_5921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2wbr1vs-7LqjMSLd4RiJAqXGlvTB4C7D3mnJZFkmEc-5PCFppaamLpXwUmIUxOjrtuc4dP3cdl1hJQqFgqUSmPneXLhHm5X6z-r4lY1APv-9_YA4MCrlJizXcItHDiyOlAg3hJY5pE8/s640/IMG_5921.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dwy7aO5TD3mVcVs-muCY2Q7HdDjv6yhwVk1f-uJCfVIiMbq_UykM6cGpSGBjWjTl507ErBRcLcjUa1ZSUsAw8AJqfISbHY2q0lvNAxG55rg7IUUWu7wExvKhJi_DpDgIGMBWDuM3c5c/s1600/IMG_5936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dwy7aO5TD3mVcVs-muCY2Q7HdDjv6yhwVk1f-uJCfVIiMbq_UykM6cGpSGBjWjTl507ErBRcLcjUa1ZSUsAw8AJqfISbHY2q0lvNAxG55rg7IUUWu7wExvKhJi_DpDgIGMBWDuM3c5c/s640/IMG_5936.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Nike store preparing for the game.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zSv93J3iEPC1R0WD3QkWv2aQFkdL0V1deZNo09Lkp-eSnrcxJM1DZQp_l4B8ufAD9ud4X2cxBMXp9bnFgafR8nzXVPN9hZh4iTPUTR54teM9EbHWQ0XLemoaCuhnmmfBDaEyOVhG1Lw/s1600/IMG_5937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zSv93J3iEPC1R0WD3QkWv2aQFkdL0V1deZNo09Lkp-eSnrcxJM1DZQp_l4B8ufAD9ud4X2cxBMXp9bnFgafR8nzXVPN9hZh4iTPUTR54teM9EbHWQ0XLemoaCuhnmmfBDaEyOVhG1Lw/s640/IMG_5937.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Geneseo Pride</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEqSLO-CdeE7u07jLYdCdtbDwgNtjiZZefkAJoILi-jjFMZLPUeiUyqEj_fvHlzoLwzDP2DoU-KOhVqsPfEFG4CDhEwubFs7g5oThxmt8K5XahJw9hN2L2pQ4cuUM7YO8QtEpfXJNTTM/s1600/IMG_5942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEqSLO-CdeE7u07jLYdCdtbDwgNtjiZZefkAJoILi-jjFMZLPUeiUyqEj_fvHlzoLwzDP2DoU-KOhVqsPfEFG4CDhEwubFs7g5oThxmt8K5XahJw9hN2L2pQ4cuUM7YO8QtEpfXJNTTM/s640/IMG_5942.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That night, FCBarcelona played Manchester United in the Champions League Final, which is the final game of a tournament that includes soccer teams from all of Europe. With the help of my Spanish family, I’ve been becoming a Barça fan since my arrival in Spain and to be in the city during the game was amazing. Upon recommendations from friends who’ve traveled to Barcelona before, we ended up at a bar called </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">L’Ovella Negra</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (The Black Sheep). By the time the game started, the place was packed with men and women wearing FCBarcelona flags as capes, chanting, and drinking. Barcelona scored first, followed by a goal from Man U, with Barça putting two more away by the end of the game. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkZQngZHwOE4GVzgi21QA9JcyjASbcn3-ZU1R62wRS3XefsokDRzLo3xHrTEAXXmyXFdLg5Xluk-Jw3pEhzJJjrl3H1jycPaUAY6Z9QR7mQ12CnxNbc-cKUaWE5ChiARcc0GPpA6DlYE/s1600/IMG_5946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkZQngZHwOE4GVzgi21QA9JcyjASbcn3-ZU1R62wRS3XefsokDRzLo3xHrTEAXXmyXFdLg5Xluk-Jw3pEhzJJjrl3H1jycPaUAY6Z9QR7mQ12CnxNbc-cKUaWE5ChiARcc0GPpA6DlYE/s640/IMG_5946.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Inside L'Ovella Negra</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzIc37QWzyKftFfsp8KxTvii2vYkOZY5RlceXYeeypcMvVK3S6haTJARM3fkLaje_6uICGYzmXnCTzEG3Y8MRjgythXtZg1Vl3GI8RRLjsXmUmW4_WuzEeHWdTqFvp4JgO6ILlIDVm8JI/s1600/IMG_5948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzIc37QWzyKftFfsp8KxTvii2vYkOZY5RlceXYeeypcMvVK3S6haTJARM3fkLaje_6uICGYzmXnCTzEG3Y8MRjgythXtZg1Vl3GI8RRLjsXmUmW4_WuzEeHWdTqFvp4JgO6ILlIDVm8JI/s640/IMG_5948.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After one of the three goals<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Times; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was absolutely insane. Ben and Anna and I kept turning to each other and just reveling in how cool this was. The energy in the room was palpable, but it was nothing compared with the streets outside. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOtfV2ldr2G1xi6fk72Py08064Zy2z0Jvq2oLmp0a4xXhX2HdEIF2t6oO0EXw2bKLRR50l8V3vbZgVeX3u5AU2Bs5NZwXDGmI3SSCyLrK5zbb2aQQC98B9wt44JV82YvblxnmugZrQzM/s640/IMG_5956.jpg" width="480" /></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5n0aSgqjiCKux32cB5dD7_wzFYvrTNt1R5qda5mrRDez5w68vLXuBPBRQDFq_n5TJ5mrRUk3scl9O3w_LU9KqUaRuBaiVmf0sg0VODZmxAGUaFeESfSRAi1w_2jo2pHmGyaFN58qe20A/s1600/IMG_5963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5n0aSgqjiCKux32cB5dD7_wzFYvrTNt1R5qda5mrRDez5w68vLXuBPBRQDFq_n5TJ5mrRUk3scl9O3w_LU9KqUaRuBaiVmf0sg0VODZmxAGUaFeESfSRAi1w_2jo2pHmGyaFN58qe20A/s640/IMG_5963.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HTZQklg268HXA8q5Xh4Gm-KS4q6oVf3DBfBVtf5PTE3aL6ni6ogh86pE_ONzA5bMyRO3De7FrL2_PM7Xq9Stm08awH-mydDHF_YcSUATCVtcxWDKu5l0vcBFlbZUfI1vQx2Sspas9VA/s1600/IMG_5976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HTZQklg268HXA8q5Xh4Gm-KS4q6oVf3DBfBVtf5PTE3aL6ni6ogh86pE_ONzA5bMyRO3De7FrL2_PM7Xq9Stm08awH-mydDHF_YcSUATCVtcxWDKu5l0vcBFlbZUfI1vQx2Sspas9VA/s640/IMG_5976.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mevtmB-dkfDl4AOQyucpwT2iT049x7VPxI76aPrUB0iUNxII16kogUdvQT_OailqepH1zkzQRMnGx3UMx_EY1LhxaViLlxoKSnEm1lAUYfZBYM9TkFz8MOUtmzY6Wc2OpfXRuO9nnaY/s1600/IMG_5979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mevtmB-dkfDl4AOQyucpwT2iT049x7VPxI76aPrUB0iUNxII16kogUdvQT_OailqepH1zkzQRMnGx3UMx_EY1LhxaViLlxoKSnEm1lAUYfZBYM9TkFz8MOUtmzY6Wc2OpfXRuO9nnaY/s640/IMG_5979.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHj9DqUpb5Jdn6-yrdb_WsVWKaOs1o4uu_F8dZvLdr439TJeis94_28mxpIgZGI80Q-g8B8oRrAkOBVu1Y-P_Ejlfmnn-yiVa38XjPFU_Ob6PRe8nq3E24O0Hno_R8qwoalsr1bNn_qs/s1600/IMG_5985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHj9DqUpb5Jdn6-yrdb_WsVWKaOs1o4uu_F8dZvLdr439TJeis94_28mxpIgZGI80Q-g8B8oRrAkOBVu1Y-P_Ejlfmnn-yiVa38XjPFU_Ob6PRe8nq3E24O0Hno_R8qwoalsr1bNn_qs/s640/IMG_5985.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaC6JeIfkpYsIUXvwUwnCWqob9yLHfjOhookOqBpnBnVtI9V0giAi-qHj-2WOju8SFPoFDl-WhBVeD-28wdh563eFzy2Vm20MFfIsMVZ8VSPBSFLhWRQPXctsWaWOmj3TcljUEpmPUiI/s1600/IMG_5994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaC6JeIfkpYsIUXvwUwnCWqob9yLHfjOhookOqBpnBnVtI9V0giAi-qHj-2WOju8SFPoFDl-WhBVeD-28wdh563eFzy2Vm20MFfIsMVZ8VSPBSFLhWRQPXctsWaWOmj3TcljUEpmPUiI/s640/IMG_5994.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here’s a video of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1985262439">people on </a></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOSjQJ65Y2Y&feature=channel_video_title">Las Ramblas</a></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> celebrating the win, and another one of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY-sTj6bAFE">traffic</a> on the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Passeig de Gracía</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> after the game. </span></span></span></div></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aside from the amazing walk through the Barri Gotic, hanging out with my Geneseo buddies, and truly having a once in a lifetime experience watching the Barça game in Barcelona, Saturday was made complete when I found Christopher Columbus.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No, really. I’d been looking for him since Thursday.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Confused?</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aside from the thievery, shopping, and long-distance walking that </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Las Ramblas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is known for, it’s also famous for it’s living statues. While walking down the long street, every five minutes you encounter a living statue who will take some pictures with you if you drop a couple coins in their buckets. On Thursday, I got a couple pictures with this lady:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmeApl-ISRReH1oezVB0JRnpFe6sJNm27RgkQGud0KthjHTplqrWStLRb5JiNv8uFFxDQYnqmC_trxwUDZAbchOY6hjqc-EltCJu0dpMrPf84xl9CSk0NyI20pQR5rhr_bR2vlCNoA4o/s1600/IMG_5631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmeApl-ISRReH1oezVB0JRnpFe6sJNm27RgkQGud0KthjHTplqrWStLRb5JiNv8uFFxDQYnqmC_trxwUDZAbchOY6hjqc-EltCJu0dpMrPf84xl9CSk0NyI20pQR5rhr_bR2vlCNoA4o/s640/IMG_5631.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8azDgFvONaxSKPv_KBLSutqxAaQpOgDKj9kIMZWr-aAJmsucoPyBiAyoQq-3QRFv_TpYOSGJhUCiJGGcz1mRGHEi0YHKtZh5tkee_slFzk-ck2vvSICu8IH2LnRPrdJIA7bzP-R2V68/s1600/IMG_5633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8azDgFvONaxSKPv_KBLSutqxAaQpOgDKj9kIMZWr-aAJmsucoPyBiAyoQq-3QRFv_TpYOSGJhUCiJGGcz1mRGHEi0YHKtZh5tkee_slFzk-ck2vvSICu8IH2LnRPrdJIA7bzP-R2V68/s640/IMG_5633.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I also saw Christopher Columbus, but didn’t stop to take pics. After I thought about it for a while, I decided that I should really get a couple good exploratory photos with him, but when I turned back, he was nowhere to be found. I also looked for him Friday and Saturday morning, and finally stumbled upon him before heading to The Black Sheep for the game Saturday night. Here are the results:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJg_g-OshphmEFip3vG_a-3DfjYyTxV1UtQcUvX_cdDywsiuipRTc-4fdydp69EawwxEIecuKab45cf8hVM7wRnqnbFGhNhyzupXoHXjJMx9RDlhywa1EOw3919G8CVYr_tf92yJTK8hk/s1600/IMG_5938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJg_g-OshphmEFip3vG_a-3DfjYyTxV1UtQcUvX_cdDywsiuipRTc-4fdydp69EawwxEIecuKab45cf8hVM7wRnqnbFGhNhyzupXoHXjJMx9RDlhywa1EOw3919G8CVYr_tf92yJTK8hk/s640/IMG_5938.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXDw9_rmIBUtZhhkWitn2dghZeuWAIZ-xDBl4nsjCSiNLDnfAukrqcBRnHxE_hAImkfPLRooKKYPHBiox0QxPBE6FNA3PonlDDttqj1cbKNGm0s9466sLuCGODiMapdWcPd8RacoHU3I/s1600/IMG_5939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXDw9_rmIBUtZhhkWitn2dghZeuWAIZ-xDBl4nsjCSiNLDnfAukrqcBRnHxE_hAImkfPLRooKKYPHBiox0QxPBE6FNA3PonlDDttqj1cbKNGm0s9466sLuCGODiMapdWcPd8RacoHU3I/s640/IMG_5939.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SKXHMfVcZ-TAFADLQSav3XtKx2FQXtbZMJpK9n8FxXxcTx0h5gfTtuUYpeVhu2RYm7Ix0oBGNg53-C_nKZS10lOVT08yjzdFqFU_uoTccGnRXO1CTjLoPWuyww3Xn13RHdMuDIjDIq0/s1600/IMG_5941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SKXHMfVcZ-TAFADLQSav3XtKx2FQXtbZMJpK9n8FxXxcTx0h5gfTtuUYpeVhu2RYm7Ix0oBGNg53-C_nKZS10lOVT08yjzdFqFU_uoTccGnRXO1CTjLoPWuyww3Xn13RHdMuDIjDIq0/s640/IMG_5941.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just can’t help myself sometimes. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alright, kiddos, Barcelona has been officially blogged! Hope you've enjoyed this little series of posts as much as I enjoyed my trip! We are now officially in June, the month in which I return back to the States and am reunited with all of you from back home who've been following along on this journey! As always, thanks for the continued support! Christopher Columbus and I appreciate it more than you know!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And as always, thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alicia</span></i></span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
</span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-29859354433555483372011-05-31T19:49:00.001+02:002011-05-31T19:50:07.065+02:00Baby Chicks, 3 Euros to a Good Home: Barcelona, Part 2<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I began Friday with one mission: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Sagrada Familia</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quick history lesson.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Antoni Gaudí is one of the world’s most famous and most respected architects. He was born in 1852 and died in 1926 in Barcelona. His </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">modernisme</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> style combined his passions for architecture, nature, religion, and </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Catalunya</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, the province of Spain of which Barcelona is the provincial capital. His style is truly unique and can be found all over Barcelona. Since I don’t want to bore you with too many art history stats, you can read more info about Antoni Gaudí<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaud%C3%AD"> here</a> if you’re so inclined. The main thing you need to know is that I was so drawn to Barcelona because it is a cultural center covered in art that is both extremely unique and extremely beautiful. Above all of the other Gaudí architecture in Barcelona, though, I went there for his masterpiece, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Sagrada Familia</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UbByPyfeG3MeuuucMuxu2q0fqUaOPqSTKdfcsbnD19g96lkwmxKwnON16EVXn-C6lbCSo8Tm596csRedwgWFT3ZiaNW6z25dTVfb6krYI36VAyHREALvyFfcWIkDz_qPPDxkOKTDmo0/s1600/IMG_5849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UbByPyfeG3MeuuucMuxu2q0fqUaOPqSTKdfcsbnD19g96lkwmxKwnON16EVXn-C6lbCSo8Tm596csRedwgWFT3ZiaNW6z25dTVfb6krYI36VAyHREALvyFfcWIkDz_qPPDxkOKTDmo0/s640/IMG_5849.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1l9xTns9VpV8Naz0GJ4KcqVcuZTtRkO-ZkFrCFE9RhknpTWCyl19SZG6YivyspWVq72fUmqNKo_61O_1Svo72JVxA_K8g4dNz2UiRXQpSfwCoiqB8L_7c-0KlqCV1aNgpzzV9GWvCY8/s1600/IMG_5854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1l9xTns9VpV8Naz0GJ4KcqVcuZTtRkO-ZkFrCFE9RhknpTWCyl19SZG6YivyspWVq72fUmqNKo_61O_1Svo72JVxA_K8g4dNz2UiRXQpSfwCoiqB8L_7c-0KlqCV1aNgpzzV9GWvCY8/s640/IMG_5854.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the beginning of it’s construction in 1883, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Sagrada Familia</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a consecrated basilica by Pope Benedict XVI, and the most visited monument in Spain. It is currently still under construction and is due to be completed in 2026. Really, it’s amazing and I’ve been waiting years to go there.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So after a short subway ride, I hopped in the already 30 minute line to enter the gates and gain access to the inside of</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> La Sagrada Familia</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Now, I was a tad bit short on cash as I had just bought a two-day subway pass, and was hoping that Spain’s most visited attraction would accept credit cards. I mean, that’s logical, right? Halfway through the line, I encountered this very nice looking lady, accepting donations for a ministry program. She seemed pretty legitimate, and seeing as I was heading into this massive church, I thought that a 50 cent charitable donation was an appropriate way to start the day.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQRWDRznmEZzVa44LhG9a2dRPCjt1iNIh5Nuufuc9_SSyZ_Hybzkj95A0IWD0Yl_aFJVPOKeEANwC4imQs4cnY-WnWhip3aMW3igjWWS9k59cAzH2dNDc5b920MWf3z0xSn0yXFopLtU/s1600/IMG_5662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQRWDRznmEZzVa44LhG9a2dRPCjt1iNIh5Nuufuc9_SSyZ_Hybzkj95A0IWD0Yl_aFJVPOKeEANwC4imQs4cnY-WnWhip3aMW3igjWWS9k59cAzH2dNDc5b920MWf3z0xSn0yXFopLtU/s640/IMG_5662.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ministry Person</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Do you see where this is going yet?</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turns out, no, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Sagrada Familia</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> does not accept credit cards and I was short exactly...you guessed it...50 cents. Though I contemplated going back and demanding she fork over my donation, I decided it would be in bad taste and, luckily for me, the nice man in line behind me was feeling charitable that day too. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my “teaser” post on Friday, I wrote that I would tell you why I cried in a church that day. Here’s why:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv11WOeDaU6miYYCtYHKbsWvbEZI5H67PUClT1aAaXSiAs3Jm_7Lxe6Z94S1S9IuJyO6voze2BdMIdB4DeGtTbiaH1GXTR-TzQhDxVspmkD3XX89iUpn6So0ddFWJoiZ1Lz5gz2ZmJynE/s1600/IMG_5671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv11WOeDaU6miYYCtYHKbsWvbEZI5H67PUClT1aAaXSiAs3Jm_7Lxe6Z94S1S9IuJyO6voze2BdMIdB4DeGtTbiaH1GXTR-TzQhDxVspmkD3XX89iUpn6So0ddFWJoiZ1Lz5gz2ZmJynE/s640/IMG_5671.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4xgBTiKJvO_t9niH4P5uMINoYx1-90lOJW2JiBfzeSkWKS24NirzWPF4a36-GgHo-lH3Nb67X7DCFp-VZtmonx_k5xxcGGbNIpVvcowC3nOm0ukMI2J9rwUREt0mcMpsUb4t004qcH8/s1600/IMG_5692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4xgBTiKJvO_t9niH4P5uMINoYx1-90lOJW2JiBfzeSkWKS24NirzWPF4a36-GgHo-lH3Nb67X7DCFp-VZtmonx_k5xxcGGbNIpVvcowC3nOm0ukMI2J9rwUREt0mcMpsUb4t004qcH8/s640/IMG_5692.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgySsBMa0p91pymhN-ZvTmam8ZQy5p3VynhqASYRX1N2AotZRcgtUch9zcaCrPX4o1GwwHNdJATtBhjUhXyTMLSDz1acV9BFVHnNuv8XM5YSDBHvnthipSBHbYPHTJcNMND5X989CfRU/s1600/IMG_5697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgySsBMa0p91pymhN-ZvTmam8ZQy5p3VynhqASYRX1N2AotZRcgtUch9zcaCrPX4o1GwwHNdJATtBhjUhXyTMLSDz1acV9BFVHnNuv8XM5YSDBHvnthipSBHbYPHTJcNMND5X989CfRU/s640/IMG_5697.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIGDUZ9RZSO1HefdqZnE-d8klSsL79x8I6lbMcMXUFSdebeMyBWsTHDPTzuU7ZqTPV1JIG_fULNzqSYpQYd5ACx5lWXM460aeBqLGYNgYEI2m-3Uw5lRHhbtDE4DiXX5AFQKNaqymHXw/s1600/IMG_5698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIGDUZ9RZSO1HefdqZnE-d8klSsL79x8I6lbMcMXUFSdebeMyBWsTHDPTzuU7ZqTPV1JIG_fULNzqSYpQYd5ACx5lWXM460aeBqLGYNgYEI2m-3Uw5lRHhbtDE4DiXX5AFQKNaqymHXw/s640/IMG_5698.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09CYrmzoXiZP-XYR2nUMbWca7F6Luh8TvxdsnaTCY5mrjIwmArX4TPrgzJfx2TEl5ojMU2dsUj55LxNT7QMDXvX4lKrRdOW_zPEthlQMyU8iAIrnY7bO1PldcUnp-j_9wlwI8YIHah_U/s1600/IMG_5703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09CYrmzoXiZP-XYR2nUMbWca7F6Luh8TvxdsnaTCY5mrjIwmArX4TPrgzJfx2TEl5ojMU2dsUj55LxNT7QMDXvX4lKrRdOW_zPEthlQMyU8iAIrnY7bO1PldcUnp-j_9wlwI8YIHah_U/s640/IMG_5703.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLasSgsscpJvVH9_B4QrhdP7YC_8bMwjIZL1yoYIGhjx9iezphC38p8ZcdcsCc7ENJDA_z3ERk07tBcU4sAjluxTb6_faDe91z90OtHFIDZEFiTXJUOCluE1aJi_WrLJ17KtCO1C8GGvc/s1600/IMG_5706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLasSgsscpJvVH9_B4QrhdP7YC_8bMwjIZL1yoYIGhjx9iezphC38p8ZcdcsCc7ENJDA_z3ERk07tBcU4sAjluxTb6_faDe91z90OtHFIDZEFiTXJUOCluE1aJi_WrLJ17KtCO1C8GGvc/s640/IMG_5706.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91tNBsWNWUchRNpxm6SugL4S3rXtin8rTOrxFKq5FjhCLMpG5S8Mv0c0GevEc3U6xbSot7SYYlN6-tNdq-owZ1v3DsO9kbClvXjLbJ1sbnwlasrsGGwTyYExW5oVDq-43UJWfQh67ZMQ/s1600/IMG_5717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91tNBsWNWUchRNpxm6SugL4S3rXtin8rTOrxFKq5FjhCLMpG5S8Mv0c0GevEc3U6xbSot7SYYlN6-tNdq-owZ1v3DsO9kbClvXjLbJ1sbnwlasrsGGwTyYExW5oVDq-43UJWfQh67ZMQ/s640/IMG_5717.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM58RlnTEJ0PT6RaYApRLqHt_7ke8cDswG35GrHzmD8D8FIv0qmCsCMQFxTyDChdEB5hJgEMD1W1u0EsM5uW210PN8JWtAJqIqyyEKrPugLcVjvPLBmCI2wDvK_iGK53bGUb-5rgo4D6g/s1600/IMG_5724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM58RlnTEJ0PT6RaYApRLqHt_7ke8cDswG35GrHzmD8D8FIv0qmCsCMQFxTyDChdEB5hJgEMD1W1u0EsM5uW210PN8JWtAJqIqyyEKrPugLcVjvPLBmCI2wDvK_iGK53bGUb-5rgo4D6g/s640/IMG_5724.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KWOE93Y2Zo5w3SGRrAksbMSkFQU7PuBx_HU7vOlWj8COdQpcY1rEq-I3Kf0iTXSuqyB2Dt40rA0gjtDh9HN5NEVOeBhj3cviV-3t_-qPM8WsXH0RkSBR32fPkgEE00yP3YODdW-woXE/s1600/IMG_5731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KWOE93Y2Zo5w3SGRrAksbMSkFQU7PuBx_HU7vOlWj8COdQpcY1rEq-I3Kf0iTXSuqyB2Dt40rA0gjtDh9HN5NEVOeBhj3cviV-3t_-qPM8WsXH0RkSBR32fPkgEE00yP3YODdW-woXE/s640/IMG_5731.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEHq46Q6FUWM75TfZ2al6YR9QYcmqADWBccc-ol6AZpQ1pvUvlc6Y5UTlC17d9jN25duKqZPwps3PNGosDUB6s8oFjMTOIRZiTEm_wPBPxJEgVsN5v2K6dBwI9_kIhXVAvGwCYqc3SR0/s1600/IMG_5735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEHq46Q6FUWM75TfZ2al6YR9QYcmqADWBccc-ol6AZpQ1pvUvlc6Y5UTlC17d9jN25duKqZPwps3PNGosDUB6s8oFjMTOIRZiTEm_wPBPxJEgVsN5v2K6dBwI9_kIhXVAvGwCYqc3SR0/s640/IMG_5735.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAwBZI9gWyymd5IkGd5CAKDs8NasIvPPwqinVoR-sUWxxN5UB4mHXJzNmYiekq19hSEx5v7Vm4kK0k4m6B9bY6OzvdDxrdPn5MLPDUpxBqtWCr6Xcaz0RwJvdZdEtTmxslkd85tdcoWA/s1600/IMG_5758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAwBZI9gWyymd5IkGd5CAKDs8NasIvPPwqinVoR-sUWxxN5UB4mHXJzNmYiekq19hSEx5v7Vm4kK0k4m6B9bY6OzvdDxrdPn5MLPDUpxBqtWCr6Xcaz0RwJvdZdEtTmxslkd85tdcoWA/s640/IMG_5758.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9YGkwDjEXHiyQ2zhEomFGETuC-HuND4K0DNELuC3Amn27XBp2sxIRg-9gjX0rKU2RdZtvpB97PFJzvHQTQXf46Ekqn0j8tM17duf9p_Hv6gdrTO4qkI_6UpDphtRbF1Ym6HgzKfVgYI/s1600/IMG_5760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9YGkwDjEXHiyQ2zhEomFGETuC-HuND4K0DNELuC3Amn27XBp2sxIRg-9gjX0rKU2RdZtvpB97PFJzvHQTQXf46Ekqn0j8tM17duf9p_Hv6gdrTO4qkI_6UpDphtRbF1Ym6HgzKfVgYI/s640/IMG_5760.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTOjsZykwW3WEHfewIh55Ehc3Gze9pJ8J9hDGrjqwrOUhG2p0AmFLSQfbXRFscOyv4yeg14zPwa0TymKrGaGwaqEeIDIqTMpgIgIotL8RssZUHuZLCu3NcvAuBtEf2d3zavgRq7_ZKIo/s1600/IMG_5768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTOjsZykwW3WEHfewIh55Ehc3Gze9pJ8J9hDGrjqwrOUhG2p0AmFLSQfbXRFscOyv4yeg14zPwa0TymKrGaGwaqEeIDIqTMpgIgIotL8RssZUHuZLCu3NcvAuBtEf2d3zavgRq7_ZKIo/s640/IMG_5768.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiatQhQNRqKjQ5ckWVGYY9bVgHOMeaBH8a4LPgMG5U11z2W7e3VwoHVctaE2KAM1ZS9pOvisIpvDlG_ohRD8HK4n4ViPASqPu3QQAO3HCS5g-n0UNxv0NDGzChdJS3p01GpiN1WkPnJp0/s1600/IMG_5775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiatQhQNRqKjQ5ckWVGYY9bVgHOMeaBH8a4LPgMG5U11z2W7e3VwoHVctaE2KAM1ZS9pOvisIpvDlG_ohRD8HK4n4ViPASqPu3QQAO3HCS5g-n0UNxv0NDGzChdJS3p01GpiN1WkPnJp0/s640/IMG_5775.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Statue representing the kiss of Judas and the cryptogram can be broken into over 300 ways to make the number 33, the age of Jesus at his death.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoxJ6N4-fBf25u8lNMUD4coue76H-M4NuBxyUH0X4ZGkBJhyphenhyphens1T6S1ZOpB9A5wR5yogF5P7v_8RfyTrgxoGy2yqLSWnC_es7eIgOJ3Z1JQ8PahRowfijxLAMp4ZZ3Nj6w6ZkPDrDIOf4/s1600/IMG_5777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoxJ6N4-fBf25u8lNMUD4coue76H-M4NuBxyUH0X4ZGkBJhyphenhyphens1T6S1ZOpB9A5wR5yogF5P7v_8RfyTrgxoGy2yqLSWnC_es7eIgOJ3Z1JQ8PahRowfijxLAMp4ZZ3Nj6w6ZkPDrDIOf4/s640/IMG_5777.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF25KNxL2P6w4WzK7B-ThCVyw3wXEZo4Z9io9koKeL7SwoUxJzFXYFYdw4H9S0cyrtjrAS1eFIWoibvZNcu9dPbkFzInyWWSq7X9yMN0ee2kZb5Uvavm6mlU6LWfUFcQAWdlcToKR6438/s1600/IMG_5782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF25KNxL2P6w4WzK7B-ThCVyw3wXEZo4Z9io9koKeL7SwoUxJzFXYFYdw4H9S0cyrtjrAS1eFIWoibvZNcu9dPbkFzInyWWSq7X9yMN0ee2kZb5Uvavm6mlU6LWfUFcQAWdlcToKR6438/s640/IMG_5782.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJXxd5dg751CdT6wcHkMc8wWG1AiUvw5e5Ui3ceG4U5dbr5lzqzzvtWl9_vxeu81qfNn7BofT62MfXYe2Zpelr5MVICsmhcU_g73QtvioXbf9sCAUnW2Q-bcF5_L8Z7txmsO_tAde2nY/s1600/IMG_5807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJXxd5dg751CdT6wcHkMc8wWG1AiUvw5e5Ui3ceG4U5dbr5lzqzzvtWl9_vxeu81qfNn7BofT62MfXYe2Zpelr5MVICsmhcU_g73QtvioXbf9sCAUnW2Q-bcF5_L8Z7txmsO_tAde2nY/s640/IMG_5807.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Inside the workshop of the Sagrada Familia</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On top of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Sagrada Familia</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> being absolutely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, I had one of those moments when you realize that what you really wanted is actually happening. I was in the place that I’d read countless websites and articles about for YEARS, but never had the means to get there. And combined with this ever-present feeling that sort of catches me off guard sometimes of “I-can’t-believe-how-happy-I-am,” I got a little teary eyed. I would liken it to the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI">viral video</a> on YouTube of a man crying hysterically over the beauty of a double rainbow, but minus the rainbows, the hysterical crying, the obvious drug use, and the ridiculous sentiments he expresses. So, it wasn’t really like that at all. Bottom line: It was beautiful and I’m happy.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I returned to my hostel after getting lost leaving </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Sagrada Familia</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (streets all look alike and the road-nameless map doesn’t help), I found the place abuzz with talks of a riot in the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plaça de Catalunya</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. The short background story is that hundreds of people have been “peacefully” protesting the low pay for many workers and high unemployment rates in Spain for the last two weeks. As the Spanish elections were last week, the Barcelona city government left them alone in their tent city situated in the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plaça de Catalunya</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, not wanting to stir up trouble. But, as a tradition in Barcelona, when there is a big FCBarcelona (</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Futbol Club de Barcelona</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) match, like the European finals Saturday night, thousands of people gather in the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plaça de Catalunya </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to watch the game on big screens. So after multiple warnings to pack up and head home by the Barcelona city government, with “peaceful” protesting still occurring, the police were ordered to clear out the “tent city” so that cleaning crews could restore it to it’s usually beautiful self. Riots ensued and over 100 people were injured. I wasn’t near the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plaça </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">at the time, but when I headed in that direction later in the afternoon to visit </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Las Ramblas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, hundreds of people had gathered and were parading through the streets carrying signs and chanting. After snapping a couple photos, I made a bee-line in the opposite direction, not wanting to get involved in the trouble. If you’re so inclined, you can read more about the riot <a href="http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/riot-police-clash-with-barcelona-protestors-506713.html">here</a>.</span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJqnQ2MxbAMBJ_CKQa5QLUm1apkLV6zg3GD9bgvfl2MsGfUYXRRBVfsG7-MLiQuR9N_m28DtXc9ULY_LB4d0ZVFZLkXIS8aaM30uSShtfBRrz5IxIlIGA61vCwoN4LFYc4QGQY6xYD_E/s1600/IMG_5864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJqnQ2MxbAMBJ_CKQa5QLUm1apkLV6zg3GD9bgvfl2MsGfUYXRRBVfsG7-MLiQuR9N_m28DtXc9ULY_LB4d0ZVFZLkXIS8aaM30uSShtfBRrz5IxIlIGA61vCwoN4LFYc4QGQY6xYD_E/s640/IMG_5864.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People gathered in the Placa de Catalunya</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As beautiful and amazing as Barcelona is, it’s known throughout Europe as a city of thieves. I spent four days clutching my purse to my chest, which was effective as I still have all of my belongings (as far as I know). The highest concentration of pick pocketers is at </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Las Ramblas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, a 1.2 km busy stretch of shops, markets, hotels, and other cultural places. I was at </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Las Ramblas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> at some point every day, and was stunned by all the different things people were selling; seeds, flowers, souvenirs, ice cream, candles, jewelry, chickens...wait, what?!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9R7xkyENzf1Kqd6yw0fZ4uLMHj_k70WEiDimr8AnmV-a3sL6607HzqXu45vY33X2i38_5U80R76iLdqNyEncyonv-TQfhz5USOo6RmGI5lf38Vh5RavdIvhnXlokTpzAico119_xmWnY/s1600/IMG_5865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9R7xkyENzf1Kqd6yw0fZ4uLMHj_k70WEiDimr8AnmV-a3sL6607HzqXu45vY33X2i38_5U80R76iLdqNyEncyonv-TQfhz5USOo6RmGI5lf38Vh5RavdIvhnXlokTpzAico119_xmWnY/s640/IMG_5865.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah, little baby chicks. And baby ducks, and baby turtles, and baby bunnies. And I felt so sad for them all cramped in these little cages on one of the busiest streets in Spain, surrounded by fake statues (I’ll get to that later), pick pocketers, and tourists (blach!). And I wanted so badly to just take one of the little baby chicks home and love it and squeeze it, and teach it to sit on my shoulder like a parrot and do stuff for me. In the midst of my daydreams of having a multipurpose chicken parrot, however, I thought about how Amparo would kill me, Zipi would eat it for breakfast, and even if we both survived THAT mom and THAT cat, we would not live through the American mom and cat waiting for us at home. So I left the chicks on </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Las Ramblas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, in the hopes that someone in a better-suited-for-chickens situation comes along and starts daydreaming about the perks of having retrieval poultry, or guard hens, or their own start-to-finish omelette maker (lays the eggs AND cooks them).</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Got you thinking about it now too, didn’t I?</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Attached to Las Ramblas is the Mercat de Boqueria, an open air market that sells everything from tropical fruit to pig brains to emu eggs to red hot chili peppers. Also, delicious fruit smoothies for 1€. This was pretty much my photography dream under one roof.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXW4mjZksYx5KhG9Z1J9k8V0osfmus8C26x8bwgPQVx_ukg5MwNMEZ6mLKR-wZtk9ktrc5eqYnXWbBuH5t26fuwedO4HMjbTN7QOIjKntf4c-MLmgv1M9mMiY4D0fegoF8W8OxuVJQ8s/s1600/IMG_5869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXW4mjZksYx5KhG9Z1J9k8V0osfmus8C26x8bwgPQVx_ukg5MwNMEZ6mLKR-wZtk9ktrc5eqYnXWbBuH5t26fuwedO4HMjbTN7QOIjKntf4c-MLmgv1M9mMiY4D0fegoF8W8OxuVJQ8s/s640/IMG_5869.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7j2BVnK15ef0XphJqhB1Fp-VfA_5AgOPUJb8-D-VYNI9vcVZSpmHhz8NHRgy3RP6-uOIz_oEk3xdWkwwX1PJ_U2CooZatx2_Qh0lp1L4UzGkG_x2mw6xP3J3khuLEZRjZlFZOpLtuvE/s1600/IMG_5872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7j2BVnK15ef0XphJqhB1Fp-VfA_5AgOPUJb8-D-VYNI9vcVZSpmHhz8NHRgy3RP6-uOIz_oEk3xdWkwwX1PJ_U2CooZatx2_Qh0lp1L4UzGkG_x2mw6xP3J3khuLEZRjZlFZOpLtuvE/s640/IMG_5872.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aZ5dJiFw-0GIBX4Guc76qbgbIkQ1q4bnb4K66GAWM2D-Zk2dbCK_CG8YnAO923RbdasfaAr5UtNxEyKlq-ZqYCZrhvRBm0_SvxI0eIvh4ajHcBIqhRcLUvHRLshdusmeNFTddP6riXE/s1600/IMG_5876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aZ5dJiFw-0GIBX4Guc76qbgbIkQ1q4bnb4K66GAWM2D-Zk2dbCK_CG8YnAO923RbdasfaAr5UtNxEyKlq-ZqYCZrhvRBm0_SvxI0eIvh4ajHcBIqhRcLUvHRLshdusmeNFTddP6riXE/s640/IMG_5876.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDnYNoA-nIGqPTh9e8yI50dhmgpSVDPJhgz3WazWcqo77KkNMLJ2ODrs9VFjzHBuKVVmEcls8yiqjm_gIao8PiJ0ost8msrlBL-EItqLtjIy4JPQI8zjuqJcV_83pdT6nYo0h8KGgHM0/s1600/IMG_5878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDnYNoA-nIGqPTh9e8yI50dhmgpSVDPJhgz3WazWcqo77KkNMLJ2ODrs9VFjzHBuKVVmEcls8yiqjm_gIao8PiJ0ost8msrlBL-EItqLtjIy4JPQI8zjuqJcV_83pdT6nYo0h8KGgHM0/s640/IMG_5878.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOxNdnJ49R947b8Su5zOJTgA2cVbu8wyL-DVQgJvORhJSYVEbtkpxR2eMh3AnmqF0j9N09HOHSB74mhb-MiBdxyNHFjRUPp7d3UfY07v8Ms6QpFZlijQaqQvtaCJ-9qEICutkVojQ1R8/s1600/IMG_5879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOxNdnJ49R947b8Su5zOJTgA2cVbu8wyL-DVQgJvORhJSYVEbtkpxR2eMh3AnmqF0j9N09HOHSB74mhb-MiBdxyNHFjRUPp7d3UfY07v8Ms6QpFZlijQaqQvtaCJ-9qEICutkVojQ1R8/s640/IMG_5879.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friday night, I met up with Ben and Anna at a little cafe near the Barceloneta beach. Afterwards, we ventured out for a few drinks and called it an early night. As Friday was supposed to be my last night in Barcelona as I had originally planned, I wanted to get up early to try and change around reservations so I could stay in the city for the big </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">fútbol</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> match Saturday night.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yZGl4UFFRpVEGdeAGrNgQ3kNeIvaJJvmEuTJpsL5gHNNjb4Gjp3heFPQrTtOVNe_iHIOELRuJnYWEe0AlBuPJEHKriI2GYQx0x0lOdFlbx_A-aJvC_NfUtlj8g1IV-GT-MFUvxzhSq0/s1600/IMG_5910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yZGl4UFFRpVEGdeAGrNgQ3kNeIvaJJvmEuTJpsL5gHNNjb4Gjp3heFPQrTtOVNe_iHIOELRuJnYWEe0AlBuPJEHKriI2GYQx0x0lOdFlbx_A-aJvC_NfUtlj8g1IV-GT-MFUvxzhSq0/s640/IMG_5910.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anna, Ben, and I</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's all for today, folks, but stay tuned for tomorrow's thrilling conclusion to the Barcelona adventures! And as always,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span></span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-44599299009665745772011-05-30T17:09:00.000+02:002011-05-30T17:09:10.043+02:00Linen Shenanigans: Barcelona, Part 1<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After writing the full version of all the collected stories from my four days in Barcelona, I quickly realized that it was just too darn long. So as a result, I’ve broken it up into three parts. I’ll post Part 2 tomorrow and Part 3 on Wednesday. I know you guys appreciate the posts and everything, but I figured a little over 3,200 words (yeah, not kidding) was just wayyyy too much for one day. Enjoy :)</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Several months ago at a Geneseo Family gathering, I was doing some catching up with my good friend Ben and we quickly realized we would both be in Spain at the same time. We talked about how awesome it would be to meet up somewhere in España, had a great night out in Rochester with our closest friends from across the state, and promptly forgot about any tentative planning for a few months. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that Ben told me where and when he’d be in Spain and I was disappointed to discover that I’d already planned a trip to Granada with the university for that weekend. Well, due to a lack of travelers, the trip was cancelled on Tuesday and Ben was already on his way to meet his sister, Anna, in Madrid. They were planning to fly to Barcelona on Friday for a couple of days before hopping the sea to meet even more family in Rome. So, determined to make this last month in Spain (only 28 days left here, folks!) as action-packed as possible, I threw together some plans and by Thursday, was on a train to BCN. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Getting to Barcelona has been one of my main travel goals throughout this entire trip. It all started many years ago when I first laid eyes on one of Antoni Gaudí’s amazing works, the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Casa Batlló</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, on a Samantha Brown Travel Channel episode. So unusual, especially given that it had been built at the end of the 19th century. </span></span></span></div><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After arriving by train, I took the subway to </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Passeig de Gracía</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, the street on which my hostel was situated. Now remember, there was zero pre-planning involved for this trip and I had absolutely no idea where the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Passeig de Gracía </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">was, or if it would be at all interesting. So when I emerged from the subway to see this, you might be able to imagine how extremely happy I was:</span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7Sx0iAZEmuReiBIRk-83bMcyMI1iiZNv28iRq6qOKgi1wmKgoW_ORGCdp6-1RLWEaVgxFCPpcJPiwZXE-ACOnDBV77puY7qBwuZiYSXfhu1o291NBcZCJeva7avVagw4i1FEBCzWNCY/s1600/IMG_5574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7Sx0iAZEmuReiBIRk-83bMcyMI1iiZNv28iRq6qOKgi1wmKgoW_ORGCdp6-1RLWEaVgxFCPpcJPiwZXE-ACOnDBV77puY7qBwuZiYSXfhu1o291NBcZCJeva7avVagw4i1FEBCzWNCY/s640/IMG_5574.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gaudi's Casa Batllo</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkCa9Ik_PzqvPV8x9ERL_Y0PPTqCNf_UfAZRIXtg5g7-v9SOPLRb0sRU9fTbhZF_xTsNBUYRnzXcSMipoxvAcOKXMcdKykHUw4n7oOK-4sPM4HMG7OkglSinGTK68NntEjjjIWvVXE-Q/s1600/IMG_5639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkCa9Ik_PzqvPV8x9ERL_Y0PPTqCNf_UfAZRIXtg5g7-v9SOPLRb0sRU9fTbhZF_xTsNBUYRnzXcSMipoxvAcOKXMcdKykHUw4n7oOK-4sPM4HMG7OkglSinGTK68NntEjjjIWvVXE-Q/s640/IMG_5639.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Again at nighttime.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My hostel was less than a block away from the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Casa Batlló</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, the building that got me hooked on Barcelona in the first place. As it turns out, there isn’t really a better street in the city to stay on than the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Passeig de Gracía</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. My hostel was in walking distance of some of the best cultural spots around, including </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Las Ramblas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mercat de la Boqueria</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Barrí Gotic</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, and the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plaça de Catalunya</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. I know that sounds like a lot of mumbo-jumbo now, but I’ll provide some info about each of these places throughout the posts (get pumped!).</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The three nights spent in my hostel were all enlightening and interesting at the same time. All around, it was pretty cheap (only about 20€ a night), but there were some unusual charges here and there. For example, they provided lockers in the rooms but no locks. Of course, you could get them at the front desk...for a fee (3€). Also, you got your bottom sheet and pillowcase for free (what a deal!), but the top sheet would cost you another 2€. The towels, however, were the biggest moneymaker. At 4€ (and these weren’t to keep, mind you), you could enjoy the comfort of a rinky dink towel. So, being the dirt poor, currently non-working, would rather spend her money on shoes than silly amenities person that I am, I sprung for the lock only, given that I had brought along my computer and other gadgetry. So topsheet-less and towel-less, as well as experiencing the lack of other “luxuries” normally provided at hotels (drawers and closets for clothes, cleaning service, your own bathroom, baby shampoos, etc.), staying at a hostel is a lot like camping, just without the pine needles. And thanks to my best friend, Katie, I know how to wrap my wet hair up in a t-shirt. This knowledge proved handy on this trip.</span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VnUuRZUItkZi7aI5jAmxf2Q0EcA9qpAL4coaSMwBgpZs6wYcxPggm8fGH-8vb2Ypmdhu1nnW8bXD4JM4MeAae4c092TlfzRB5Posp0WZAYou8131CByOCI_Af78Qo1sUFMWuNGR6JOM/s1600/IMG_5918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VnUuRZUItkZi7aI5jAmxf2Q0EcA9qpAL4coaSMwBgpZs6wYcxPggm8fGH-8vb2Ypmdhu1nnW8bXD4JM4MeAae4c092TlfzRB5Posp0WZAYou8131CByOCI_Af78Qo1sUFMWuNGR6JOM/s640/IMG_5918.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My hostel.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Despite the linen shenanigans, it was a pretty great place to stay. Everyone was so friendly and the staff always remembered my name. The free breakfast was basic (cereal, milk, juice, tea, coffee, toast), but clean, plentiful, and well-organized. And the atmosphere was great, making it easy to make friends with fellow travelers.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After getting situated at the hostel, I spent the rest of Thursday getting over my elation about being in Barcelona and dealing with the onset of overwhelmed-ness. When one does not plan her trip in advance, and the only map she has does not have road names and she is too cheap to buy one with them; and when one is finally in the city that she has dreamed of visiting for years and there is just SO MUCH TO DO, panic ensues. So, with survival instincts heightened and claustrophobia from my to do list getting the better of me, I defaulted into what I know best: shopping. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Side note: Mom and Dad, expect to start receiving boxes of stuff. There’s no way my suitcases will be able to handle my “souvenirs”</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">from Spain. And by “souvenirs,” I mean clothes and shoes.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After finally getting my bearings and ahold of myself, I explored the city a little bit and snapped a few photos (of course). </span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvm7LosXti0ZxyDYdiQabEj_IzbzoG3t7szrUTys12ofKBEVUESI8HIw6uQQkms2RRn5VvTPUvk-eJBpF-ifR2UEpbV0is8ELu4KmmfSJxjyJSUUZHAJUXJb0WkANCxgHuDCd-4OPxM0/s1600/IMG_5571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvm7LosXti0ZxyDYdiQabEj_IzbzoG3t7szrUTys12ofKBEVUESI8HIw6uQQkms2RRn5VvTPUvk-eJBpF-ifR2UEpbV0is8ELu4KmmfSJxjyJSUUZHAJUXJb0WkANCxgHuDCd-4OPxM0/s640/IMG_5571.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Passeig de Gracia from atop my hostel.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfV-rST1iU1opmUphHFFMtLKRiz6d7Ugk0cVIpIoIXZKW_sas8f03Mn8mh6S8NuBQro4MfdWZW2vo7MK7EJAqGWIyS3Ko36KkI_m5jw2oimhBvNYp-xIvQgmjlRyh68R0bLhvoi5420cs/s1600/IMG_5583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfV-rST1iU1opmUphHFFMtLKRiz6d7Ugk0cVIpIoIXZKW_sas8f03Mn8mh6S8NuBQro4MfdWZW2vo7MK7EJAqGWIyS3Ko36KkI_m5jw2oimhBvNYp-xIvQgmjlRyh68R0bLhvoi5420cs/s640/IMG_5583.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another Gaudi building, the Casa Mila.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqA35HmDRBqJ28cnJQVNhyTWUQZw8toJy-chXFkOH7n3EOTt4T1fTpBxYZG0AVI3uupnjZh06hKYg8mlHbb2qydtplAYSvR17kIt9unGtJtjUfPCFcqeUJwc69ncdntQ3GMxthHJLvD0/s1600/IMG_5613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqA35HmDRBqJ28cnJQVNhyTWUQZw8toJy-chXFkOH7n3EOTt4T1fTpBxYZG0AVI3uupnjZh06hKYg8mlHbb2qydtplAYSvR17kIt9unGtJtjUfPCFcqeUJwc69ncdntQ3GMxthHJLvD0/s640/IMG_5613.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdmwL5JeVyUPi0eGIh1_ykVXHMYyWDks5eK3kWIsb4WCx3QaqZF8HlUSMhyphenhyphen7-6Ju9uoWdgBue2qDtBiA12m6Sv16UooXdSxXO_6E2jqV0viC2gx5dHs6LFjcZm5kLy0EPVU2yn_iNkmw/s1600/IMG_5617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdmwL5JeVyUPi0eGIh1_ykVXHMYyWDks5eK3kWIsb4WCx3QaqZF8HlUSMhyphenhyphen7-6Ju9uoWdgBue2qDtBiA12m6Sv16UooXdSxXO_6E2jqV0viC2gx5dHs6LFjcZm5kLy0EPVU2yn_iNkmw/s640/IMG_5617.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUGq0tXQf27hG2IoaTq7S9aZmJ5MuZRFZHcbrBeSAaFAa7sweX4u7iHuOMSazgzvJtPasvqetU4WwlIadyS9iYCLv2ObylasFAHbVZEEdgR5U_2uhHMXbFE9UyBR7gkwTSyTRzP7os0w/s1600/IMG_5619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUGq0tXQf27hG2IoaTq7S9aZmJ5MuZRFZHcbrBeSAaFAa7sweX4u7iHuOMSazgzvJtPasvqetU4WwlIadyS9iYCLv2ObylasFAHbVZEEdgR5U_2uhHMXbFE9UyBR7gkwTSyTRzP7os0w/s640/IMG_5619.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can you find me in this picture?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I finished up Thursday night out for drinks and tapas with some nice guys from Minnesota who I met at the hostel. As much as I love Spain and all of the Spanish and international friends I’ve made here, it was very nice to meet and crack jokes with a bunch of Americans. </span><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyUk758pljkcbCSEReNwCeDOiAV8zwegWzn4My6AdNrSQZW2aGLEdsMGBysicUkE6UYBqtXJigdPlcBzF1bXqZ4z2XafUBQDCkjPHj9I0ON_Wcw7rd4dTrmSY0pE398ieHqp2W99szaU/s1600/IMG_5640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyUk758pljkcbCSEReNwCeDOiAV8zwegWzn4My6AdNrSQZW2aGLEdsMGBysicUkE6UYBqtXJigdPlcBzF1bXqZ4z2XafUBQDCkjPHj9I0ON_Wcw7rd4dTrmSY0pE398ieHqp2W99szaU/s640/IMG_5640.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The boys from Minnesota and I in our hostel common room.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Times; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all, Thursday was a great start to an amazing trip. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post about Friday’s adventures in Barcelona, including the answer to the great chicken mystery.</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alicia</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It recently came to my attention that there have been many people who’d like to post comments to the blog (and believe me, I’d LOVE to hear them!) but aren’t sure how to go about doing so. So, here are some step by step instructions because, in all seriousness, I enjoy writing this blog, but it wouldn’t mean anything if I wasn’t hearing back from people in return!</div></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the bottom of the post, click on the word “comments.” It may say “0 comments,” or any other number, depending on if anyone has said anything yet.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Click ‘Select Profile.’</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have a Google account (like gmail), you can sign in using that, but in truth, the easiest thing to do is just select “Name/URL”</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Type in your name (don’t worry about the URL, that’s only there if you’re representing your own website and want to publicize it). Make sure you at least include your name and the first initial of your last name, or even a nickname I’d know. I love finding out who’s reading the blog!</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Click ‘Post Comment’</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Type in the scrambley letters you see on the screen (this is to make sure people can’t program advertisements to automatically post them to my blog...pesky computers).</span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Click ‘Post Comment’ again, and you’re in business!</span></span></span></li>
</ol><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can’t wait to hear from YOU soon! And you, and you, and you, and you, and...well, you get it.</span></span></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-66041777015433321992011-05-27T17:19:00.000+02:002011-05-27T17:19:28.316+02:00This Post is a Tease<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously though. This isn't going to be a full post (sorry!), but I just wanted to drop a quick note to let you all know that I'm thinking of you and currently collecting stories to share with you. Also, I'm in Barcelona. Surprise! Andddd it's currently winning the prize for most beautiful and exciting city I've ever been to. Here are a few things for you to look forward to when I write a full, proper post on this amazing place:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Wednesday's sudden decision to come to BCN. On Thursday.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. First experience staying in a hostel. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Why I almost bought a chicken. A live one.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. How there was a riot two blocks from my hostel. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Why I cried in a church today.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, I'm going to make an attempt to stay in Barcelona juuusssttt a little bit longer as long as I can get my train ticket changed. The European soccer finals are tomorrow night and Barcelona is playing so it's sure to be quite the event here in the city. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So to get you even more excited about future stories, here are a few pictures I've taken the last two days. Enjoy and I will be writing a detailed description of all of my (mis)adventures in just a few days. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alicia</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">P.S. Forca Barça </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsNQs-xj3xyC5MAYWaMlafJVR7rY7VogciNc6k_o9lV1yKMv4gnLHIShQJxjOd2QDQmHi5zX712s1x9p7bAYvd5bJaL1acWuuc9gcFsxWb6-MCDF6zsa87OjLLzELX9fgjKAe3N35RYU/s1600/IMG_5582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsNQs-xj3xyC5MAYWaMlafJVR7rY7VogciNc6k_o9lV1yKMv4gnLHIShQJxjOd2QDQmHi5zX712s1x9p7bAYvd5bJaL1acWuuc9gcFsxWb6-MCDF6zsa87OjLLzELX9fgjKAe3N35RYU/s640/IMG_5582.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiip125KCNQmGHFrVid-fMrlJkzwxaNa6AlEcIul6YrL1TNgw7osriC-KFtXBIMYcvEvSamWP9i_qZTv0WEJMbEVpjtM8CCQs9U2ew94B8YHvEqT2gFcPvY-PfrOZmuRuKZhxqoAkcMZOU/s1600/IMG_5590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiip125KCNQmGHFrVid-fMrlJkzwxaNa6AlEcIul6YrL1TNgw7osriC-KFtXBIMYcvEvSamWP9i_qZTv0WEJMbEVpjtM8CCQs9U2ew94B8YHvEqT2gFcPvY-PfrOZmuRuKZhxqoAkcMZOU/s640/IMG_5590.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTV45ILCAGIyT7fKsYHSyjy-GpNocnSmWadwH0tkV84gl9xi9lGFGHW8Th0J_mAz_7gMwlCsLhucPzHWq5CudR6HFk46zabqd3vFYwPoFdsW6Hd_NQi7YvtbT2LwekpaNgHDiwf-tG2w8/s1600/IMG_5631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTV45ILCAGIyT7fKsYHSyjy-GpNocnSmWadwH0tkV84gl9xi9lGFGHW8Th0J_mAz_7gMwlCsLhucPzHWq5CudR6HFk46zabqd3vFYwPoFdsW6Hd_NQi7YvtbT2LwekpaNgHDiwf-tG2w8/s640/IMG_5631.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4z_TfpfQf_q48ZbpO5_QS7tAGuRvxptHIhNqt3D-L_XVljpekRZZaZOVLwavckFT-O_Gj7AUq38o9IV0WfBwM45zUQc9Xe56UESX2KUo3z3Ouzv7STnn2b_YbOL0uUqw6mviOS7EFu4/s1600/IMG_5638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4z_TfpfQf_q48ZbpO5_QS7tAGuRvxptHIhNqt3D-L_XVljpekRZZaZOVLwavckFT-O_Gj7AUq38o9IV0WfBwM45zUQc9Xe56UESX2KUo3z3Ouzv7STnn2b_YbOL0uUqw6mviOS7EFu4/s640/IMG_5638.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3K-YsHU8bwSU-fNP5crNlcT9vCjWfDP4oSgpnIwJ3YK8W0bq3KUcmZ0NTOq3WIHF11yD3Kkm0ez_sXmxZv8r5otXhTx4EYHT1fMDoUIso28zHcS2a-qblH2iHJSfnsvroMgBiPrwj9E/s1600/IMG_5766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3K-YsHU8bwSU-fNP5crNlcT9vCjWfDP4oSgpnIwJ3YK8W0bq3KUcmZ0NTOq3WIHF11yD3Kkm0ez_sXmxZv8r5otXhTx4EYHT1fMDoUIso28zHcS2a-qblH2iHJSfnsvroMgBiPrwj9E/s640/IMG_5766.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_DyeKJheFFT4BS0lsX7XUI3eVK9uE6yWBnG4zDrifPhUguTsH3mKwnvYH1eK74r1_ogTET4rAr9-SMn9aNo8U4qa3G9qwsfInffnHltQS3Mk2QidACEQH2LiCeLm5DbTqmHpfkWAF8A/s1600/IMG_5849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_DyeKJheFFT4BS0lsX7XUI3eVK9uE6yWBnG4zDrifPhUguTsH3mKwnvYH1eK74r1_ogTET4rAr9-SMn9aNo8U4qa3G9qwsfInffnHltQS3Mk2QidACEQH2LiCeLm5DbTqmHpfkWAF8A/s640/IMG_5849.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-2176561967608109912011-05-23T18:57:00.000+02:002011-05-23T18:57:51.730+02:00Medusas<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s now very summery-feeling here in Alicante, and as the thermometer is now reaching over 80°F on a daily basis, I’ve been feeling pretty beachy-keen. Truth be told, I was feeling beachy-keen at 65°F when I arrived in March, but even more so now. In celebration of the season and as another opportunity for meeting more people from around the world, I signed up for a pair of day trips here in Spain this past weekend. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Saturday morning, I arrived bright and early at the Puerta del Mar in Alicante to meet up with other university students at the catamaran that would take us to the Isla de Tabarca. Tabarca is a teeny tiny island located about an hour and a half (by catamaran) from Alicante. For much of it’s history, Tabarca was famously known as a refuge for pirates (!), but is currently a protected Marine Reserve with 98 people living in it’s “town.” </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXbAh-ahKybyhX97q5amR5IcgVVabM832q-D_I05l0k79G89rrWf6QNvI-niyfzh12hx8JJqKVgHgcACmOIxqPv4zqbh6_aW6b2x7-N6Jpypcj5GCfZci625ae1HpIv9FgMaXuP2XcF0/s1600/tabarca-island-map-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXbAh-ahKybyhX97q5amR5IcgVVabM832q-D_I05l0k79G89rrWf6QNvI-niyfzh12hx8JJqKVgHgcACmOIxqPv4zqbh6_aW6b2x7-N6Jpypcj5GCfZci625ae1HpIv9FgMaXuP2XcF0/s320/tabarca-island-map-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqxen9P2E2mYasmDKpt8xZRCEFbvlylo-P5Fawo1oYhEy-ZzzOxQpagxqC7Pz42uIPOp4OPt5P7WgwT5_VNdrGJf5TqYRrFy_QFRAfq_dHGUVXt1L71zqG77BDSBgtPVCFloC1pylLbo/s1600/IMG_5295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqxen9P2E2mYasmDKpt8xZRCEFbvlylo-P5Fawo1oYhEy-ZzzOxQpagxqC7Pz42uIPOp4OPt5P7WgwT5_VNdrGJf5TqYRrFy_QFRAfq_dHGUVXt1L71zqG77BDSBgtPVCFloC1pylLbo/s400/IMG_5295.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upon our arrival to the waters surrounding the island, I was so excited about the snorkeling experience I had ahead of me. When I was younger and other kids were answering the age-old question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with “princess,” and “movie star,” I was saying “a Marine Biologist.”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know what you’re thinking so I’ll just say it for you. Nerd.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve spent many-an-hour, begoggled and snorkelfied, floating on an inner tube at Swan Lake with my head stuck in the water, and I was soooo (nerdy) excited to extend this experience to the Mediterranean. And there was something so luxurious about this particular trip: sunbathing on the deck of the catamaran, drinking sangria, and surrounded by crystal clear blue water. I felt like a Bond girl, minus the generally unfortunate name and the hankering for double-crossing people on a regular basis.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And this water was so clear and beautiful, that you could see straight through to the bottom, even though we were anchored quite a ways off shore.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hCi0DHc6oYA7Mq51e4HvScU4wJIpfAkfDqoLpCREkMQY-W6YBaVLpUKnFuwIb-rfrTvzVUj6s9yHpvlfHXBdyL9goQGUxSzjpZHMvrspUbq9UL4gTzfFkc05sldosXvqkp8upUrgrVk/s1600/IMG_5308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hCi0DHc6oYA7Mq51e4HvScU4wJIpfAkfDqoLpCREkMQY-W6YBaVLpUKnFuwIb-rfrTvzVUj6s9yHpvlfHXBdyL9goQGUxSzjpZHMvrspUbq9UL4gTzfFkc05sldosXvqkp8upUrgrVk/s400/IMG_5308.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QWjxWOhMxr2L_a2Kk5Fc6qGh2EqXJkBdZKnCp6tDoKNOipTKl2NpSFzZhSGsbkkI_MY9PAEYknYa8JFj_FQ0LFN1F_fdPH99X1BqWR7Nfc5LfI_pFlSjIhSsrAjIJIpr304xCDjBFtI/s1600/IMG_5299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QWjxWOhMxr2L_a2Kk5Fc6qGh2EqXJkBdZKnCp6tDoKNOipTKl2NpSFzZhSGsbkkI_MY9PAEYknYa8JFj_FQ0LFN1F_fdPH99X1BqWR7Nfc5LfI_pFlSjIhSsrAjIJIpr304xCDjBFtI/s400/IMG_5299.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem, though, with clear, clean, blue water, is that you can see anything that may be lurking in the depths...</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dun-dun...</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dun-dun...</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or really...</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ploop-ploop...</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ploop-ploop...</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ploop-ploop, ploop-ploop, ploop-ploop</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWpmkHTF8Cgp1-BRDFo3NlDAQR36STUDU5VHKK5ZPFj2ZaNsVdX_OH4GONYZq2sHA6YI2eKRuP_YnYK7FZ1shqpk0J4O0jCeriEJKi0FR5MJpAtQ5PC2Nk1aHb4sO_1tSH0K6HpakMQ0/s1600/IMG_5310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWpmkHTF8Cgp1-BRDFo3NlDAQR36STUDU5VHKK5ZPFj2ZaNsVdX_OH4GONYZq2sHA6YI2eKRuP_YnYK7FZ1shqpk0J4O0jCeriEJKi0FR5MJpAtQ5PC2Nk1aHb4sO_1tSH0K6HpakMQ0/s400/IMG_5310.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Great oogley-boogley!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And though I must admit that the teeeeny-tiny jellyfish, or <i>medusas</i>, were kind of adorable (no, I didn’t call any of them my “squishy” and proclaim them to be mine), when there are TONS of them EVERYWHERE, one tends to see them as bringers of evil rather than cute little invertebrates.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even with the carnivorous beasts with poisonous appendages ploop-plooping around our catamaran, I couldn’t resist the urge to don my goggles and snorkel and take the plunge. I mean, how often does one get to snorkel in a Mediterranean Marine Reserve? So into the sea me, and my fellow travelers went; all braving the jellyfish for the sake of this “once in a lifetime experience.” </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, it turns out I’m absolutely terrified of jellyfish and my fabulous snorkeling session lasted approximately four minutes. Don’t get me wrong, the sea floor was lovely for the estimated three seconds I could forget about the predacious land mines ploop-plooping everywhere, but really, I spent most of my time in the water nevously looking around, trying to find a “spot” in the sea that was jellyfish-free. As you may have guessed, jellyfish can move, and therefore, no such place exists. Also, it’s very difficult to look like a Bond girl when you’re constantly splashing about, ducking your head in and out of the water, stifling screams when you suddenly look up and there’s one of the little demons 3 inches from your goggles. Needless to say, I have not gotten any cooler in Spain.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After I emerged from the sea, unscathed and breathing a sigh of relief, I spent the rest of our time at Tabarca looking mournfully at the water, wishing conditions had been different. I longed to continue snorkeling but knew I would not enjoy myself because of my paranoia. Much like my nights spent on the trail in the Adirondacks often go unslept due to “bear-anoia,” my urge to dive back into those crystal clear waters was sequestered by my fears of what lay beneath. It‘s the jellyfish complex.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkH-QMaULRtt9awyRYmH_l7NAB9QBn7i5MHfYoqmLVApH55ghWrEkBLLuji-Ha3f3kivjI130cRekLW2Vy5R5x6GKwQiTuOotv4m9e4F3kAPMjuZwD1BnMbb9ZtPojge09sO2FXtr0zY/s1600/IMG_5304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkH-QMaULRtt9awyRYmH_l7NAB9QBn7i5MHfYoqmLVApH55ghWrEkBLLuji-Ha3f3kivjI130cRekLW2Vy5R5x6GKwQiTuOotv4m9e4F3kAPMjuZwD1BnMbb9ZtPojge09sO2FXtr0zY/s400/IMG_5304.jpg" width="327" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Relieved to be jellyfish-free.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Upon my return home and after telling my family here about my disappointing “snorkeling” experience at Tabarca, Amparo informed me that there generally aren’t jellyfish there until September. I told her, don’t worry, it’s not global climate change, it’s just the Alicia Vortex. As soon as I go back to the States, things in Spain will be normal again. Also, Borja promised me we’d make a return trip to Tabarca to reattempt Mediterranean snorkeling before I leave. I told him thanks, that will be wonderful, but really I’m just bringing him as jellyfish bait.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday, I headed out even brighter and even earlier to the center of Alicante to meet up with the same group of fellow students for yet another day trip. This time our destination was the city of Valencia with the main attraction being L’Oceanografic, Europe’s largest aquarium. Being the nature girl I am, I’m always game for a good aquarium, especially where I can view the jellyfish behind glass rather than tickling my toes. In total, L’Oceanografic was not my favorite, but the disappointment of the exhibits was COMPLETELY outweighed by the absolutely amazing dolphin show we saw. Literally, I was so happy. My face hurt from smiling through the entire thing. Complete with leaping, flipping, hula-hooping, and dancing (and those were just the trainers, you shoulda seen what the dolphins could do), as well as some spectacular high-diving, it was just awesome. So to end today’s post, here are some photos from Valencia, L’Oceanografic, and the dolphin show. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve also added even MORE photos to my Flickr page <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62515370@N07/">here</a>.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOs3S7BDdI0F8JPS7SOYVHIOsV_E81D64umr5IHozrYiNofP5B3F6o7R5bjFgjJ21k49vlvlxldzW6XXI3onJuFqKgAI2PLtjYMPViBhZ5mybVTA9P6r7nwt4arnKOQhoIHeWLmeQlBY/s1600/IMG_5357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOs3S7BDdI0F8JPS7SOYVHIOsV_E81D64umr5IHozrYiNofP5B3F6o7R5bjFgjJ21k49vlvlxldzW6XXI3onJuFqKgAI2PLtjYMPViBhZ5mybVTA9P6r7nwt4arnKOQhoIHeWLmeQlBY/s400/IMG_5357.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAE1VE448eXabrt1d9xmTJoLiLbi0X_6Mpp13Ha7S9fZssjB2gNtI56VpfsGeLaL0C0PfnpUakK-wTokNH98h7r_npJgRch7kTlyEWotSpPzTo6DuOgoLSptxPHeHFMSvtG9hPjPVuVU/s1600/IMG_5359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAE1VE448eXabrt1d9xmTJoLiLbi0X_6Mpp13Ha7S9fZssjB2gNtI56VpfsGeLaL0C0PfnpUakK-wTokNH98h7r_npJgRch7kTlyEWotSpPzTo6DuOgoLSptxPHeHFMSvtG9hPjPVuVU/s400/IMG_5359.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMx0dSYonl_wDF7XOh0B1OaHxuORbA2ndqRqm5SY5hIYH-Twq3J6pr_jTXPboUPv8EuooUhTb1ZsALB7uTCvhZAR8x1q_mF92m-J158P92aa-fHxS76IO389RE_Zu-BhSq-cu7mjBop0/s1600/IMG_5371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMx0dSYonl_wDF7XOh0B1OaHxuORbA2ndqRqm5SY5hIYH-Twq3J6pr_jTXPboUPv8EuooUhTb1ZsALB7uTCvhZAR8x1q_mF92m-J158P92aa-fHxS76IO389RE_Zu-BhSq-cu7mjBop0/s400/IMG_5371.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvLC8tKhJ0qIXHga4vMrpwFG9nNomdpfHMeiVcv_0rAvflx8gcNsAIUUp63YxaZl57t8N4_J3b2KBX7y6GKdcR5SdMAoDJkpKAr-AIuRTgXu7m_Tgoh-IaQRFeXSGfDHw1J5GagKiJjU/s1600/IMG_5463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvLC8tKhJ0qIXHga4vMrpwFG9nNomdpfHMeiVcv_0rAvflx8gcNsAIUUp63YxaZl57t8N4_J3b2KBX7y6GKdcR5SdMAoDJkpKAr-AIuRTgXu7m_Tgoh-IaQRFeXSGfDHw1J5GagKiJjU/s400/IMG_5463.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEngCW9J30mK6K6WVWjnCZZLjhmX-L6c2hlFlgzCL4E5k5sdMZ5vacD4Lzu9m9K4PoTLanIuXqc7ugd98AdE1s7_387DWO7cBODBXFcAZbAMlNOdJ6epOHeRFs7HcXZzIxdB0xLJ8rDug/s1600/IMG_5471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEngCW9J30mK6K6WVWjnCZZLjhmX-L6c2hlFlgzCL4E5k5sdMZ5vacD4Lzu9m9K4PoTLanIuXqc7ugd98AdE1s7_387DWO7cBODBXFcAZbAMlNOdJ6epOHeRFs7HcXZzIxdB0xLJ8rDug/s400/IMG_5471.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBRbWUAm5IvF1O728lvLFExBwmJ52AvYMFR-GYGSVp187x__E9tT6yVlJgSBhtOalvbYZI1eCjLTpiGHbV3YsQhKMLqxhNfD1IOgkGu6roY7-4XHDms8xCpWsy79K_Jm2cWJR-QVETs0/s1600/IMG_5498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBRbWUAm5IvF1O728lvLFExBwmJ52AvYMFR-GYGSVp187x__E9tT6yVlJgSBhtOalvbYZI1eCjLTpiGHbV3YsQhKMLqxhNfD1IOgkGu6roY7-4XHDms8xCpWsy79K_Jm2cWJR-QVETs0/s400/IMG_5498.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB57Ohgklq8sfJf6CXTFmiii2hRUbkFimAcgrhe_iICq227VgzdzVucOZMi1PoFJnrpv7KUjYbWw93LiaEvVEI7Hg_OT_A_boRJZH1eAnpz-x35cNkVYYC1JNEVmldoILs97lWOdc1ghU/s1600/IMG_5505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB57Ohgklq8sfJf6CXTFmiii2hRUbkFimAcgrhe_iICq227VgzdzVucOZMi1PoFJnrpv7KUjYbWw93LiaEvVEI7Hg_OT_A_boRJZH1eAnpz-x35cNkVYYC1JNEVmldoILs97lWOdc1ghU/s400/IMG_5505.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ORAybqjk3L9Th6VLaC24XocH7zAr-ML-a7fi5nG3d17QfCeSYyE5uCkYst56BDofcX5q9vxguEC7Y_tOwcl6QOKT2Jh5S6ddhgXk0QQF2l5qOxqKCkrhuV4cvs78l3dLriN7U6g0U8A/s1600/IMG_5531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ORAybqjk3L9Th6VLaC24XocH7zAr-ML-a7fi5nG3d17QfCeSYyE5uCkYst56BDofcX5q9vxguEC7Y_tOwcl6QOKT2Jh5S6ddhgXk0QQF2l5qOxqKCkrhuV4cvs78l3dLriN7U6g0U8A/s400/IMG_5531.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not the only one enjoying the sunshine.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvpFos4bXvmfLiiMO_0H_yTse1Wj9VjtM4jNHf3ktdMZwxC8KdyIenUOI43610WSWgiDZlm20CUm7drvPNpWB7dxbmT2_WUM__bKYICU-7OhCp2jZQuyW2gq7r5185cYEplwdgl3x-14/s1600/IMG_5533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvpFos4bXvmfLiiMO_0H_yTse1Wj9VjtM4jNHf3ktdMZwxC8KdyIenUOI43610WSWgiDZlm20CUm7drvPNpWB7dxbmT2_WUM__bKYICU-7OhCp2jZQuyW2gq7r5185cYEplwdgl3x-14/s400/IMG_5533.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjZXNtTK-RH2eALDWvoK-Ni0OVkfH-7pBevun3YsKoDGnkKx6XjC922Gy57vAGKk9-QtzbJF2SEWtW4VB_ypTEfCRO-Qcr2UDh1OqYhj4XxFYgLij3vXxD_cWcXwSCxQd_q5vTul9aEk/s1600/IMG_5537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjZXNtTK-RH2eALDWvoK-Ni0OVkfH-7pBevun3YsKoDGnkKx6XjC922Gy57vAGKk9-QtzbJF2SEWtW4VB_ypTEfCRO-Qcr2UDh1OqYhj4XxFYgLij3vXxD_cWcXwSCxQd_q5vTul9aEk/s400/IMG_5537.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfrrPJwtJYBcUjOEMwIGEnV21RehObN9kdJ6oLscO7YpUpigiFm3qX5rDrQEuMa5j-fk-vRLzV9XV5jnxSth0fbWGN9LzraWnzDhyphenhyphen5RaZanqdKf06sKfmMGYl-aS8RZUkBm-r3rdlJ9k/s1600/IMG_5540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfrrPJwtJYBcUjOEMwIGEnV21RehObN9kdJ6oLscO7YpUpigiFm3qX5rDrQEuMa5j-fk-vRLzV9XV5jnxSth0fbWGN9LzraWnzDhyphenhyphen5RaZanqdKf06sKfmMGYl-aS8RZUkBm-r3rdlJ9k/s400/IMG_5540.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tandem high dive</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally, I've added a new video to my YouTube channel <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0_G1589ZUg">here</a>. The video itself is of fish near Tabarca eating bread thrown from our boat but that isn't all that important as I wasn't even paying attention while filming it. The important part is that you get to witness me:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Ask a question in spanish (that is probably done so incorrectly)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Not understand the answer</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Laugh like a huuugggeee dork (typical)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Totally fail at being flirted with by an English guy</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And those four points, folks, pretty much sums up my trip in Spain thus far. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As always, thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alicia</span></i></span></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-91449497053401077982011-05-17T22:31:00.000+02:002011-05-17T22:31:43.308+02:00Open Letters<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">An Open Letter to the Alicante Bus System</span></u></b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslZY2TMiXXHoZq-rJnKW0j9Mah1kMLt69x1dWh1rjxA4LgRzc6vri1Am-5z62lYeyoLVQ69qYw-tK2Tl65KE0rh0penxD_4FkTnALnhlLBZY2_2zPJGrzinr6fEemGi23gDsS2-n9zrQ/s1600/Alicante+Bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslZY2TMiXXHoZq-rJnKW0j9Mah1kMLt69x1dWh1rjxA4LgRzc6vri1Am-5z62lYeyoLVQ69qYw-tK2Tl65KE0rh0penxD_4FkTnALnhlLBZY2_2zPJGrzinr6fEemGi23gDsS2-n9zrQ/s1600/Alicante+Bus.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The recipient.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello New Friend,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why can’t we just get along? I realize that I am new to the area and that everyone from Spain actually seems to understand you, but why do you make it so difficult for me? Each day I wake up, shaking off my nightmares from the previous day’s indiscretions you committed against me, hoping to reach the point in our relationship where you stop seeing me as an outsider and welcome me as one of your own. I take time each morning, carefully observing your routes, planning the moment where I will see your massive form loping around the bend and you will stop in front of me with that characteristic “hissss” and I will board you without feeling the sting of your rejection. But every day, my careful preparation goes unnoticed as you find a way to thwart me yet again; your strategic diversions of my attention so hurtful to me like your bite on my hand. As our time together is quickly dwindling, I fear I’ll never fully understand you before I leave Alicante, nor you, I. So please take this letter as a peace offering, that you may recognize my deeply rooted good intentions and replace your obvious feelings of malcontent toward me with those of warmth and affection. I cannot bear being your toy mouse any longer.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sincerely,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alicia (The American Girl)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">An Open Letter to Borja’s Cat, Zipi</span></u></b></span></span></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94gsNWbMbUcKf5Ok5lsuZ5bL4OQPrOrKJ_0JJhi4fqzPF4QYpXRLvO7PvOW8ALNVbm8zysQhWKRs0G3iKslbvOtVDPcPVrI8PpdLM_bvIzuo1GyPi6QJA_dtDmTBzz3_iZED6Ks6j5oQ/s1600/IMG_3172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94gsNWbMbUcKf5Ok5lsuZ5bL4OQPrOrKJ_0JJhi4fqzPF4QYpXRLvO7PvOW8ALNVbm8zysQhWKRs0G3iKslbvOtVDPcPVrI8PpdLM_bvIzuo1GyPi6QJA_dtDmTBzz3_iZED6Ks6j5oQ/s400/IMG_3172.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The recipient.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello New Friend,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why can’t we just get along? I realize that I am new to the area and that everyone from Spain actually seems to understand you, but why do you make it so difficult for me? Each day I wake up, shaking off my nightmares from the previous day’s indiscretions you committed against me, hoping to reach the point in our relationship where you stop seeing me as an outsider and welcome me as one of your own. I take time each morning, carefully observing your routes, planning the moment where I will see your massive form loping around the bend and you will stop in front of me with that characteristic “hissss” and I will pet you without feeling the sting of your rejection. But every day, my careful preparation goes unnoticed as you find a way to thwart me yet again; your strategic diversions of my attention so hurtful to me like your bite on my hand. As our time together is quickly dwindling, I fear I’ll never fully understand you before I leave Alicante, nor you, I. So please take this letter as a peace offering, that you may recognize my deeply rooted good intentions and replace your obvious feelings of malcontent toward me with those of warmth and affection. I cannot bear being your toy mouse any longer.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sincerely,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alicia (The American Girl)</span></span></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-91774179256343902082011-05-14T18:39:00.000+02:002011-05-14T18:39:27.801+02:00Meet Me Halfway<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As today marks completion of half of this crazy Spanish adventure (yup, it’s been 44 days already peeps), I have some fun metacognitive updates on my self-actualization for you! </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(...)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aren’t you so excited!?</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(...)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As well as a few statistics from my trip thus far!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(...)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just wait, it’ll be grand.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before we get to all of that excitement, let me just tell you a little story of how Alicia got her groove back. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And no, it’s not THAT kind of groove. Get your head out of the gutter, Dadddd.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Believe it or not, I have been known to whip up some pretty tasty treats in the past, as well as present them in a fashionable and completely domestic princess-esque manner. Those ice cubes looking a little plain? Let’s jazz ‘em up with some lemon slices! Need to add a little ‘umpfh’ to that plate of cookies? Throw a doily under it! Don’t have any time or energy, your friends are on their way over, and something may be burning? Make those intricately designed, time consuming, highly unnecessary but oh-so-adorable place cards anyway!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aside from my reign as Domestic Princess of my kitchen, I also serve as the Queen of Biting Off More Than Thou Can Cheweth Land. Hence, pierogies. And after the Great Pierogi Debacle of 2011, I was feeling less like Martha Stewart and more like I had just made my generous Spanish family “Polish Surprise” for Easter, with the surprise being that your mouth becomes cemented shut. So in desperate search of a comeback, I went with a pair of good ol’ standbys: jambalaya and marinated meat. You may be thinking, “Alicia, how oh so dull of you. What ever happened to fancy stuff like cornish game hen, and flounder, and roasted red pepper risotto?? Standbys...pssshhh.” Say what you will, but thanks to the recipes of my mom and Mama Rees, and a little creativity at the grocery store, I got the Martha magic back in me.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckulMIH9UgqfOCkVhT-EwCRjwLo8s7klEhX_Ee8YSzaWPnX_C17avI3KfNZysRYu0-GdUl3Qe-NuJjeWfrUq1sOXk2pfmmXKII3Qln91hVOF623LVraVo2CenVabdWbx7WrVtOQJMf9w/s1600/martha_stewart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckulMIH9UgqfOCkVhT-EwCRjwLo8s7klEhX_Ee8YSzaWPnX_C17avI3KfNZysRYu0-GdUl3Qe-NuJjeWfrUq1sOXk2pfmmXKII3Qln91hVOF623LVraVo2CenVabdWbx7WrVtOQJMf9w/s400/martha_stewart.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgvqQBedJRxSJ7SwfSFxD0U5bvPiTqNVC7AC6vu4M4GBCaPLRDucSqLojkWDrFVyXHTMzK2QCaiINVxZDVLxHQpmU_Rj-hlEuzUTIbwLULLB2zazQ4T5kjMMEkEBF9oDWD9VZtYwybdk/s1600/IMG_3862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgvqQBedJRxSJ7SwfSFxD0U5bvPiTqNVC7AC6vu4M4GBCaPLRDucSqLojkWDrFVyXHTMzK2QCaiINVxZDVLxHQpmU_Rj-hlEuzUTIbwLULLB2zazQ4T5kjMMEkEBF9oDWD9VZtYwybdk/s400/IMG_3862.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, I shall treat you to a peek inside my head with a healthy dose of metacognition and a view into the inner-workings of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">la chica americana</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. I don’t talk about how I’m “doing” so much in my blogs because, contrary to the amount of times I make the posts about myself, I really don’t want it all to be about me. So...with that being said, I’m doing great! </span></span><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wake up every morning and look at the Mediterranean Sea and think of how very lucky I am. I spend my days touring around Alicante, going to the beach, reading, studying Spanish (sometimes), and doing what I’ve come to love the most, which is writing posts about my (mis)adventures. Now halfway through my trip, I’m tanner, a little bit fatter (damn you chocolate croissants!), and a lot more broke than when I left, but I’m happier. I feel more independent, more confident, and more excited about my future than ever before. I’ve met great people, eaten amazing things (and a few strange things too), seen beautiful places, and I still have a month and a half left. Of course I miss home and all of you wonderful people that encompass that word in my mind, but I’ve got you all with me here and there are still adventures to be had. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So to complete today’s post and to highlight some (hopefully) interesting factoids about my trip so far, I’ve compiled a list of statistics about Alicia in Spain. Here are the running totals thus far:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Days in Spain: 44</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blog posts written: 15</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Number of words written: 10,859</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Minutes of video taken: 54 minutes, 46 seconds</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Number of photos taken: 2,067</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Estimated number of loaves of bread consumed: 11</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Net weight gain/loss: + 4 lbs.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pairs of shoes purchased: 5</span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDULpG5cWEle4swoln_F1zWp4dexuED9GFyNKLGViAzBDavGYn2B93lJhL5f_ON6DlRH_dCKtcouxVWttU-Tj8x1Ltx-HH_LLs7RylJS8l_YX3JQ8u48pPlw4Ks7ptg340lvTSTRyp7z8/s1600/IMG_5152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDULpG5cWEle4swoln_F1zWp4dexuED9GFyNKLGViAzBDavGYn2B93lJhL5f_ON6DlRH_dCKtcouxVWttU-Tj8x1Ltx-HH_LLs7RylJS8l_YX3JQ8u48pPlw4Ks7ptg340lvTSTRyp7z8/s400/IMG_5152.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They look so innocent here.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Average inches taller than most Spanish men I am: 2-3 inches</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Percentage of music played on the radio that is American: roughly 75%</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Estimated number of times I’ve been to the beach: 20</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Average amount of time it takes me to say one sentence in Spanish: 2 minutes</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Favorite Spanish food so far: Almond gazpacho, Amparo’s lentil soup, and Fanta Límon of course.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Least favorite Spanish food so far: A kind of fish I had in Sevilla that had an almost powdery consistency...blach.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Favorite tourist attraction so far: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Catedral de Santa María de Sede</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in Sevilla</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Least favorite tourist attraction so far: The nudie beaches and the wildlife that inhabit those...parts.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Absolute favorite thing about España so far: A few things; the people; all the buildings are old and gorgeous; the sunshine.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Least favorite thing about España so far: All of you aren’t here to enjoy it with me!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goals for the next month and a half: Learn wayyy more Spanish, make friends with Borja's cat, Zipi, who I'm pretty sure is really a small bear, secure a summer job at home, do more traveling here, and learn how to drive a stick (a manual car, Daddd, quit thinking so dirty).</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there you have it! Halfway through </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">la chica americana</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in España! But where will she end up next!?</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stay tuned...and thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alicia</span></i></span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
</span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-90691154333822976812011-05-11T17:52:00.000+02:002011-05-11T17:52:53.923+02:00I Stand Corrected<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a thing for grammar. For the English language in general. I love words. I love combinations of words, and great writing, and detailed storytelling. With creativity and the conventions of modern English, we produce tales of great beauty or terror, happiness or depression, mystery, rights-of-passage, fantasy, or even, say, the travel experiences of an oftentimes clueless American girl in a foreign land. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the midst of the Great Hack Attack of 2011, when many of my friends and family received emails and Facebook messages from “me” claiming “I” had been mugged in London and needed a questionable amount of money to get “home,” I had quite a few people tell me the way they knew it could not have been me: the spelling and grammar were less than stellar. It overjoyed me to hear that my friends and family were sure that, even under duress and in a state of panic, I would adhere to the correct rules of our written language. You guys know me so well. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So by knowing this little quirky (nerdy) factoid about me, it may not be difficult to extrapolate that, at times in my life, I have had the tendency to correct people when they speak...incorrectly. “Are you sure you “sawed” it happen? No, you didn’t “seen” it happen either, sorry.” Eventually, I realized that people generally don’t like being interrupted and corrected mid-story, or speech, or lecture, and this nasty little habit came to a stop. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And now here I am, in Spain, slowly and painfully trying to speak a language that’s, well, foreign to me, and I get corrected ALL. THE. TIME. Mid-word, mid-sentence, I’m pretty sure Borja’s even corrected me mid-thought. And when these events occur, I can’t help but think I hear:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alicia, it’s God. You had it kind of rough for a while and so now I’m going to give you a present. Go to Spain. Have a great time. Finish working on you so you can come home and be the strong girl I know you are. I’m giving you this heaping plate full of destiny, but juuuusssstttt so you remember who’s really in charge, here’s a tiny sprinkling of Karma to keep you in check. Let’s not forget whose Boss around here. Oh, and quit eating the chocolate-filled croissants. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(I have trouble listening to that last bit).</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So in the hopes of improving my handle on the lingo, I've now begun Intermediate Spanish with zero prior Spanish instruction and exactly 40 days immersed in the culture. And, let me just say, it isn’t so bad! Of course there were times in class where I’m sure the professor peered out into the group and saw me with a very tragically confused look on my face, but I know I wasn’t alone. I’m pretty sure I saw the same expression flash across the faces of all my classmates at one time or another. But do you know what really made me happy about the course? Even though it’s only been a few months since I finished my degree, being back in the classroom was like coming home again. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Hold on, I just need to push my glasses back up my nose and work out some figures on my calculator).</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But seriously, I’m going to make a big effort to rock this class and hopefully come home with a nice strong base of Spanish under my belt. That way, when I start a Spanish course or two in the fall...I’m sorry but I just can’t help myself...I'll have something to work with. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So before I leave you to head outside with my bag of books on this beautiful day in Alicante, I just want to relay a few anecdotes about some vocabulary mix-ups I’ve had here in Spain.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Spanish word for “summer” is </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">verano</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> while “vegetable” is </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">verdura</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. A couple weeks after I arrived, I told José Antonio that I like to go to the beach in a vegetable. He still reminds me of that often.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Better” in Spanish is </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mejor</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, while “woman” is </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mujer</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. I constantly confuse these two, and after a lunch with my host parents in Granada when I was feeling very confident in my ability to understand them when they speak in </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">español</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, I told them that I believe my Spanish is getting a woman. José Antonio just about cried laughing there.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, the best story of all is when I unknowingly spoke my first dirty words in Spanish. After one of the processions of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Semana Santa</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, José Antonio and I bought a big bag of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">porras</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> which are basically gigantic </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">churros</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. We put them in the kitchen, or the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cocina</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Now, apparently, while a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">porra </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">is a delicious treat of fried dough, a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">porro</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is a marijuana cigarette. And while </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cocina </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">is a kitchen, a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cochina</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is a promiscuous woman. Now of course I didn’t know about these “other” words and when Amparo, my host mother, arrived home, I confidently told her that the joints were in the whore. José Antonio and Amparo continue to tell that story in great detail at every social gathering and whenever they introduce me to any of their friends. “This is Alicia, she’s our American daughter, and you’ll never guess what she said!” I’m very lucky they both have such a great sense of humor.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you guys need me, I’ll be in the library, happy as a clam.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I realized shortly after publishing my post on Sevilla that I forgot to include this photo, which is my favorite that I've taken in Spain so far. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHm4RK_JSqEGUN64Iwdv6bpUe6KYsUgZ5iJBbUtnGsDyvRRCqfrUz4fEy3RDRRU-YQ56Irrt_TuzUpPZGQD39GklVG9uRkoEGwmg6v5MG7iRNkPnopGA9soyMX9R5xzs2eHj3eo3nTas/s1600/IMG_4826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHm4RK_JSqEGUN64Iwdv6bpUe6KYsUgZ5iJBbUtnGsDyvRRCqfrUz4fEy3RDRRU-YQ56Irrt_TuzUpPZGQD39GklVG9uRkoEGwmg6v5MG7iRNkPnopGA9soyMX9R5xzs2eHj3eo3nTas/s640/IMG_4826.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Please notice the sign.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-23904480545597068192011-05-07T22:18:00.001+02:002011-05-08T13:45:26.227+02:00A Doozie of a Post<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take a bathroom break now. Maybe prepare some snacks. Possibly gather some canned goods that you can use as rations while reading this post. I've got a lot of ground to cover and this post is a biggie.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Thursday night, while still in the infinitely ongoing preparation phase of l</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a boda</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, José Antonio and Amparo sat me down, and with the help of my kind, wonderful, thanks-for-always-translating translator Borja, told me that they were taking me to Sevilla. They wanted me to see more of Spain than just Alicante (which of course I agreed with) and they had friends who were going to be in the city for a festival. More on this extremely low-key event later (and by "low-key," I mean insane). The real excitement about this trip was that we would make the six hour trek from Alicante to Sevilla on Sunday morning, the day after the wedding. This meant two things: I wouldn’t have time to write a blog post about the wedding before I left (Sorry, guys!) and I’d be hungover in the car for six hours. Ugh.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a very scenic journey during which Amparo and I mostly slept with our sunglasses on and José Antonio drove holding his eyelids open, we safely arrived in Sevilla and checked into our hotel. Around 8ish I donned my stylish high heels and ventured out into the many-a-cobblestoned streets of Sevilla with Amparo and José. Eventually I will learn that high heels and cobblestones are not an ideal combination for walking MILES around a city and will become smarter about my shoe choices. Eventually.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are a few nighttime photos of our first walk through Sevilla Sunday night:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjjfEy21fuNy1b-XZlR2jEyWOpG8HWC_CNgAJ_6RlUrXPP4KUV2qWbVftclN3JXxo00TEBiNNAa4qSAvIg9WQwSML4mU9CCIdr00W_U0JQWXPAo2DAjq1ymw4nGAKJhR2u4ZCK3sEZ_w/s1600/IMG_4318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjjfEy21fuNy1b-XZlR2jEyWOpG8HWC_CNgAJ_6RlUrXPP4KUV2qWbVftclN3JXxo00TEBiNNAa4qSAvIg9WQwSML4mU9CCIdr00W_U0JQWXPAo2DAjq1ymw4nGAKJhR2u4ZCK3sEZ_w/s400/IMG_4318.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPGrNSh4432VqDLiZeiP2ePudpTHnNfT5xREgGsg9KecWN378SnixVOCr2z-WWUFmHWNM5gxHF-RVJaNj_ZOi3IcL3oDeW_DmM_saFeVnEErMfuHrBWUTHqJPHjz30drFNPRC2vm0qmY/s1600/IMG_4340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPGrNSh4432VqDLiZeiP2ePudpTHnNfT5xREgGsg9KecWN378SnixVOCr2z-WWUFmHWNM5gxHF-RVJaNj_ZOi3IcL3oDeW_DmM_saFeVnEErMfuHrBWUTHqJPHjz30drFNPRC2vm0qmY/s400/IMG_4340.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnIongX4SHSmBRn2e5InYfda0oVLeszB_FB2uymLtonLaH0s7mKPuV0RLs5Nm4fwebMn00P3fuHuN5zf_drrIzI3VLDHuXnNw9Aancm2rkWyHUDUucQnmdcIfgKViSr47D1QF0nG3xSw/s1600/IMG_4346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnIongX4SHSmBRn2e5InYfda0oVLeszB_FB2uymLtonLaH0s7mKPuV0RLs5Nm4fwebMn00P3fuHuN5zf_drrIzI3VLDHuXnNw9Aancm2rkWyHUDUucQnmdcIfgKViSr47D1QF0nG3xSw/s400/IMG_4346.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One very important aspect of this trip was my host parents’ and my determined effort to eat as much as possible with as little guilt as possible. Beginning around the time of the wedding, we started saying “</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">después Sevilla</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">,” meaning “after Sevilla,” while we gorged ourselves on the fried/greasy/artery-clogging/tasty/I-could-have-eaten-ten-and-probably-did </span></span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(fill in the blank)</span></span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. These little savories were anything from </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">croquettas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> of ham and bechamel sauce to </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">churros</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> with chocolate and sugar at four in the morning. Let me tell you, nothing quite says “chunky monkey” like waking up with residual </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">churro</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> chocolate on your cheeks. And at each meal, we collectively said “</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">después Sevilla</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">” and threw another tasty treat down into our unsuspecting digestive systems. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Monday morning after my regular breakfast of toasted baguette soaked in olive oil and </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">café</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (unfortunately this is not a Sevilla-only habit), we ventured back into the city streets, this time wearing flats (Ah ha! Monkey CAN learn!). Though the day was a bit rainy, we visited some of Sevilla’s most beautiful buildings. A personal favorite (and for all you Star Wars fans out there, you’ll like this one too) was the Plaza de España, also known as Queen Amidala’s palace in Naboo in Episode II. Just so you all know, I did have to look up that information. I’m not THAT nerdy. Here are a few pictures from this beautiful place in Sevilla:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuD2hdd-id7xuDwvXXC0_lHlZ5QmsieY2ZSaAUGjIFdKGlNM6DTTuE3Idz63eJR4pIrGKcYPb197N9SQ0P2plEAJRg3VuJCuFesyqzDHmX0gJiRP4IXfrA2AopFDddYKovdKzPytxlDM/s1600/IMG_4460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuD2hdd-id7xuDwvXXC0_lHlZ5QmsieY2ZSaAUGjIFdKGlNM6DTTuE3Idz63eJR4pIrGKcYPb197N9SQ0P2plEAJRg3VuJCuFesyqzDHmX0gJiRP4IXfrA2AopFDddYKovdKzPytxlDM/s400/IMG_4460.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Xi1bV4ip5fuY84j_2SE62kU28Asls6YY7EwH_kiHoQ5eMmf5VVf98I0aQzl_9m74S8fm3wCPiZGvjOkjk6sSQvHD24kFbtjJvDHvPFTcLNB0WNbvsASyH6cmykH11HoZlzoS4p5c_3s/s1600/IMG_4462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Xi1bV4ip5fuY84j_2SE62kU28Asls6YY7EwH_kiHoQ5eMmf5VVf98I0aQzl_9m74S8fm3wCPiZGvjOkjk6sSQvHD24kFbtjJvDHvPFTcLNB0WNbvsASyH6cmykH11HoZlzoS4p5c_3s/s400/IMG_4462.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5KQbJhZGAsbBTQXllkAKPb-DXtSi3tiY4itn56qCnOnQFHIs_5-l5QmXfxBKffL3LdfVrPfTK7TZpTbepz_OysSwngqtp2DpLenVNOHyCyXgkkVLjEU7JM7rEObOZlV7VhzTV7uK7vk/s1600/IMG_4472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5KQbJhZGAsbBTQXllkAKPb-DXtSi3tiY4itn56qCnOnQFHIs_5-l5QmXfxBKffL3LdfVrPfTK7TZpTbepz_OysSwngqtp2DpLenVNOHyCyXgkkVLjEU7JM7rEObOZlV7VhzTV7uK7vk/s400/IMG_4472.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM03bzy87Bxuq3kOG1KMEIIctjQr-plQjNR1MiKapwp7z6dhuvt_ZHuYOwjXSfPJ4DLPCJfj_isTLg6G6pzB2sMQ6AGlVCrdAXOxHBCHcyaabGbaY7NPd4fqbQQqT0VEJZggcGhOIz4kA/s1600/IMG_4474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM03bzy87Bxuq3kOG1KMEIIctjQr-plQjNR1MiKapwp7z6dhuvt_ZHuYOwjXSfPJ4DLPCJfj_isTLg6G6pzB2sMQ6AGlVCrdAXOxHBCHcyaabGbaY7NPd4fqbQQqT0VEJZggcGhOIz4kA/s400/IMG_4474.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTS9zwRuqLhtVL9ScMnnss6zYBDvVrEYXjKlierWWChEYuCWPbjXq1LDq33SM_cQ5Hk9hIhUHHui7IZfyeUlVqx_lcDWhXAkXsO5JLuD5NF02nuyYho44rBNiu1R5vo5m9RUpt1cXo9w/s1600/IMG_4484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTS9zwRuqLhtVL9ScMnnss6zYBDvVrEYXjKlierWWChEYuCWPbjXq1LDq33SM_cQ5Hk9hIhUHHui7IZfyeUlVqx_lcDWhXAkXsO5JLuD5NF02nuyYho44rBNiu1R5vo5m9RUpt1cXo9w/s400/IMG_4484.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMkGhYVFpw70F88uSw-kVe3ii1rC1csw37JD9686XiR5ak3EbeDF2GiuAjlLQcEPE2PZGhy0sHt_VsqPC-lJ1-Ygu1EEBfModxxiUjlsIIByI6qp7ssFaZeKmt2duPxNb-5symmW-xRU/s1600/IMG_4514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMkGhYVFpw70F88uSw-kVe3ii1rC1csw37JD9686XiR5ak3EbeDF2GiuAjlLQcEPE2PZGhy0sHt_VsqPC-lJ1-Ygu1EEBfModxxiUjlsIIByI6qp7ssFaZeKmt2duPxNb-5symmW-xRU/s400/IMG_4514.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4Lp9VwCs-XkpVEOKqe8KkgvSKgwGldmFYqiYSQ0KUCQPvepbETE-WXxv3CU4oRxBMv4gCMTnJlmQLVwqDYdTH0NdRQVhxqQeukKxT64IrR19t_htvup1BrwurI6dC1QgA9hdTntep2U/s1600/IMG_4519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4Lp9VwCs-XkpVEOKqe8KkgvSKgwGldmFYqiYSQ0KUCQPvepbETE-WXxv3CU4oRxBMv4gCMTnJlmQLVwqDYdTH0NdRQVhxqQeukKxT64IrR19t_htvup1BrwurI6dC1QgA9hdTntep2U/s400/IMG_4519.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After eating (again), I got to see what I really came to Sevilla for. As the third largest Christian church and the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Catedral de Santa María de la Sede </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">is just too beautiful. There’s something about gigantic churches, especially this one, that I just love. Perhaps it’s the fact that you feel like you have to whisper, because, I mean, this place is big:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-K2sehbB7kXJ9_TXYAIzAoAq4HikE_eTx5oDeAZKwCztOEvjHAjUIvVuj9_WmFqCpj2Mq0EHoG6OpkcI-9lZSxiPHDxQo6cucTAN1xxqRSSWX9tb5mqo0UMpVzIRZAXMQZ9eVkMS5Ps/s1600/IMG_4734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-K2sehbB7kXJ9_TXYAIzAoAq4HikE_eTx5oDeAZKwCztOEvjHAjUIvVuj9_WmFqCpj2Mq0EHoG6OpkcI-9lZSxiPHDxQo6cucTAN1xxqRSSWX9tb5mqo0UMpVzIRZAXMQZ9eVkMS5Ps/s400/IMG_4734.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Or maybe it’s the dual organs with pipes that reach practically up to the ceiling:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYKAY6PQcqpddZ8GhXXQpLslckjsoSPNEChTHmiV72NlplZhEkpB13I_UR9peRNE-4aaWDwDHYpm_kHP26TzBGljd5cpKik45harRK5Abw4hVuwvrkFrq07jn3uap0bYSYipc9UutNc8/s1600/IMG_4702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYKAY6PQcqpddZ8GhXXQpLslckjsoSPNEChTHmiV72NlplZhEkpB13I_UR9peRNE-4aaWDwDHYpm_kHP26TzBGljd5cpKik45harRK5Abw4hVuwvrkFrq07jn3uap0bYSYipc9UutNc8/s400/IMG_4702.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRtExGxQzrg79kDv0popHhz5vqXirMhui4N7tt2mp-GMNq58EJ_Zu83Nt07WQxgtQbiTb77anDZRrMozJN7-FXm0oNdc2johoBMZdLATijRlA0jo8e0K8AlQt6hkMtH_ArjRAQQQi2SU/s1600/IMG_4741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRtExGxQzrg79kDv0popHhz5vqXirMhui4N7tt2mp-GMNq58EJ_Zu83Nt07WQxgtQbiTb77anDZRrMozJN7-FXm0oNdc2johoBMZdLATijRlA0jo8e0K8AlQt6hkMtH_ArjRAQQQi2SU/s400/IMG_4741.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Or the altar pieces made of silver:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPqyrw1c4nf_d8s9sWA3sCxlbS_rpZJA61u1sQ5G3JtUYYVyb_VaUFRDkk1OaGMzy-Gmo2yQjW5KR8l-eJjbXvB3bTXioNdu1eBw5Pwv8mltWC_ZjNpUZkBgVQYgGOnu_iVsMTCmtmHI/s1600/IMG_4750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPqyrw1c4nf_d8s9sWA3sCxlbS_rpZJA61u1sQ5G3JtUYYVyb_VaUFRDkk1OaGMzy-Gmo2yQjW5KR8l-eJjbXvB3bTXioNdu1eBw5Pwv8mltWC_ZjNpUZkBgVQYgGOnu_iVsMTCmtmHI/s400/IMG_4750.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Or Christopher Columbus...well, at least they think it’s him:</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqlqOUaM18oUsS7bqYqkz2w1eFCwwk5H0QpHZr75oG-ExG2pCwZdqAtLIMXcn8IkrszLEqrZcnYJvX8CXs2YE6YAwEiXiTNw2QRj3bjJ7jSiwFzFqCsNMgKJ6ydFR0wYoisgUGrbA9BM/s1600/IMG_4765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqlqOUaM18oUsS7bqYqkz2w1eFCwwk5H0QpHZr75oG-ExG2pCwZdqAtLIMXcn8IkrszLEqrZcnYJvX8CXs2YE6YAwEiXiTNw2QRj3bjJ7jSiwFzFqCsNMgKJ6ydFR0wYoisgUGrbA9BM/s400/IMG_4765.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Or this altar, 98 ft. tall by 66 ft. wide, handcarved over 44 years by one man, Flemish woodcarver Pierre Dancart, and then COVERED in gold:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1gHo9-E5p1uYshVevqRtjv4CZNdysKbhueQbDQx_0NeLeR4-pRXzmjqAnS3wlr1e7NFjXmKWxGpEK5GqDNmq86tgW64tC8FW6xY_x_QoAXFvTzySINq-J-KViELp9v2J0dLvZUwo5hU/s1600/IMG_4759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1gHo9-E5p1uYshVevqRtjv4CZNdysKbhueQbDQx_0NeLeR4-pRXzmjqAnS3wlr1e7NFjXmKWxGpEK5GqDNmq86tgW64tC8FW6xY_x_QoAXFvTzySINq-J-KViELp9v2J0dLvZUwo5hU/s400/IMG_4759.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I think, though, my favorite thing about gigantic churches, especially this one, is that the best views come when you look up:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGKBVOULA1VWj-BKJXTSqtEIf26Q6dUQLDij0GbyKUt2gkvwigfDRi725Mnk_SHK5Y6um6eeUDZXQCvWR5KNmFufdlERp1BomctxJJPC9dC7uyJjH8aX-V87fIGLgfhiaQITvSFjnOWU/s1600/IMG_4735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGKBVOULA1VWj-BKJXTSqtEIf26Q6dUQLDij0GbyKUt2gkvwigfDRi725Mnk_SHK5Y6um6eeUDZXQCvWR5KNmFufdlERp1BomctxJJPC9dC7uyJjH8aX-V87fIGLgfhiaQITvSFjnOWU/s400/IMG_4735.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pd1AY_VrU4zpUB-jbl6izCyF0oTpHHpEtCI7yz6deWDxCHoSygypWP8Q6R1QN37tqspPQkBfxH4XYfvZD2woD9bAgKuonjB0W957A6WJL55YCuyn_GBTxOkDvdRvz1xX8zGu7uayjCg/s1600/IMG_4744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pd1AY_VrU4zpUB-jbl6izCyF0oTpHHpEtCI7yz6deWDxCHoSygypWP8Q6R1QN37tqspPQkBfxH4XYfvZD2woD9bAgKuonjB0W957A6WJL55YCuyn_GBTxOkDvdRvz1xX8zGu7uayjCg/s400/IMG_4744.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WHtI6VqX8odCiO1758_lcs9A6Tcy3pjJhpb1rgsa_NSjkP-kv0NeUSr32K1LyWDfDcwDmiHXB_UO6KTQOGEw5BoiBkYZfAdHUkVNDoUit_rLDaKcC0FHCZZgfcWvq8LjKZX_LQmO3yM/s1600/IMG_4760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WHtI6VqX8odCiO1758_lcs9A6Tcy3pjJhpb1rgsa_NSjkP-kv0NeUSr32K1LyWDfDcwDmiHXB_UO6KTQOGEw5BoiBkYZfAdHUkVNDoUit_rLDaKcC0FHCZZgfcWvq8LjKZX_LQmO3yM/s400/IMG_4760.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1T5rJy2YrrN3wAkmOAJJSRAhiyFOCIWqxVCYFGBbX9cjEQiaP3DxGbM7pXjURDOajhyphenhyphen-L-fyf2QZJdhFJGTAW7Gga1743AHrvFsGIOmj45IMjHGwH9uNk7r2jisWachClwXSl582EdM/s1600/IMG_4762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1T5rJy2YrrN3wAkmOAJJSRAhiyFOCIWqxVCYFGBbX9cjEQiaP3DxGbM7pXjURDOajhyphenhyphen-L-fyf2QZJdhFJGTAW7Gga1743AHrvFsGIOmj45IMjHGwH9uNk7r2jisWachClwXSl582EdM/s400/IMG_4762.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took this using a mirror on the floor of the cathedral.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it was just after this that my camera’s memory card and battery both said “Please, we can’t take this anymore!” and I headed back to the hotel to upload the 408 photos I’d taken that afternoon and recharge mine, and my camera’s batteries, for </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Feria</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once again in my stylish high heels (It just never quite sinks in), we trekked over the river and through the...city to get to </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Feria de Abril </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">which means “The April Fair.” I love the spanish word for fair because it sounds almost like “fairy” and implies something whimsical, magical, ethereal, and in some cultures, extremely dangerous. What I experienced in Sevilla fits this description pretty well.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fairgrounds is really made up of two parts. There’s your typical “fairground” area with rides, games, etc., which I didn’t see but only from a distance. Then, there’s the main part which is just streets and streets and streets lined with red, green, and white tents, called </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">casetas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. The </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">casetas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> are all privately owned by wealthy families, corporations, small businesses, brotherhoods, trade associations, and political parties so each one has a security guard at the door and you need to be invited in to attend. Luckily for me, my host parents are awesommeee and know everyone in Spain so we had a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">caseta</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to call home for two days. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before we could really buckle down for some serious socializing, we had to witness one of my favorite parts of La Feria which is the lighting of the gate (it’s different every year) and the lights of the streets. This happens at midnight and is the official start of the party. Pre-lighting, everyone is leisurely strolling through the darkened streets. Post lighting, everyone comes to life and it is party time! Those who are not in a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">caseta </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">line the streets and dance, drink, and get crazy. Those in a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">caseta</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> really do the same thing, you just have a nice place to sit and socialize when you’re not dancing.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD3M0T5icfg">Here</a> is a video I took of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Luz</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, the lighting of the fair at midnight.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I keep referencing dancing at </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Feria</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. I’m not talking about the robot, or the sprinkler, or even just your normal hip shakin’ get-down. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWKTO_N1xxk">This</a> is </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sevillanas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baile por Sevillanas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is a popular flamenco-style dance that has four parts. High school students in Sevilla take classes in </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sevillanas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and you can find dance schools all over Spain to learn this. It’s absolutely beautiful. So all over </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Feria</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, there are men and women, and many times just two women, following the same motions to this beautiful, upbeat music. It was like being in the middle of a musical where everyone somehow intrinsically knew all the choreographed dance moves. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZJOpaZ5p2M">Here's</a> the link for one of my videos of some people in our </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">caseta</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> dancing </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sevillanas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and you may also find a couple quick glimpses of me learning the first dance. I’m determined to learn the rest, which means I’m going to have to teach one of youuuu back home to be my partner! Who’s it gonna be, huh?</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After arriving home in the wee hours of the morning and getting some limited sleep before another day out in Sevilla, my camera and I were just buzzing with excitement about the day ahead. As Monday night is the official start of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Feria</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, every day after that for the next five days is a display of color and culture. Beginning on Tuesday, the men all wear suits, the women all wear flamenco dresses, and together they ride in horse-drawn carriages through the streets of the fair. After Amparo and I both each bought a new pair of shoes (that’s five pairs for me since arriving in Spain, in case anyone’s counting) which would not kill our feet, we found our way back to the fairgrounds and were welcomed back into the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">caseta</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> for lunch. I can’t really describe how beautiful the fairgrounds became on Tuesday. It’s like you are almost stepping back in time if it weren’t for the tourists (like myself) not wearing flamenco dresses and snapping photos. And again, of course, there is eating, drinking, and Sevillanas. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFeivB6KHY8">Here</a> is the link to a short video I took of one of the intersections of the small streets of La Feria, just to show you the activity. Horses and carriages, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">caballeros</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (cowboys), and beautiful dresses everywhere.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here are a few of my favorite photos from Tuesday at </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Feria</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0FKYk9OOw8_Is96ghOzfMbPQSJdtrzK5OrLeSEkPCQFPVnhCRL1ToDjJCkY6Lh5WTl7vpzwJ1ie9r4CrTFRGTSWVbq82tXI8LxMmAoauWIalJf-xS1yyLbyN1YdYTqJaCH83qRsf4h8/s1600/IMG_4852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0FKYk9OOw8_Is96ghOzfMbPQSJdtrzK5OrLeSEkPCQFPVnhCRL1ToDjJCkY6Lh5WTl7vpzwJ1ie9r4CrTFRGTSWVbq82tXI8LxMmAoauWIalJf-xS1yyLbyN1YdYTqJaCH83qRsf4h8/s400/IMG_4852.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxFkf2oITAnzUlTRQT1aUzn9Wfpc6Wyq5COW2yPTSLyMFRoRcBAiE0D8RsvTOdYBIa2saz05pSIhN3h7f-BfMSn09Qcg1NiHJgMd1cmGRTk7czEiEGGrZ470tWGQo1pkcJWcmsRAZKks/s1600/IMG_4888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxFkf2oITAnzUlTRQT1aUzn9Wfpc6Wyq5COW2yPTSLyMFRoRcBAiE0D8RsvTOdYBIa2saz05pSIhN3h7f-BfMSn09Qcg1NiHJgMd1cmGRTk7czEiEGGrZ470tWGQo1pkcJWcmsRAZKks/s400/IMG_4888.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPzicblErKUaSNt8UPyAm910v_f8uiMCxZM6z27UuIW7JOeDHUBg4Pelj2MH71CGxBwVH2jPeg1UyqHkJPidOyAyaGep9lY-GpLI_IYWN_7YYwTtqM8ez9BscMpGmyEJ1KHhtI-LeO3w/s1600/IMG_4916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPzicblErKUaSNt8UPyAm910v_f8uiMCxZM6z27UuIW7JOeDHUBg4Pelj2MH71CGxBwVH2jPeg1UyqHkJPidOyAyaGep9lY-GpLI_IYWN_7YYwTtqM8ez9BscMpGmyEJ1KHhtI-LeO3w/s400/IMG_4916.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMMPc_AjeQCw7QKuPHx3_v9PDEfMyjXwIw3B9BTKX7mUdwG-ql7wjbWyJ69N_pFbHAIhVKF6svM8SZk0aTEpE8sig_VFAEZL1q2QMPxF6AUGvqurvEsVPFOfMlGLSDO4aUtbcAJcflRQ/s1600/IMG_4939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMMPc_AjeQCw7QKuPHx3_v9PDEfMyjXwIw3B9BTKX7mUdwG-ql7wjbWyJ69N_pFbHAIhVKF6svM8SZk0aTEpE8sig_VFAEZL1q2QMPxF6AUGvqurvEsVPFOfMlGLSDO4aUtbcAJcflRQ/s400/IMG_4939.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7cuja2u_dIf0HNnV3V3ktRLsCAyeGkVbXTaVUHRkiuf0HcDXZ4c1HHLpPLsxbHPYVjFono4XOsl2iuMQIY-cRU8bkPkN-V-bTmB1fTwCJWGauBVW-wkwCkNjlKJI8p8FVyPfxfQlnzQ/s1600/IMG_4943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7cuja2u_dIf0HNnV3V3ktRLsCAyeGkVbXTaVUHRkiuf0HcDXZ4c1HHLpPLsxbHPYVjFono4XOsl2iuMQIY-cRU8bkPkN-V-bTmB1fTwCJWGauBVW-wkwCkNjlKJI8p8FVyPfxfQlnzQ/s400/IMG_4943.JPG" width="386" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvG7esYjlG5vq4FDlmjVC0z9DpyAnKcpP4fn7HKdi_zJekkGw6_-1ySMLUM0nShLvBw9hmcWwf4fThj4pbHFP3bMaDLpBU7iMun2X1hVIq_Wdcs5jcWPuz87qwMRT16zeV40mqNa_nVKk/s1600/IMG_4952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvG7esYjlG5vq4FDlmjVC0z9DpyAnKcpP4fn7HKdi_zJekkGw6_-1ySMLUM0nShLvBw9hmcWwf4fThj4pbHFP3bMaDLpBU7iMun2X1hVIq_Wdcs5jcWPuz87qwMRT16zeV40mqNa_nVKk/s400/IMG_4952.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEiLNi-aYitsQ48mJPP9qS1bboVm9Nt24DhalVs6irb8pJiPTu6xqErpvPsO-FYgf33qzNVm-4E0uRZ_8kzBSFWWinHQ9z8rnkfX6EX1z_8-XZWwdagGh4GaUy6kv3tKqpjxGi5CcxtI/s1600/IMG_4974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEiLNi-aYitsQ48mJPP9qS1bboVm9Nt24DhalVs6irb8pJiPTu6xqErpvPsO-FYgf33qzNVm-4E0uRZ_8kzBSFWWinHQ9z8rnkfX6EX1z_8-XZWwdagGh4GaUy6kv3tKqpjxGi5CcxtI/s400/IMG_4974.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After another night of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Feria</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, we were all ready to head home on Wednesday. On the way back to Alicante, we stopped in Granada for lunch. On a little stroll we were passed by 5 or 6 black Mercedes and a bunch of police officers on motorcycles. After we speculated who that could have been, we walked a short distance to a street overlooking Granada and it’s two most famous landmarks: the Alhambra and the Palace of Carlos V. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheq13gUWu-O7-QnJGddVcPi0mwUs-A7md7l8z79FLVNLCKwWT-1X_lbnAZLz2TeY2wH68eFLLwn_8s2Gt2_YoI53ZC8E3e4RixX4TdJ3bjdWzxle_NehOBxa_1XS83jcr6rfTB_eq0LfY/s1600/IMG_5081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheq13gUWu-O7-QnJGddVcPi0mwUs-A7md7l8z79FLVNLCKwWT-1X_lbnAZLz2TeY2wH68eFLLwn_8s2Gt2_YoI53ZC8E3e4RixX4TdJ3bjdWzxle_NehOBxa_1XS83jcr6rfTB_eq0LfY/s400/IMG_5081.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were greeted there by a crowd of people and this group of gentlemen.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrdBpQLyD5HVliPujFJqv8bfdvs5friXKqzEZYr9_3XPQ9_6_-zToKkGzzP0R-5xplGGQPIZf6lipaDrP_Qb-gXg-uQj_Bs0GI2vOcIqlvaD1sFDca9g9MkuhYcbVCwcrhmiSSihgBG4/s1600/IMG_5069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrdBpQLyD5HVliPujFJqv8bfdvs5friXKqzEZYr9_3XPQ9_6_-zToKkGzzP0R-5xplGGQPIZf6lipaDrP_Qb-gXg-uQj_Bs0GI2vOcIqlvaD1sFDca9g9MkuhYcbVCwcrhmiSSihgBG4/s400/IMG_5069.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They included this man playing what I thought was a giant potato.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWz1FUcWzbn3GpDvoOTLC-Bdr-AQqY-P78VgqjYW7jF_SsOeTEsmsCukN7SH6BNBx2x296L-5o2VSSaZyLa7GRXpVwTI0oVKz6usgAQInXP6aLrLqKFOxDyLsAA3Fx2z1_pP9cL84-1c/s1600/IMG_5071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWz1FUcWzbn3GpDvoOTLC-Bdr-AQqY-P78VgqjYW7jF_SsOeTEsmsCukN7SH6BNBx2x296L-5o2VSSaZyLa7GRXpVwTI0oVKz6usgAQInXP6aLrLqKFOxDyLsAA3Fx2z1_pP9cL84-1c/s400/IMG_5071.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turns out it was a pig skin. A pig skin instrument.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And those Mercedes? Eh, it was nobody. Just the Sultan of Dubai. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can watch a video featuring the musical stylings of pig skin instrumentation <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYk90LHvvE4">here</a>.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading and Happy Mother’s Day Mom,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alicia</span></i></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After this week's trip to Sevilla with a pit stop in Granada, and the subsequent 825 photos taken (not kidding), I decided that I would start a Flickr account to help share some of my favorites with all of you! Of course, this is all part of my master plan to increase my online presence and completely rule the internet. And since I know many of you aren't Facebookers and it's very difficult to post a lot of pictures to the Blogspot website, Flickr was the best option. I'll still include pictures in my blog posts, as well as add to my current Facebook albums, but now you have more options to follow La Chica Americana in Spain!</span></span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can view my photos on Flickr <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62515370@N07/">here</a>.</span></span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And you may have noticed that I started a YouTube channel as well! I'll post videos from my trips <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/lachicaamericana?feature=mhum">there</a> as well. </span></span></span></i></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-26820087996332677072011-05-06T01:08:00.000+02:002011-05-06T01:08:16.717+02:00La Boda<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hola again from España! It’s been very busy around here first with the wedding of Irene (a family cousin) and René, followed by a last minute trip to Sevilla with no internet! So I apologize for my lack of posting but I’m hoping to make it up to all of you with at least two killer write ups of the adventures of La Chica Americana. So let’s begin with the wedding, or </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">la boda</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found out about this exciting opportunity about a month before I arrived in Spain and I’m pretty sure I’ve been preparing for it since then. From my observances this past month and Saturday, weddings in Spain are not a gathering, or a shindig, or a get-together. They are events. And just as I’m sure the guests of that Other wedding (you know, the Royal one) had to carefully plan their attire, I spent weeks, literally, with Amparo and Nerea (Borja’s mother and sister, respectively), putting together The Ensemble. So after endless accessory shopping, two days of hair and makeup preparation (not kidding), and an attempt at a crash diet that completely, well, crashed, we set off for </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">la boda</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> looking like a million bucks.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMpL9lz8ypXP5Bbo-kYZsNZtTpDAmIkIA9v_DsTbG5j5EEaQTS2KGc8Qtteer1tQlmSWbSIHYfCTLxQixVzaHwoVfazzCbZNegRqI3t-4T50mirD4abWdvu-NRsITGoZQ4Qy2KRurVHg/s1600/IMG_4025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMpL9lz8ypXP5Bbo-kYZsNZtTpDAmIkIA9v_DsTbG5j5EEaQTS2KGc8Qtteer1tQlmSWbSIHYfCTLxQixVzaHwoVfazzCbZNegRqI3t-4T50mirD4abWdvu-NRsITGoZQ4Qy2KRurVHg/s400/IMG_4025.JPG" width="297" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wedding and reception were both very similar to those we have in the U.S. so I won’t go into too much detail. I do, however want to relay a thought and a story:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of our table of ten people, five languages were spoken. Castellano, Valenciano, German, Finnish, and English. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bride and her family planned a special tribute to their trip four years ago to visit a then very young Borja in the States. During their visit, we spent a great deal of time kicklining around New York State singing “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra. In the middle of the dancing at the wedding, this song came on and Irene led Borja and I, Nerea, Amparo and Jose Antonio, and her sister Itziar who also came to the States, in a very joyful and nostalgic singing kickline. This was definitely the highlight of the whole day for me and I felt very happy to be included in this big family moment.</span></span></span></li>
</ol><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ll leave you with some pictures from </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">la boda</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, including my attempts at some artsy-fartsy wedding photography. Prepare yourselves for my post on Sevilla. It’s gonna be a doozie.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1gwlxHBan1d4Dxux-3jvg4w9UeXZCj5_mgjB8XN766RR8uSc8D7LJ6WDYFdADgYvbVLuek-3GPJIBRUETKm3KMBKvZzHNhLezqgeWWYsebQ1EfFA2h2zryVzT0cQ7se0Lw3G6aS9kKY/s1600/IMG_3973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1gwlxHBan1d4Dxux-3jvg4w9UeXZCj5_mgjB8XN766RR8uSc8D7LJ6WDYFdADgYvbVLuek-3GPJIBRUETKm3KMBKvZzHNhLezqgeWWYsebQ1EfFA2h2zryVzT0cQ7se0Lw3G6aS9kKY/s400/IMG_3973.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two of my favorite things: shoes and books.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKO46a7BvEuze1jWu0l6AYn9Ynm3Lr7KF0Ma9c0cnR-_zGMsvXJ-0q4IG7mBdO22XWm0BPBBic34r8o0VQGYVKkudQ7s86dHrakWSuXDaeW8aKDoaKwbz9-tXUnhDtZ5grmj813dBM2_g/s1600/IMG_3985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKO46a7BvEuze1jWu0l6AYn9Ynm3Lr7KF0Ma9c0cnR-_zGMsvXJ-0q4IG7mBdO22XWm0BPBBic34r8o0VQGYVKkudQ7s86dHrakWSuXDaeW8aKDoaKwbz9-tXUnhDtZ5grmj813dBM2_g/s400/IMG_3985.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRo7TOLGPqh-_DI0U4od_dPPNd_oPmnuZy3CcIK9kztJzlItClClGbXUXxugeYd0R2R1y1NDRJ51AwAdH78K2PbCJ5X2X6iZN8HaqAz2xLykbsIW-94Ie_geiDFZO0nSXRWTO3DD_VWI/s1600/IMG_4034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRo7TOLGPqh-_DI0U4od_dPPNd_oPmnuZy3CcIK9kztJzlItClClGbXUXxugeYd0R2R1y1NDRJ51AwAdH78K2PbCJ5X2X6iZN8HaqAz2xLykbsIW-94Ie_geiDFZO0nSXRWTO3DD_VWI/s400/IMG_4034.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She's always a goofball, even on her wedding day.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGhXffvnHTEwG_7i2AnXbdWaJGsXxRv0O12ehuBi6F81f24eQFKFSpQaf56zi1tDw_fFq4JMo1_nSE358kJ9rT4r7dzg1EgTQSIlbWnK_9QiaH6xP6agw5Fa6qIR_SGPB9CVIdrP6McQ/s1600/IMG_4046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGhXffvnHTEwG_7i2AnXbdWaJGsXxRv0O12ehuBi6F81f24eQFKFSpQaf56zi1tDw_fFq4JMo1_nSE358kJ9rT4r7dzg1EgTQSIlbWnK_9QiaH6xP6agw5Fa6qIR_SGPB9CVIdrP6McQ/s400/IMG_4046.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BnMflGQ6j37pO_95NwAt-ZJg_TUqdm0zVX4FdNZlROFJS53pJJW8GhXY-0vtP1-_uAcZVTx1uFa-DS2qbTqjx0MZIr0rEBXvmhYSgreS1lgDNDA4aBJj-2rfVapMJWBW85HVAduoMy0/s1600/IMG_4060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BnMflGQ6j37pO_95NwAt-ZJg_TUqdm0zVX4FdNZlROFJS53pJJW8GhXY-0vtP1-_uAcZVTx1uFa-DS2qbTqjx0MZIr0rEBXvmhYSgreS1lgDNDA4aBJj-2rfVapMJWBW85HVAduoMy0/s400/IMG_4060.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Itziar, Irene, and Rene</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-g1QaZTZmPC94v2Sg5mLgIAqkFvw_tvMKFV2bC8bFMQ5PBh9zqc18BrN4V73YGq5d_d-57gSqzOqsPOxO3kbsuEo4BApOmP9R1726_GQjO4u3zT7fKg8oscjlF3h8DoYLxGMLGkrYXI/s1600/IMG_4065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-g1QaZTZmPC94v2Sg5mLgIAqkFvw_tvMKFV2bC8bFMQ5PBh9zqc18BrN4V73YGq5d_d-57gSqzOqsPOxO3kbsuEo4BApOmP9R1726_GQjO4u3zT7fKg8oscjlF3h8DoYLxGMLGkrYXI/s400/IMG_4065.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Irene and Rene</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjZpXcgO7cMOQhtY9PiP4Xf1mGn_OxGWr0AiNDeRIB6oPXkAaTbeuYLjVq0KPpLZ0Iom-ir3cEGqmamdsDCaSJuW-K3dw8popWSQVr1hwgNCLC1H_2D2fHAWzSf4Mk3rFH-cw4zRwPs8/s1600/IMG_4067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjZpXcgO7cMOQhtY9PiP4Xf1mGn_OxGWr0AiNDeRIB6oPXkAaTbeuYLjVq0KPpLZ0Iom-ir3cEGqmamdsDCaSJuW-K3dw8popWSQVr1hwgNCLC1H_2D2fHAWzSf4Mk3rFH-cw4zRwPs8/s400/IMG_4067.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHT7FiACdEdzjfHvz6Jg8ZCou0UVq3LBBf4SPM-jiPaw2ywlQjcj4Q_8DNcGILtryizBDsH1UwJMFmCXYuV0S-dlIhJiGKHoc6s0b_cCt9zBgItOgmV_WiduEhs8Mvdj8sh8ex4lVXbFc/s1600/IMG_4080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHT7FiACdEdzjfHvz6Jg8ZCou0UVq3LBBf4SPM-jiPaw2ywlQjcj4Q_8DNcGILtryizBDsH1UwJMFmCXYuV0S-dlIhJiGKHoc6s0b_cCt9zBgItOgmV_WiduEhs8Mvdj8sh8ex4lVXbFc/s400/IMG_4080.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many people here call me "Alice," which is a nice little ode to my grandmother.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2nY3oIHb_b_mKhv8cqS8GZlQMD07y27LaNwNLSc_LWHK1puv7gXVGPYDiSQBbybpst46WX93s4JRx6NQnruAAw2yo1uxqmCES0YD3lwggxIwiCAFl9OiyTB4RDrPDdcnmyqGYEtezeU/s1600/IMG_4081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2nY3oIHb_b_mKhv8cqS8GZlQMD07y27LaNwNLSc_LWHK1puv7gXVGPYDiSQBbybpst46WX93s4JRx6NQnruAAw2yo1uxqmCES0YD3lwggxIwiCAFl9OiyTB4RDrPDdcnmyqGYEtezeU/s400/IMG_4081.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I needed to get a nice picture before crazy dancing commenced!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5AJ0bqaN1tfZx2AQU64dmw01sVWOK1P6jB74ALfVzQvQZpQ6eVzdyKMzl4fhzzNTbU7Psf-cp3hnKnGv51oVZB6FXLsJlYDSM1FmGXykgsyHS2r025PkGkqzTWhaKc6lQx1Usgz2N9A/s1600/IMG_4096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5AJ0bqaN1tfZx2AQU64dmw01sVWOK1P6jB74ALfVzQvQZpQ6eVzdyKMzl4fhzzNTbU7Psf-cp3hnKnGv51oVZB6FXLsJlYDSM1FmGXykgsyHS2r025PkGkqzTWhaKc6lQx1Usgz2N9A/s400/IMG_4096.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zmj73cDGrAThnyOj4JmhceZ00bbvCSsCEcJgz2wciOk73SpgiGB5g-Eg4UgLYQwLc3Jqvby1Iwz0Vfrqw2a6DNZHN_LCfDCycI-H7Q-zsHB8nsVIM7b_tA8OzssdApD0naEIrTK24BA/s1600/IMG_4148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zmj73cDGrAThnyOj4JmhceZ00bbvCSsCEcJgz2wciOk73SpgiGB5g-Eg4UgLYQwLc3Jqvby1Iwz0Vfrqw2a6DNZHN_LCfDCycI-H7Q-zsHB8nsVIM7b_tA8OzssdApD0naEIrTK24BA/s400/IMG_4148.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzaOFHtc2RKzh6jIfat7KqV6iI5le3V2bgSOc7NHQYddJkxNs4Yo1rNuc8UMUKeWaWRUD4C8aQWagORY17_gVSDDEwycTdkLnWlk1AcgCep4XCAV-c__7t8q_3OwH06Xdtr0imr92gi0/s1600/IMG_4159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzaOFHtc2RKzh6jIfat7KqV6iI5le3V2bgSOc7NHQYddJkxNs4Yo1rNuc8UMUKeWaWRUD4C8aQWagORY17_gVSDDEwycTdkLnWlk1AcgCep4XCAV-c__7t8q_3OwH06Xdtr0imr92gi0/s400/IMG_4159.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWc5lGDjKqbdipEQX1GwODi7KT4-y6goWpTp1PgcM3unihCvAAUSeJiBVYNekzfPO6zEcNXnQkVRp7BEw5NeQehQfz8xFQB-NL1KJFxLfna67VBX2O57qAftFDZqb6PznoCY5NJOFTMrk/s1600/IMG_4175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWc5lGDjKqbdipEQX1GwODi7KT4-y6goWpTp1PgcM3unihCvAAUSeJiBVYNekzfPO6zEcNXnQkVRp7BEw5NeQehQfz8xFQB-NL1KJFxLfna67VBX2O57qAftFDZqb6PznoCY5NJOFTMrk/s400/IMG_4175.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Borja's cufflinks from his grandfather</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYOlzSgTUlEz1EOs5AW5BwbyyvCU0Yb7eM_n1BmZNb3wyB4N7eRISRfsxEkZo3dh_L0fzZM016U1eDC8Nw8-wRQ5yfa56GJMjal6BwcY8K61cToiKDidxZ2ls5e3-r27vv3DFQPugFps/s1600/IMG_4191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYOlzSgTUlEz1EOs5AW5BwbyyvCU0Yb7eM_n1BmZNb3wyB4N7eRISRfsxEkZo3dh_L0fzZM016U1eDC8Nw8-wRQ5yfa56GJMjal6BwcY8K61cToiKDidxZ2ls5e3-r27vv3DFQPugFps/s400/IMG_4191.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What gentlemen!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBFY5F56NPP5K2Rrq5lJ1oA3jCrGP87nZoknClcNFyFnOZGGeOCwH72jsdXfyW-P4k29Fb_2IMeAu5CDiaKnp5ZZEN5V7udpmOeaNTkeXC9rIQX4QGEehcAzx9Qu69NI0AP-q6KPBfjQ/s1600/IMG_4206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBFY5F56NPP5K2Rrq5lJ1oA3jCrGP87nZoknClcNFyFnOZGGeOCwH72jsdXfyW-P4k29Fb_2IMeAu5CDiaKnp5ZZEN5V7udpmOeaNTkeXC9rIQX4QGEehcAzx9Qu69NI0AP-q6KPBfjQ/s400/IMG_4206.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex, Nerea, Jose Antonio, Me, Amparo, and Borja</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjYt2LTe6pGhxLz5qx5lwVTcNmwohKd4sCjsq9qadkYiYRk-zZ7wqbOUe1cxNcdu5iQ9R08LBjbIpBa4u_ryebjA0XNlCLLON0Z50Pmrw0jgK6BpNcMmSJ_ctVpoldq8KZCjjXDM5BE4/s1600/IMG_4251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjYt2LTe6pGhxLz5qx5lwVTcNmwohKd4sCjsq9qadkYiYRk-zZ7wqbOUe1cxNcdu5iQ9R08LBjbIpBa4u_ryebjA0XNlCLLON0Z50Pmrw0jgK6BpNcMmSJ_ctVpoldq8KZCjjXDM5BE4/s400/IMG_4251.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My host parents and Borja on fire on the dance floor.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-43211364034543934612011-04-29T00:38:00.000+02:002011-04-29T00:38:22.158+02:00This Post is Not About Me<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of my posts up to this point have been a tad bit egocentric. Since, on a daily basis, I find myself in uncommon situations of great confusion and general ridiculousness, it’s extremely difficult for me not to tell all of you, my faithful readers, each and every thing that happens to me. I know you all enjoyed the little mixup with my use of the word “hombre,” and the detailed retelling of my surprise encounter with a herd of man parts on a nude beach, and how I tried to sabotage Easter with mouth-cementing pierogies. And how a bird pooped on my shoulder. Today. Yup. But I wanted to share with you some of the most interesting observations I’ve made and factoids I’ve discovered about Spanish culture because that’s really why I’m here! So get those reading glasses on, warm up those thinking caps, and prepare for your daily dose of edumacation!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, let’s talk about food (Really, did you expect me to start this off with anything else?). In one of my earlier posts, <a href="http://lachicaamericana.blogspot.com/2011/04/few-words-about-time-food-and-thanks.html">A Few Words About Time, Food, and Thanks</a>, I described the daily schedule here and the appropriation of quantity regarding meals. Lunch, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">la comida</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, is the largest meal of the day, especially if you go out or are sharing a meal with friends and/or extended family. There’s usually an </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">apertif</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (slices of meat, cheese, cured fish, bread, and oil), a “First Plate” (a salad, quiche, or something else not-too-filling), and a “Second Plate” (the main dish: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">paella</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, spaghetti, etc.). </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyv_aHdG32eTzG2kHB7dbIyIdqMKierEEC-lrE3YjNzLhxgkg3lcfuhBvK8sO8zh97jXpIp-NIxqEZeHHxFG7o-FKDYLSEG4KEtOc_yQuKy92d0e031xhhQAYSd8R4bR47EJ53dO6cMI/s1600/IMG_3827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyv_aHdG32eTzG2kHB7dbIyIdqMKierEEC-lrE3YjNzLhxgkg3lcfuhBvK8sO8zh97jXpIp-NIxqEZeHHxFG7o-FKDYLSEG4KEtOc_yQuKy92d0e031xhhQAYSd8R4bR47EJ53dO6cMI/s400/IMG_3827.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jose Antonio, my host father, and I, working a little paella magic.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following all of that, of course, is my favorite: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">postre</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. I’ll give you one guess what that is. For most of the lunches I’ve enjoyed out at restaurants or at gatherings, dessert is a large assortment of all different decadent, delicious, and diet-destroying delicacies. Please note the following crêpe-tastrophe that I had a couple of weeks ago:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsn1A68Bk4KxrBFJlG4indOfu5qKVpXAWrKdrxDy59RWclm6W-gOwWdZrRDqD2LBGgZyCynw_1N0vETCWaHLhd-VkUrjaVXZ7QnMq2iepzHXm9R8BrqFGBSfP2naL0C6KsNECRH3cpVE/s1600/IMG_3334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsn1A68Bk4KxrBFJlG4indOfu5qKVpXAWrKdrxDy59RWclm6W-gOwWdZrRDqD2LBGgZyCynw_1N0vETCWaHLhd-VkUrjaVXZ7QnMq2iepzHXm9R8BrqFGBSfP2naL0C6KsNECRH3cpVE/s400/IMG_3334.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I believe I’m still working that one off. I think it’s also important to note that there is candy and chocolate EVERYWHERE. They must have known I was coming. Apparently, there’s a chocolate factory not too far from here where I am hoping the Oompa Loompas will take me in as one of their own and I can drink Fizzy Lifting Drinks, swim in the chocolate river, and chew Everlasting Gobbstoppers to my heart’s content for all of eternity. If that doesn’t work out, I’m sure I can make myself comfortable in the gift shop. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Previous to the now-famous Pierogi Incident, I had my first taste of the nightlife here in Alicante and it is hoppin’! Early on in the evening, however, I learned one of the strangest, but most interesting, things about Spain yet. We met up with friends in the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">barrio</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, the section of the city where all the nightlife is, and they were carrying big bottles of alcohol. Confused, I asked if the bars let you bring your own drinks. Apparently, as drinking is not allowed in the streets and drinks at bars are extremely expensive, you can pay a cover to bring your own alcohol and mixers and drink inside the bar of your choice. I’m still perplexed by this whole situation but it is apparently the most cost-effective strategy, especially if you enjoy the bar atmosphere. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just a funny story because I can’t NOT write about it: After leaving the techno-blasting, strobe-light-flashing, people-dancing-on-everything </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">discoteca</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (which was nowhere near as corny as I had imagined), a not-so-attractive young man struck up a conversation with my friend Nerea on the street. After many attempts to flee the scene, the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">chico</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in question asked for Nerea’s phone number. Me being the typical American girl, who is used to this tomfoolishness, appropriately answered for her with “867-5309.” But since I said it in Spanish, and after I’d had a few drinks, it took me about 3 minutes to spit the whole thing out because I was thinking and giggling and I’m pretty sure all the numbers were wrong. And apparently, no one in Spain knows Jenny’s phone number by heart like we do in the States so my hilarity went unrecognized by anyone but me (sigh). </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are some quick cultural tidbits for you, no additional story included:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-The cars are tiny. Like babies of our cars. I saw a Jeep here once and that’s about as big as it gets. Borja drives an Audi and even he has trouble finding parking spaces because his car is too “big.” Common makes are Renault, Ford (Yup!), Audi, Honda, Toyota, Peugeot, Mercedes, BMW, Seat, Kia, and Volkswagon. I did, however, get a little treat a couple weeks ago with a Maserati sighting in the city centre. Mmmmm.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-I had to explain what an automatic car is to Borja’s friends. Almost everything here is manual.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-It is not unusual to have beer or wine with lunch. I was at a café this morning, enjoying my most delicious </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">café con leche</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (Lent is over!), and a couple at a table near me were just there for a beer. It was noon. On a Thursday.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Many, many, many, many people smoke and they have the teeth to show for it.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Food, in general, is fresher and cheaper than in the States. For example, you can buy a dozen quail eggs at the supermarket around the corner for 1,50 € (a little over $2.00) whereas I found a listing for quail eggs on Rochester’s craigslist for $1.50...PER EGG. Also, since the Mediterranean is right here, there are the freshest of fresh fish in markets all over the city and farms growing lots of great produce bring tasty fruits and veggies in all the time. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Clothes, in general, are way more expensive. Believe me, my bank account and I are well aware of this little detail.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-You can walk most breeds of dogs without a leash, though you must carry a leash with you in your pocket. Imagine my happiness the first time I took a stroll on the beach and there were all these puppies running everywhere! They all need a home and they can come live with MEEE!!! No, not true. They have owners. And they don’t really like it when you try to adopt their dogs.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As today marks four weeks in España, I really must say thanks for all of the support so far. I love writing these posts and reflecting on my time here, but the greatest benefit comes after the post is up and the comments start rolling in. Nothing makes me happier than to hear who is reading and what you think and whether or not that joke I tried to get juuusssstttt right made your day a little bit brighter. So to all of you, wherever you are, thanks for commenting, for emailing, for facebooking, for skype-ing, and as always, </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alicia</span></i></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-83646098700837291222011-04-26T00:07:00.001+02:002011-04-26T00:08:45.641+02:00The 'P' Word<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well Easter, or </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pascua</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> here in Spain, has finally come and gone and I know you are all aching for an update on the pierogi fiasco that occurred here yesterday. Let me preface this particular post by saying I cannot be held responsible for any expletives you may or may not garner from what you are about to read. The pierogies made me do it.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our story begins at 6am Sunday morning when I arrived home from my first real night out on the town in Alicante. Here is one photo from the evening. Please jump to your own conclusions about my state of being Easter morning.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LZOfurfOdDLiCqe7nPvM7ZSYqil50Bd4cK7Ggt5k7K8yGqMrMWcPgOFpLFpJ2oq0cNKP2p70k1YGvhcbmZb6GqFZl6OiRTnzNsuvVWT9lL0zw728xYztPYijSHIhTFTE71W1pIrJxqM/s1600/IMG_3624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LZOfurfOdDLiCqe7nPvM7ZSYqil50Bd4cK7Ggt5k7K8yGqMrMWcPgOFpLFpJ2oq0cNKP2p70k1YGvhcbmZb6GqFZl6OiRTnzNsuvVWT9lL0zw728xYztPYijSHIhTFTE71W1pIrJxqM/s400/IMG_3624.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there I was, for two hours, swaying and woozy, sipping the closest thing to blue Gatorade that I could find and nibbling on slices of bread; shaping and molding these perfect pillows of Polish goodness. And after each one was completed, it got stacked on this beautiful pile of pierogies (stack). Those of you who are bakers (stack) may already know where this story is headed (stack). When it came time to plop the pierogies into the pot of boiling water, my perfect pillows of Polish goodness were all pucking stuck. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a concerted effort to separate the pierogies and maintain the half-moon formation to no avail with guests arriving at the door, Borja’s mother Amparo and I resorted to just mushing everything together. So, my precious, long-labored-over pierogies all became lumped-together turd-shaped mushy dumplings; mixtures of dough and filling with no real rhyme or reason to their composition. When it was all said and done, I had reached a level of frustration I had not yet experienced on my relaxing, beachside vacation here in Spain. Pucking pierogies.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTeSTqAEI7zh0TmAY2ZZdz4WH4wZeFjzYI1VhOWGPn5EF3kYXT8i9puv7lOCdBwwuwfUbSJ7Hilm2Yrd2ksvXyURZ6hDpbnceVBOePtcXjL0tyXlYjRJJFfjznnxy44LbxBGTSnXqpB2U/s1600/IMG_3656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTeSTqAEI7zh0TmAY2ZZdz4WH4wZeFjzYI1VhOWGPn5EF3kYXT8i9puv7lOCdBwwuwfUbSJ7Hilm2Yrd2ksvXyURZ6hDpbnceVBOePtcXjL0tyXlYjRJJFfjznnxy44LbxBGTSnXqpB2U/s400/IMG_3656.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few of the "better looking" culprits.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyone was very polite about having a “taste” of that nice American girl’s traditional Easter meal. I’m sure what they were thinking is, “They eat THIS? Is it really supposed to look like THAT?” Personally, I think they tasted mediocre but due to their uneven shaping, they didn’t really cook correctly and were a bit...doughy. I’ll forever have the image burned into my brain of Borja’s wonderful and adorable 95-year-old grandfather (his birthday was last week), sitting across from me at the table, politely and diligently chewing his pierogies as though he had just put an entire peanut butter sandwich into his mouth. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, Amparo made roasted rack of lamb with potatoes and </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">almendras fritas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (fried almonds) in addition to and in anticipation of, pierogi debauchery (she is so wise), so everyone was full and happy by the end of the meal. As for me, I strongly believe that I need to cook a redemption dinner because Spain is seriously messing with my Martha mojo. I’ll let you know how that goes. There have been so many lessons learned already on this crazy adventure, and yesterday’s was no less important than the rest: from now on, I’m leaving it to Mrs. T. She’s got it in the bag...or the box, rather.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span><br />
<div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-66883361862840030282011-04-22T22:05:00.000+02:002011-04-22T22:05:06.129+02:00Semana Santa<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A few updates before I get to the good stuff:</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-I’m cooking a course for Easter dinner, which is really lunch here, this Sunday. Mom is begging me not to attempt homemade pierogies but I feel that any Easter without my favorite Polish delicacy is just not Easter at all. I’ll let you know how this all works out. If you haven’t heard from me by Monday, you’ll know the pierogies got the best of me.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-My cold is getting better (thanks for all the well-wishes everyone!) but I’m still a bit stuffy. I’m hoping that the horseradish I find (fingers crossed) to eat with the pierogies I make (toes, ankles, arms, and eyes crossed too) will help clear up any residual nasal congestion. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-My beginner level Spanish course was cancelled due to low enrollment (there was one student enrolled...which was me).</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-I am now enrolled in...um...</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">intermediate</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Spanish starting May 10th (please commence laughing out loud at your computers). I have two weeks to learn the content from beginner Spanish before I begin the embarrassment that will be the intermediate course. Hurray. Upside: I can study on the beach.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-Lent is almost over and I have been coffee-free for 38 days, not that I’m keeping track. Borja is truly enjoying these final hours before my reunion with my long-lost caffeinated friend as he keeps offering to make me a nice, strong cup of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">café</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. He thinks he’s very funny. I do not.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-Alicante has grown exponentially this week with the onslaught of tourists from Madrid (darn tourists!) taking their holiday vacations on the sandy beaches of the Costa Blanca. Historically, as has been the case this year, the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Madrileños </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">bring the rain and soggy weather with them when they arrive. So, after three weeks here on the coast, I saw my first Spanish thunderstorm. Conclusion: the rain in Spain does indeed stay mainly on the plain. Phew! I’m glad we have finally solved that mystery!</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Alrighty! Onto the exciting stuff! Religious education! </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(crickets)</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Oh, you don’t want to learn all about the historical significance in Spanish culture of these guys?</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjCPkyH82cTMb1zOFK9qMKm13e6ZGiMf0-nCIUl7QcgBM0f3zG3b0eH2qyMDkEY75gUY3BCXmFLM0NNst9bpmV2qb6CKAzBk_9VdYTctW6RaymMKOCLO53-7twbSwsZhqBLKNPgwATRw/s1600/IMG_3543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjCPkyH82cTMb1zOFK9qMKm13e6ZGiMf0-nCIUl7QcgBM0f3zG3b0eH2qyMDkEY75gUY3BCXmFLM0NNst9bpmV2qb6CKAzBk_9VdYTctW6RaymMKOCLO53-7twbSwsZhqBLKNPgwATRw/s400/IMG_3543.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Or how hundreds of volunteers carry floats called <i>pasos</i>, each weighing over a ton, on their shoulders for many hours?</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOtaGkxCj_J90yJE0gGAcZYkcUK89HbV7tvPfEOpgOhJCvqkoMJUpdzbaLkQNrzVmVAF-jTUdhqYl7-1GZMKRQY3lcKmamFMp2HcdHB5FDHLOuJ4DlIQ9z6MrJH8K0RSLUyHAZXUTYKw/s1600/IMG_3565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOtaGkxCj_J90yJE0gGAcZYkcUK89HbV7tvPfEOpgOhJCvqkoMJUpdzbaLkQNrzVmVAF-jTUdhqYl7-1GZMKRQY3lcKmamFMp2HcdHB5FDHLOuJ4DlIQ9z6MrJH8K0RSLUyHAZXUTYKw/s400/IMG_3565.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Well I am going to tell you anyway! I love the challenge of educating even the most reluctant pupils and I am just bursting with exciting Spanish trivia!</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here in Spain, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Semana Santa</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, or Holy Week, is a very busy time. From Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday, thousands of people crowd the streets to see the processions organized by the brotherhoods of different churches in each city. Since there are many churches in Alicante, as in all of the rest of Spain, there were between 3 and 10 processions each day. The processions are similar to parades, though they are a lot slower and not as “showy.” These are generally pretty somber events as they’re done in observance of Holy Week and are made to specifically coordinate with the events of these days in the life of Jesus. For example, I saw this </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">paso</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> yesterday, Holy Thursday, in observance of The Last Supper:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKDTerNV8pzmIt-jR5QIZ58UIOtRoyxdgUhkxjByoVEEo9reSu4_v9L3gQDcbsk0qqi7Z_j89KSRrTuxPma18PQ733x3N5BVgjVvVoA1zjMF1U48oBHvsowYo5hTAzfQIFudqouxWRKQ/s1600/IMG_3604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKDTerNV8pzmIt-jR5QIZ58UIOtRoyxdgUhkxjByoVEEo9reSu4_v9L3gQDcbsk0qqi7Z_j89KSRrTuxPma18PQ733x3N5BVgjVvVoA1zjMF1U48oBHvsowYo5hTAzfQIFudqouxWRKQ/s400/IMG_3604.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There are usually two or three marching bands playing beautiful music with a very heavy bass beat. This beat dictates the steps of the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">paso</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-carriers, called </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">costaleros</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. The </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">costaleros</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> are all volunteers who spend many hours prior to the procession practicing going down stairs, turning tight corners, and dipping under the wires that criss-cross many tiny Spanish streets. The most important focus for all of their hard work is maintaining a slow, rhythmic step that is absolutely in unison. It was a little bit eerie to see these figures being carried on platforms to this swaying motion. It gives the impression that the statues themselves are walking...freaky. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The robes and conical hats adorning the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Nazarenos </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">are traditionally worn in the processions as penance for sins committed. The costume was designed to conceal the identity of the wearer so they do not receive praise from other people for their penance. Some </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Nazarenos</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> also walk the procession barefoot, carrying a candle, or carrying shackles and chains as penance. According to a friend, many people these days wear the robe only for “show” in the procession but there are some that are truly “doing penance.” Though this particular ceremonial garb may remind you of a different group, the two are unrelated; this tradition in Spain dates back to medieval times.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The <i>pasos</i> themselves are very lifelike sculptures made of wood and plaster that depict scenes from the events that happened between Jesus’ arrest and his burial. Here are a couple more of the ones I saw between the two different processions:</span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrSgvisrcoRc8_ZNt4gRf1_rWeiFh6pmZ1m9J6wVTdYt95O-QUWsjYyV0GLPOzmtPmklA0D4lgo_jTuqkDdOqq8qW2wHmDN5eohqLrL1-CQpifEqIx3MZb_NDX5nVos3iw8tyktHJxG0/s400/IMG_3571.jpg" width="300" /></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7qckYkZZWVBt0Xd7XeH51QvY3JgCkoLNknoB8fkptg5QzNWYD9GLBFaOhesmtuopAvlqyLEMxbkNxXUwIMcM8XUsQ78vDZ-RPHZhedeZTTYfXxGX0INdZYU0rVTZhywLtxVvrq8eu6c/s1600/IMG_3596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7qckYkZZWVBt0Xd7XeH51QvY3JgCkoLNknoB8fkptg5QzNWYD9GLBFaOhesmtuopAvlqyLEMxbkNxXUwIMcM8XUsQ78vDZ-RPHZhedeZTTYfXxGX0INdZYU0rVTZhywLtxVvrq8eu6c/s400/IMG_3596.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So I hope your nerdy tank is full with all of this wonderful new information that I have bestowed upon you! I know mine is just overflowing! I have a few new posts already brewing and I’ll have those, and my nice big cup of coffee, in a couple of days. I hope you all have a great holiday and pray for pierogies.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span></span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
</span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-32648613224899722952011-04-17T20:22:00.000+02:002011-04-17T20:22:16.066+02:00Sniffle, Sniffle<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, I woke up this morning battling some sort of sickness (Mom would diagnose this as </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Creepus bonkus</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, more commonly known as the "Creeping Bonkus") so the usual energy I have for clever witicisms and hilarious jokes (modest, I know, but I'm sick) is just not in me today. So as I sit here in my pajamas surrounded by a cloud of dirty tissues, with my hot tea steaming and bubbly effervescent stewing, I wanted to drop a quick hello and post some pictures from my visit to downtown Alicante on Thursday. I'm still doing very well here in Espana, happy as can be, despite the cotton balls that somehow packed their way into my sinuses, and my little exploratory mission on Thursday really got me excited about many things to see in greater detail in the next 2 1/2 months (yup, I've been here two weeks already). So take a look at the new pics on the 'Photos' page. I've tried to provide a little bit of info in the captions but this was one of those "see-everything-possible-as-fast-as-possible-and-come-back-later-for-further-details" trips so I don't really know much about what I saw, other than I'll see it again. So you see, I only saw what I could see. See?</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alright, I'm done. I promise I'll be back to my normal self soon with more retellings of the absurd and uncanny situations I am bound to find myself in, but until then, please enjoy the photos and as always, thanks for reading.</span></div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-71900825571771617362011-04-14T21:06:00.000+02:002011-04-14T21:06:34.808+02:00...And Then Things Got Weird<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>WARNING: This post not suitable for children. Please do not include as part of your evening bedtime story line-up.</i></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I woke up this morning determined to do battle with yesterday’s epic crepe-tastrophe (more on that this weekend) and after two weeks of the same running route, I needed a change of scenery. Borja’s family lives on somewhat of a point here in Alicante and the Playa de San Juan makes up one side, while the Cabo Huertas is the other. I hadn’t yet made the uphill climb to the cliffs above the Cabo Huertas and thought I’d use this morning’s motivation to do a little discovering. I ended up at a beautiful point overlooking a turquoise-blue-water, calendar-worthy coastline with only a fisherman in sight, and decided I’d come back with my camera later in the day. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After making lunch at home for </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">mi familia de espanol</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, I packed a bag of artsy goodness (sketchbook, camera, tripod, etc.) and headed out in search of those beautiful blue waters. When I reached the cliff, I threw my jacket over my arm, found a path, and began to make my way down the precariously craggy rock formations, all the while keeping my eye on that gloriously rugged coastline. It did get a little bit stumbly at times, but nothing too bad. Mental note: short skirt and leggings not suitable for all-terrain sightseeing. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcnTgxAF6OvJwm1G7pvnIrpxkUVoClflvDQ1Exi4hMqu0ibIIMFjccFesD_wa1BLxtos0p5OTIOEezuWIrw-KEMFEDHsNzsgkA36k8jUrbL5Ymg_BT-nuIF82tPdOn__hojZZUKKE2CI/s1600/IMG_3373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcnTgxAF6OvJwm1G7pvnIrpxkUVoClflvDQ1Exi4hMqu0ibIIMFjccFesD_wa1BLxtos0p5OTIOEezuWIrw-KEMFEDHsNzsgkA36k8jUrbL5Ymg_BT-nuIF82tPdOn__hojZZUKKE2CI/s400/IMG_3373.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Top of the path to the beach.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnVNWN2L7epXlfYTPPYIps7CQ6yfYtD8vOe-aX4wCLjcqndGZUf7Sx4CR03tHlENBpllsNtecYpVxryJyi36nGE1USFciXO72lM16_2E2tCl8b-gal3E4IvfgWQEVAfL1dO1L4Erf1i4/s1600/IMG_3377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnVNWN2L7epXlfYTPPYIps7CQ6yfYtD8vOe-aX4wCLjcqndGZUf7Sx4CR03tHlENBpllsNtecYpVxryJyi36nGE1USFciXO72lM16_2E2tCl8b-gal3E4IvfgWQEVAfL1dO1L4Erf1i4/s400/IMG_3377.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is a more mild section of the beach path.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I got much closer to the water, it quickly became apparent that I was one of the few people who were women...or wearing any clothing. Let me just show you how I came to this realization:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“Oh this coastline is just gorgeous....(walk, walk)...How would I say that in Spanish?...(slide down rock wall)...Bonita? Precioso?...(brush off skirt)...There’s more people here than there were this morning...(stumble)...Wait...(walking stopped)...Is that a...?...Yeah, he’s naked...(walking slowly)....Eh, no biggie...(chuckle)...He’s probably the only one....(trip, stumble)....I’ll just avoid that are--wait...(walking halted, looking around)...Oh. God. ...They’re everywhere.”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It’s amazing how quickly a leisurely evening outing can turn into a desperate scurry to get-the-hell-outta-there-outing. The long and short of it (sorry, couldn’t help it, I just crack myself up...get it?) is that I had to either find a more “clothed” section of the beach or head home...quickly. And just as I decided that I best just turn around and call Borja for neglecting to inform me of the...um...wildlife, I realized that I’d dropped my cell phone. The one that was in the pocket of my jacket. That was currently hanging upside down on my arm. Yeah. Somewhere amidst the columnal cacti, the fallic rock formations, and the...water, my little phone was lost. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So now, please use your imagination to picture me, dear, sweet, Alicia, stumbling around a beach full of male genitalia, head down, eyes shielded; trying to retrace my steps through all those precariously craggy rock formations to find my little phone. All the while mumbling to myself something like, “Stupid idea....never again....penises....it wasn’t like this this morning.” A half hour later, the phone in question was located at the very beginning of the path I took to get to the beach. Of course.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I got home and recounted my story to Borja’s parents, they informed me that the nude beach is only a tiny section of the miles upon miles upon miles of other beautiful beachy coastline. And somehow, I found it. Huh. So the moral of today’s story, boys and girls, is that things like this really only happen to me. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But you guys nude, I mean, knew that already, didn’t you?</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-36218860356448587012011-04-11T17:43:00.001+02:002011-04-11T17:44:21.333+02:00A Day at the Beach...Again, Part 2<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">While I was writing yesterday’s post about my day at the beach with friends, I quickly began to realize that the whole thing was evolving into an ode to my newfound volleyball skills. Hence the ‘Part 1.’ I contemplated saving ‘Part 2’ for a random day far down the road, just as a surprise to all of you (I need to keep things interesting, you know), but decided that I’d just finish up my telling of Saturday’s fun in the sun today. </span></span></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We packed a picnic lunch and headed down to the Playa de San Juan around noon to celebrate the birthday of Daniela, a new friend. We spread out our beach towels, dropped my supply of Fanta Limon into the communal cooler, and hit the v-ball court. After the now-famous “Epiphany Inducing Volleyball Game of 2011,” I took my first dip in the salty waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The water was pretty </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">fria</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> but it felt great after playing in the sun on a near-90 degree day.</span></span><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After a walk along the shore, I settled down with some of the girls and we commenced another great English/Spanish/Charades conversation (I have these often). The day just continued like this; laying in the sun, eating our picnic lunches, and planning a dinner date for that same evening. When we all said goodbye around 5, I was extremely excited to be a part of this new group.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLXSfLh3eR7wU6L6-ZsPlpityQjpe6ypHw5Uc25hHUwBOCjTh0wCN4xn5OXsjmzipAZUwUHtl_mwXTCeWSGnVuoduVc17CpOhvZkw1ZRYXWY-DfyakhJ90Bt1QeXRa916FbWAz0NZSqY/s1600/IMG_3165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLXSfLh3eR7wU6L6-ZsPlpityQjpe6ypHw5Uc25hHUwBOCjTh0wCN4xn5OXsjmzipAZUwUHtl_mwXTCeWSGnVuoduVc17CpOhvZkw1ZRYXWY-DfyakhJ90Bt1QeXRa916FbWAz0NZSqY/s400/IMG_3165.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After another excellent win by Borja’s basketall team, we met back up with a smaller group of my new friends from the morning for dinner and drinks. We ate at a restaurant in downtown Alicante where you order from a list of 100 baby submarine sandwiches and a sampling of different appetizers. Each little sandwich, or </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">montaditos</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, cost between 1 and 2 euro a piece and everyone ordered at least three or four. I got three: chorizo with brie, ham with something like a salsa, and tortilla (potato frittata) with aioli. The chorizo was my favorite but all three were stupendous. I also had my first </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">clara</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> which was an unexpectedly delicious combination of light beer and 7 UP. Like I said, unexpectedly delicious.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiK_S72NyJX-NUVF4tqDaVhs0ExtKH1L_In8zOCWJI76gg3nwTjqqG-EgJ0lOvXgnOkLYyqlNua-dW6eLnOYFuC82u3ftwW77x2mkNsE3Ya4DQ4f57BvoXsULIWtoRIVOTMJK-JRxijM/s1600/IMG_3167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiK_S72NyJX-NUVF4tqDaVhs0ExtKH1L_In8zOCWJI76gg3nwTjqqG-EgJ0lOvXgnOkLYyqlNua-dW6eLnOYFuC82u3ftwW77x2mkNsE3Ya4DQ4f57BvoXsULIWtoRIVOTMJK-JRxijM/s400/IMG_3167.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We then headed to El Coco Loco (it looks like a cave inside...no kidding) for some cocktails and candy. We talked and talked for a couple of hours and my face was aching from laughing and smiling before the night was over. We made plans for another beach day sometime this week after Borja’s exams are over. There’s always something to celebrate here in Spain! We said our goodbyes with </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">besos</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> like old friends and I look forward to meeting back up with these friends again soon!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyEEk2Ga3jWsNrNF148ApK5XlC0whUdrd-qlWwLeSc47yB53hViFKQFLa-RrObs2u93onFltOuE_tvlK2ni0n49o8tYCO19p1Cns1nWtJ82FHFpWS-tFRocnvXNUYQi_DQhVtgThQKVw/s1600/IMG_3168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyEEk2Ga3jWsNrNF148ApK5XlC0whUdrd-qlWwLeSc47yB53hViFKQFLa-RrObs2u93onFltOuE_tvlK2ni0n49o8tYCO19p1Cns1nWtJ82FHFpWS-tFRocnvXNUYQi_DQhVtgThQKVw/s400/IMG_3168.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a completely unrelated topic, I went to a Spanish supermarket for the first time and I’m not sure if I’ll ever go back again because of what I found:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUIfmqWgEy-TrR71E_Ad9F1h9V62h7ijKB08wvxMoOpGoB8h3pNVLkxA88PUSJUqjTAwnUAp3MBVyUVfM7wMEWiVM-amBMvBe1-B_QSUXqYhsAwUbEtqyw2vvl8Cwj4avoTcChESMefg/s1600/IMG_3170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUIfmqWgEy-TrR71E_Ad9F1h9V62h7ijKB08wvxMoOpGoB8h3pNVLkxA88PUSJUqjTAwnUAp3MBVyUVfM7wMEWiVM-amBMvBe1-B_QSUXqYhsAwUbEtqyw2vvl8Cwj4avoTcChESMefg/s320/IMG_3170.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After I showed this to Borja and asked if I should be nervous about hungry Spaniards, he said, “Yeah, when I told them you were coming they didn’t say ‘Oh, cool,’ they said ‘Mmmm, delicious.’” I’m sleeping with one eye open from now on.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks for reading, and hope they don't make soup out of me,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span></span></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-32203231462139120162011-04-10T19:24:00.002+02:002011-04-10T19:28:47.248+02:00A Day at the Beach...Again, Part 1<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I knew this trip would be one of self-discovery. I’d uncover things about myself that I’d forgotten or that lay unknown, buried deep underneath all the events of the past. I’d make mistakes and learn lessons that I wouldn’t forget for my entire lifetime. I’d search my soul and come out of this knowing exactly who I am. Yesterday marked the first of these mind-blowing, life-changing, well-on-my-way-to-"finding myself" epiphanies. I learned a valuable lesson: I’m not too bad at beach volleyball. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfWE31p7x2kTBGc_ne1dIx9qB0GADssCLHg_dN5yXUi4p-8D83c8BpHdYG4Jsgqyk2Ijd50x2EK-wF0M8_3t_zSdN7MldcCUgpvuxDzqLG1ZF_7X5Nq27n4Q1L2zgsSZj6SFmEeTgKaM/s1600/217322_209265139103449_100000598933968_755744_5692036_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfWE31p7x2kTBGc_ne1dIx9qB0GADssCLHg_dN5yXUi4p-8D83c8BpHdYG4Jsgqyk2Ijd50x2EK-wF0M8_3t_zSdN7MldcCUgpvuxDzqLG1ZF_7X5Nq27n4Q1L2zgsSZj6SFmEeTgKaM/s400/217322_209265139103449_100000598933968_755744_5692036_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">New friends and I (white t-shirt) mid-game.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Before you all start signing me up to practice with Team USA, let me just add a little disclaimer. I was playing with some new, wonderful friends, and the other girls weren’t exactly experts at the sport. Ok...soo...they were pretty bad and combined with the random 10-year-old boy on the other team, they made me look stellar. Why, oh why Alicia, should we even care about your beach volleyball-induced ego boost? So glad you asked. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Athletics and I have a long, traumatic history together. A love/hate relationship really. Thanks to Mom’s gift for general clumsiness (Love you!), and inheriting virtually none of Dad’s athletic abilities, let’s just say that I somehow managed to always come home scratched and bruised after a long game of sitting on the bench. Despite my lack of talent, I just kept coming back. The thrill of competition, the family built out of great teamwork, and that feeling that comes from good ole fashioned blood, sweat, and tears always somehow had me reluctantly signing up for high school sport humiliation. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Fast forward a few years and now I don’t associate myself with any one sport in particular. If people ask me if I play anything, I generally tell them that I dabble. I’m a dabbler. I enjoy all different sports for fun or exercise but I don’t claim to be successful at any of them. So when Borja’s group of closest friends asked if I wanted to play beach volleyball out in the warm, Spanish sun, I went through my usual checklist:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chance of breaking a limb? Low (it is sand and I probably wouldn’t hit it from a high height, as say, from a horse)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chance of other injury? Mild (sand in the eyes or a ball to the head are both quite possible)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chance of making a fool of myself in front of people I don’t know and would really like to impress as they are Borja’s closest friends and I’ll be seeing a lot of them in the next three months? Extremely high, but what else is new?</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“Alright! I’ll do it!...I mean, si!” because I don’t know how to say “Alright, I’ll do it,” in Spanish.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> And you can imagine my surprise when I wasn’t too terrible. I might go as far as to say that I was kinda good. I won’t be graduating to any advanced teams anytime soon and don’t be thinking you’ll see me on the news: “American Volleyball Sensation Sweeps Spanish National Team...By Herself!” But I held my own. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So you’re still wondering why I’m even telling you about my miraculous undiscovered v-ball skills? Well, the answer is pretty simple. I got a little boost of confidence on a day when I was nervous about meeting people who I hoped would eventually become close friends of mine. And it turns out that I probably didn’t even need it because they’re great and I can’t wait to continue our adventures together. And why not find a more talented group of people to challenge myself as a growing beach volleyball starlet? Because I almost cried laughing during this game with new friends on the beach, having a great time together, and just enjoying the day. And that’s really what it’s all about.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBVZ-pK1MmndLblJGydX6fOLszG0Rk7AIfxzAL3ZIwq8tEEWF2W6Sy9vfzsRmDRWb0at9EDClikrddsJZcWnCrYRYU8tXT9PIis_GwRwmlbYJwJSaL-xa_HtuCmg1CfzwgEnjWVtc3OQ/s1600/206631_209267955769834_100000598933968_755757_3618611_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBVZ-pK1MmndLblJGydX6fOLszG0Rk7AIfxzAL3ZIwq8tEEWF2W6Sy9vfzsRmDRWb0at9EDClikrddsJZcWnCrYRYU8tXT9PIis_GwRwmlbYJwJSaL-xa_HtuCmg1CfzwgEnjWVtc3OQ/s400/206631_209267955769834_100000598933968_755757_3618611_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span></span></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-35308113008637156272011-04-07T20:33:00.000+02:002011-04-07T20:33:55.446+02:00A Few Words About Time, Food, and Thanks<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After my last post, <i>Beaches and Besos</i>, where I referenced that everything before noon is considered “early,” I’ve had a lot of inquiries into my daily schedule, and the average Spanish schedule, here in Alicante. I’m not too well informed about the typical “workday” here in Spain as I am not a member of the workforce here, but everyone is usually out of the house by 9. I am, however, altogether too well informed about the times of the meals here and this is generally what divides up the day for me and everyone else.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Breakfast is usually very small. Tea or coffee, a piece of toast with olive oil or butter, and maybe a piece of fruit or yogurt. For me, I have a piece of toast and a banana and spend the morning running, sunbathing, and reading (it is a vacation, you know). </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Everyone leaves their jobs at around 2ish and heads either home or out to a cafe for lunch. Lunch is the main meal of the day here and the “lunch hour” is typically 2-3 hours long. Lunch choices vary widely depending on the type of restaurant and the kind of food served. For example, at a cafe at the University today, I had selections from the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Menu del dia</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. For me, it was a big plate of peas cooked with ham, hardboiled eggs, onions, and olive oil (say what you will, it was delicious), with </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">croquetas</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (something similar to mozzarella sticks), french fries, Russian salad (similar to potato salad), and a piece of bread. And of course, Fanta Limon, my new favorite beverage. The entire thing cost 5 euro (about $7.00). Borja got spaghetti, a green salad, a hamburger, fries, bread, and a Coke for the same price. Some very nice new English-speaking friends I made last week gathered some more super nice English-speaking friends and we had a whole big English lunch together. This was pretty exciting for me since I generally don’t talk/understand much when I’m in large groups of people and everyone in this group was making a strong effort to speak my lingo as much as possible. Sooo friendly!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The “lunch hour” may or may not include a brief siesta time. This usually doesn’t happen during the week (at least for everyone who is not me), but rather more on the weekends. For some reason, this part of the daily routine is the part my body has most embraced. I’m generally drowsy and bleary-eyed around 5pm and my unlimited siestas have been causing problems with my sleep schedule. I’m trying to break this habit by skipping siestas...at least until the weekend...which starts tomorrow. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Working Spaniards may stay home for the rest of the evening, or go back to work until 6 or 7, depending on their job. This week, I’ve spent my afternoons either at the University with Borja or putzing around the area surrounding the high rise that I’m living in. Once I get a better handle on the public transportation (bus and tram stops right outside my building), I’m hoping to spend the afternoons adventuring, photographing, writing, blogging, etc., from different neighborhoods in the city. The sun doesn’t go down until close to 9 so this stretch of time will be perfect for explorations.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Somewhere between 9 and 10 we have dinner. This is a much smaller meal than lunch and is usually a salad or another side dish and a small serving of a protein. We had salmon one night, steak, pork, and chicken on others. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bedtime is 12 to 1am on weeknights. Last weekend we “relaxed” and didn’t go out with friends too much so I wasn’t up past 2. This weekend, however, is full of different opportunities to truly experience the Spanish habit of coming home around 5 or 6am. I’m definitely going to need my siesta then.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As I adjust to my new schedule, new food, new friends, new language (this list could seriously just keep going), I’m constantly reminded of what a lucky girl I really am. After a week in Alicante I’m looking forward to the opportunities, experiences, and sunshine ahead of me. While I face forward, I’m always thinking of all of you who are behind me, writing, calling, skyping, facebooking, emailing, commenting, supporting, loving, and in general, just sending good vibes my way. I appreciate it more than I’ll ever be able to say. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks, as usual, for everything,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Check out the ‘Photos’ page for a few quick shots of the University of Alicante and the neighborhood around my building!</span></span></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-23744165871120445562011-04-05T00:11:00.000+02:002011-04-05T00:11:00.323+02:00Beaches and Besos<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beaches</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Borja and I have taken a few walks along the Playa de San Juan in the evenings and this is becoming one of my favorite rituals. Walking down the beach lined with palm trees, both planted for aesthetic purposes and naturally grown, I can’t help but be grateful for being here, enjoying the sun, the warmth, and the sea. People of all ages walk this stretch of beach in the hours of 6-9pm, after siesta and before dinner. In Spain, this walk is called a </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">paseo</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, and is meant to be a leisurely stroll. No one moves too quickly during this time, unless for exercise purposes, and it almost feels like a moment in slow motion. You wouldn’t think time was really passing here except for the dying light. Individuals, couples, groups, families, all literally strolling along the beach. Some in conversation, some silent; but all just enjoying.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XvsR9emB4U5NVHVEwc2MvCG0SGyOAdcS-YHqLP7Z9IGRbQWLbI2eXvOYZX1E3hhsYrTjlF7sq3dq0DxhIYF_J8NkK_gyUUnH4hENWb77klAuUGf6yYA8CqOv8tW-MpgoqSaNvhoAbjk/s1600/IMG_3095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XvsR9emB4U5NVHVEwc2MvCG0SGyOAdcS-YHqLP7Z9IGRbQWLbI2eXvOYZX1E3hhsYrTjlF7sq3dq0DxhIYF_J8NkK_gyUUnH4hENWb77klAuUGf6yYA8CqOv8tW-MpgoqSaNvhoAbjk/s400/IMG_3095.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The line of palm trees on the Playa de San Juan</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNK11fg4kJcdorLgtenhXQNBfOEmxfeCpcjZr8qEiTY9sTC1nANndfRyP3joFYf1mIG0WZjJBz-pHx3Z4zGUMLzKMZuv0kD2KLp__zm9fnT_2o57jgAm7b-AVuGb4eWetZxEp7tftYJo/s1600/IMG_3097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNK11fg4kJcdorLgtenhXQNBfOEmxfeCpcjZr8qEiTY9sTC1nANndfRyP3joFYf1mIG0WZjJBz-pHx3Z4zGUMLzKMZuv0kD2KLp__zm9fnT_2o57jgAm7b-AVuGb4eWetZxEp7tftYJo/s400/IMG_3097.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the views from the beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutec-OU-1XIhLMJx9SuM6Fb9MuE_uierX_HIkiPCaCsJhZzKa8DcRhbBuaSUussraiOxDD7lc_faauJhhCvr-huCH2vJnt1eqGcSdZwKhYUc1Oha_HZ-2T-Ya8DlagRGp_22w1uVP8kI/s1600/IMG_3102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutec-OU-1XIhLMJx9SuM6Fb9MuE_uierX_HIkiPCaCsJhZzKa8DcRhbBuaSUussraiOxDD7lc_faauJhhCvr-huCH2vJnt1eqGcSdZwKhYUc1Oha_HZ-2T-Ya8DlagRGp_22w1uVP8kI/s400/IMG_3102.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>La playa</i> at night</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After five days of enjoying another thing, the Spanish food, I decided today would be the perfect opportunity to get back to running. Since the beach is only three blocks away and now a familiar place for me, I threw on the sneakers, turned up the ipod, and headed out. Of course I didn’t get too far, as heavily laden as I was with my recent massive intake of carbohydrates, fried everything, and beer. But I got to see </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">la playa</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> at another hour. Being as early in the morning as it was (10am, but here in Spain, anything before noon is early), the beach was pretty vacant except for a few fellow runners, some early-morning sunbathers, and my new favorite discovery, the gorgeous pack of Spanish men who work for the city of Alicante and spend their morning sprucing up the beach. So...10am everyday sounds good.</span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Besos</span></span><br />
<br />
<div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Since this is my first time in Europe, I’ve become acquainted with the custom of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">besos</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, or kisses. Whenever I am introduced to someone, meet up with friends or family I’ve already been introduced to, or even just say good morning or goodbye to my Spanish family, we exchange </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">besos</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, a kiss on each cheek. Obviously we don’t do this in the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Estados Unidos</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, and I was a little nervous about it. How do you know which side to go to first? What about the germs? And, is this going to be awkward? Turns out: the left, they’re more like “airkisses” so no germ issue, and sometimes. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Despite the potential for middle-school-dance-awkward-hug/kiss-encounters, this is perhaps one of my favorite things about Spain so far. There is a familiarity in this custom that just makes me happy. Everyone is usually excited to meet me since I am </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">la chica americana</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (who would have thought Western New York would be so exotic?), but exchanging </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">besos</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is like meeting an old friend all the time; it makes me feel welcome here. And so far I haven’t had any sort of homesickness (Sorry, Mom), but I think anything that makes Alicante seem a little bit more familiar, and a little more like home, at least for the next three months, is always welcome.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks for reading,</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span></span></div></span></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054723203536517966.post-5829939080033085892011-04-02T01:35:00.000+02:002011-04-02T01:35:47.060+02:00Hambre vs. Hombre<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hola from Alicante, Espana! I arrived Thursday, the 30th around 7pm and have been going like a whirlwind ever since. It's been so busy with the sunbathing, and the eating, and the siestas. I'm just kidding...a little. Here is a map of Spain and the location of Alicante:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1wto1QsPJvWLHFkBUOgQ7ag_lc-d-R0-uq3TCmFtK_Dm_0jIc3ezigaMDDWFDhxd1OMq-3HTvvceD9gdgnZLQ_XDyyu9noNh6glHIBJiv3BfZOUI8TQT1av5RVMhSz_iF41VrD_7EYQ/s1600/Alicias+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1wto1QsPJvWLHFkBUOgQ7ag_lc-d-R0-uq3TCmFtK_Dm_0jIc3ezigaMDDWFDhxd1OMq-3HTvvceD9gdgnZLQ_XDyyu9noNh6glHIBJiv3BfZOUI8TQT1av5RVMhSz_iF41VrD_7EYQ/s1600/Alicias+Map.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alicante is located on the Costa Blanca along the Mediterranean Sea.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here is a little glimpse of this neighborhood of Alicante out my bedroom window at 8 am:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QViNtefH-UdWQHdS68SRqT0cAu_oKdWvnlHfYsNA4w5zqSHIpTvZl18JlvTgmRcYRtBaITQa_ovEJQdkZBM4Xq9rXr4aI2meg8vv4Xf3PViKz9z7LKea7b14Rz4izbKkVM5qPuTBblk/s1600/IMG_3082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QViNtefH-UdWQHdS68SRqT0cAu_oKdWvnlHfYsNA4w5zqSHIpTvZl18JlvTgmRcYRtBaITQa_ovEJQdkZBM4Xq9rXr4aI2meg8vv4Xf3PViKz9z7LKea7b14Rz4izbKkVM5qPuTBblk/s400/IMG_3082.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notice the palm trees.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More photos to come in the future. Anyway, everything is going very well here so far. Flights were good, Borja's family is amazing; so hospitable and welcoming. And I've gotten myself all signed up for a Spanish language course at the University here. This is very exciting since the language gap here is quite large. Borja is fluent in English, thank goodness, and I can communicate pretty well with the rest of his family between their little bits of English, and my teeny tiny tidbits of Espanol. When Borja's not here to translate, it usually turns into a game of charades with some English and Spanish thrown in.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd been doing some research for my trip by watching Mario Battali and Gwenyth Paltrow's PBS series </span><a href="http://www.spainontheroadagain.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spain: On the Road Again</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Basically, Mario and Gwenyth, and two other companions, drive around Spain and eat. Sounds like a good time to me! Anyway, I had often heard the phrase on the show "Tengo mucho hambre," meaning, "I have much hunger," or, "I am very hungry." Having had 2 hours of sleep out of 26 hours, when Borja asked me if I was hungry, which I was only a little, I replied, "Estoy pequeno hombre." Translation: I am a little man. He got a good laugh out of that one for about...two days. Hope you did too.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading,</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Alicia</i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18312965863090287060noreply@blogger.com3