London in 3 Days

Thursday, March 18, 2010

After work, my friend Manuel and I drove from Ubrique to Malaga to catch our flight to London at 21:30. It was a beautiful afternoon, we arrived in plenty of time, grabbed an airport Pizza Hut dinner (not the best…), and before we knew it, we were on board the plane and heading to London. We arrived a little before midnight, and the journey began. From London Gatwick airport, we had to catch a shuttle to the Gatwick South Terminal/Train Station. Once there (around 00:30), we had to struggle to figure out how to buy a ticket and more importantly, to what destination (since the train I was originally told to catch was not running at that hour). A lovely elderly British couple helped me make the purchases, and we ran down the escalator to hop on the train, which had already arrived at the platform. A thirty minute train ride later (so now, around 01:00), we arrived at Victoria Station. From there we had to catch a bus to King’s Cross. We only waited about 15 minutes for the “night bus 73” to arrive, then took a lovely ride around the city until we finally arrived at our stop 45 minutes later (around 02:00). We decided not to waste our money on a taxi since I had been given detailed directions on how to get to the Hostel from King’s Cross. However, once we began following the directions, I learned they were not so clear after all. After asking about 5 people, entering 2 hotels to inquire, using a London citizen’s personal cell phone to call the hostel, and 1 hour later, we finally arrived at Clink Hostel at 02:45. I was happy to hear they had my reservation on file, but slightly taken aback when I was told we had been moved from a 6-bed room to an 8-bed room. However, once he mentioned the reduced rate of 20 £, I was okay with it. We immediately went to our room and dropped our luggage off. Manuel went straight to bed, and I went to take a nice relaxing shower. HaHa! There was no hot water…which at 03:00 came as a very unpleasant surprise. I showered faster than I ever have, put my hair in a towel, and went to bed. Phew, it’s stressful even re-telling the story!

Friday, March 19, 2010

For some crazy reason, I woke up very early. At 08:00 I was already dressed and ready to go. Manuel and I went down with our roommates to grab the free breakfast offered to Hostel guests. Nothing too spectacular, just cereal and toast – but very nice considering a “cheap” breakfast in London is about 5-6 £ ($ 7.50). After Breakfast, we ran to King’s Cross station. The walk that had taken us over an hour the night before, now was a pleasant 15 minute walk…more or less in a straight line. Once at King’s Cross/St. Pancras station, we bought an Oyster Card (basically a rechargeable metro card that allows you to go on the Underground, trains, and buses at a cheaper fare). Once we bought the Oyster Card and had a photo shoot at Platform 9 ¾ (from Harry Potter!!), we headed back to the Hostel. From there, we joined a “free” walking tour of London. We did it in Spanish (since Manuel doesn’t speak English) and we met some wonderful people from Barcelona and Argentina, but unfortunately never saw them again. The tour lasted about 3 hours, and covered Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park Corner, Nelson’s Column, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery, St. James’s Park, Wellington Arch, Horseguards, Whitehall, Big Ben, 10 Downing Street (where the man that went around the world in 80 days took off from), Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. After the tour and a traditional “fish and chips” lunch, Manuel and I went exploring on our own. We entered the National Portrait Gallery and National Gallery. Spent a little time admiring the artwork…but after a while decided to move on to something a little different. At 17:00 we hurried down to Westminster Abbey to attend Evening Song Mass (not only was it beautiful, but it was a legal and accepted way to enter the Abbey without paying the visitor’s fee). Evening Song has been given in Westminster Abbey daily for the past 1,000 years! And to just think…I attended one of those evenings. After mass, we continued to explore the city, headed to a local café for some hot chocolate and brownies, and hopped on the underground to return to the hostel. Quite a busy day.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

We started our morning out with a visit to the Emirates Arsenal Stadium. Manuel is a huge football (aka soccer) fan and really wanted to see a game. However, tickets were up to 150 £ ($225) so we decided just to admire the stadium and not see the game. From there, we hopped on the underground, and hit up all the major (free) museums - the National History Museum, National Science Museum, and the British Museum. We also went to Harrod's and spent some time exploring. I must say it is a fairly impressive store – but quite pricey. We enjoyed meandering around the gift shop and Egyptian hall, and stopped to pay tribute to and see the memorial to Princess Diana. Then we headed up to the “food court,” bought a cinnamon role, slice of fudge, and bacon and cheese melt (for Manuel to try). From there, we took off to Camden Markets – a very unusual district of London. Quite a mix of hippie/rock-n-roll/gothic/peculiar tourist-trap stores. An interesting sight none-the-less. After a bit of exploring, we headed to Starbucks, and enjoyed two chai tea lattes from the roof while watching a boat pass through the Locks on the canal. To wind up the day, we went in search of the original Hard Rock Café. I collect hat pins from every city/country I visit…and have about 12 or 13 now. I can’t leave a city that has a Hard Rock Café without finding it.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Today was probably my favorite day. First thing in the morning, after breakfast, we hopped on the underground and went to visit Tower Bridge. For only 5 £ ($7.50) we got to go inside, check out the views from the two walkways, and explore the engine rooms. Well worth it. There are some beautiful views and lots of interesting tidbits about London and the bridge. After a couple hours there, we headed just over the river to the Tower of London. A bit more pricey to enter (around 15 £ or $22.50), but also very much worth it. The Tower of London houses a huge display of the crown jewels (a display of coronation regalia that has been on display to the public since the 17th century), a medieval palace, the White Tower (built in 1100), and various museums. If you ever go to London, this is something you absolutely cannot miss! It’s way too cool! After the Tower of London, we followed a map around the old city of London, saw the Monument, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Mansion House, The Bank of England, The Royal Exchange, HMS Belfast, Cleopatra’s Needle (supposedly the oldest monument in London), and ended up strolling along the Thames River, past the London Eye, and heading home (to our hostel) through Hyde’s Park. I don’t think I have ever walked so much in my life…or seen so much as I did these past three days! It was a fairly expensive weekend (although, really not too bad), and was worth every penny…or I suppose I should say every pence…?! :)

Monday, March 22, 2010

Oh how I love traveling. Kind of. Today, we woke up at 03:30 (yes, that means 3:30 am!) and left our hostel at 04:00 in order to walk to the bus stop at King’s Cross/St. Pancras station. Once there, we hopped on the bus at 04:25. At 05:00 we arrived at Victoria’s station, and immediately got on the Gatwick Express train. At 05:30 we arrived at Gatwick South Terminal, and had to take a shuttle to the North Terminal. We finally got in line to check in with EasyJet at 5:45…just about one hour and 15 minutes before our flight took off. When we finally got to the ticket counter, the woman told us that the flight was closed. I immediately knew something was wrong…and asked what exactly a “closed flight” meant. She directed us to the EasyJet Sales Counter, and there I was told that they had overbooked the flight, and that unless we had a printed boarding pass we would not be allowed on. I thought, phew – no problem, and whipped out my boarding pass that I had previously printed. Manuel, on the other hand, had not printed his. I was told I could go on the flight, but that Manuel would have to catch another flight. When I explained he didn’t speak a word of English, and that I would give up my seat and take the next flight, I was told that wasn’t an option (unless I wanted to buy a new ticket and risk not getting on the next flight anyways). So, I explained the situation to Manuel, and literally ran through the airport…with only 40 minutes to get through security and to my gate before the flight departure time. Needless to say, a bit stressful. Luckily, I made it. I arrived in Malaga at 10:30. Got a bus to the city center. Arrived at 11:00. Grabbed a quick drink and bite to eat around 12:00. Slept on a bench outside the bus station for two hours. Around 14:00 was a bit bored, so I used the internet for a bit, bought some snacks, and bought my ticket back to Ubrique. The bus to Ubrique left at 16:00, and arrived a mere 4 hours later, at 20:00. After 17 hours of travel…from a small country that is only 2 hours 30 minutes away by plane…I finally made it back to Ubrique. Now…I’m here for three days, and off to the north of Spain on Friday. No rest for the wicked.

The Fourth, BEST, and last Weekend of CARNAVAL

English up top/Español abajo

In Ubrique, Saturday, February 27th was CaRnAvAL...the real thing :)  After spending an enjoyable morning out on the Avenida, I met up with my friends later in the afternoon and we started to prepare ourselves for CaRnAvAl!  We were going disguised as hippies, and we went all out!  We got together and painted daisies on our nails.  Next, we straightened our hair and parted it straight down the middle. Then, we ate dinner.  Finally, we got dressed, put on make-up, painted a hippie sign on our cheeks, prepared our plastic cups (which yes, also had daisies on them), stuffed our little cooler (which was also decked out in brightly colored daisies and peace signs), and headed out to participate in the "pasacalles" (parade). 

We had incredible luck.  After three months of almost non-stop rain, and a slightly rainy/drizzly afternoon, it cleared up for the evening festivities.  Darn good thing since CaRnAvAL is always celebrated outside in one of the main plazas!!! We joined in the parade right behind the band, and spent over an hour dancing, singing, and just enjoying the atmosphere before arriving to the plaza.  When the parade finally arrived to the Plaza del Jardin around midnight, the real music and fun began!!!

I spent most of the evening dancing and chatting with  my fellow "hippie" friends. However, I also wandered around the plaza a couple times, checking out all the costumes and saying hello to other friends.  I never really realized how many people I actually know here!! Haha, it took me over 90 minutes to simply walk around the Plaza and get back to where I had started.  :)  Around 4:00 am, (which, after all was Sunday, February 28), the band stopped playing and began singing the Hymn of Andalucia.  The crowd erupted in song, and it was quite a cheery welcome to "Andalucia Day." We were out celebrating and having fun until after 6:00 in the morning. When the live music finally shut down, a few of my friends and I went to Babel Dreams (the disco) and Carnaval didn't end until 7:45 in the morning.  It always astounds me how the time flies when you are having fun. Once I returned home, I skyped my parents to say hello and good night (with the 8 hour time difference, it is not often that we are both going to bed at the same time hahaha) and went straight to bed!  

 As is tradition, Sunday evening was the closing ceremony of Carnaval.  Yet, even though it means Carnaval has finished and it will be 11 months before the festivities start again, it is still a happy celebration.  Despite a slight delay due to rain, around 20:30, the townspeople came dancing down the Avenida, following the statue of the Patacabra (a tool used to work with leather...and since Ubrique is leather capital of the world, the patacabra is one of the symbols of the town).  When it reached the Plaza de las Palmeras, it was set down, the people filed into the plaza, and the fireworks began.  At the end of the fireworks display, the Patacabra was lit on fire, and left to burn.  Some people burn their costumes, but most people just enjoy the sight and the last few minutes of Carnaval... 

Phew, what a crazy, happy, wonderful, and truly memorable CaRnAVaL!!!

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En Ubrique, el sábado el 27 de febrero fue CaRnAvAL. :) Después de una mañana agradable fuera en la Avenida, yo quedé con mis amigos luego por la tarde para prepararnos para CaRnAvAl. Ibamos disfrazados de hippies totales jaja. Nosotros nos juntamos por la tarde/noche para pintar margaritas en las uñas. Luego, planchamos el pelo y hicimos la raya del pelo justo por la mitad (como hacian los hippies, claor). Entonces, comimos la cena. Por último, pusimos los disfrazes y el maquillaje, pintamos un signo de paz/hippie en las mejillas, preparamos nuestras tazas de plástico (que sí, también tenian margaritas en ellas), llenamos nuestro pequeña nevera (que también fue engalanado fuera en margaritas de colores distintos y señales de paz), y dirigimos fuera para participar en la pasacalles.

Tuvimos mucha suerte...después de tres meses de lluvia, y una tarde lloviznoso, aclaró la noche para las festividades nocturnas. Menos mal porque CaRnAvAL siempre es celebrado fuera en uno de las plazas principales. Mis amigas y yo unimos en el desfile justo detrás de la banda, y gastamos más de una hora bailando, cantando, y disfrutando de la musica y el ambiente antes de llegar a la plaza. Cuándo el desfile por último llegó al Jardin (alrededor de la medianoche) la verdadera música y diversión empezaron!

Pasé la mayor parte de la noche bailando y charlando con mis amigas, las otras hippies. Sin embargo, también fui a dar un paseo alrededor de la plaza para dar una vista de todos los disfraces y saludar otros amigos. Nunca me di cuenta de realmente cuántas personas conozco aquí!  Jaja, tardé más de 90 minutos en dar una sola vuelta por la plaza y volver a donde había comenzado. :) Alrededor de 4:00 de la madrugada, (que, fue después de todo, el domingo el 28 de febrero), las cantantes pararon de cantar un momento para poner (bueno, y cantar) el Himno de Andalucia. La multitud arrojó en la canción, y fue un bienvenido bastante alegre al "Día de Andalucia". Estuvimos fuera celebrando y divertiendo hasta después de las 6:00 de la mañana. Cuándo la música en directo por último paró, algunos de mis amigos y yo fuimos a Babel Dreams y para mi, Carnaval no terminó hasta las 7:45 por la mañana! Siempre me asombra cómo el tiempo vuela cuando se divierte. ¡Una vez que volví a casa, conecté al internet para llamar/hablar con mis padres para decir hola y buenas noches (con la diferencia de tiempo de 8 horas, son pocas veces que nosotros ambos acostarnos a la misma hora) y despues, fui directamente a la cama!

Como es tradición, el domingo por la tarde fue la ceremonia final del Carnaval. Aunque signifique que el Carnaval ya ha terminado y quedan 11 meses antes del comienzo de las fiestas otra vez, es todavía una celebración feliz. A pesar de una tardanza leve debida a la lluvia (que sorpresa no?! jaja) a las 20:30, los ciudadanos venian bailando en la Avenida y siguiendo la estatua de la Patacabra (un instrumento que es utilizado para trabajar con piel...y desde que Ubrique es el capital del piel del mundo, la patacabra es uno de los símbolos del pueblo). Cuándo llegó a la Plaza de las Palmeras, fue dejado en el suelo, las personas entraron en la plaza, y los fuegos artificiales empezaron. Al finales de los fuegos artificiales, la Patacabra fue encendido en fuego, y dejado para quemar. Según un amigo mio, algunas personas queman sus disfraces, pero la mayoría de las personas solo disfrutan de la vista/ambiente y los últimos minutos de Carnaval...

 Oju, que Carnaval mas loco, feliz, maravilloso, y memorable!!!!

Friday Night CaRNaVaL Live :)

Every year, the last Friday of Carnaval, my school hosts an event in which all the Chirigotas and Comparsas perform.  I went last year, and really enjoyed myself...so, I went again this year.  The performances began around 21:00 and ended around 3:30 am.  It makes for a long evening, but the time passes quickly.  As is the spirit of carnaval, the hours fly by as you laugh along and enjoy the spirited and cheerful performerances.

The whole point of Carnaval is to have fun!  And the main purpose of the Chirigotas and Comparsas, is to make fun of various people (such as local politicians, important people, etc) and criticize (in a comical manner) local everyday issues.  For the Chirigotas and Comparsas of Ubrique, this means the Mayor gets mentioned quite a bit, the "Turronero" and Jesulin de Ubrique (two well-known Ubriquenos) have to put up with a lot of flak, the issue of parking comes up frequently (as there is virtually no parking in Ubrique...and its a huge problem), and criticisms of the state-of-the-art (but yet to be opened) indoor pool are common. Of course, the economic crisis was also a big topic this year.  As was Paddle, which as of late, has become quite the "in" thing in Ubrique.

In conjunction with some witty lyrics, the groups also come up with some pretty good costumes.  This year, there were 7 groups (2 cuartets, 4 chirigotas, and 1 comparsa).  One of the cuartets, Si lo se, no vengo (If I knew, I wouldn't come), consisted of 5 men who dressed up as a doctor, a nurse, a policeman, an old man, and a emergency technician. The other cuartet Nos hemos dado cuenta que no sirve para nada trabajar en el Plan Menta (We've realized it is pointless to work under the Plan Menta) dressed up as a few random and unusual characters.  The Chirigotas this year consisted of Los Tocawebos (basically meaning "ball/testical touchers"; dressed up as doctors), Los Paletos (meaning "Paddle players", dressed as paddle players), El Guiso (meaning "The Stew", dressed up as soccer players, but brought props along to make "stew" and wore jerseys with forks and spoons as numbers), Los Cabezaimon (meaning something along the lines of "hardheaded/stubborn" dressed up as bobble-head dolls of the Mayor of Ubrique). The only comparsa this year was that of the ladies, called Deidad (Dieties, dressed up as goddesses).

Below are some videos that I took of each group performing.  While you likely won't understand the lyrics, you will still enjoy the music and the dancing...and you already have a slight idea of the topics (as mentioned above).  If you like them and are interested in seeing more, check out the following link:   http://www.ubrique.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1082&Itemid=36

Si Lo Se, No Vengo:


Los Tocawebos:


Los Paletos:


El Guiso:


Los Cabezaimon:


Deidad:

Carnaval in Fernando Gavilan

English up top/Español abajo

In the spirit of Carnaval, we also had a "Carnaval dress up day" at CEIP Fernando Gavilán. We had normal classes throughout the morning, and then at recess, we all dressed up. For the last 90 minutes or so of the day, we went with our students on a parade throughout the surrounding neighborhood. Parents and onlookers lined the streets as 200 or so little munchkins paraded around. Since it has been raining so much (SO MUCH) this year, the theme was "water." However, we had a bit of everything and costumes ranged from frogs, to water drops, to suns, to pirates...

Hope you enjoy the photos:

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En el espíritu del Carnaval, nosotros también tuvimos un "Día de Carnaval" en CEIP Fernando Gavilán. Tuvimos clases normales a través de la mañana, pero después de recreo, todo el mundo se disfrazó. Para los últimos 90 minutos, fuimos con nuestros estudiantes en un desfile a través del barrio. Los padres y los espectadores forraron las calles mientras más o menos 200 chiquitines desfilaron por la calle. Desde que ha estado lloviendo tanto (TANTO) este año, el tema fue "agua". Sin embargo, nosotros tuvimos un poco de todo y los disfraces recorrieron de ranas, a gotitas de agua, a soles, a piratas...

Espere que disfrutes de las fotos:

Then, on Thursday, February 25th, we celebrated "Dia de Andalucia" (which is actually the 28th of February). At 10:30 am all grades headed downstairs to the patios and enjoyed a typical andalucian breakfast (consisting of toast, olive oil, and ham). After recess, everyone gathered to sing the Hymn of Andalucia, and read some poems by famous Andalucian authors. Then, after a cheery half-hour singing and waving green and white balloons (representative of the Andalucian flag), we all headed back to class. Be sure to check out the youtube video at the bottom of this post :)

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Entonces, el jueves, 25 de febrero, celebramos "Dia de Andalucia" (que es realmente el 28 de febrero). A las 10:30 todos los cursos dirigieron abajo a los patios y disfrutaron de un desayuno típico de andalucia (consistiendo en pan/tostada, aceite de oliva, y jamón por supuesto). Después de recreo, todos reunieron para cantar el Himno de Andalucia, y leer algunos poemas escritos por famosos autores de Andalucia. Luego, después de una media hora alegre cantando y tirando globos verdes y blancos (representante de la bandera de Andalucia), todos regresamos a la clase.

The Third Weekend of CARNAVAL - La Chorizá

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La Chorizá was celebrated in the historic district of Ubrique on Saturday, February 20. La Chorizá is probably the second most important festival of Carnaval here in Ubrique. At the Chorizá, several bars line the narrow streets and plazas in the upper historic district of Ubrique and serve the all too famous Cruzcampo (beer) and small tapitas of "chorizo con vino" (wine soaked sausage). While the primary weekend for costumes and dressing up is the last weekend of February (Saturday 27), there is also a costume competition held during the Chorizá. As such, most of the kids dress up in costumes, and some creative adults join in on the fun as well.
I started out the day on the Avenida (haha, that's where most of my weekends begin). I met up with some friends, and we enjoyed the somewhat sunny morning sitting out on the avenida enjoying some refreshments and munching on some snacks. Around 3 pm, we headed up to the historic district. Before heading up to the actual chorizá, we stopped in one of the main plazas and enjoyed some little sandwhiches and tapas. Nervous that there wouldn't be any "chorizo con vino" left, I persuaded the group to migrate towards the main event. We finally got up to the bars, and luckily there was plenty of beer, coca-cola (for me), and chorizo con vino!
After seeing some pretty creative costumes, listening to the chirigotas (Carnaval singing groups) as they passed by, and a good eight or more hours in the streets, I headed home to grab some dinner. While I originally had the intention of heading out again, I got a little too cozy next to my heater and decided not to brave the cold. :)

It was a lovely day...but I must say, it doesn't quite compare to what the next weekend will bring...

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"La Chorizá" fue celebrado en el casco antiguo de Ubrique el sábado, 20 de febrero. La Chorizá es probablemente uno de los festivales más importantes del Carnaval de Ubrique. En "La Chorizá", hay varias barras en las calles estrechas y las plazas pequenitas del casco antiguo que sirven Cruzcampo (jaja, que más va a tener?!?!) y pequeñas tapitas de chorizo en vino. Aunque el fin de semana para disfrazarte se celebra el 27 de febrero, hay también una competición de disfraces durante La Chorizá. Por eso, la mayor parte de los niños se disfrazan, y algunos adultos creativos se apuntan a la diversión también.

Empecé el día en la Avenida de España (jaja, ahí la mayor parte de mis fines de semana empiezan). Quedé con algunos amigos, y nosotros disfrutamos del sol por la mañana en la avenida tomando cervezas y refrescos. Alrededor de las 15:00, dirigimos hasta el casco antiguo. Pero antes de ir arriba por el chorizo, paramos un ratito en la plaza de verdura para disfrutar de algunos pinchitos y bocadillos. Nervioso que no habría chorizo cuando lleguemos ahi arriba, persuadí el grupo a emigrar hacia el principal acontecimiento. Pero no había problema, había mucha cerveza, coca-cola (para mí jaja como no me gusta la cerveza), y sobre todo, había mucho chorizo

Después de ver algunos disfraces super chulos, escuchar las chirigotas cantando, y unas ocho horas o más en la calle, volví a casa para cenar. Originalmente tuve la intención de salir por la noche otra vez, pero me encontré demasiado cómoda junto a mi calentadora y decidí no afrontar el frío de nuevo. jaja :)

Fue un día encantador.

The Second Weekend of CARNAVAL - Cadiz Adventure

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A few weeks ago I was invited by Erin, one of my friends living in Cadiz, to stay in her flat in and experience Spain's most famous and craziest Carnaval celebration. So, I jumped at the opportunity...

I woke up early Friday morning, and got to work on my costume. After all, you CANNOT go to Cadiz Carnaval without a costume. Since Erin and some of her friends were dressing up as characters from Alice and Wonderland, we decided I should be one of the walking card guys...you know, the ones that sing:

"We're painting the roses red
we're painting the roses red
We dare not stop
Or waste a drop
So let the paint be spread
We're painting the roses red
We're painting the roses red..."

For a total of 7 euros, I made a lovely little costume. It just took some white poster-board, a big marker, some ribbon (which I had saved from Mom and Dad's Christmas gifts to me), lots of staples, some contact laminate, and a black hat and gloves. I finished making my costume around 2:00 o'clock, quickly packed up my overnight bag, and despite the torrential downpour, hopped on the 6:00 o'clock bus to Cadiz, optimistic and very hopeful that it wouldn't rain during Saturday's festivities.

I arrived a little after 8:00 o'clock, and made my way to my friend's apartment. Once there, a few others came over, and we had a mini costume making party. Around 10:30ish, we heard some noise out the window...and when we looked five stories down, saw a man lying flat on his back (clearly passed out) surrounded by three policemen. After several failed attempts to position the man upright, two more policemen came and "escorted" (aka carried) him to the police van. It was quite the drama...we were all glued to the window. Apparently someone forgot to tell him the party did not start until Saturday... And while all of that was happening, a woman on her little scooter, wearing a pink helmet, while fully stopped at the stoplight, randomly tipped over. Two policemen rushed over to help her up...and she slowly recovered from the embarrasment and made her way down the road. After all the Friday night drama, we began working on and adding the finishing touches to our costumes. Then we ate dinner (home-made lentils made by Erin!) and watched the chirigotas, comparsas, cuartetos, and choirs perfom in the finals at the famous Falla Theater. Around 2:30 am, we decided it was best we all went to bed since we had a big day and a big night ahead of us.

Around 8:00 am the next morning, Saturday, we looked out the window and it was pouring, absolutely pouring. But by 10:30 or so, it had stopped...and a wee bit of blue sky began to shine through the weary gray clouds. We were all thrilled! After a relaxing morning at the flat, we headed out to get some groceries and beverages for our party on Saturday night. Then around 3:00 o'clock, headed to the main parade (full of floats with all the Carnaval chirigotas/comparsas/choirs). The streets were packed, confetti was all over, and beer, wine, and tapas were prevalent. Three of us had the fortune of being called up on one of the floats, and as it turns out, made it on TV (on TeleCinco)!!! :) Aka, we're famous! haha




After a pleasant several hours in the street, we meandered back to the flat and had a mini flat party. At 10:00 pm, we got the entire group together, all in all about 15 people (including about 6 Spaniards), and headed out in our costumes ready for an entire night of Carnaval fun!! Along with characters from Alice and Wonderland, we had some pirates, a pinguin, some vikings, Batman, etc... After the hour-long walk down the main avenue in the freezing cold we made it to the "Casco Antiguo" (historic district). According to Spanish newspapers, over 320,000 people were in Cadiz on Saturday night - and all of them in costumes, with lots of alcohol and confetti, spread throughout the narrow streets and plazas of Cadiz's historic district. I'm proud to say I was one of those 320,000 crazy people living life to its fullest and braving the cold. :)

We spent the evening and wee hours of the morning laughing, dancing, meeting people from all over Spain (and the US and Europe), drinking, eating, and just being part of CARNAVAL! The crowds started to shrink slightly as the morning wore on, and so we decided to catch a bus back home around 5:30 in the morning. There were so many people with the same idea, however, that we had to wait in a massive line before we could even catch the bus. Once home, I immediately hit the bed, and three hours later, woke up, got dressed, made myself somewhat presentable, and hopped on a bus back to Ubrique at 10:00 am. Tired as heck, I tried to sleep on the bus, but wasn't quite able to do so. Once I got home, I showered, did laundry, and took a brief nap. I had some things to do, so really couldn't spend the day sleeping...but I must admit, I was in bed and sound asleep by 10:00 pm Sunday night. :)

Couldn't have asked for a more wonderful or more fun-filled weekend! The weather was great (well, considering that it didn't rain and that we actually had a glimpse of sunshine for an hour or so), the Carnaval experience was as authentic as could be, and the hospitality and accomodation provided by Erin and her roommates couldn't have been better. All I have to say now is, "I LIVED CARNAVAL CADIZ 2010 to its fullest! Woot Woot!!"



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Hace algunos semanas, Erin, una de mis amigas que vive en Cádiz me inivitó para quedarme en su piso y experimentar la celebración más famosa y más loca de Carnaval en España. Así, aproveché de la oportunidad...

Me desperté temprano el viernes por la mañana para hacer mi disfraz. No se puede ir al carnaval de Cádiz sin un disfraz!! Desde que Erin y algunos de sus amigos decidieron disfrazarse como los caracteres de Alicia en país de las maravillas, nosotros decidimos que debo ser una de las cartas...sabes?...las que cantan:

Todos a trabajar,
las rosas hay que pintar
y todas rojas quedarán,
muy lindas se verán.
Las rosas hay que pintar,
muy rojas han de quedar.

Para solo siete euros, hice un disfraz encantador. Solo tenía que comprar/usar cartulina blanca, un marcador grande, us lazo (que había guardado de los regalos que me enviaron mis padres por navidad), muchas grapas, algún contacto lamina, y un sombrero y guantes negros. Terminé haciendo mi disfraz alrededor de las 14:00, hice mis maletas rápidamente por el fin de semana, y a pesar del aguacero torrencial, cogí el autobús a Cádiz a las 18:00, muy optimista que no llovería durante las festividades del sábado.

Llegué un poco después de las 20:00, y fui al piso de mi amiga. Una vez allí, otros amigos vinieron y tuvimos una "mini fiesta" de hacer los disfrazes. Alrededor de 22:30, oímos algún ruido fuera de la ventana, y cuando miramos cinco plantas abajo vimos a un hombre que estaba de espaldas (se desmayó claramente) rodeado por tres policías. Después de varias intentos fallados de posicionar al hombre vertical, dos más policías vinieron y "acompañaron" (alias llevado) él a la camioneta de la policía. Fue bastante interesante, jaja, estuvimos "pegado" a la ventana mirando lo que estaba sucediendo. Aparentemente alguien se olvidó de decirle al hombre que la fiesta no comenzó hasta el sábado...jaja. Y mientras todo ese sucedía, una mujer en su moto pequeño, llevando un casco rosa, mientras completamente parado enfrente del semaforo, volcó al caer. Dos policías fueron corriendo a ayudarla y ella recuperó lentamente y con verguenza, avanzó conduciendo otra vez. Después de todo la drama de esta noche, seguimos trabajando y terminando los toques finales a nuestros disfraces. Entonces comimos la cena (lentejas hechas a mano por Erin)! y vimos las actuaciones de las chirigotas, comparsas, cuartetos, y de los coros en el final en el famoso Teatro de Falla. Alrededor de 2:30, decidimos que era una buena idea acostarnos porque tendriamos un día grande y una noche grande adelante de nosotros.

Alrededor de las 8:00 de la mañana el sábado, miramos desde la ventana, y una manta de agua estaba cayendo! Pero a las 10:30 más o menos, había parado. Menos mal! Y un poco de cielo azul comenzó a brillar detras de las nubes grises fatigadas. ¡Estuvimos super contentas! Después de una mañana relajante en el piso, fuimos al Dia para comprar algunos comestibles y las bebidas para nuestra fiesta el sábado por la noche. Entonces, alrededor de las 15:00, fuimos a ver el desfile (lleno de flotadores con todas las chirigotas de Carnaval/comparsas/los coros etc). Las calles fueron empacadas, habia confeti por todas partes, y la cerveza, el vino, y las tapas fueron predominantes. ¡Tres de nosotros tuvimos la fortuna de ser llamado en uno de los flotadores, y subimos, y parece que hemos salido en la tele (en TeleCinco) segun algunos amigos mios que me han dicho que me han visto !!! :) Jaja, somos famosos!

Después de unas horas agradables en la calle, regresamos al piso y tuvimos una fiesta. A las 22:00, salimos del piso - el grupo entero, de aproximadamente 15 personas (inclusive aproximadamente 6 españoles) - y fuimos andando por la calle en nuestros disfraces, todos preparadoas por por una noche entera de diversión y de celebración de Carnaval!! Junto con nosotors (disfrazado como personajes de Alicia en el País de las maravillas), habia algunos piratas, un pinguin, algunos vikingos, el Batman, etc.. Andamos por una horita en el frío por la avenida principal hasta que llegamos al "Casco Antiguo" de Cadiz. Según periódicos españoles, más de 320.000 personas estuvieron en Cádiz el sábado por la noche - y todos en disfraces, con mucho alcohol y confeti, esparcen a través de las calles y plazas estrechas del distrito histórico de Cádiz. Estoy orgullosa decir que fui uno de esas 320.000 personas locas que vivian la vida a su más lleno y afrontaron el frío de la noche. :)

Gastamos la noche y las altas horas de la mañana ríendonos, bailando, conociendo a nuevas personas de todas partes de España (y EEUU y Europa), bebiendo, comiendo, y formando parte del CARNAVAL! Las multitudes comenzaron a encogerse ligeramente como las horas de la mañana pasaban, y así que decidimos coger un autobús al piso alrededor de las 5:30 por la mañana. Había tantas personas con la misma idea que tuvimos que esperar en una cola grandísima antes que podamos coger el autobús. Una vez que en casa, me acosté inmediatamente, y tres horas mas tarde, me desperté, me vesti, me hice mas o menos presentable, y cogi el autobús para Ubrique a las 10:00. Cansada como demonia, intenté dormir en el autobús, pero no pudo. Una vez que yo llegué a casa, yo me duché, lavé mi ropa, y tomé una siesta breve. Tuve algunas cosas para hacer, así que realmente no podría gastar el día durmiendo, jaja, pero tengo que admitir que estuve en la cama dormida a las 21:00 la noche del domingo. :)

¡No podría haber pedido un fin de semana más maravilloso ni más lleno de diversión! El tiempo hacia bueno (bien, teniendo en cuenta que no llovió y que tuvimos realmente una vislumbre de sol por una horita), la experiencia de Carnaval fue tan auténtica como podría ser, y la hospitalidad de mi amiga Erin y sus compañeras de piso no podría haber sido mejor!!!

Hmmm...Paella!!!

After an extremely long day enjoying Carnaval fesitivies on Saturday, I decided to have a more relaxing day on Sunday. So, I went with a couple friends and a few teachers from the High School to a lovely country home for a Paella (a traditional Spanish meal/get-together), and enjoyed a nice sunny day in the country.



Well, I guess it wasn't all relaxing. Since we were preparing food for about 15 people, they put me (and everyone) to work. I was put in charge of tearing lettuce apart for the Salad. A fairly easy task, or so I thought. I opened the sealed plastic bag, and started tearing apart the lettuce. When I was about half-way through, one of the guys asked me if I had washed it. I said, "no." I guess I should have known, I mean, I grew up in a household where my mother washes everything (haha, even canned goods!), but for some reason I figured that since it was in a sealed bag, it was probably good to go. But, I did as was suggested, and went to wash it...little piece, by little piece. Then, as I was rinsing it off, the home owner came rushing over and said "oh! Don't use the tap water, I mean, nothing bad will happen, it's good water, but its better to use this" (signaling two 2 liter bottles of bottled water). Go figure. I finally go to wash the lettuce, and what do I do? Use the wrong water. I probably made the lettuce dirtier than it was in the first place!!! Haha However, once the lettuce was rinsed (a second time using the bottled water), we went to work adding tomatos, avocados, peppers, and oil and vinegar. I have to say, it was one very delicious salad.


After munching on potato chips and a variety of nuts, the salad, and some finger food (consisting of bits of chicken and pork), we moved on to the Paella. This was by no means my first Paella, but it was very good and very different than others I have eaten. Paella tends not only to vary by region (for example, it is prepared slightly differently in the north of spain than in Andalucia), but also vary in type; some are purely made of shellfish, some only have meat (chicken, pork, rabbit, etc), many are a combination of shellfish and meat, and yet others are purely vegetarian. This one, however, was kind of a combination of all types. It included mussles, prawns, calamari, rabbit, chicken, beans of all types, red and green peppers,and of course, the most necessary ingredient, rice! I ate everything but the rabbit (and chicken), because I was unable to distinguish between the two types of meat, and I couldn't quite bring myself to eat a darling little rabbit. Aside from that small issue, it was delicious and I enjoyed it very much!

After the Paella (as if we needed more food!), we had some chocolate flan made by two of the other auxiliares de conversacion for dessert. And after dessert, came coffee (well, a few decided to jump right in and enjoyed some rum and coke instead!). As the afternoon wound down, we listened to one of the guys play the guitar and sang a few traditional Spanish tunes. It was the perfect ending to a great Paella! All in all, I couldn't have asked for better company, better food, or better views of the town. It was a truly fantastic, and authentic Spanish day in the "campo"!

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Después de un día muy largo el sábado, en lo cual disfruté de las festivales del Carnaval en Ubrique, el domingo decidí pasar un día un poco más relajante. Así que, fui con unos amigos y unos maestros del Instituto a un campo encantador para hacer una Paella (una comida muy tipica de España).

Bueno, supongo que no fue un dia totalmente relajado. Como tuvimos que preparar comida para aproximadamente 15 personas, ellos me ponen (bueno, y a todos) a trabajar. Yo estaba en cargo de romper lechuga y partirlo para la Ensalada. Una tarea bastante fácil,o así lo pensé. Abrí la bolsa plastic en la cual estaba la lechuga, y comencé partiendo la lechuga. Cuándo casi habia terminado, uno de los chicos me preguntó si yo la había lavado. Dije wue no. Deberio haberlo sabido, quiero decir, crecí en una casa donde mi madre lava todo (jaja, aún las latas y botellas que contienen comida!), pero para alguna razón pensé que como la lechuga estaba en una bolsa sellada, no tendría que lavarlo. Pero, al final, lo hice como me dijeron, y fui a lavarlo – cada pedazo por cada pedazo pequeñito. Entonces, mientras que estaba lavando la lechuga, el propietario vino corriendo y me dijo que no debe utilizar el agua del grifo, y que, aunque nada malo sucedería, que era agua potable, pero era major utilizar estas, (señalando a dos botellas grande de agua). Vaya! Jaja Primero no estaba haciendolo bien porque no llavé la lechuga, y después que hago yo…pues nada menos que utilizar el agua equivocada. ¡Yo probablemente hice la lechuga más sucia que fue en primer lugar!!! Jaja Sin embargo, una vez que la lechuga fue limpia (lavado por el agua embotellada) y lista para la ensalada, añadimos tomates, aguacates, pimientas, y el aceite, el vinagre, y la sal. Tengo que decir que fue una ensalada super deliciosa. La lechuga, la mejor parte .

Después de comer algunas patatas fritas y una variedad de frutos secors, la ensalada, y algunos pinchitos (de pollo y cerdo), pasamos a la Paella. Esto no fue mi primera Paella, pero fue muy buena y muy diferente de otros que yo he comido. La paella tiende no sólo variar por la región (por ejemplo, es preparado de forma distinta en el norte de España que en Andalucia), pero también varía en el tipo; algunas son hecho solo de mariscos, algunos sólo tienen carne (pollo, cerdo, conejo, etc), algunas son una combinación de mariscos y carne, y otras son puramente vegetarianos. Esta paella fue, sin embargo, una combinación de todas. Incluyó mejillones, gambas, calamari, conejo, pollo, alubias de toda clase, pimientos rojos y pimentones verdes, y por supuesto, el ingrediente más necesario, el arroz. Comí todo menos el conejo (y el pollo), porque no pude distinguirse entre los dos tipos de carne, y no podría traerme para comer un querido conejo pequeño. ¡Aparte de ese pequeño asunto, fue delicioso y disfruté de la paella!

Después de la Paella (como si necesitáramos más comida jaja!), comimos un flan de chocolate hecho por dos de los otros auxiliares de conversación. Y luego, había vino y café (bueno, unos pocos decidieron saltar el café y en su lugar disfrutaron de ron con cola). Mientras empezaba atardecer, escuchamos a uno de los chicos tocando la guitarra y cantábamos unas pocas canciones tradicionales en español. ¡Fue la conclusión perfecta a una gran Paella! En total, yo no podría haber pedido mejor compañía, mejor alimento, ni mejores vistas del pueblo. ¡Fue un día sinceramente fantástico y auténtico español en el "campo"!