If you've ever come to the end of a chapter in life and realized that everything you're doing is the "last" something, you know how I feel. Last classes, last weekend, last runs at the park, last post-dinner TV sessions with my host family....last days in Spain. ¡Hay que aprovechar! (Seize the day!)
It's been a pretty exciting week. The other day when I was running at the park I ran into some surprising entertainment (pun intended). I thought I heard something like a band playing, which actually turned out to be a small brass band casually playing along the side of the trail. Then I saw a guy in the distance balancing on something that looked like a tightrope, which turned out to be a guy actually practicing his tightrope walking on a rope tied between two trees. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, as I've come across flocks of sheep and flute-playing tai chai masters at the park before too. My expectations for running scenery are going to be quite high when I get home!
Speaking of seeing cool things, I saw my first Spanish Ibex yesterday! My brother told me to keep my eyes open for them before I came, and up to this point the closest I had gotten to seeing one was almost stepping in some feces. We were on the bus home from the excursion for my environment class, trying to avoid nodding off as the professor insisted on lecturing us (via the excessively loud microphone system on the bus) the entire time (no joke - we would happen to pass a truck on the road, and he would say, "look to your right and observe the truck that is transporting some kind of material for something somewhere". He was also fond of singing to us when he wasn't talking.) Anyway, I was keeping my eyes open for wildlife - my brothers would be so proud of me - and I saw the ibex grazing on the hillside. When we're traveling as a family at home and someone spots a deer, they immediately point and shout "deer!" so the rest of the car can partake in the glory of seeing the deer. I really wanted to shout "ibex!" and share the moment with my fellow (at this point, sleeping) classmates, but I don't think they would have appreciated it quite as much.
On Wednesday our group went to see a flamenco show at Cueva la Rocío, apparently where Michelle Obama went when she visited Granada. It was very, very touristy but still an enjoyable experience. The cave was probably ten feet wide and about fifty feet long. We sat along the sides and the dancers danced in the center, so it was very up close and personal. Just a side note -as your friend and a student of Spanish culture I am going to give you a piece of advice for if/when you see flamenco: never try to clap along. Ever. I'm serious. Unless you are familiar with the rhythm patterns, you will not be able to keep up. It's a beautiful, dramatic style of music that contains three crucial elements: the dancer ("bailaor"), the singer ("cantaor"), and the guitar player ("tocaor"). Check it out on youtube - Sara Baras is one of the more popular dancers (and just try to clap along...I dare you).
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| Entrance to Cueva la Rocío in the Sacromonte neighborhood of Granada |
To add to the greatness of the week, we went to the beach at Salobreña on Sunday. The water (Mediterranean Sea) was very calm, very clear, and very cold - perfect for swimming! It's been on the hot side lately, somewhere around the mid-90s. Because of the heat, my host family made gazpacho, a refreshing dish typically served in the super hot summers. It's kind of like a cold tomato soup, but it has other vegetables in it too. I made it at home last summer when we had lots of garden vegetables, and it tasted pretty similar to the gazpacho my host family made! They served it to us as an appetizer, not a main meal, so it was in a glass. I was waiting for a spoon to eat it with until I saw my host mom take a drink of hers. Then I realized that we didn't need spoons - oops! It was one of those "aha!"moments you have in your head but keep it to yourself because it's kind of embarrassing. In any event, the gazpacho was delicious!
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| Salobreña |
Well, friends, our time (virtually) together is coming to a close. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for vicariously experiencing my adventures this semester. It has occurred to me that my blog title is somewhat deceiving (not the "adventures" part, I hope) because my travels have definitely not been limited to Spain. Looking back, "Adventures in Spain - and Beyond!" would have been more appropriate. I hope that you and I both will continue the "beyond" part of our adventures in life - the possibilities are endless!
