Granada, Part 1

We decided to try a road trip through Andalucia, the southern part of Spain. I decided to wait until my cute mom, the navigator, was here. Cassy still wasn't sure after 2 1/2 months of living in Sevilla whether you turn right or left outside our apartment to get to El Corte Ingles. We have been past El Corte Ingles at least fifty times. I was very nervous to have her navigate! I am so glad I waited until my mom came!

We headed off to Santa Justa train station in the cold and pouring rain to rent the car. Our rental was a 7 passenger Citroen mini-mini van. Perfect for us. The guy at the station tried to talk us out of a GPS. He felt we were taking freeway roads and it wouldn't be needed. Luckily, we decided to be safe rather than sorry. Yes, the roads are easy between towns, but when you get into those towns it is essential to be able to find your hotel or some parking (since many hotels are on pedestrian streets). So, so glad we had the GPS. Our first experience was driving through Granada in a construction zone. The roundabouts were more than a little confusing, especially since many of the streets were not labeled coming out of the roundabouts. We were so happy when we saw our parking sign...until we pulled into the garage. The stalls were so narrow and you had to back in to them. I wish we would have taken a picture. Had to drop everyone out in the street, because you couldn't open the doors once parked. Then the confusion over the parking ticket and how to pay. These seem like nothing, but with kids and bags and such, it is a serious adventure. Finally we made it above ground to find a taxi to the hotel. I went to the first taxi and gave him the name of the hotel and luckily we were just a block or two through a pedestrian area away so we didn't need a taxi after all. We stayed at a hotel called Los Tilos and it was a great hotel. We were on the fourth floor and there were amazing views of the Cathedral, the Plaza Bib Ramblas, and the Alhambra, all from a balcony on our floor.

The Cathedral and some buildings surrounding the Plaza.

The Alhambra on the hill in the background.

The Alhambra.

Bib-Ramblas Plaza

We had timed our visit to coincide with the Real Madrid and Granada futbol game. Unfortunately tickets were hard to come by. You had to be in Granada to purchase tickets. The hotel tried to get some for me, but they were unsuccessful. Cassy really wanted to see the game, so we decided to go to the stadium and see if there were any scalpers or anything. We talked to some people on the bus on the way out and they said we didn't have good odds. They were wrong! We got there and wandered our way to the ticket station while looking for scalpers and they still had some tickets on sale. We were so excited! The stadium was small and so all the seats are good seats. It was the best and Cassy was so, so excited to see Ronaldo play. We loved being around the fans of Granada and listening to all the songs they sing as they whip their red Granada scarves in the air. Lots of energy! The big full moon peaking through the clouds and lighting up the mountains around the field added to the ambience. The game was a good one. Granada lost 2-1. The refs called some terrible calls that definitely influenced the outcome of the game. The team was so mad that they were trying to get at the refs at the end of the game. I guess they ended up with a three month suspension from league play. Cassy wanted to stay to see the players leave, so we saw the Real Madrid bus go by as well as a lot of the Granada players. We ended up staying so late that we missed the last bus of the night to the city center. We ended up roaming around the streets by the stadium looking for a cab. Finally some people called one for us and showed us where to go. It was a bit crazy. I think my mom was also worried. Of course, for our safety, but even more so afraid of what to do with the three remaining kids all by herself.

Ronaldo baby.

The huge, full moon. Hard to capture with my iphone!

Sayonara Sevilla

I can't believe it is time to say goodbye! We have had such a great experience here and have made lots of friends whom we will miss. My mom has been here to stay with us for the rest of the trip and we have been on a road trip through Andalucia (southern Spain). More on that in another post. When you ask Addy what she will miss about Spain she doesn't even hesitate to say the ice cream and buying souveniers. This is a photo of us at our favorite ice cream place in Sevilla...

Here are some of our church friends. I took a picture of the kids while they were practicing a Mother's Day song in Spanish. The primary is more than double this size, but it was over Labor Day weekend (yes, another holiday in which all the stores were closed that took me by surprise) that I took this picture and many of the families were on vacation.

This fun sister gave Cassidy the flamenco dress that she used for Feria. She even let her take it home. So generous!

I forgot to take pictures of the adults and the Bishop in our ward. By the time I left the primary and got to class it was a combined meeting and then I just totally forgot. The people here have been very welcoming and fun. Some I won't forget... Cassy's Young Women's Leaders, Mari and her sister, allowed our whole family to tag along and learn how to dance the Sevillanas Flamenco dance on Friday nights. Juana, a very kind grandma, who always sat and spoke with me and was not one bit shy about the fact that I didn't speak Spanish very well. She would just keep talking until I was able to understand. My friend who spoke English and had broken her leg. Just about the time we connected and were wanting to get together it was time for us to go. The missionaries were always happy to speak to us in English and usually offered to translate for us during sacrament. Our kind Bishop, Bishop Lopez. He had twins born while we were there that were very premature (26 weeks), but despite his trials at home, he went out of his way to make sure we were taken care of. He was a great example and had such a strong testimony. He always called us "family". "How are you today, family?" "Hello, family!" Of course our friends, the Koh's. Carolina was our Spanish teacher and her mom, Ana, was a very kind friend who was especially taken with Addy. Jeff, Danny and Gabriel rounded out the family. We were so lucky that we got to know them. We spent our last day visiting with them at the Alomillo park in the 100 degree heat! How many friends would do that? Micah was the primary president in the ward and was very helpful with the kids and friendly. One sister, I forgot her name, was very pregnant most of the time we were there and had her baby just before we left. She was always very friendly and was a great teacher. I remember she spoke about having reverence in our lives for everyday things and the words she spoke will always stay with me. We were lucky to be among some wonderful, kind, and generous people in our ward. We made it our tradition on Sundays to pack a lunch and stop at a park on the way home from church. We usually were running late in the morning so we took a taxi to church and then on the way home we walked. The picnic helped break up the long walk. Alomillo park and the "fountain" park were our usual stops.

Cassidy had lots of friends from her vollyball team. They always included her in lots of activities and things. When Cassy left they wrote her a neat message on a Spanish flag and gave her a photo of them all. I took the team donuts to celebrate Cassy's birthday during practice. Everyone burst into singing "Happy Birthday" in English and "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow" in Spanish. It surprised us all and was very fun.

Connor and Alex loved playing futbol with their friends. Here is a picture of Connor with his team. While the boys played soccer, Addy danced the flamenco. They basically shook their booty and did fancy hand movements. The teacher wouldn't allow any pictures or videos:(

We are wrapping up a lot of homeschool stuff. Homeschool was a fun experience and we all learned a lot. We studied a lot of European history and arts. Hopefully everyone will do OK when they return to the rigors of school in the fall. Here we are doing our homeschool at Bar Rodriguez. Sorry guys, no more homeschool at the local bars.

This is a picture of Alex and Addy and their "Bubonic Plague" rat masks.

We made good friends with our landlord, Pepe. He treated us to some Morroccan food on our last day. It was kind of like Greek food, but different. The boys didn't love it, but the rest of us liked it. Addy especially loved Pepe's dog, Cora, but I don't have any pictures of her.

We will miss the many street performers and statues around town. These guys were the best...how do they do that?

The kids have been busy making Lego movies and fruit horror films with my iphone. Not sure how to import a video, but I will try. It is late at night, but I will try to add video tomorrow. More complicated than just a button click.

On the last day in town, I had to take the boys to get their hair trimmed (they don't like when we say hair cut, even trim brings on serious groans). I told them there was a famous opera about the Barber in Seville, so it had to be done in Seville. They weren't impressed, but went along with it.

Once the bags were packed full with clothes and books and everything we were ready to head out of town. We flew out on a discount airline called Vueling and everything went well except that I almost left the most important bag with the computer and all in the airport in Seville. I was a little distracted by a trantrum being thrown by one of my kids because she was thirsty. There is always lots of action wherever we go. We are now in Barcelona and exploring around here. We were actually glad to leave the 100 degree weather and head off to the 80's in Barca. 100 is muy calor, but the laundry does dry fast that way!

Things We Will Miss....And Things We Won't

We will miss the steamy, hot showers.....we won't miss the sudden changes between steamy hot and freezing cold. Once it goes cold it takes a few minutes to go back to steamy hot. Alex has figured out that if you flush the toilet while waiting for the water to warm up again that it warms up much faster!

We will miss being able to walk to the local market a small block away to buy groceries....we won't miss how long that small block seems to be when hauling enough groceries (and Coca-Cola Light and milk) to feed all five of us.

We will miss hanging our laundry on the line to dry (seriously, I like this).....we won't miss the piles of laundry being on hold because it has been raining for days. Or the surprise storms that come in the middle of the sunniest of days and dump rain on the clothes and soak them (kind of like Utah, I guess).

We will miss how elegant and beautiful everyone dresses. I was sure I saw Kim Kardashian everywhere I looked the first few days we were here.....we won't miss that all of these elegant people seem to be too fancy to pick up their dog poop. There is a lot of poop on the sidewalks and in the courtyards (where we play pick up soccer). Some people are very good at cleaning up after their dogs, but a few people make it a real mess. I am sure there is just as big of a mess in Utah, but it is hidden by the grass.

Addy says that she will miss having the yummy ice cream, but she won't miss "talking another language".

Connor and Alex will miss having TV (in English even).....they won't miss the fact that there is no chili here (Connor).

We will miss having some wonderful family time and making lots of fun memories......we won't miss having wonderful family time 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for months at a time.

We will miss our jamon potato chips, coco yogurt, solomillo al whisky (that's how they spell it), palmeras, bakery muffins and bread......we won't miss the limited variety. We also won't miss only two kinds of cereal to choose from unless we walk further away to El Corte Ingles. Peanut butter is also only over at El Corte Ingles and it is more than 6 Euros for a small jar.

Cassidy says she will miss the opportunity to practice our Spanish often....she won't miss making every encounter a game of charades. Ditto for me. It will be nice to just be able to speak to people.

We will miss being able to walk everywhere.....we won't miss HAVING to walk everywhere. Although I love walking a long way with a purpose, easier than just going for a walk at home.

We will miss the beautiful architecture, the history of the area, and the fun vibe of the city.....we won't miss that there isn't much grass around and when it is around they usually have signs up that say no soccer. We also will be so happy to see our mountains!

We will miss a lot of the fun friends we have made here.....we won't miss missing our family and friends at home!

Feria by Night

We decided to go back to the Feria at night to see all the lights lit up! This time we left the kids at home with a babysitter and Cassy and I went with our friend Ana.

This picture will mean nothing to anyone, but it shows the guys at the parking area. They had us drive down a sidewalk and tried to park us in the craziest, skinniest of spots. We were laughing so hard. They finally gave up when someone pulled out of a different stop and they had us park there. One of those experiences that you had to be there in order to truly appreciate it!

This was the "good" spot that someone was pulling out of.

The view from the big ferris wheel...

The grid in the background is where all of the casetas are set up.

On the street...

The casetas all lined up.

Dancing in the streets.

Dancing in the casetas.

The people of Sevilla know how to celebrate life. Like my friend said, "We work to live, not live to work." The unemployment is so high here and the economy seems to be getting worse. We know many families who have one parent out of work and I am sure it is very stressful for their families, but I see that they are still lighthearted and they are out enjoying life. They pick up what work they can. They are also very, very generous and kind, even when money is tight. I admire the people here and their resiliency. And most especially their celebration of life!

Going to Lagoon in a Prom Dress...Also Known As April Feria

This week everyone is out of school and off of work to celebrate April Feria. It all started in 1847 when they used to get together for a livestock show, but today the only animals you will see are fancy Andalucian Horses. The women wear their colorful Flamenco dresses and the men go in suits. It is all very classy. On the grounds, there are casetas set up, which are like large canopies or tents. Most of the casetas are private and you must have a connection to enter. They have a contest each year to see which caseta is decorated the most beautifully. Some of them are absolutely amazing. They serve food and drinks there and also have a dance floor so people can dance Sevillanas, a particular type of Flamenco. Then, once you are finished with the dancing and eating, they have a huge amusement park set up next door to enjoy, Flamenco dress and all. It is fun to see the crazy twirl upside down rides with the Flamenco dresses swirling. There is not a mullet or wife beater in sight....where are the Thorley's when you need them??!!:)

They build a new Portada, or entrance to the fair each year based on the architecture of a building in Sevilla.

The casetas all in a row.

Inside one of the casetas before the crowd arrives.

A little Flamenco dancing...

Then off to the rides...

Addy insisted on this ride. It looked like the scrambler, but we didn't see it in action before Cassy, Addy and Connor hopped on. I tried to capture the look of terror on Addy's face as the ride bounced up and down and whipped around and seriously lasted forever. She said she couldn't breathe and I believe her.

Alex opted to forgo one of the rides and try his chances at "The Claw". I was sure he wouldn't end up with anything...

I was SO wrong. An airsoft gun, with BB's....doesn't get any better! His day was made. And so was ours, the feria was beautiful and we had so much fun!