I am so excited! My little brother, Josh, has just gotten engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Bridgid. She is beautiful, smart, and fun to be around. He had to go all the way to Ohio to find her. Josh is quite the catch himself and I wish them the best of luck!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Our Madrid Adventure.....Part 1
We had a six hour bus ride to Madrid. At the halfway point the bus stops at a bus company owned store where you can by lunch and snacks. As we were checking out, my credit card (the only one I had with me) would not work. Serious panic. I don't like to travel with every credit card or with a ton of money in case we get pickpocketed (which the guide books warn us of all the time). So I was travelling light and we probably would have needed to do some pickpocketing of our own without a credit card. Luckily I was finally able to make a connection with my very limited Spanish on the phone so that I could call the credit card company. When we arrived in Spain the phone company texted me to inform me how to make outgoing calls to the U.S. Well, they gave me bad info. Even the guy I spoke with on the phone gave me bad info, but I was able to figure out the right amount of zeroes and make the connection, although I couldn't make a call to Matt without inputting a code (but now I can without the code, magically, now that we are safe in Sevilla). The credit card info was resolved, but not until about 11pm. Luckily, I had given the credit card when I made our hotel reservation and they didn't ask for it again on arrival (which our last hotel did). It was a great start for our trip!
Our first day we basically just got settled and went to dinner for Cassidy's birthday, which was very fun. We also had to stop at the Ben and Jerry's just across the street/sidewalk from our hotel. On our way to dinner, in the heart of the tourist district, there were a few red light spots and the street scene was very interesting. There were quite a few fancy ladies looking for work. Apparently it is legal in Madrid to be a prostitute, but illegal to be a pimp.
Our hotel was on the Puerta Del Sol, the heart of Madrid. Here are some rainy pics...
The next day we were off to the Prado museum to see some of the works of art that we have been studying about. We had our picture taken in front of the statue of the famous Spanish artist Velazquez. He painted one of the most famous paintings in the history of art, Las Meninas, which shows the artist in the painting and the perspective from the subject being drawn. We have also been reading a book called I, Juan de Pareja. It is a story from the perspective of Velazuez' slave, Juan de Pareja, and sheds light on the painter and the time in which he lived.
We also looked around at the paintings of El Greco and Goya, both of whom we had studied a little about. We were able to see the real Goya painting of the naked lady that hangs above our bed. We decided ours is a very bad knock off. Apparently it was quite scandalous to paint a nude painting at the time so he painted both a nude and a clothed painting of the same woman in the same pose. I read somewhere that they hid the nude painting hidden behind the clothed one when any of the clergy came into the room. Unfortunately the paintings have been seperated and we only got to see the nude one.
After visiting the Prado we walked to Retiro park. I had promised ice cream for good behavior at the museum and we were in search of ice cream. Retiro park is beautiful and huge. It used to be royal gardens, but in the 1700's King Charles made it public. We made our way past many closed ice cream stands (with much grumbling from the kids who wanted to go back to the hotel and eat at Ben and Jerry's again). But we finally made it to the lake in the middle of the park and found an ice cream place that was selling Ben and Jerry's! Things were looking up. We ate our ice cream in a beautiful setting, listening to a man sing Beatles songs with a Spanish accent. It was the best! After our ice cream, we decided to go for a row on the lake. We couldn't all go in one boat and Cassy couldn't have any one else in her boat due to age restrictions. It was fun watching Cassy learn how to row!
On the way out of the park, we found the best playground in all of Spain! It had really modern, fun and challenging equipment and the kids voted it the best.
Our first day we basically just got settled and went to dinner for Cassidy's birthday, which was very fun. We also had to stop at the Ben and Jerry's just across the street/sidewalk from our hotel. On our way to dinner, in the heart of the tourist district, there were a few red light spots and the street scene was very interesting. There were quite a few fancy ladies looking for work. Apparently it is legal in Madrid to be a prostitute, but illegal to be a pimp.
Our hotel was on the Puerta Del Sol, the heart of Madrid. Here are some rainy pics...
The next day we were off to the Prado museum to see some of the works of art that we have been studying about. We had our picture taken in front of the statue of the famous Spanish artist Velazquez. He painted one of the most famous paintings in the history of art, Las Meninas, which shows the artist in the painting and the perspective from the subject being drawn. We have also been reading a book called I, Juan de Pareja. It is a story from the perspective of Velazuez' slave, Juan de Pareja, and sheds light on the painter and the time in which he lived.
We also looked around at the paintings of El Greco and Goya, both of whom we had studied a little about. We were able to see the real Goya painting of the naked lady that hangs above our bed. We decided ours is a very bad knock off. Apparently it was quite scandalous to paint a nude painting at the time so he painted both a nude and a clothed painting of the same woman in the same pose. I read somewhere that they hid the nude painting hidden behind the clothed one when any of the clergy came into the room. Unfortunately the paintings have been seperated and we only got to see the nude one.
After visiting the Prado we walked to Retiro park. I had promised ice cream for good behavior at the museum and we were in search of ice cream. Retiro park is beautiful and huge. It used to be royal gardens, but in the 1700's King Charles made it public. We made our way past many closed ice cream stands (with much grumbling from the kids who wanted to go back to the hotel and eat at Ben and Jerry's again). But we finally made it to the lake in the middle of the park and found an ice cream place that was selling Ben and Jerry's! Things were looking up. We ate our ice cream in a beautiful setting, listening to a man sing Beatles songs with a Spanish accent. It was the best! After our ice cream, we decided to go for a row on the lake. We couldn't all go in one boat and Cassy couldn't have any one else in her boat due to age restrictions. It was fun watching Cassy learn how to row!
On the way out of the park, we found the best playground in all of Spain! It had really modern, fun and challenging equipment and the kids voted it the best.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Happy 14th Birthday Cassy!
We celebrated Cassy's birthday with a six hour bus ride to Madrid! We had a little party for her before we headed out the door to catch the bus. I surprised her with some treats from the fancy bakery in town called La Campana. We have been wanting to try out the treats there for a while so I bought five different things for us to sample for breakfast.
Once we got to Madrid and got settled we went out to explore a little. We went to eat at a restaurant called La Gloria de something. It was 8pm and the restaurant didn't open until 8:30 and the little kids were hungry, so we headed to the nearby McDonald's and got the kids something to eat there. We watched the action on the street while they ate and then headed over to the restaurant afterward. The food was really good and we had a great time listening to stories about when Cassy was little. A great way to spend her birthday!
14 things I love about Cassy....
1* She is a huge help to me!
2* She is not afraid to try new things and has jumped right in to speaking Spanish and getting to know the locals.
3* We love watching makeup tutorials together.
4* Cassy loves to play soccer. She has been playing with the local boys because girls don't play soccer in Spain and we have had a ton of family pick up games in the plazas here.
5* She is a great student and especially likes her publications and math classes.
6* She knows who she is and what she stands for.
7* Cassy is such a good example to our family.
8* She wants to be a graphic designer when she gets older.
9* I also think she would make a great writer because she has a way with the written word.
10* She is a hard worker.
11* Cassy has big plans for the summer to save up enough money to buy a long board with her friend Kelsey.
12* She is missing her pink fluorescent sneakers and her pearl earrings, which are her signature style pieces.
13* Cassy is always really good with people and includes everyone (except her brothers, of course).
14* She loves sushi, music, and she is chronically late for the bus at home.
Cassy is truly beautiful inside and out and I am so proud to have her as my daughter! Happy birthday Cassy!
Once we got to Madrid and got settled we went out to explore a little. We went to eat at a restaurant called La Gloria de something. It was 8pm and the restaurant didn't open until 8:30 and the little kids were hungry, so we headed to the nearby McDonald's and got the kids something to eat there. We watched the action on the street while they ate and then headed over to the restaurant afterward. The food was really good and we had a great time listening to stories about when Cassy was little. A great way to spend her birthday!
14 things I love about Cassy....
1* She is a huge help to me!
2* She is not afraid to try new things and has jumped right in to speaking Spanish and getting to know the locals.
3* We love watching makeup tutorials together.
4* Cassy loves to play soccer. She has been playing with the local boys because girls don't play soccer in Spain and we have had a ton of family pick up games in the plazas here.
5* She is a great student and especially likes her publications and math classes.
6* She knows who she is and what she stands for.
7* Cassy is such a good example to our family.
8* She wants to be a graphic designer when she gets older.
9* I also think she would make a great writer because she has a way with the written word.
10* She is a hard worker.
11* Cassy has big plans for the summer to save up enough money to buy a long board with her friend Kelsey.
12* She is missing her pink fluorescent sneakers and her pearl earrings, which are her signature style pieces.
13* Cassy is always really good with people and includes everyone (except her brothers, of course).
14* She loves sushi, music, and she is chronically late for the bus at home.
Cassy is truly beautiful inside and out and I am so proud to have her as my daughter! Happy birthday Cassy!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Pictures Around Town
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Traditional Spanish Food
We had walked all the way over to Triana to buy my souvenier ceramics for the garden (so Matt could take them home for me), to find that all the stores were closed for Semana Santa. It was lunchtime so we asked a street vendor where to go for lunch. He directed us to a local bar (it sounds weird, but everyone eats at the bars) that had good traditional food. The place was packed and we had to wait for probably 45 minutes (standing up, squished against the back wall watching everyone eat at the bar). Addy needed to make a pit stop and there was a line up there too. By the time we made it back, we had been seated and everyone was ready to order. Alex wanted a ham sandwich, so the waiter had recommended a battered, fried ham something. We convinced Addy to go with chicken, fries and ketchup. Cassy and Connor ordered omlettes (tortillas in Spain) and we decided to try some meatballs and jamon iberico con queso. Jamon iberico is THE traditional Spanish meal so I was glad to finally try some. Matt ordered some pork. It ended up being the most expensive meal we have eaten in Spain, but it was nice to try some of the traditional foods.
Alex's ham steak, which was absolutely nothing like a ham sandwich.
The jamon iberico. One of the types of jamon tasted a lot like pepperoni. This was tasty, especially when eaten with the cheese and picos (hard little breadsticks).
Addy's chicken.
Spanish tortilla.
Spanish meatballs.
Typical Spanish decor. Any bar, grocery store, or restaurant worth its salt is decorated with hanging ham legs. The Spanish love their ham and pork. If a restaurant has sirloin on the menu they mean pork sirloin, not beef.
Although this wasn't our very favorite meal, it was fun to try the traditional foods. We have had some wonderful food here in Spain. There is not a lot of variety in the Spanish menu, but each place makes it's own sauces and they have different tapas. We mostly stick to ordering tapas (which is really how I prefer to eat anyway, if you have eaten out with me you know I would rather share a little plate of this or that than commit to one whole meal:). Tapas are like appetizer portions of a variety of things. You can get cheeses, pork chops, ribs, cold soups, all sorts of things.
Some of the foods we have grown to love:
Cassy will be very sad to leave behind her solomillo al whiskey from Bar Rodriguez (they have yummy jamon bocadillos con queso azul, too), Addy may not survive without her jamon potato chips (they are my favorite too!), Connor and I love the coco (coconut) yogurt they have here, I am hoping they make it in the States and I have just missed it somehow, we all love the Kinder chocolates (think Twix) and especially the pink licorice with the white stuff inside that they sell at the newspaper stands. Fanta naranja will be missed as well as the large variety of cheeses they offer here. I know we all would agree that we will miss the local bakery just around the corner with its yummy muffins, breads and palmeras (palmiers or elephant ears) with the yellow topping.
Addy with her jamon chips...notice the leg of ham on the front.
Although this wasn't our very favorite meal, it was fun to try the traditional foods. We have had some wonderful food here in Spain. There is not a lot of variety in the Spanish menu, but each place makes it's own sauces and they have different tapas. We mostly stick to ordering tapas (which is really how I prefer to eat anyway, if you have eaten out with me you know I would rather share a little plate of this or that than commit to one whole meal:). Tapas are like appetizer portions of a variety of things. You can get cheeses, pork chops, ribs, cold soups, all sorts of things.
Some of the foods we have grown to love:
Cassy will be very sad to leave behind her solomillo al whiskey from Bar Rodriguez (they have yummy jamon bocadillos con queso azul, too), Addy may not survive without her jamon potato chips (they are my favorite too!), Connor and I love the coco (coconut) yogurt they have here, I am hoping they make it in the States and I have just missed it somehow, we all love the Kinder chocolates (think Twix) and especially the pink licorice with the white stuff inside that they sell at the newspaper stands. Fanta naranja will be missed as well as the large variety of cheeses they offer here. I know we all would agree that we will miss the local bakery just around the corner with its yummy muffins, breads and palmeras (palmiers or elephant ears) with the yellow topping.
Semana Santa
Semana Santa is celebrated here in Sevilla with a beautiful tradition of parading around statues from the local churches through the streets on floats accompanied by penitents and a large band or orchestra. There are lots of visitors who come to Sevilla for the celebration so the streets are packed (and the parking impossible). It rained almost everyday during Holy Week so a lot of the processions didn't happen. They usually just have a worship service a the church if it is raining. Here are some pictures from one of the processions we saw. This was at the beginning of the route and it started at 5pm.
The men in the last picture with the towels on their heads are actually part of a large group of men who carry the two ton float on their heads. They trade places periodically with others who have had a chance to rest. I was impressed that they were able to do this, but when Matt and I were out we saw the procession finally heading back toward the church very late at night. It finally ended at about 2:30 in the morning. I can't believe that they were able to carry that float, let alone walk for that long. We hadn't planned it, but when Matt and I finished eating dinner we walked out to the street to find the procession going by. All the candles on the float were lit and the penitents were carrying long lit candles as well. I didn't have my camera with me, but it was one of those moments when a camera probably wouldn't have been able to catch the mood and feeling in the air anyway. The band was still going strong with their sacred songs and the incense was in the air. A magical moment. The band kept playing all the way to the church and until about 2:30am, we could hear them in our apartment and could look down the street to see the river of candles making their way to the church.
On Thursday of Holy Week lots of the women in the streets were dressed in black with long flowing mantillas (a black veil). Thursday is the day Christ was sentenced to death. This is also the day that all the stores close in Spain.
One of my favorite things we did as a family for Semana Santa was to light some candles (which help set the mood with the kids) and read about the meaning and events of each day of Semana Santa and the scriptures that went with it. It helped us to understand what was being celebrated and remembered each day. We were lucky to be here for the Semana Santa holiday. It helped us feel the reverence of Holy Week and it was so interesting to see how others celebrate.
The men in the last picture with the towels on their heads are actually part of a large group of men who carry the two ton float on their heads. They trade places periodically with others who have had a chance to rest. I was impressed that they were able to do this, but when Matt and I were out we saw the procession finally heading back toward the church very late at night. It finally ended at about 2:30 in the morning. I can't believe that they were able to carry that float, let alone walk for that long. We hadn't planned it, but when Matt and I finished eating dinner we walked out to the street to find the procession going by. All the candles on the float were lit and the penitents were carrying long lit candles as well. I didn't have my camera with me, but it was one of those moments when a camera probably wouldn't have been able to catch the mood and feeling in the air anyway. The band was still going strong with their sacred songs and the incense was in the air. A magical moment. The band kept playing all the way to the church and until about 2:30am, we could hear them in our apartment and could look down the street to see the river of candles making their way to the church.
On Thursday of Holy Week lots of the women in the streets were dressed in black with long flowing mantillas (a black veil). Thursday is the day Christ was sentenced to death. This is also the day that all the stores close in Spain.
One of my favorite things we did as a family for Semana Santa was to light some candles (which help set the mood with the kids) and read about the meaning and events of each day of Semana Santa and the scriptures that went with it. It helped us to understand what was being celebrated and remembered each day. We were lucky to be here for the Semana Santa holiday. It helped us feel the reverence of Holy Week and it was so interesting to see how others celebrate.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Alex's Baptism
Alex was so excited to be baptized. We thought he would be baptized on his birthday, but the bishop of the ward here in Sevilla, Obispo Lopez, asked if we would be willing to have the baptism on Easter Sunday so more of the members could be there. The baptism was right after sacrament. It was such a special day to be baptized. To be able to celebrate Christ's resurrection and to commit to following his plan of salvation on the same day held special meaning. And to be able to do all of this in Spain was amazing. Alex looked very handsome in his suit. I snapped a few pictures of him in the streets of Sevilla on our way to church...
The program started following sacrament. Probably half of the ward and the missionaries stayed to support Alex. Cassy gave the opening prayer, I gave a talk on baptism (with a translator by my side), Meyka the primary president spoke and bore her testimony, then the primary children sang a song (including Connor and Addy). Matt then baptized Alex. Alex swam himself across the font before he climbed the stairs to get out. Alex was then given the gift of the Holy Ghost and confirmed a member of the Church. The Bishop and one of his counsellors said few words and then Connor offered the closing prayer. There was a lot of love and support shown to Alex and to our family.
Once the baptism was over we went to the Koh's home for Easter dinner which was home cooked Chinese food. So yummy and so different from the typical Spanish meal. Addy was especially excited and ate her rice and meal with her chopsticks for hours, they jokingly said she could just take the bowl home and she thought that sounded like a great idea. They surprised Alex with a huge chocolate cake and German vanilla ice cream. They even had a candle that sang Happy Birthday. So generous of this wonderful family!
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