El Aire De Sevilla

I will not write extensively about my spring break vacation (sorry to disappoint, or perhaps its a relief?)  The truth is I am lazy, nothing more, nothing less.  But I'll give you a brief overview...
 
I was very excited to plan another big trip for Semana Santa because we had 10 days off from school.  However, no one wanted to/could come with me to my chosen destinations: Sevilla and Portugal.  But that's never stopped me before - if I want to go somewhere, I'll do it on my own!  So I set off on my first European adventure alone.
 
I spent the first three days in Sevilla, which is Andalucía's capital.  I have to admit, I fell for Sevilla's charm instantly.  The city is a beautiful maze of narrow and intricate streets that you can get lost in for hours.  The architecture reflects its mixture of Islamic and Spanish cultural influences.  The buildings are painted in warm and bright orange, red and yellow tones, making the city feel vibrant and alive.  Delightful horse drawn carriages clicked down the cobble stoned streets.  And the air carries an intoxicating scent of orange trees and flowers.  It was actually planned that way: the trees were strategically planted all around the city to ensure that it smelled delightful.  I think they should bottle this scent and call it "El Aire de Sevilla" - I would definitely buy the fabulous scent!

During my trip I went on a walking tour to learn about the city's history, which is really fascinating, and to see all the important sights.  I spent the following days returning to said sights to explore them more thoroughly.  I met some nice girls at my hostel so we ended up sight seeing together.  Among the most interesting sights were Sevilla's world-famous Gothic cathedral and el Alcazar.  El Alcazar is Sevilla's version of Granada's La Alhambra.  I must admit that although it was quite beautiful, it also looked strikingly similar to La Alhambra because I have no knowledge of Islamic architecture.  But the garden was so beautiful!  We actually spent more time relaxing among the flowers in the garden than looking around the palace!

On my last day in Sevilla I went to the real Aire de Sevilla, which is an establishment of Arab baths.  Arab baths were popular centuries ago and used as a place for the public to bathe and relax.  I went and sipped tea, relaxed in the various baths (cold, temperate, hot; jucuzzi; salt) and sauna, and had a much needed massage.  I'm definitely thinking about visiting the Arab Baths when I go to Cordoba!

Overall, Sevilla is a lovely city and yes, I did feel that distinct and strangely familiar pang to pack up and move there immediately and permanently.  What can I say?  I love that feeling of falling IN LOVE a beautiful city. 

The orange trees that make el aire de Sevilla smell so wonderful.

The narrow alleyways

Horse drawn carriage rides are very popular!

La Catedral

The beautiful view from the cathedral

Estanque del Mercurio - Mercury's Pool

El Alcazar and the its beautiful gardens

Relajandito

Granada

Whenever I talk to anyone - Spanish or not - they always say that Granada is "lo mejor de España" (or the best city in Spain).  After having spent one night in Granada upon my arrival and gone out for tapas there after coming back from winter break, I felt that it was about time to actually get to know this city I'd technically already visited twice.  
  
So when J suggested we plan a day trip there during her visit to Spain last month, I was beyond excited.  However, my plan to finally experience Granada actually failed miserably.  We visited La Alhambra, which ended up taking up our entire day trip in Granada.  But, it was still nice experience.  
  
We started the day by sharing an (overpriced) lunch of salad, a dessert platter and bottle of wine.  Turns out, wine shouldn't be the first thing you imbibe in a day because soon after a splitting headache ensued on my part.  Anyway, afterwards we spent several hours wandering around the expansive grounds and the palace.  According to my good friend, Wikipedia:

La Alhambra is "a palace and fortress complex constructed during the mid 14th century by the Moorish rulers of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus...The Alhambra's Moorish palaces were built for the last Muslim Emirs (Kings) in Spain and its court, of the Nasrid dynasty. After the Reconquista by the Los Reyes Católicos ("The Catholic Monarchs") in 1492 some portions were used by the Christian rulers...After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the Alhambra was 'discovered' in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, with restorations commencing. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant and well known Islamic architecture, together with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden interventions. The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site."

Although I'm still not sure this trip counts enough to say "I've been to Granada," here's photographic evidence that I was actually there!

Beautiful!  Hopefully one day I'll make it back for a fourth time to actually experience the city ;)

Besitos, 

B

It's Been a While

I know, I'm terrible.  I gave you false hope and then crushed it.  However, are coming NOW.

Besitos,
B

Story Time: Vivan Los Reyes del Pop!

Yesterday I did a lesson on American music through the decades.  This was more of an excuse to listen to good music and have fun more than anything.  BUT there were some vocabulary words thrown in for good measure.

At the beginning of the lesson I asked the kids if they liked American music, and if so what kind.  My fifth and sixth graders responded with "TODO! Lada Gaga, Beyonce..."  I must admit that I felt a little embarrassed that I apparently like the same music as a bunch of 11-year-old Spanish kids.  But, we'll just say that music is trans-generational ;)

Speaking of trans-generational, that brings me to the point of my story.  The lesson started off with music from the 60's.  To accompany the "lesson" I played YouTube videos of The Beatles (not my cup of tea, but I guess they were important to music history lol) and the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back."  The kids didn't know who The Beatles were, but they recognized Michael Jackson right away.  I was a little surprised because he was so young in the video - around 11 or 12 years old.  Not to mention that this was before his mysterious transformation from a cute black kid into a middle aged white woman.  But I digress, the point is, the kids recognized MJ right away and like the J5 music.

Next we went on to the 70's and DISCO.  I played "Disco Inferno" and I could see the great lengths the kids were going to in order to control the urge to dance.  As you may know, I think dancing is always a good idea.  So I said, "don't be shy, let's dance!  It's disco!"  The entire class broke out into disco inspired moves and giggles, leaving me wondering, where on earth did a class of 11-year-olds learn to dance American disco??

Then we moved into the 80's - a decade that I am often nostalgic for.  Big, frizzy hair (goodbye straightener, hello natural curls - um frizz!), offensively bright make-up, fantasticly mismatched clothing, great dance music and SPANDEX.  Clearly one of those perfect moments in history for me.  I've always wished that I could have lived much more than my two years in the 80's, but atlas, it just wasn't meant to be.  But again, I digress...We got to the 80's and of course the featured artists were MJ and Madonna.  When their pictures flashed on the large screen the kids started screaming "El Michael Jackson!!!!!!"  After they calmed down, I asked if they knew who MJ and Madge were and why they are important.  They enthusiastically answered, "LOS REYES DEL POP!!!!!"  (the King and Queen of Pop).  Clearly we listened to "Like a Prayer" (my favorite Madonna song) and "Beat It."  The kids were totally enamored with MJ's beats and infectious dance moves.

   

Next came the 90's and my childhood favorites - the Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, Spice Girls, etc.  I played BSB's "As Long as You Love Me" and Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time."  These are songs that I loved when I was my kids' age.  They recognized the young Britney Spears, but had no idea of who BSB were.  This forced me to realize a highly distrubing fact: these songs came out before they were even born.  As if finding my first gray hair at age 21 on my college graduation day wasn't horrific enough, now my childhood music is resigned to "oldies" status to make room for....

Hannah Montana.  Or Miley Cyrus.  Or whatever the eff she refers to herself as (really, is it necessary to have TWO identities?)  The kids are OBSESSED with her and although their English struggles during class, it somehow becomes nearly flawless when singing along to "Best of Both Worlds."  By now I've learned that inserting Hannah Montana into a lesson at any capacity will ensure the kids' undivided attention and the ultimate success of the lesson as "muy chuli."

So there you have it.  MJ and Madonna really are the undisputed King and Queen of Pop.  Their music has the ability to cross generational, cultural, racial and linguistic barriers.  I loved seeing that my kids were just as crazy about their music today as if it were still 1984.  ¡Que vivan los reyes del pop!