The Things We Miss the Most

We left home on April 30 and left the US on May 5 so despite our multiple but too infrequent Skype video calls I have to say we most miss family and friends. We have loved our trip so far and are enchanted with Sevilla. It has replaced some of our other most favorite cities and is now very near the top for charm and beauty. We'll be in Sevilla until July 16 (with some planned side trips to Extremadura, Cordoba, etc.) then will make our way back to the US via military Space-A through the US Navy base in Rota, Spain. We are not sure how long it will take to get home since: 1) we don't have a scheduled flight and 2) we don't know where in the US we will land or how we will get home from there. It's all part of the adventure though I imagine that by mid-July we will be very eager to see family and friends.

After the people that we miss the most the next thing, and pretty high on the list, is our shower. OK, everyone in America who takes their shower for granted stand up...I see a couple people in the back who didn't bother to stand but I believe most of you would agree. We take our showers for granted until...we use someone else's. The ones in the hotels in Virginia and New York weren't too bad. Not like home but not too bad. When we got to Köln, Germany we were in a four star hotel. One would think they would have a pretty snazzy shower. It was pretty, lots of glass, marble and stainless steel, but the shower had no curtain. It had this little glass panel about 18 inches wide that was attached to the wall so that if one stands under the stream, faces away and outstretches one's arms, they extend beyond the glass panel. How the heck is that supposed to keep the water inside the tub or shower stall? The four star hotel in Madrid was a little better. The glass panel was maybe 24 inches wide. Most people in the US have a curtain that covers wall to wall and has those little magnets to keep it in place. We are talking probably a six foot curtain.

The shower in our apartment in Sevilla is better than the one in Köln and better than the one in Madrid but it is a far cry from the one we have at home. The "shower curtain" here is a folding plastic door with two panels and is maybe 36 inches wide. It covers about half the tub. How do we keep the water from splashing out of the tub and getting the whole bathroom wet you ask? Well for one thing the water pressure here is about 14 pounds per square inch vice about 114 at home.

At our home we have a separate shower stall about five by six feet, with it's own glass door that closes it off and makes it a separate room. Right after we get home and greet everyone we haven't seen in a while I am getting in that shower, turning the water on "blast" and showering until we run out of hot water.

Kinda reminds me of when I came home after my first year in Viet Nam, I just stood there for the longest time flushing the toilet over and over and watching the water go down. I believe that after our loved ones it's the simple things in life that we take for granted and miss the most when we don't have them.

Lunch and Learning

Some of us can stay awake in class and some of us can’t. When the archivo closed at 1500 (that’s 3:00PM for those who need to know) Karen and “the girls” (previously defined in an earlier blog), OK: Ashleigh, Kryzol and Saber, arrived here for lunch and Spanish lessons by Kryzol, a native speaker. I had gone shopping this morning and starting about 2:30 made a big bowl of salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and mushrooms. I set the table for five, laid out sandwich fixings, opened a bag of chips and was ready.

I vaguely remember Karen asking me this morning to have lunch “ready”, which I could easily have done but I eschewed that idea in favor of giving “the girls” choices and not wasting time making sandwiches for four other people the way I like a sandwich made. Thin bread, heaps of meat, double or triple cheese, half inch thick slices of tomato, salt, pepper, maybe more cheese, more meat…like a “guy” sandwich. I could imagine four women saying things like, “I only like mayo on one side…or I wanted turkey not ham…or (Karen) I like to be able to read the newspaper through my tomato slices”. I had a flashback of the ordering scene in the movie "When Harry Met Sally" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnlm2e3EN78. So I let them fix their own and to my not so much amazement each of the four made a completely different sandwich. I believe I nailed it!

The boys are coming over for dinner tomorrow night, Tuesday and I am doing spaghetti again but will ensure there is an extra dose of meat in the sauce. I think guys need more protein. Oh, I almost forgot I mentioned above about not staying awake in class. My apologies Kryzol, I am the one who would benefit most from your Spanish lessons and I am out much of the day dealing with the public here while all of you are in the archivo…but after lunch I had a sinking spell and had to go lie down. It wasn’t a lack of interest, I think it was the ingestion of all that extra protein that made me sleepy. Perhaps the late nights recently were also a factor.

I look forward to more lunches and learning over the next few weeks. Perhaps I should try taking a nap before lunch so I can stay awake for class!

Bueno Fin de Semana

Dinner Thursday
Thursday evening Karen and I had dinner in our apartment for "the girls", Ashleigh, Kryzol and Saber, the three other female members of the UNF Paleography team performing research in the archivo here in Sevilla. We would have included "the boys", who are Dr. Francis, Spencer and Justin but we only have five plates, forks, knives, etc. so had to draw the line. We'll have just "the boys" another time soon. Even cooking spaghetti for five people I had to use two pans for the noodles and two for the sauce. We have enough pans but not any large enough to cook a whole box of spaghetti at one time or more than three servings of sauce.

We all had a great time and enjoyed some nice wines with and after dinner. We dined early for Sevillanos, beginning about 9PM and wrapped it up a little after 11. Getting up at 6:30AM Friday was a little more difficult than the morning before.

Cocktails, Appetizers and Tapas Friday
Friday evening we had the whole team over for pre-dinner cocktails and appetizers. We started about 9PM with olives, grapes, strawberries, Manchega cheese, an herb cheese, crackers and various vinos. Everyone seemed to enjoy it since there weren't many leftovers. I took some photos so everyone would get credit for attendance.

Left to right, Dr Francis, Ashleigh, Saber, Karen, Spencer, Kryzol and Justin.

The whole group, six students, Dr Francis and me, left our apartment about 11PM and went out for tapas. When Karen and I left the group in a restaurant about 1240AM they were talking about going out dancing. The youngsters are getting into the swing of Sevillano life a bit more quickly than we are.

Santiponce and Italica on Saturday
Saturday morning I dreamed the telephone rang, then simultaneously the telephone rang in our apartment. What a coincidence! It was Saber wanting to know if we wanted to join her, Ashleigh, Kryzol and Spencer to see the Roman ruins at Santiponce. It was about 10AM and and we said sure, just not right now. She confided that they had also just gotten up and would like to meet at about 1130. More like it, vale! We quickly showered, etc., scrambled some eggs, made some coffee and were just about finished when everyone arrived here. Someone had thought the bus depot was near our place so they walked here. After consulting a map and turning it to the right about 85 degrees to orient it to north, consulting the web (what's bus station in Spanish?) we determined it was the other way.

We walked to the bus depot and fortunately we had Kryzol with us who is a native Spanish speaker. She was appointed to approach the information booth and ask about the how, when and where for the bus to Santiponce. Easy, see the big lit up board behind you, OK? See at the bottom where it says Santiponce at 1230 at slot number 34? Now, see the clock over there that says it's 1229? Hurry through those doors, walk to #34 and pay on the bus. Muy facil!

The bus was nicer than I thought it might be, left on time, was comfortable and rode smoothly. The driver said something to Kryzol that I understood to be the fourth stop is the last (ultima) and you get off there. We counted stops and at the fourth, Spencer, me and someone else got off. Kryzol went to ask the driver if this was our stop. He was kind of annoyed and told her rudely that he had said the fourth stop in Santiponce was the last. We were still several miles from our destination and were able to make it back onto the bus but not back to our seats before the bus roared off toward Santiponce. There is always one.

The Roman ruins are called Italica and consist of an entire city, probably 20 square blocks built by Roman Emperor Trajan who was born in 56. He was succeeded by the more famous Hadrian.

Many of the paving stones of the steets are still in place, parts of the walls and underground water supply and sewer system survive and most interesting many of the buildings still have intricately laid tile floors displaying birds, faces and other interesting patterns. There is also an amphitheater where the locals were entertained by various gruesome acts performed by man and beast.
















Tapas Saturday Evening
Saturday evening the entire group met nearby at 7:45PM to walk to a tapas restaurant that Dr. Francis had recommended. We were joined by Dr. Ken Andrien, a professor at Ohio State and his wife Ann. The group, save one, was assembled pretty much on time. When the last member joined us about 15 minutes late Dr. Francis set off at a pace that I could easily match but after a few blocks we noticed he and I were by ourselves and the rest were spread out over about two blocks. We slowed down a bit so the group could stay closer together because we were approaching one of the many labyrinthine sections of Sevilla where the streets are narrow, mostly unmarked and crowded. If one gets lost in there one may be lost for quite a while.

We arrived at Tapas Viapol just a couple minutes after our 8:30 reservation and were seated in an otherwise empty restaurant. By our second round of tapas the place was packed with every seat taken and a line outside waiting to get in. The food was great, the wine was excellent and we needed and appreciated the walk back just to work off the sizable consumption. The pace was more leisurely since we weren't trying to beat the crowd.

Slow Sunday
Karen and I slept in this morning and have spent the day cleaning the apartment and doing laundry. We did take a break and book a hotel in Trujillo in the Extremadura region of Spain for 4-7 June. It is called Parador de Trujillo and was a convent in the 16th Century, now a four star hotel. We will base out of Trujillo for the weekend and visit several surviving and authentic 16th Century medieval towns in the area, that are mostly unadulterated by modern architecture. Extremadura is also the origin of many of Spain's conquistadors and has many historically significant sites.

Karen is taking a nap on the couch with the doors open to the street below. There is a cocaphony of street noises including crowds of people talking, children yelling and crying, motor scooters, dishes, pots and pans, you name it. I need more quiet to sleep.

The Names of People, Places and Things

Cristóbal Colón
For probably fifty years I have wondered why names change depending upon where one is. For instance, in Germany, Köln is spelled that way and not Cologne as it is in the US. München is spelled that way and not Munich. Nürnberg is spelled that way and not Nuremberg.

Why do we in the US call Cristóbal Colón Christopher Columbus? The guy's name was Cristóbal, not Christopher. I verified this by checking his tombstone yesterday. He is buried in the Cathedral de Sevilla, about two blocks from where I am sitting, in a sarcophagus almost as fancy as the one where Napoleon is planted in Paris.

So if I met an untimely demise and was buried here in Spain would it say William or Guillermo? If in Germany would it say Wilhelm or William. By the way, we are in España, not Spain. If Cristóbal Colón had died in America would his tombstone say Christopher?
Things have names for a reason. So we will know what they are. To clarify, I really don't mind if some words are translated, just not people and places, they should remain what they are and be called the same thing no matter where one is.

Getting back to Chri...I mean Cristóbal, he began his journey to the new world from Sevilla for each of his four voyages. He also returned to Sevilla because that is where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who financed his operation, were living. The Palais Real (Royal Palace) is about a stone's throw from the cathedral.

Toldos
The installation of the awnings (toldos) above the streets continues and they started on our little street yesterday afternoon and finished this morning. It was a pretty noisy operation but I watched the guys putting them up on the building next door, which is on Calle Francos.

They won't put them up on our little one block long street, Calle Conteros. It is only about eight feet wide and is shady anyway unless the sun is directly overhead and that would only be for a few minutes each day.

Sevilla is Getting Hot

Summer is arriving quickly in Sevilla. It was a lot hotter today than when we arrived last Friday. Some of Karen's fellow students who have been here before have told us it gets very hot, up to 110F! It has gone from the mid-70s to the mid-80s in just a few days.

Today there was a very clear sign that Summer, which doesn't officially begin until June 21, is looming. Several of the walking only streets had cherry picker cranes with guys up at roof level installing awnings that stretch across the streets to provide shade.


Right now, without the awnings, it is shady on one side of the streets in the morning and shady on the other side in the afternoon. I've never seen these in any other cities, except in Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the markets. They remind me of tents. I am wondering whether this custom was brought here by the Berbers and Arabs from North Africa, commonly known as Moors who occupied this region from the 8th to the 15th century. Their elaborate architecture is still seen throughout Andalusia, originally called Al Andalus.

It must get seriously hot here for the city to take such measures to ensure the comfort of shoppers.
One would think that if it gets really hot here they would have really good air conditioners. We have been warned to only run ours when we are in the apartment as they are for light duty only and can be damaged if run extensively. No more set it and forget it like back in the US. We actually enjoy the fresh air and keep the doors and windows open during the day, closing them during afternoon siesta and at night to soften the sounds of living in a high density environment.

Here's an example of both the type of air conditioners and of high density living. Those AC units look to be newly installed and they didn't complete the job by patching the holes in the wall for the wiring. Mañana... We have these beautiful french doors in the living room but that's the view. If you walk out onto the balcony, stretch and look way up you can see the top of the tower on the cathedral.

Shopping at Mercado de Triana

Today I walked to the big market where there are many dozens of stalls selling mostly fresh seafood, vegetables, fruits and cheeses. There are a few stalls with just about everything including underwear and little bunnies.

I went for two specific things and found both easily. I wanted setas (mushrooms) for the spaghetti I am fixing for dinner and also queso parmesano rallado (grated parmesan cheese). The mushrooms were at the same booth where the man was so sweet and patient with Karen last week when she bought several items, cucumbers, watermelon, oranges, potatoes, etc.

The woman today was a real witch to me. I saw that the mushrooms were about the size of tennis balls and since there are only two of us I decided I needed only six of them. When I asked for "seis setas por favor" she launched into a tirade. I just looked at her without speaking until she finished, pointed to the mushrooms and said "uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis". I am pretty sure saying "seis setas por favor" wasn't misunderstood as some obscure insult.

I never figured out whether she was asking me whether I wanted six kilos, six dozen, six tons, annoyed that I only wanted six, or what. I saw other people buying two apples, two tomatoes, etc. so I thought no big deal. Being here is helping to dampen my temper. If anyone in the States had yelled at me like that and waved their arms I may have jumped over the counter. I got exactly six mushrooms and moved on.

The parmesan cheese was so much easier. I went to a cheese booth and saw what I wanted in the case, "queso rallado italiano". The young woman behind the counter was waiting on someone else, she smiled at me and said "momento". When she finished she said "diga!" and I told her and pointed. She held it up, smiled again and put it on the counter saying "uno y treinta", 1 Euro thirty cents.

I also bought some sliced turkey and ham for sandwiches. Everyone else was nice and helpful. There seems to always be one unhappy person who tries to spoil the day. Hey, I'm here in sunny Spain, no job, no worries. Eating more healthful food and walking as much as I am will hopefully bring me down about 20 pounds in the next eight weeks. Hooah! Vale!

Coming back across the bridge over the Guadalquivir River there is a good view of La Giralda which is the tower of the Cathedral de Sevilla. It is one of the largest Gothic structures in the world, towers above the city and occupies several square blocks on the ground and is the center of the tourist area.

You can see the tower in the photo and the cathedral stretching out to the right. Notice the orange tree full of oranges in the foreground. They grow all over Sevilla and provide lots of shade but the fruit is really very bitter and inedible. Vive la naranjas Florida!

Our apartment is about two short blocks from the cathedral through winding, narrow streets filled with some of the most beautiful architecture we have ever seen, serving as residences and both tiny and large shops.

Learning Spanish One Encounter at a Time...

We were warned before leaving home that unlike the rest of the European Union, english is not spoken in Spain. That should have provided some motivation to start reading the stack of spanish books we have but no, we figured we would get by with what we already knew, which is very little. We are now immersed in spanish language, food and culture. We both dress like Europeans (no shorts, fanny packs, sneakers or t-shirts) and are pretty much taken for locals, that is until we open our mouths.

One Mystery Solved
When we were going through the apartment with the landlady on the first day it was a little confusing what we were supposed to do with our trash. She explained it to us separately and I understood we were to put everything in a plastic bag, tie the bag closed and take it to one of the receptacles found every few blocks. Karen understood her to say tie up the bag and put it in the hallway each day before noon.
We arrived on a Friday and Karen put the bag out in the hall the next day just before noon. When we got back after dark it was still there. Uh oh, maybe she said only Monday through Friday. Monday morning I walked with Karen to the archives where she is working. There were no bags in the hall so when I got back to the apartment I took three tied bags to the trash receptacle two blocks away.
One is supposed to open the door, put in a bag, turn a crank on the right side to allow the bag to drop to somewhere below ground. It was locked. We assume there is a timer someplace that locks and unlocks the receptacles but if you are not a local you don't get to know the times. There were a few bags on the sidewalk leaning against the thing so I put ours there.
This morning about 9 AM I was headed out to do it again but just in case, before I left I figured out how to ask “what are the hours for trash”? When I reached the lobby the woman who cleans the common areas in the building saw me and we exchanged pleasantries. I decided to ask her “¿Cuando son las horas de basura?”.
She began a long explanation, most of which I did not understand but I knew she understood me because as she was explaining she kept pointing to the bag I was holding and gesturing. After a few laughs we decided that I understood that we were supposed to put it outside our door the night before and she will pick it up. As I demonstrated that I understood this she exclaimed “Bueno! Bueno! Vale! Vale!
I believe she was happy that I understood because she took my bag and put it into a larger bag in the hall.

Plunging In...
When I spend time in a new place I tend to explore the area using ever increasing concentric circles. Today I expanded my area of knowledge quite a bit. As I walked around the city this morning for over two hours, I could tell when I got closer to tourist areas because I heard the people walking about speaking mostly english and some german. As I moved away into areas frequented almost exclusively by locals I heard only the distinctive type of spanish spoken by Sevillanos. The locals, unlike other Europeans, speak very little english, limited mostly to servers in the restaurants frequented by tourists and they know only some of the menu items.

English is easy to pick out of the din walking past the plethora of sidewalk cafes. After hearing so many people making no attempt at all to use the local language and watching the body language of the locals encountering them, I decided to lean forward and make more effort to brush off the two years I studied spanish in college in 1961-63. I went to a sidewalk cafe very near the archives which is in a high tourist traffic area and sat at a table by myself. The couple sitting on one side of me was British with Americans on the other side and across. The waiter approached and said something in english, which I ignored. I ordered my meal, drink, dessert and asked for the bill in Spanish. I know it wasn't all correct but it was understood and I felt good about myself.

Within the next seven and a half weeks in Spain perhaps I can do the same thing in a remote cafe where there is no safety net because the waiter knows absolutely no english. Vale!