A very busy April

The month of April has come and gone without a post from me, mostly because I have been incredibly busy. First was my parents' visit to Spain when they finally met Jose's parents. The meet and greet was a success even with the language barrier. We did some sightseeing together, ate tapas and I enjoyed showing them where I have been living since August. I think they had a good time and I was sad to see them go.

Inside the Alcazar with the parents
Afterward, in order to relax Jose and I spent a weekend in Portugal in order to recuperate. Finally, it was Semana Santa here in Sevilla. Holy week involves different churches around the city carrying out their religious icons in processions that snake their way through the streets. The iconic statues stand on platforms which are carried on the backs of penitent people whose coordinated movements create the illusion that they basically just float by. Throw in the haunting music that relies heavily on the trumpet as well as incense and candles and you get a very unique celebration. Jose and I were able to see the processions that were planned for Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday).

Holy Week procession
The next day we headed for Italy with our friend Megan. Our first stop was Rome for 3 days. We did all the normal sightseeing: the Pantheon, the Colisseum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, etc. Unfortunately, just like in Sevilla, Rome was incredibly crowded with people during Holy Week. We were able to see our friend Elisabetta the first night and then we had to divide our time carefully to make sure we could see everything and avoid the long lines.


Trevi fountain
Our last day there, we decided to devote to St. Peter's and Vatican City. We arrived early in the morning in an effort to avoid the lines and much to our surprise we were forced to go through security before entering the square outside of the cathedral. We had gotten there just in time to find seats for a Papal audience. Though we did not have the standard invitation, the Swiss Guard allowed us to pass and after finding a seat and waiting an hour, we were able to see the Pope as he prayed in 7 different languages. It ended up being the highlight of my trip.

Pope Mobile
After Rome, we headed to Florence to see Kate. We spent two days there visiting the David and the Uffizi gallery as well as the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. I still prefer Rome to Florence but it was great to see Kate and her awesome apartment. Our last day we spent in Bologna before spending the night in the airport and coming home. All in all, a great trip and a nice way to round out a very busy month which has just ended with the Feria in Mairena. More posts in May.

Overlooking Florence with friends

Ponte Vecchio

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Simple Spanish recipe: Chipirones a la plancha

Image
Ok so I know this picture is a bit blurry and I apologize but it is the final result of my having cooked chipirones a la plancha for the first time. Let me explain, chipirones are small squid and a la plancha means grilled. They are served in an olive oil, parsley and garlic sauce. At first I wasn't sold on the idea of this recipe but believe me, it is pretty awesome and super healthy. It is a really typical tapa that you can order at almost any bar here in the south of Spain. Chipirones a la plancha is usually served on a bed of lettuce or with a small side salad. Yum! Here's the how: First you need the chipirones (small squid that come with the heads and tentacles attached). I can buy them at my local grocery store in the fresh seafood section. I bought a package of 400 grams though the good thing about this recipe is that you can make as much or as little as you like. Allow me to also explain that here in Spain people tend to eat a lot more fish and seafood than
Read more

La mesa camilla

Image
The mesa camilla is a very Spanish invention (in fact I believe it to be a very southernly Spanish invention). It consists of a table, a heater and a heavy, long tablecloth-like fabric that drapes over the sides. The idea is that you put the heater under the table and when you sit down you put the fabric over you like a blanket. The truth is that it does keep you quite warm. The downside is that once you get up and move, you lose the heat. Since the houses and apartments here in the south of Spain are not created for the cold (no central heating) a mesa camilla can be found almost every where.  We didn't have one last year and survived with blankets, space heaters and flannel pajamas throughout the winter. This year Jose decided we needed to get a mesa camilla. I fought the good fight (since often times they look very similar to the option in the picture above) but we ended up ordering one not too long ago.  Typically the mesa camilla is made of wood and can be stored throu
Read more

Spanish names

Image
Maaaaaaaria, I just met a girl named Maria Hopefully you just read that and sang the song from West Side Story in your head. Let's just say that from what I have experienced here in Spain, people really, really like this name. In fact, there are times when it seems like EVERY woman or girl is named Maria (or Maria de/l something) and though they might go by the second part of their name, their given one is still Maria. People definitely opt for traditional names here, unlike the US where names go through trends.  Recently a friend on Facebook posted a link which contained a GIF  (originally from The Atlantic)  showing the different female names that had been popular in the US since 1960. It is interesting to see how a name like Jennifer would be popular in one region and then would sweep the nation. Such a map would not be as cool here in Spain since not a whole lot would change. Maria. Maria del Carmen. Miriam. Marian. Mirian. Variations on a theme. Religious names I
Read more