Allie in the South of Spain

Our small casa for a few days Jose, Cooper and I spent the last few days at a casa rural in the Sierra of Huelva. Basically a casa rural is a big house or farm that has been converted into a type of rustic hotel where people can spend time in areas outside of cities (alternative tourism). It is a place where you can get away and enjoy nature, similar to camping but with better amenities. Usually instead of just having a room you end up staying in a small house with basic installations like a chimney and kitchen. This casa rural (Puerto Pe ñ as) was what I suspect may have been an old children's camp since besides having lots of what appeared to be converted bunkhouses, it also had an old basketball court, soccer field, fire pits and swimming pool. Now it is made up of quite a few different, separate houses, a main restaurant, new swimming pool, small animal farm and hiking trails. It was a really nice place to stay. The Aroche pueblo This is the second time we have visit...

After last year's 3 King Parade Since I will be spending another holiday season here in Spain, I have decided to do a series of posts about holiday traditions that are important when celebrating. Some of them are similar to those back home, others are quite different. I hope you enjoy learning a bit about what we do here to celebrate the season! The Three Wisemen The Three Wisemen, The Magic Kings, The Three Kings of the Orient, The Magi, whatever you want to call them, these three guys are Spain´s equivalent to Santa Claus. They bring children toys on the night of January 5th which coincides with when the Wisemen arrived to meet the baby Jesus, bringing gifts.  Instead of reindeer, these dudes have magic camels, so children are sure to leave them water and carrots. They (the Kings, not the camels) also have names: Baltasar, Melchor and Gaspar and people tend to have a favorite. Children write to the Kings to ask for gifts and they know that if they are bad, they won´...

This year instead of making a bunch of resolutions that I knew I would end up forgetting or quitting quickly after the end of January, I decided to make a one word themed resolution and chose for 2013 CREATE. I wrote about it originally here .  My initial goals were simple: 1. I would like to  create  a home here in Spain that I am excited to live in and that people will enjoy visiting. 2. I am going to  create  more friendships here in Spain. 3. I love writing and would like to  create  some more projects this year.  Recap : Create project 1: I think that we did well with making our apartment into a place that we really enjoy living. It has taken us the better part of the year to complete all of the tasks but I think it has come a long way. We are really happy with the home we have created. So I would say that we definitely accomplished this CREATE goal. You can find all the updates on our apartment projects under the Nesting and N...

Since I will be spending another holiday season here in Spain, I have decided to do a series of posts about holiday traditions that are important when celebrating. Some of them are similar to those back home, others are quite different. I hope you enjoy learning a bit about what we do here to celebrate the season! English team Company parties Admittedly company Christmas parties probably happen all over the world. But they are especially important here in Spain. I think this is a really nice thing that companies do for their employees, usually offering a lunch or dinner as a time to celebrate the season.  Both of the places that Jose and I work had a Christmas party this year (Jose's allowed spouses while mine did not). I had a really nice time at both events. At left you can see Jose with a few of his co-workers, all part of the English team. We are really lucky that not only are they great, but their wives are as well! It means we always have a great time together. M...

Eating grapes in Salamanca a few years ago Since I will be spending another holiday season here in Spain, I have decided to do a series of posts about holiday traditions that are important when celebrating. Some of them are similar to those back home, others are quite different. I hope you enjoy learning a bit about what we do here to celebrate the season! Grapes at New Year's I have probably mentioned this before but one of the big traditions here in Spain on New Year´s Eve is the eating of 12 grapes. The idea is that as the clock strikes midnight you have to eat a grape for each chime. It is a race to make sure you finish your 12 grapes before the New Year begins because it is thought to bring you good luck.  Jose and I incorporated this tradition into our wedding as we gave our guests 12 grapes to eat the next evening (since we were married on the 30th of December). This was our small favor with an explanation as well (so people didn´t think we were crazy)....

Since I will be spending another holiday season here in Spain, I have decided to do a series of posts about holiday traditions that are important when celebrating. Some of them are similar to those back home, others are quite different. I hope you enjoy learning a bit about what we do here to celebrate the season! Nativity Scenes Though Spanish folks do tend to put up Christmas trees, the main decorating focus during the holidays is usually on their Nativity scenes (called a belen) which can be quite intricate and beautiful with all kinds of figures, animals, buildings etc. Of course the scene centers on the birth of Jesus so they must include Mary, Joseph and the 3 Wisemen but really the sky's the limit on what you can add to your scene.  There is even a Belen Festival here in Seville right next to the Cathedral during December where people go to add to their collections. Below you can see a picture of just a few of the stands you can browse looking for that perfect add...

Since I will be spending another holiday season here in Spain, I have decided to do a series of posts about holiday traditions that are important when celebrating. Some of them are similar to those back home, others are quite different. I hope you enjoy learning a bit about what we do here to celebrate the season! Christmas Lottery Each year here throughout Spain there is a big nation-wide lottery draw on the 22nd of December. Throughout the weeks before Christmas people buy tickets which are called "decimos" because the number is actually repeated on 10 different tickets. If your number wins you actually share the winnings with the other people who have the same series as you. For me it is a bit confusing how the money gets divided but since we never win, it doesn't end up being that important. On the 22nd there is a big ceremony in which they pick the numbers. It is an entire production shown on the television which includes children (who train for a long...

Since I will be spending another holiday season here in Spain, I have decided to do a series of posts about holiday traditions that are important when celebrating. Some of them are similar to those back home, others are quite different. I hope you enjoy learning a bit about what we do here to celebrate the season! Sweet Festive Foods Like I think most places in the world, Spain has lots of sweet treats that only come around at Christmas time. In the U.S. we have holiday cookies and gingerbread houses. Here in the south of Spain we have equally delicious goodies to enjoy during the holidays. One big difference that I have noticed is that people don't bake as much as they do back home. It is much more common to buy your festive foods at the grocery store but that doesn't mean they aren't good! Without further ado, the food: Turron The way I would describe this is that it is similar to fudge. Turron usually comes in brick-like rectangles that you have to cut. It...

Santa?!?! I know him! So slowly but surely we are watching the films on our Christmasy movie list. On the one hand, there are some really great movies out there ( Love Actually, It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, The Muppet Christmas Carol ) but there have also been some big disappointments. I didn't remember Charlie Brown being so damn random. Jack Frost was a big snooze. Scrooged was just some 1980's horrible.  Overall though it has been a nice experience to curl up after work with Jose and Cooper to enjoy some Christmas relaxation. Not sure if you can tell in this picture but here they are both literally laying on top of me. This is pretty typical. (We were watching Rudolph as you can see). Cuddles The list: 1.  Love Actually   2.  Dr. Suess's The Grinch Who Stole Christmas   3.  A Christmas Story   4.  National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   5.   Elf   6.  Miracle on 34th Street   7.  Bad Santa...

Happy Holidays! It's hard to believe that another year is wrapping up and that Christmas is right around the corner. Jose and I have had another great year and like last year we wanted to send out a digital card to everyone who we love so much! We are also going to repeat our top 10 list from 2013. See our first card here . Here goes: 10. Moving into and making our apartment into a liveable space. It has taken us most of the year but I finally think that things are looking and feeling good here.  9. Part 2 about our apartment is having paid cash for (or paid off) everything for our apartment except for the mortgage (including furniture, lighting fixtures, flooring, windows, paint, appliances, small bathroom renovations and our entire kitchen which started from zero). This has meant a lot of sacrificing and saving but was very important for us. We really want to be in good financial shape for what the future will bring. It has been a big accomplishment for us (especially ...

In general I love Spanish culture and people but occasionally there are things that happen or are said that I end up thinking, "whaaaaaaaaaaaaa????" Most of the time this has to do with the fact that Spanish folks don't have a filter, especially when it comes to commenting on people's weight. It is perfectly socially acceptable for someone to tell you that since they saw you last your weight has fluctuated (either up or down).  I now know to expect this from Jose's family, for example. A visit is not made to see his grandparents without them telling us we are either fatter or skinnier. Without fail. They don't say it to be mean, but often times I walk away feeling bad. This too from the same people who 10 minutes later are pushing food on you like it's your last meal. You don't make sense! This lack of filter reached new heights the other day when the security guard where I work made a comment to me as I was leaving after class. He said that I h...

This weekend Jose, Cooper and I headed to Portugal to spend one more relaxing weekend before the madness of the holidays descends upon us. We stayed at Jose's parents' apartment in the small town right across the border, Vila Real de Santo Antonio. It was especially festive this weekend with a Christmas market right in the town square. Holiday goodies We had to go to the beach for a long walk since Cooper loves it and we visited our normal haunts (see beer and Indian food) that we always frequent when we are in town. While walking at the beach we came across this gem of a truck driven by one of the many fishermen we encountered. I love hilariously small European vehicles. So silly. Tavira On Sunday we decided to visit another town nearby that we had never been to before, Tavira. It was less than a half hour away. We drove there, parked and wandered around a bit. They have a big, central plaza and lots cool, tiled buildings (one of my favorite aspects of older house...

Here is an update to our Christmas movie countdown. We are viewing these films at a rate of one a day, more or less. They help us unwind after work. So far, so good. 1.  Love Actually   2.  Dr. Suess's The Grinch Who Stole Christmas   3.  A Christmas Story   4.  National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   5.   Elf   6.  Miracle on 34th Street   7.  Bad Santa   8.  Nightmare Before Christmas                                         9.  Charlie Brown Christmas                                        10.  It's a Wonderful Life                                        11.   Home Alone 12.  A Mu...

This holiday season Jose and I have decided to do a holiday movie marathon because I discovered that there were so many films that he had not seen before. What kind of childhood did he have???? We are going to make the attempt to watch 25 holiday movies, sort of like an Advent calendar (though I am sure we will have to catch up over the weekends). Really if we accomplish this goal before New Year's I will be happy.  I was somewhat surprised by films included on other folks' lists as I was doing some research but I guess there are fewer Christmas movies out there than I once thought. I hope that explains why some of the more random films have been included on our list. 1. Love Actually (the best holiday movie) 2. Dr. Suess's The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (the classic cartoon version) 3. A Christmas Story   (we watched this one last night. Ralphie, I can't put my arms down!) 4. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (I am not sure that Jose is ready to me...

Thanksgiving People who know me know that I LOVE Thanksgiving, that it is my favorite holiday. Why? Well, because it involves spending time with family, eating and hanging out, relaxing and NOT giving gifts. I often get stressed about about presents (how much to spend, what to get, wrapping, etc) so I prefer holidays that don't require them. Plus how can you not love a holiday dedicated to delicious food. Living in Spain last year meant I didn't cook or really celebrate at all. This year I decided to give it a try but moved our celebration to Friday instead of Thursday because of work. I had to get creative with finding all the necessary ingredients. I ended up getting a teeny frozen turkey from our grocery store. The gravy mix was something I picked up at IKEA of all places (another reason to love that place!). I made mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole. I also made stuffing out of old, crusty bread we had in the freezer. With all this in the oven and on the stove ...

Here is a list of the books I have read during the months of October AND November. I figured since I was reading the rest of the novels in the Game of Thrones series (at least those published up until this point) that I might as well wait and post about them all at once. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin This is the second in the Game of Thrones series. I enjoyed it as much as the first and it has inspired me to continue with the television show through its third, bloody season. In these books each chapter is told from a different characters' point of view and there are a ton of twists and turns. You have to take your time to keep things straight. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin As you probably have guessed, this is the third installment of the series. The first half of this novel served as the basis of the third season of the T.V. show. I am still enjoying this series though it is beginning to become complicated to keep all the different story lines ...