Procesión de la Virgen

(Procession of the Virgin)

So I was in my kitchen, cooking some delicious pasta with a red sauce with zuchinni and what not, when I heard this lovely music. Xanthe, Belén and I stuck our heads out the window to see folks with cameras and a few police. We asked the police what was going on, and the officer shrugged and said, "No sé por seguro... Algo de la virgen como siempre." We all laughed. He basically said, "I don't know for sure... Something for the Virgin as always!" Haha. Well said, officer.

I love living on Calle Jesús y María, or as we Americans would call it: Jesus and Mary Street! It makes for great views of nearly every holy procession in Granada. Xanthe, Belén and I caught the street view of the marching band and the candle-lighting until things calmed down a bit. I ate dinner and about an hour later, we heard another uproar of music. I ran to Chiara's balcony and saw this huge figure of the Virgin being carried by hand down the street. She was decorated in gold and violet. The music was deep and sad, but simultaneously picking up speed. It was so moving.

I grabbed my camera and ran up to Brandon's balcony to get photos:



I posted the video I was able to capture to YouTube (it uploads much faster than on Blogspot). Here is the link to the short video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daVhOU-SVvI

Enjoy!

Dusseldorf, Germany.

This lady had the foresight to match the train from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf.


The train to Dusseldorf, Germany was as lovely as the train through Amsterdam. Easter Netherlands and Western Germany is gorgeous country side with pockets of suburbs and the occasional industrial town.



Once in Dusseldorf, Hotel Diana was a walk away. We were very excited for this stretch of the trip for three reasons. 1.) It was Halloween. 2.) We were meeting up with some of Alex's friends, Blake and Omar, who had already visited us for a few days in Spain while backpacking through Europe. Great folks. 3.) We were going to see an incredible DJ called Laid Back Luke at a club in Dusseldorf that night. Despite these jitters, I still took in the scenery as we trekked to our hotel.


I took pictures of the street signs and other texts for my dad. Just so he could see his language skills in action. :]




Once at the hotel, we had to be sneaky about how we got in once again. The maximum number of occupants was two and this hotel was in my name. So Brandon and I went in and checked in with the hilariously dry German, Marcos. He was a crack-up, and later didn't really care when he saw all five of us pouring out of the room.


Brandon seducing the camera.

We then walked around Dusseldorf in search of Blake and Omar who were also exploring the city. Once we found them, it was a "YES!" moment just like when we Alex answered the hotel room door in Amsterdam. Sweet victory!

Nighttime in Dusseldorf was very busy, but it was Halloween after all. The city is urban, but not nearly as urban as other cities in Germany.





After exploring, we were famished! Blake showed us a nice little place to get some delicious German bratwurst in Kaiser rolls. They were amazing. Even I, who does not care for red meat or pork, absolutely loved it.

We returned to the hotel to dress up for our evening of house music (or "has" music). As I said in my previous entry, Ryanair prevented me from dressing up as Quail Man from the old Nickelodean cartoon Doug. :( So we just slapped on some masks and dressed up like any night at the club.


Blake and I being delightfully awkward:


However, Blake and Omar did us in with their costumes. They really did.


The club was insane. We don't think the establishment that is known as 3001 was prepared for such a crowd. The coat check line was like a torture chamber of suffocation and trampling. The drunken German guys eerily reminded me of an American fraternity. But the music was incredible and we had a great time. :]


Bus ride to Dusseldorf airport on Monday, November 1.

The next day was the panic attack. We had a flight that was supposed to land in Madrid at 4:30 p.m. (ideally). The only bus that Brandon, Natasha and I could find from Madrid to Granada left at 5:30 p.m. Ryanair is notorious for landing about an hour later than expected. There was no other option but to PRAY the flight landed on time AND that the metro from the airport to the main bus station wasn't running slow because of the holiday. By some holy miracle, our flight landed a full 30 minutes ahead of schedule! And we made our bus putting us home in Granada around midnight. Just in time to study for my midterm the very next day! Yeah, if I missed that bus, I would have missed my midterm. Just saying.

Overall, amazing trip! I could easily see myself living in Amsterdam for a few months. And I desperately want to see Berlin now, as everyone just built it up so much.

Also, German is going to be my next language. I've decided.

Amsterdam!

This place is magical. Let's dive right in, shall we?

Chelsea and Alex left the day before to explore Frankfort, Germany and planned on meeting us Friday morning in Amsterdam. Brandon, Natasha and I were to fly out of Madrid at 6:45 a.m. on Thursday for a quick 2 hour flight to Eindhoven, Netherlands. Well, the best-timed bus to Madrid left at 7 p.m. the day before, putting is there around midnight. Therefore, we slept in the airport for FOUR AND A HALF HOURS until the Visa checkpoint opened and we could check-in for our flight. The flight to Eindhoven cost 90 euro plus tax and the flight home cost 5 euro. Yep. Just 5. Amazing.

Well, no wonder it was so cheap! You can barely take ANYTHING on board OR you can check your first bag for 35 euro! Screw that. I stuffed my undies in my jacket and threw a toothbrush in my smallest backpack. That was about it. I exaggerate. But, this meant I couldn't have an elaborate costume for Halloween as Ryanair would have confiscated it, I'm sure. That airline is nuts. But cheap. So we live with it.

Anyway! The bus ride to Madrid went smoothly. We (by some miracle) caught the last metro to the airport. We camped out at the airport until our flight, which also went well. The second we landed in Eindhoven, Netherlands, it hit me that were definitely not in Spain. It was so cold and gray. It felt like San Francisco! I missed that feeling so much. The majority of the people we ran into spoke perfect English, which was rather disappointing. I wrote down phrases in Dutch before I left and everything.

We were starving, so Natasha and snacked at the train station. I bought a "ham en kaas," which I figured was a ham and cheese croissant. 'Twas correct!



We took a 2 hour train to Amsterdam from Eindhoven, which was just beautiful. The countryside has so many little lakes and fields between their triangular houses. Lovely!


Once we arrived in Amsterdam itself, we realized we had a major problem: our Spanish cellphones work in every country in the EU--except the Netherlands. CRAP. We needed to find our hotel in a town on the outskirts of Amsterdam sans cellphones. We figured Chelsea and Alex were already there. We had an address, but a cab was out of our price range. So we hunted and hunted for WiFi to check Brandon's iPhone if they emailed us, but the signal was poor. The three of us looked at each other until Brandon said the obvious, "Um. We've been traveling for over a half a day, can we just relax and enjoy the city for five minutes?"

We were off! This was the beautiful train station we exited before a little exploration:



Off to a coffee shop to relax and people watch those crazy Dutch.




Once we found WiFi, we found that Alex and Chelsea had emailed us each in worry about 10 times. They explained which train to take to Zandaam to find our hotel.

Side note: A hotel, you ask? Why not a cheap hostel? Well, hostels are horribly expensive in Amsterdam. It was cheaper to get a hotel (for two) and cram our lanky butts in there. Which we did. At one point, four of us slept in a king size bed. Yes, we bonded.

We got the hotel, but had no way of calling them to see if they were there, nor could we ask the front desk for fear of them realizing we were sneaking three extra people into the room. So we just went to room 1213 (a suite on the top floor!) and prayed to Baby Jesus that they were there. We knocked… We waited… And Alex answered with a joyous, "YES!!!"


"Reunited and it feels so good!"

This hotel was lush, to say the least. Even for five people. There was a sauna, walk-in shower, and a jacuzzi tub.



This was the view of the hotel:


And the hotel from the outside was just adorable:


After napping for a bit, the five of us went back to the city to explore. What a city! We tried to enter this cathedral, but we waited until Sunday, and realized mass was in session. So we let them be.


The canals were my favorite. Like a Nordic Venice. The girls:


Brandon and his honorary "bro":


The following day, we researched delicious breakfast places. We've all been hankering for something substantial for breakfast as Spain is not a huge fan of big breakfasts. They like their toast and cafe con leech. But I need my pound of America with my meal of champions! So Chelsea researched and found this pancake haven which served us these bad boys:


After refueling, we were on the streets again (dodging bike after bike). This city is SO BIG on biking. 200% more than San Francisco at least. After debating what to explore (and passing the 2 kilometer long line for the Anne Frank house), we decided on impromptu beer tasting. Alex and Brandon are very serious about their beer and are well-educated on the matter. We found this amazing beer joint with all kinds of special brews. Alex found his favorite IPA, which is brewed soley in Chula Vista, California. It cost 12 euro here! Apparently, that brewery is getting some kind of recognition as beer capitals of the world are ordering it.


The manager of the store recommended a beer bar a half mile away or so. Of course, we listened to this smart man and went. I found a sweet beer I liked (if you can even call it beer), called Magner's Cider.


After that, we spent the rest of the day souvenir shopping until we went home to rest before dinner and the nightlife. In the process of buying some one million postcards, we stumbled across this snack shop where you can buy hamburgers and things of that sort out of a machine. This place is a hot food vending machine. I kid you not.


Our last night in Amsterdam, we had a huge Chinese dinner (don't laugh! Amsterdam truly is famous for its Chinese food. Haha!). And walked around once last time. Yes, we saw the Red Light District. And yes, it was sad to think that the majority of these women are here due to sex trafficking. It was so sad to see these gorgeous, young, seemingly confident women and realizing that they were more than likely there against their will. (Chelsea took a human sexuality class with an emphasis on human trafficking and informed us of all the statistics). The tourists were a crack-up to watch though.


The next morning, we were off to Dusseldorf, Germany...

La Sonámbula

I wrote this on the Mediterranean beach of Nerja around midnight. Just got around to posting it.

La Sonámbula

My camera lens is useless.
Any level of aperture can’t capture
the flecks of forgiveness the water presents
in a photo-invisible, lavender air of honesty.
The pace of my mind has gone from
the mean streets of flamenco
to the separation of cliff and crystal clear water—
that warm sea parting my eyes from the south of Spain
to Africa’s glowing horn.
This place is a dream world
and I, la sonámbula, float aimlessly, contently
from fantasy to reality,
testing all that is pleasing to me
and dozing back into the doorway of my dream come true.
I’ve done it.
What’s more, I’ve abandoned all that is comfortable
for all that is ordained for me and my wandering heart.
Mi poesía es libre
y mi corazón esta abierto.
No iambic pentameter can fully express
the artistry in my adventure in solitude
or the realizations of my voyage.
Pressing on through border after border
and listening to each dialect whispering intonations
of pensiveness and inner truth.
This scene of sensation; the waves kissing my feet,
the scent of jasmine and wet stone,
cannot be recreated but in my mind
to visit again and again
wherever la sonámbula ventures.

Festivillo de Membrillo

Hola!

Our house really is amazing. Fernando and Miguel took many of us to Málaga yesterday to go to H&M! It's the nearest branch to our house. It felt so good to get back in that lovely store. I feel like even H&M is more stylish in Europe. Then we stopped at Ikea for those darn delicious Swedish meatballs. I refrained from purchasing half the store with the thought in mind that I would have to actually DO something with all the things I buy when I go home this summer. Hah. But I did buy a wine glass. We all did. :] We're matching and cute.

That night, the lovely and sweet woman who cleans our house, María, was performing the lead role in a play at a festival of the arts. The entire festival was created to protest something (that we didn't fully understand) that had to do with the university. Not completely sure, we abstained from signing anything, but boy those protesters throw a great party! It was called, "Festivillo de Membrillo," which means, "Festival of the Quince." (Quince, as in the fruit, not the Spanish word, "quince." Haha. Yes, it caused some confusion).

We missed María's performance as we got back from Málaga so late, but we went to support and eat some delicious Thai food. The performances were awesome. There was a Flamenco dancer that blew our minds. Their feet really do keep the rhythm.


A jazz band came up and played many familiar songs. America created Jazz, after all.


Finally, a belly dancer performed and we were all baffled by how crazily she could move her body. It was a little depressing, as the girls recently tried to go to a belly dancing class, but we got lost and didn't make it on time! Next time for sure. This was too inspiring!



Another nice family photo. Left to right (since there's a new face in this particular shot): Fernando, Julie (from Belgium), Alex, Chelsea, Brandon, Natasha, myself. :]

Renaissance Fair!

[I'm making up for lost time with my blog and posting quite a bit today, be sure to scroll down and get caught up!]

Natasha discovered this awesome medieval fair on the way home from work the other day, and we had to see it for ourselves. It was just like a Renaissance Fair in the States, but more legitimate since this country actually boasts medieval history. Hah!


The trinket stands and vendors were pretty cool. Natasha and Arisa bought some beautiful rings (I abstained for once!). Chelsea and Alex bought matching leather bracelets. You know, generally pseudo-medieval stuff. The best part? THE FOOD. I feel like my mom. I think a good percentage of my blogging revolves around Spanish grub. Meh.

To everyone at home who has heard me speak of this miracle that is part burrito/part gryo, here she is. THE CHAWARMA:



Chelsea bought a plump baked potato filled with ham, cheese, spices and ketchup. (Don't judge! It was delish.)



Now that I think of it, it's really convenient that this fair took place right as I started my Spanish Literature: Renaissance and Baroque class.


The only thing it was missing? Turkey legs. ¡Viva America! (And its horrid misconceptions of the Renaissance. Hah!)

Family Dinner Party

Last Saturday, our landlords hosted yet another famous "Mojito Party." But this time, we had a very multi-cultural potluck beforehand! I should have thought to take pictures of each dish, but I was so focused on gorging myself, it completely slipped my mind.

The morning of, Fernando approached Alex and I in the hallway and asked if we were going to make something. We said of course, but we didn't know there was going to be a potluck. Fernando said, don't worry. He suggested just making something cheap and simple. Our minds drew a complete blank trying to think of American food that would be a hit. Best alternative? Mexican food, of course! All of the Americans in the house are from California anyway, and the majority of us are from the San Diego and Los Angeles area.

Do-It-Yourself nachos it was! And they were delicious! My guacamole was a hit! And the salsa was incredibly refreshing (y picante!).

Yuri made "Tortialla Japonesa," which is Japanese Tortialla. In Japan, they have a similar dish to the egg and potato Spanish Tortilla dish. Hers had teriyaki and cabbage and all things delicious.

The Spaniards made Huevos con Atún Tomaté, which is like deviled eggs but with tuna and tomato in the center--yum.

The Italian girls made some delicious pasta (I overate this). They also made "chocolate salami" for dessert. Wow. It was like fudge from heaven.

Then came the mojitos, and the fiesta began!


Many of the house mates in one gluttonous photo. Back Row: Yuri's friend Ken, myself, Natasha, Brandon. Center on floor: Arisa, Fernando, Chiara, Chelsea, Alex. Back to front in left corner: Belén, Sara and Guilia.


This picture is just to precious. Yuri (after ONE mojito) and I. She's so little, she cannot handle hardly any alcohol, but folks keep trying to hand it to her. She's the sweetest!

I am so thankful to live with such amazing folks. :]