Carnaval de Chipiona

After Aleksis and company dropped me off at the Jerez bus station, they took off for Madrid to return the car. I can't say I was envious of the idea of a six and a half hour drive into the center of Spain, but they had to do it. I bought a ticket for the next bus to Chipiona and met Rocio at the bus station there.

It was a beautifully sunny day in Chipiona so we went to the beach for a bit, but then the clouds rolled in after a while and it was a bit chilly. We decided to leave the beach and go grab a coffee in town before going back to Rocio's house to relax.

That night we went for dinner with Rocio's friends in Jerez de la Frontera at a sushi place near the train station. It was pretty good, but a bit overpriced to this California boy. A few of the Spaniards wouldn't eat what they ordered because they didn't like it, but then again Spaniards are generally super picky about the food they eat.

After the dinner we headed back into Chipiona to watch the comparsas and chirigotas in one of the town squares. Comparsas are singing groups that wear costumes. They're judged on their singing ability, so they sing beautifully. Chirigotas are similar, but they're judged on how entertaining they are, so most of the songs are comedic. They poke fun at everything going on in Spain in the last year, and nobody is safe. Every year Chipiona has a few groups that didn't qualify for the finals come up from Cadiz to compete in Chipiona. These groups are generally more experienced and better than the groups from Chipiona, but Chipiona has a couple good groups too. The festivities for the night ended around 1 or 2 a.m. so we went straight to bed after.


Chirigota in Chipiona



Comparsa in Chipiona

Rocio left the next day, but I stayed in Chipiona for the weekend. The next night there were more chirigotas and comparsas. It wasn't until Thursday though that the party really started. Everyone headed out with their beverage of choice to the same plaza with costumes on for a long night of partying in the streets. With drums. In Chipiona lots of people bring drums and bang them all night long so that there is music (sort of). The racket was kind of embarrassing, and I felt bad for the people living nearby. I imagine they just go on vacation that weekend, since they won't sleep at home.

I went out again the next night with Rocio's friends and there were more people who didn't let a little rain stop them. They just jammed themselves under the big tent and continued on partying.

Looking back, I think Carnival in Chipiona was more fun than in Cadiz, but Cadiz was something that I needed to see at least once.

After Cadiz: Down The Coast To Tarifa

After we left the chaos and noise of Carnaval de Cadiz, we hopped back in the car and headed south towards Tarifa, the southernmost point on the Iberian peninsula. On the way to Tarifa we stopped in a beautiful little beachside village called Los Caños de Meca. We parked the car and walked out onto the beach for a bit of rest from driving. The beach was really beautiful and we took a bunch of photos before getting back into the car to finish the drive south. Just before we reached Tarifa we stopped again near a cliff in a forest that overlooked the town of Zahara de los Atunes. We walked down a trail towards the beach and found an old World War II turret bunker overlooking the water. It was in pretty good shape, and we could go into it, but it looked disgusting inside so we didn't go in. Tarifa is a really, really windy town. Windsurfing and kitesurfing shops line the main drag since so many people go there to catch waves.


Painted rowboat on the beach in Los Caños de Meca


World War II bunker overlooking the water near Zahara de Los Atunes

We checked into the hotel and took a much needed nap. After our nap we took a stroll through the old part of town to the port where a huge ferry that travels between Tarifa and Tangier, Morocco was docked. From Tarifa, Africa is only 8 km across the strait of Gibraltar, close enough to see. We took a bunch of photos of the water with Africa in the background. Afterward we walked back into town to sit in a cafe near a nice church and have coffee and tapas. The tapas were really good, one that everyone liked was squid fried in it's ink. Different. We decided since there wasn't really much nightlife in Tarifa we would call it an early night.


Puerta de Jerez in Tarifa


The ferry to Tangier


Cadiz by day

In the morning we headed back north to Cadiz to see the town during the day since the three people I was with hadn't seen Cadiz before Carnaval. It was the second day after Carnaval and people were still sweeping up. The streets smelled like bleach, which was probably a good idea after the huge party with no bathrooms. We took a couple hours to check out the town and walk around the perimeter of the old port town. We went to some of the cooler parts of the city I could remember and again we took a bunch of photos before heading back to the car.

Angela and Eric had to get the rental car back to Madrid that day, so they dropped me off at the bus station in Jerez de la Frontera where I could catch a bus to Chipiona to spend the second weekend of Carnaval.

Carnaval de Cadiz!

In February we had two days for vacation for Carnaval. Since they were a Monday and a Tuesday, I asked my school for the other two days off. No sense in coming back to Don Benito for two days when I can instead make my vacation five days longer right?

My friend Aleksis, his girlfriend Angela, his friend Eric living in Madrid, Aleksis' hedgehog and I rented a car and headed down to Cadiz for the festivities. We were a little late since Angela and Eric had to rent the car in Madrid in the morning and drive down to Don Benito to pick us up. We didn't leave Don Benito until around 5 pm and arrived in Cadiz around 9. Finally we were here and I was ready to run out of the parking garage in El Puerto de Santa Maria. Then Aleksis told me they still had to make their costumes. Ugh. An hour later we finally set off to find a bite to eat and catch the train into Cadiz. We didn't even attempt to park in Cadiz and I'm glad we didn't.

The train station from El Puerto started filling up fast with people in costumes and being a mostly Spanish crowd, they started drinking right there on the platform. The train was pretty packed heading into Cadiz and it was pretty weird being on a train with people in costumes.


The group in our costumes, I was an old man.

Walking out of the train station and into downtown Cadiz was surreal. So many people in costumes and so many things to look at. By 10 or so people were already getting pretty rambunctious and the party was just getting started. It was really easy to get lost among the crowd but luckily Aleksis and his friend were both taller than 6'5". We wandered around Cadiz making friends and memories until well past six in the morning and then headed back to the train station.


The scene in just one of Cadiz's plazas during Carnaval

Before we left I decided to stay with a different ground of friends that I knew from Caceres since the guys I came with were cold by the ocean wall in their basketball jerseys. I couldn't find my way back to the plaza where they were waiting for the life of me, so they told me to meet them at the train station. I followed the pack to the station, but somehow went left when I should have went right and was isolated from the train station by the wall around the train tracks. I decided to just keep walking instead of backtrack 20 minutes. I ended up walking so far that I got to the next station and caught the train there. Everything worked out in the end, but man that walk was long.

We headed back to the car in the parking garage and decided to sleep for a few hours before we headed south. We didn't have accomodations in Cadiz because everything was booked well beforehand. After a short nap we headed out in search of food in El Puerto. Walking around in Spain is always a treat and El Puerto is no exception. We stumbled upon a beautiful old church with a cool plaza next to it. The Spanish did it right.


An old church in El Puerto de Santa Maria



Plaza in El Puerto de Santa Maria

After food we started up the car and headed south down the coast towards Tarifa...

Padel

While here in Spain, I've found my new second favorite sport. It's called Padel and it's like pickle ball, but there are walls surrounding the court. It is played with a small paddle raquet and the ball is a tennis ball with the some of the pressure taken out so it doesn't bounce as much. It's amazingly fun and best played as a doubles game so it's social too.

I started playing with one of the teachers at my school against Aleksis and one of the teachers at his school. Since the first time we played a few months ago we've gone back a couple times and it's always been fun.

Check out what the court looks like. Dad see if they have paddle in Florida its way better than pickle ball!

A Weekend in Cordoba

One weekend last month me and a few friends decided to rent a car and set off for Cordoba, three hours to the southeast. We left Don Benito around 1 and headed to the gas station to fill up. My friend Aleksis filled up the car with 40 euros of gas and I noticed he left the fuel door open when he went inside to pay. I went to close it and noticed it said diesel on it. I looked up at the pump beside me and groaned when I saw "Gasolina" which means regular. We had to tell the gas station attendant and he brought out a pump to siphon back out the gas we put in. It took about half an hour to get it all out and then we still had to fill up the tank again. The gas that came out of the car was just wasted since it was a mixture of diesel and regular.

After that fiasco we got on the road. The drive between Don Benito and Cordoba is a beautiful stretch of highways with lush landscape and breathtaking views. When we arrived in Cordoba it was raining but we didn't want to waste the Friday afternoon since we had to return the car early on Sunday back in Don Benito. We headed to the alcazar and walked around a bit. The rain really ruined the experience though since it was mostly outdoor gardens. We would come back Sunday, get in for free, and see the place in the sunshine, but we didn't know that at the time.

Friday night we wanted to head out and see the nightlife in Cordoba. For some reason it was absolutely dead that night and we ended up going to a bingo hall for a few minutes before settling into a smaller bar to relax. Don Benito has better nightlife than Cordoba, or at least it did that night.

We all made a pact to get up early on Saturday so we could get into the Mezquita for free. They started charged after 10am. We all stumbled out of bed and made our way across the Jewish Quarter to the Mezquita. The place is simply amazing. A cavernous room of Moorish marble columns and arches with a Catholic cathedral smack dab in the middle. Apart they would both be beautiful, but together they just seem sort of odd. I prefer to think of the two parts at separate buildings so I don't get too upset at the audacity the Catholic church once had to put a Cathedral inside a Unesco Heritage Site.

Saturday night we went to eat at a restaurant in the Jewish Quarter to try the flamenquin, a typical Cordobes dish of pork wrapped in ham and deep fried. All five of us thought it was disgusting and sent it back. I think the meat was spoiled. We headed back the hostel, but first we stopped by the bar across the street to check out the flamenco show they were putting on. It was fantastic and the main girl was radiant in her red dress.

Cordoba ended up being a nice weekend trip, and the Mezquita was magnificent, but I wouldn't imagine going back anytime soon.

Uploading photos is becoming a pain, so instead I'm just going to link my Facebook album...

New years eve in chipiona

For New Years Eve I went down south to Chipiona to see some friends from the last couple times I came to Spain. I haven't been down there since the first weekend of October so I figured it was time to return and New Years Eve is a great holiday to spend with friends. I took the train from Don Benito to Sevilla and arrived around noon. Then met my friend Margari there who just happened to be driving to Chipiona around the same time I arrived. Sevilla was beautiful as always and much warmer than Extremadura.

Margari dropped me off at Rocio's parents' store just as they were closing up for the weekend. Rocio's dad took me for 'una tapita' at a new restaurant/bar that I really liked near the lighthouse and then to another bar across from Rosa's store. I took the opportunity to surprise her that I was there and we chatted for a few minutes before I had to leave.

Fast forward a few hours and another friend Jennie picks me up at Rocio's parents' house around 11:30. We head back to her house to watch the New Years Eve special on tv and do the 12 grapes. Each time the bell tolls after midnight you are supposed to eat a grape for good luck. You are supposed to be done with them just after the twelfth toll. It took me about 4 minutes due to all the seeds and the skin. Seedless grapes are really underrated.

After we watched the action from Puerta del Sol in Madrid we headed out to the clubs. Everyone was out and lots of people were wearing tuxedos. I was really surprised by that but Jennie told me it's something the young kids do. We stayed out until breakfast, which some old guy paid for, and then I took a glorious nap after the long night out.

On new years day I went with Jennie and Carolina to Sanlucar de Barrameda to eat at McDonalds. It's really different here, they have sandwiches called the CBO (chicken bacon onion) and the NYCrispy. Same monopoly game, but all the streets are streets in Madrid.

Chipiona is really different in winter. It's not packed with tourists and it seems half empty. The town is really just chill and people seem to be enjoying their downtime. Come July the place will be buzzing with beachgoers. See you soon in March Chipiona...


12 grapes ready to be not eaten in 12 seconds


friends

Christmas Eve in Don Benito

For Christmas Eve, my friend Maria invited me to her house for dinner. Since I had no other plans, I of course accepted her invitation. I walked to her house which is on the other side of town, about twenty minutes away from my apartment. I arrived about half an hour late and was still there before many of Maria's family. Nobody is ever on time here in Spain, it's completely acceptable to be half an hour or more late when meeting someone somewhere. Maria's family had the dinner in their garage which has a huge lounge that they use for parties before going out to the clubs.

For dinner there was a roast suckling pig, plates and plates of jamon, shrimp, salad, cheese, and lots of other things to munch on. For dessert one of Maria's relatives brought a couple chocolate mousse cakes which were delicious. The food was all really good, even the baby pig that I was apprehensive about eating.

After dinner which ended around 1 a.m. the young people went out to the clubs to meet up with friends. There were tons of people out as Christmas Eve is one of the most social nights of the year. Each place we went to was packed and it was really a good time out.

I'm happy with my decision not to jet-set to a European capital for Christmas since I had a good time right here in Don Benito and I got to experience a traditional Spanish Christmas Eve dinner. The way I figure it, I can visit Rome or Amsterdam any weekend, but Christmas only comes once a year. Plus it's cold in Amsterdam!


Christmas Eve dinner with Maria's family


the Christmas lights in the plaza in Don Benito

Madrid & Paris

A couple weekes ago I was chatting online with my friend from high school Becky about when I was going to go to Paris. She surprised me when she told me that she was going to be leaving Paris in mid-December because she was going to travel before she had to return to the States. I had thought she was going to be there until January. She told me I should come in the next few weekends because after that she was leaving. I had planned on going to Cadiz for the six day weekend I had coming up, but my plans feel through so I was facing spending great traveling weekend at home. So I thought, why not Paris this weekend?

I quickly checked flight prices online and saw a flight for €138 and I jumped on it. Looking back it wasn't so much of a deal as I thought it was originally. In the past few days I have found flights to places like Turin, Mallorca, and Marrakech for under €30! So the next day I headed to Madrid by bus to catch my afternoon flight. Everything was going swimmingly. I didn't even need to check a bag since I was only going for two nights. Not checking a bag eliminates so many headaches.

We boarded the plane and the only concern on my mind was the three young children occupying the row across from me. If only I know that planets were about to collide...

We sat at the gate for a little too long and then the captain spoke over the PA something in spanish that I didn't pay attention to. A few people seemed worried so I listened when he repeated himself in english. He said that he couldn't contact the tower which was strange since their sole purpose is to be in contact with pilots, and we weren't in the Burmuda Triangle either. He said we were going to wait a bit and see what happened. Ten minutes later he was back. This time the Spaniards on the plane all groaned after his announcement. Someone had found out with their phone that the air traffic controllers had just gone on strike. We were told to deplane because the airline was cancelling flights until midnight.

Walking back into the terminal was like walking into the mall on December 26th. Nobody knew what was going on and everyone starting forming a line. Apparently the front of the line, which was already a couple hundred people long, was where we could get complaint forms. I found another place to get one and had it stamped. I never ended up using it for anything though.

I found myself stranded in Madrid, so I called the only person I knew who might be in Madrid, my friend Aleksis from Don Benito. He was spending the long weekend with his girlfriend in Madrid and they invited me to crash at their place for the night.

In the morning I headed back to the airport hoping that the strike was over and I would be able to get on a flight to Paris. When the elevator doors opened in the terminal, I knew immediately I wouldn't be going to Paris that day. The lady on the PA confirmed that for me about an hour later when she informed me that Iberia had again cancelled flights for the day. It was only around noon, so at least I didn't have to spend the whole day in the airport. I headed back out into the center of Madrid to see the sights. The only downside to my free day in Madrid was that I had to drag around my carry-on suitcase around with me.



I went to Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol and met my friend Nadia who was also stranded in Madrid instead of sitting at a cafe in Amsterdam. We complained how much it sucked that the controllers were on strike and made plans to meet back up since she had to return to the airport to sort some things out.


Plaza Mayor, Madrid

The next night a bunch of us stranded people decided we would hit the town since it was Saturday and Madrid isn't the worst place in the world to be on a Saturday night. We decided to head to Kapital, a seven story club with seven different dance floors. It was so big that I didn't remember seeing the same person twice the whole night.

Monday I went back to the bus station to take a bus back to Don Benito. I had given up on going to Paris, and spent a lot of money in Madrid anyway, so I wouldn't be able to really enjoy Paris. While I was waiting for my bus I went to the atm to check my balance and to my surprise I had been paid again! I changed my bus ticket and headed back to the airport. Paris was on again!

My replacement flight to Paris went off without a hitch and I arrived to a cold, dark city of light. I stayed with Becky at her dorm room which cost twice what my three bedroom apartment in Spain cost per month. We went out for a crepe which was amazing. Perfect street food.

The next day Becky had to go to work so I was off on my own for the day. I took the metro towards the Eiffel Tower. Above ground it had started to snow. Seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time was a trip. Climbing the stairs was great exercise. I took a few pictures before they kicked me out because they were closing the tower due to snow. In one weekend I found out that they could close an airport and the Eiffel Tower.



I decided to take a stroll down the Seine towards Notre Dame, but quickly realized that Paris is HUGE and the walk might take me all week. I hopped on the metro and rode the rest of the way. The cathedral was impressive, and free to enter. I sat around for a while, but got bored. I was having a lot of fun wandering around aimlessly in Paris, but it was starting to get dark so I called up Alex from Sac State to go hang out and have a few beers. Little did I know I would need to be approved for a loan to afford to do so. €15 for two pints!


The inside of the Cathedral of Notre Dame

We hung out until late and I visited his TINY studio apartment that was down a flight of stairs, then up an elevator and then up another flight of stairs. The place was smaller than my kitchen, but it had a clear view of the Eiffel Tower out of the window, which in my mind is priceless.


See the Eiffel Tower out of the window?

The next day I went to the Louvre before heading back to the airport. The Louvre is enormous and I got tired of the paintings really fast. I felt the Mona Lisa was underwhelming and displayed strangely. The coolest things in the museum were the treasures, of which there were countless. I wish I owned just one of them.


The Mona Lisa


Napolean Bonaparte's apartment

My flight back to Madrid was delayed by five hours due to snow, so I was stranded in Madrid for the night again when I landed. I should have been used to it by then.

Thanksgiving in Spain

November 29th was 'El Clasico'. Barcelona-Real Madrid. Here it's like the super bowl, but their are at least two each year. I went to see the game at an Irish pub here in Don Benito. I arrived 45 minutes early and still barely got a seat. The place was packed with soccer fans, both men and women. I would say the crowd was two-thirds Real Madrid fans. The atmosphere in the pub was amazing, it's something that America just doesn't seem to have. Everyone back home watches the game at home, and here they all go out to their favorite pub. In the end the home team won, 5-0 and I went home happy.

The Friday after Thanksgiving we had a dinner at our apartment with all of the American auxiliars plus a Canadian girl and a couple English guys from out of town. The food was terrific, but we didn't have a turkey which was a little strange. Instead we ate meatloaf and roasted chicken and a potluck of side dishes. It was a lot of fun and everybody seemed to enjoy the food.

What I Miss

I'm finally starting to actually feel settled here in Don Benito. Things feel normal, I have a routine. Still haven't made friends with locals, but I've made the acquaintance of a few.

I've been gone long enough to miss things now. I am really craving Mexican food and an In-N-Out cheeseburger. Yes mom I miss your cooking too. The stir-fry with the snow peas and peanuts would be awesome right now. I miss my queen size bed. My bed here is about six inches too short, I sleep with one foot on the footboard. I miss American water heaters, our pilot light keeps blowing out unexpectedly which sucks when you want to take a shower in the morning. I also miss having a weekly paycheck, we probably won't get paid for another month and I'm surviving off of private lesson money. I miss American pop music. The music here, while growing on me, is all European techno-pop.

Things I don't miss: having to drive EVERYWHERE. $3.50 cups of coffee, it's highway robbery when you think of how little it really costs to make. Commercial breaks on tv every 12 minutes. American women in general. Sorry ladies, ya'll are completely outclassed by the Spanish chicks over here. Maybe you should get off your iPhones and get some fresh air? No there's not an app for that.

This weekend we had a few friends from other towns stay with us in Don Benito. It was nice to have some friends over to party with. On friday we went to the botellon just outside of town which is where everyone takes their cars and plays music from huge speakers and drinks in the parking lot. This type of thing would never, ever happen in California. The police would break it up in a heartbeat. Here the police just circle around and make sure there everyone is alright.

While I wait to get paid from the Spanish government, I have made a mental list of places I plan on traveling to. Paris is at the top of the list, with Lisbon, Berlin, Salamanca and the north of Spain just below.



Hasta luego for now!