Post-Paris w. Parents to Present

Sevilla Cathedral

Beautiful tuna salad designed by Mary's sister for our arrival!

The second we stepped off the plane from Paris to Seville we were of course welcomed with open arms by our Spanish family, and we continued our celebrations! Just after putting our suitcases down in Ubaldo & Mary’s house we were treated to a delicious Spanish almuerzo, (bigger at lunch time) and their youngest son Alex came over to meet my parents with his girlfriend. Although it had been a while since my mom was in school studying Spanish, it came right back to her and she did extremely well communicating..my dad on the other hand, we called him “el pobre” (poor guy because he didn’t understand anything!) He was a great sport about it though and by the end of the week he had picked up a few phrases and words and was understanding more and more. After lunch we headed to visit Ubaldo & Mary’s daughter, Charri, her husband Pitu, and their three children. It was great to see the kids fascination with my parents, and of course to catch up with Charri and Pitu. Saturday night we went for a driving night tour of the city to see everything all lit up with the intention of visiting it all again in the day (just like what we did in Paris.) However, we weren’t aware of just how bad the weather would be during their entire visit! It was fun to have Ubaldo as our driver and tour guide as he knows SO many facts about his city and of its history. After our guided tour we headed home for dinner and called it a night after a very long day.  

Ubaldo & Dad in museum

Sunday morning brought an incredible rainstorm (VERY unusual for Sevilla) that lasted for several days. We woke up had breakfast and headed to Seville’s famous Museum of Fine Arts called “Museo de Bellas Artes.” It was the perfect activity for such a rainy day. We saw more beautiful artwork including works by El Greco, Murillo, and Vales. With umbrellas in hand, we escaped to our car and went home for a late lunch. While we were cleaning up after lunch, due to the storm, the power went out - something that Ubaldo & Mary never remember happening in the last 25 years (just our lucky day!). We sat around talking until Ubaldito (Ubaldo & Mary’s oldest son) and his wife and son came over to see my parents. It was a unique memory as we sat in the dark chatting. Finally several hours later the power came on and the rain was gone. Taking advantage of the only time of the day where it wasn’t bucketing, we headed to “Plaza de Espana” to walk around. Plaza de Espana is a beautifully restored plaza inside a “central park-like park” built in 1928. Although it now serves as government buildings, it is home to one of the most beautifully detailed places in Seville, equipped with a beautiful tile-work area devoted to each province in Spain. 

Monday, I skipped my only class and the five of us (Ubaldo, Mary, my parents, & myself) headed to Granada for a day trip. We planned to visit the famous “La Alhambra” and avoid rainy Sevilla! After around two and a half hours we arrived and stood in line to purchase tickets. Once inside, we explored the beautiful Moorish fort that has been preserved since 1348! Every spot had a different breathtaking view of the city and beautiful greenery. The city of Granada is also home to the Sierra Nevada mountain range which was unique to see as well. After hours of examining AMAZING hand-made palaces, tile-work, fountains, and horticulture not found anywhere else, we headed for the car and with us came the rain. 

View of the beautiful city of Granada

We drove around an hour towards home when Ubaldo & Mary said they would like to stop real fast in a small town that is known for their Christmas candy (well sure we said! :)). We pulled over to a store where Mary knew the manager. We were given a inside-look to the factory where they make the candies and the smell was heavenly! We then spent half and hour selecting which kinds we wanted to buy (only after trying EACH AND EVERY ONE that you wanted to - store policy!). It was a very delicious experience to say the least! 

Candy factory ( :

Tuesday, my week-long vacation had to come to an end and I decided to go to class!  ( : Around 1:00 when I was done, everyone picked me up and we went on a walking tour of the city together. I showed off my two campus locations, the famous cathedral and Giralda, famous gardens by my school, and fun little tapas bar streets. We stopped in to grab a tapa or two in the middle of our tour and we continued until the rain rolled in once again. We headed home for a very late lunch and spent some time just relaxing during the afternoon. That evening we headed to Corte Ingles (the Macy’s of Spain) to look for  a converter for my dad’s camera. We were all so pleasantly surprised at how friendly everyone was and that they were even willing to charge the battery he needed for free so he didn’t have to buy the converter! (it probably helps that Ubaldo knows EVERYONE in the city and has “friends” at all the stations in Corte Ingles (; That evening I asked to give my parents a quick tour of my “casa”. They got to meet my senora and my three remaining housemates. I like knowing that they know where I am and where I have been for the past 2.5 months! We raced home to meet Mary’s sister, her husband, and their son for dinner. As always, a great meal and a fun time with extended family!

Wednesday was another down-pour! (The rain became the running joke of my parents trip - all Sevillians would say “Lo siento, Sevilla nunca es como este!” I’m sorry, Seville is never like this! We would all just laugh by the end of the week! However, despite the rain and clouds, I met up with everyone in front of the cathedral after my classes. Seville is home to the world’s third largest cathedral and is connected the “la giralda” of which we have a mini version in KC! We spent some time going through the cathedral and admiring all it had to offer - including Columbus’ tomb! My mom, dad & I then decided to climb the Girlada. It consists of 37 steep ramps up a tower with no elevator or transportation. (It was made like this for horses to be able to go up!) It was very steep but a big accomplishment to reach the top and magnificent views of the city! 

From the top of the Giralda! VERY windy

View of my beautiful city from the tallest point in the city - La Giralda

We headed down (much easier) and headed home for lunch. We spent a few hours relaxing and then headed to “el central” the center of the city to do some more exploring. We stopped at the newest architectural creation in Seville, called “la seta” (the mushroom) a unique monument that does not exactly fit in with the rest of the antique city, and therefore has many opposers. We toured through several beautiful churches, walked through shopping districts, and ended at a country-club like building where Ubaldo & Mary are members. Mary took us inside just to show us the main level and we heard clapping and singing .She asked the person at the desk what was going on and he said “un concierto de copa” a concert of typical Sevillian music and he invited us to go upstairs and catch the second half. We decided to do so and it was quite a treat! We heard around five songs accompanied by a piano, and lots of dancing! Certainly one for the memory books! Wet and tired, we headed back to the house around 11pm for dinner.

Thursday, after class, I was picked up and we headed to the beach (yes- we were crazy because it was cold and rainy, but it was a chance to see the Atlantic for my parents!). We arrived at Ubaldo & Mary’s apartment at the beach and after a quick tour headed to the marina so Ubaldo could show off his boat. Although we didn’t go for a ride, it was almost as if we went swimming as we were all completely soaked by the end! We drove through the little town “El Portil” and headed back to Sevilla. We had lunch at a delicious restaurant, (the same one I went to on my first day) and we were all extremely satisfied with our soup, salads, meat, and desserts! From the restaurant we headed to do a little shopping at a nearby mall and then to Charri’s house to say goodbye to everyone, as my parents would be leaving the next day. 

One of the highlights of my week was at Charri’s house when Alejandro (age 5) gave my dad (who he only met one time) a picture, that his mom explained was my dad with a machine that would keep him always healthy, with my dad’s name so adorably written at the top. Kids never cease to amaze me! He probably picked up on the fact that my dad was always a bit lost in translation as a room of us sat around talking quickly and only occasionally translating what was said. Regardless of the reason, it was adorable and touched all of our hearts. 

Of course, I never wanted Friday to come.. I had such a fabulous time with my parents and it felt so nice to be able to communicate in person what I had not easily been able to for 2.5 months. They were also celebrating their 25th anniversary which was the week before they arrived, only adding to the festivities of the trip! After spending some time packing up their things, Ubaldo, my parents and I headed to Plaza de Espana and park Maria Luisa one more time to take some pictures in the day time. Of course, as soon as we arrived it began to POUR! 

Plaza de Espana - post storm 

We waited out the rain, took some pictures, and headed to a few more spots. Meanwhile, while we were out on our final tours of the city, Mary was home making homemade Gaspatcho (my mom’s favorite) and tortilla de patata (very common dish in Spain) which I now know how to make! (see next paragraph :))We arrived home to a delicious  meal and Alex stopped by to say goodbye. We took my parents to the ave (train) where they headed to Madrid for the night before their early flight out Sat. morning. Tearful goodbyes were had knowing that I will be home soon enough! Although the weather was less than ideal, the time flew by fabulously and I am so grateful for their visit! 

My proud creations!

I spent the rest of the weekend with Ubaldo & Mary and got a lot of neglected work done. Monday night, I headed to a cooking class with my program at a local restaurant nearby our campus. We were put in small groups and instructed on how to make Salmorejo (very similar to Gaspatcho) and what else, but tortilla de patata! It all turned out delicious and I will definitely be bringing the recipes home with me to USA!

Today, November 14th was a very interesting day for me. I had received an email from my program informing me of the country-wide (also including Greece, Italy, & Portugal) strike that would occur today and that it was important to take extra caution and remember that nearly every business would be closed for the day. All major universities in the area had classes canceled, but because our professors were not connected to the union, they were not participating in “la huelga” (the strike.) On my walk to school I saw some people with flags but nothing too crazy. By the time I left school several hours later, the streets were mobbed with people, millions, all chanting and waving their signs and flags. A few friends and myself wanted to observe but knew that we shouldn’t join because they like to get Americans involved for publicity sake. We only spoke in Spanish to blend in a bit more and walked down the street with the crowd. Now, I could write a whole book on what I think about these kinds of strikes and how it gives into the stereotypes of the lazy Spaniard, (and maybe some day I will) but all I can say about this was how inspired I was by the fact that in Seville, unlike Madrid or other major cities, the protests remained non-violent. There were small children in strollers holding signs and elderly people on the sidewalks chanting as loud as their neighbors; none of whom felt their safety was threatened. There is something pretty amazing about seeing all of these people come together for the same cause (even if its not a great thing - terrible economy, high unemployment, raise in student tuition, and lack of salary raises) that left me proud to be a part of this place, even if only for a semester. 

La Huelga

Now I do not agree that this one day protest where every business was closed and no one went to work or school will have a huge impact on the future of Spain; I do think however that they are entitled to address this problem how they would like, as a city, and as a community working together to change their futures. I was inspired and happy to be a part of a historical moment. With only a little over a month left here in Sevilla, I am trying to enjoy each and every day (oh and this week the weather has been PER-fect! 70’s and sun everyday - sorry mom and dad!) I know next week will be a bit hard for me with Thanksgiving and everyone being home from school... but I will try to look at the positive and look forward to a Christmas reunion! Hoping everyone is happy & healthy!

As always, thanks for reading!

Con Amor

Catie

~With all the rain came a LOVELY rainbow~