November 30 - Lights

Good day at school, everyone presented their projects and we had some good discussions.  I brought blueberry muffins to share during the break.

This afternoon, I didn't do too much - a little Spanish and a little reading.  Around 6:15 we headed out toward downtown.  Tonight was the first night that the city Christmas lights were to be illuminated and there was a short concert from 6:30-7:00 to entertain the large crowd before they flipped the switch.  It was a little like an 80's dance party with the band playing songs like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "Dancin' Queen". 

At 6:55, all the street lights were turned off (of course the stage lights were bright enough that things never really got dark) and then at a few seconds before 7:00 the crowd counted down and all of the downtown Christmas lights came on - right on cue.  At that point the band started a rocking rendition of White Christmas.  Not likely in Sevilla, but hey at least we were off of the Mama Mia soundtrack and on to Christmas music.

Then, we spent a little time checking out the lights on a few streets.  I just snapped a bunch of photos, Albert actually worked to get some good shots.   

In addition to lights, there were lots of street performers out tonight - taking advantage of the large crowds.

According to the local paper, there are 277 streets (I think they mean blocks) with lights - it may take a while to see them all.  Luckily, we still have over 5 weeks.

November 29 - Trash or Treasure?

Another cold morning - luckily I have a wisk now and can make smoooooth warm hot cocoa.

Our cultural activity today was a trip to two markets.  The first is an open air market with everything from the most trivial junk to valuable antiques - of course, none of it had much value to people trying to limit their belongings to that which will fit in a suitcase.  However,  if you were in the market for a record carved into the shape of a famous person, or a pair of polka dot reindeer, or a fur coat - you could have satisfied your wish list here.  The other market was a traditional indoor market with a fish place (which had fresh sushi - tempting) and fruit and vegetable stands (but no jalepenos) - it was very similar to our traditional market in Triana.

This afternoon, I worked on my presentation and reviewed some other topics in Spanish.  Lots of new vocabulary.

I didn't really cook today - we are still working our way through the leftovers... I did buy the ingredients in case I want to make blueberry muffins tomorrow morning for my class.  We will see.

November 28 - My Project

It was downright cold when we woke up this morning, and it had only climbed to 47 by the time I was ready to walk to school - almost time to pull out the long socks.  But by the time I walked to the market after class, it was warm and sunny.

The orange trees are loaded with fruit.

The golden tower is living up to its name.

And couple after couple attach love locks engraved with their initials to the bridge and throw the key into the river to signify that their love will last for all eternity.  The practice is common in many cities with large beautiful bridges.  I saw a couple attaching theirs today.  Of course, after pieces of a love locked section of bridge collapsed in Paris, many cities have realized the serious downside to the romantic practice and have been cutting them off before they get too heavy, and many cities have made the practice illegal.  But for the couple making out on the bridge as I passed, they didn't seem too worried.

I spent a large part of the afternoon and evening working on a school project.  On Friday, I am supposed to present for 10-15 minutes on a topic of my choice that I think the other students in my class will not know much about.  Each of them will be doing the same.  The idea is that we present and then answer questions and as a class generate a list of vocabulary related to the topics.  I will be presenting about the history of money from Bartering to Bitcoin.  With the speed of my Spanish, I don't actually need much content to fill up 10-15 minutes, but it has been a fun exercise trying to both prepare my remarks and prepare for questions.  This could get ugly.  Luckily, I have a very mellow class and a generous supportive teacher.

This evening when I took a break and went for a walk, a large group of rollerbladers passed me in the bike lane.  I am really sad that I didn't have my camera out and ready -  I only got a shot of the back of the group. Most of them had little headlights on their skates -so I guess this is a regular evening activity.

November 27 - Signs of Preparation

Today I came home from school and picked up the shopping bags and headed back out to the store - we didn't need much and Albert stayed home to both keep track of the laundry - but also to be here for our big delivery.  We ordered a chair online and it arrived today.

By the time I arrived home from the market with a few odds and ends and the ingredients for lentil soup, the laundry was folded and Albert nearly had the chair together.

I made a large pot of soup and then did some studying.  After dinner, I headed out to intercambio.  I was excited to see that although the city Christmas decorations have not been turned on yet, these lights on the Triana Market were lit up.  

I was thinking today that once the city does flip the switch, the entire city will look like it is noon even after dark - it is amazing to me how many streets (big and small) have large light panels hung across and of course every square has a display.  But for now, only a few private markets have their lights on - lucky for me the one on my way to the bridge is one of them.

November 26 - A Whisk

I do Spanish every day - some days more than others.  Some days, I get a little obsessed.  The last couple of days probably fit into that category.  There is just so much to learn and every time I learn something, I realize that I don't know ten more things - and each of those things that I chase down uncover ten more things.  I have come to realize that the attraction for me is not only wanting to be able to have conversations in Spanish but to really understand the language  - why certain prepositions are used instead of others, how verbs are related to each other, how the origin of a word affects its spelling and gender, and on and on.  It is so fun to have the time to really study.  And, like every time I have studied another language - I just keep discovering and recognizing new things in the English language as well.

Much like mathematics for me, there is as much beauty in the relationships and structure as in the use.

Of course I am not totally disconnected from the application, I do get a small thrill whenever I can have a successful real life interaction in Spanish.

In other news, I bought a whisk.  Ok, I know, this is also not exciting for most of you, but I have been designing workarounds for all of my normal kitchen staples:  like using a water bottle for a rolling pen, upside down roasting pan for a cookie sheet, two forks for a pastry blender, serious elbow grease for a mixer, terra cotta baking dish for a pie plate, a serated knife for a cheese grater, a nalgene bottle for a measuring cup, and don't even get me started on ingredient substitutions.  But last week, I realized that I just couldn't work around - no mater how much I tried - not having a whisk for some dishes.  I mean, I don't need multiple whisks (like I have at home) or even one really nice whisk (like my favorite one from pampered chef), but I admit defeat in making due with no whisk at all.  So....

I am now the proud "owner" (I am sure we will not bring it home with us to Walla Walla) of an orange silicone whisk.  Now I can make whipped cream, meringue, better sauces and gravy, .... 

November 25 - Look Up

Still a few sales going on this weekend for Black Friday - or is it Crazy Friday - or Black Weekend?

On my walk today, I passed this bakery.  I am not sure what they sell - everything is gluten free, sugar free, no milk, no eggs, vegan... I am not sure after you put all of these together what types of baked goods are left - but the baker must be very creative.

I stopped off at Plaza de Espana today.  Albert has been there a couple of times with our guests in the last month, but I hadn't been in a long time - I do like it...and I really liked the guy with the huge bubble wand.

I also like this government building that I passed on the way home.

Sometimes, I forget, with all of the beautiful buildings and the hundreds of cafes and bars and all of the museums and statues, that this city is just "home" for some people - not a special destination.  They live here and work here and shop here and raise kids and go to school and .... move.  Whew, sometimes it is nice to think that when the time comes for us to go - we will just have our two suitcases to pack - no boxes or furniture or pianos or refrigerators.

Today, we had a bit of sun, and I tried to look up a little more as I walked around the city.  I got a few surprises...like the snail hanging on the wall, the lights in the orange trees ready for next weekend, and the new lights on San Jacinto (in our neighborhood), ....

I did a lot of Spanish today - ready for another week of class.  I cannot believe that it will be December next weekend - where is the time going?

November 24 - Cool Saturday

Had a bit of a slow start this morning.  Our guests had tickets to see the cathedral and did some sightseeing, so it was just Albert and I from about 11:30-7:30.  We did our usual; Spanish, shopping, reading, and cooking (Goulash and Gnocchi).

I went for a short walk this evening.  There was a large group of musicians sitting around a table drinking beer and playing guitars.  Celebrating after a gig? preparing for a gig? was this the gig?  Don't know, but they were having a good time.

Walked past a church that was having some type of post-mass social event upstairs - lots of laughing and talking and of course a few guys on the balcony enjoying a smoke.

I extended my walk a bit because there was another procession - this one going right down our street.  For Albert and our guests, it was perfect.  They had a great view from the balcony.  I on the other hand could not get down our street to get home.  Luckily it was a short procession, so it didn't take too long to clear out.

Right before heading in, I stopped off at the Chinese market.  I have filled up another notebook and needed one for class on Monday.  The people in this store are really nice and work A LOT of hours.  The oldest daughter sometimes helps in the store stocking shelves, but more often she is just outside the store taking care of one of the two younger siblings.  She is very sweet.

Our guests leave tomorrow.  It has been a quick trip, but it was really fun having them here.

November 23 - Guests and Gelato

This morning while I was in class, Albert went to the train station to meet our weekend guests.  They went home and crashed for a while and then met me after class.

We walked around for a little and went to lunch near the cathedral.  It was so fun to hear all about their teaching jobs in Casablanca and about their travel both in Africa earlier in the year and in Spain this week.  They are both great young ladies.

I am kind of sad that so many Christmas decorations are up but that they don't get lit until next weekend.  They are, as a rule, not very pretty during the day and you don't get the benefit of seeing them at night, but it will be really fun to walk around and see them all when they do go on.  This tree is at least fun even during the day - it reminds me of something Dr. Seuss would design.

Albert continued to walk with our guests for a while - but I headed to the market to pick up supplies for dinner.  I made baked macaroni and cheese (something they had been missing) a green salad (that we all benefited from) and I put out the leftover cheese straws and cranberry sauce (which they had not had at their own Thanksgiving meal in Madrid).  It wasn't fancy, but nobody went away hungry.

Of course, no matter how much you eat, there is always room for gelato (or in my case lemon sorbet).  So, the girls and I went out and had dessert.  We closed the place down (lots more fun stories and a little politics) and headed home at around 11:30.

Tomorrow, they are planning to be in full tourist mode since they leave Sunday morning to get back to their real lives.  Hopefully the weather holds out.

November 22 - Happy Thanksgiving

The day started like so many in the last month - with rain.  Luckily it is still not cold - so while gloomy, it is not uncomfortable. 

Since it is not a holiday in Spain, I went to class like any other Thursday.  Albert met me after class, and we went together on the cultural activity - my third visit to the Archive of the Indies.  It is a pretty building, and although I have seen it all before, it is nice to practice some Spanish outside of class.

After the activity, we went to the grocery store.  Because we went a little later (after the cultural activity) and it was raining, the store was really empty.  At home I try very hard NOT to be in a grocery store on Thanksgiving because of the crowds, not a problem here.

Then we came home and I made our two person version of a Thanksgiving dinner.  Ok to be fair, it would have fed slightly more than two people... but it was much smaller than our normal Thanksgiving dinner and it would have been sad to work that hard and not have leftovers.  So dessert bars, cheese straws, mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey breast, cranberry sauce, succotash, and gravy....it seems the carbs win in this spread.  Some of it was good and some of it will be better next time (every new dish is a learning experience).

I am so thankful to have this year in Spain with Albert, to have so much time to be a student again, and to have so many great experiences in this beautiful city.  I hope you have all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

November 21 - Italian Tapas

Since I love to cook and I really love Thanksgiving, if I were in the US today I would have been prepping (chopping celery, onions, and stale bread, making pie, tweaking the menu and making any last minute grocery store purchases) and listening to Christmas music.  It was funny to go to the grocery store today - the day before Thanksgiving - and only see the regular shoppers picking up normal things.  No hoards of last minute shoppers with loaded baskets of cream of mushroom soup and brown sugar and an extra pound of butter just in case and.....  It is easier this way, but truth be told, I miss it.

Later we talked to the girls via computer - they are preparing for their Thanksgiving with Turkey and Tofurkey and big plans with friends.  I have great memories of own our graduate school Thanksgivings with classmates and lots of unfamiliar side dishes from our international friends - hopefully our girls will make their own great memories tomorrow.

Then, this evening we went to an Italian restaurant in town where we met a couple of German students from Albert's language class.  Although we tossed in a few Spanish words for good measure and they occasionally would use German to search for a word, the night was mostly spent in English.  We had a good time and really enjoyed the food.

We got home a little late, but I decided it wasn't too late to put together a Thanksgiving treat for my class.  I don't have pumpkin or corn syrup or buttermilk, but I do have cocoa and pecans and cranberries - so Laura's experiment with cranberry chocolate pecan pie bars version 1.0 it is!

Maybe tomorrow I will start the Christmas music.

November 20 - A Little Rearranging

Today was a pretty quiet day.  It was raining when I left for school, but by the time I got out the sun was shining and everything was pretty dry. 

There was a small group of protesters marching down the street (with police escort) in front of my school building during class, but I could only get a few words from the stream coming from the megaphone.  I don't feel too bad though, because the teacher couldn't understand the woman either - so I am going with bad megaphone instead of my bad Spanish.  We could only hear them for a couple of minutes as they marched down the block.

On my way out of school, I saw a much more lively "parade" of students who appeared to be coming from a field trip at the Cathedral (they each had a Cathedral gift bag).  There were probably 100 or so students - not sure where they were from, but they seemed happy.

I also passed this guy - it seems to me that everyone would have been better off (the person pushing the stroller and the kid) if the kid was in the seat and the backpack was in the underbasket instead of the other way around, but everyone seemed ok with the status quo - so, who am I to judge.

This afternoon, Albert and I moved his desk and set up his workspace in the nook next to the kitchen.  He has been working in the second bedroom, but for the next couple of months we will have various people staying in that room - starting this Friday.  So, we needed to make sure there was a place for him to work....

This evening, I went to Intercambio.  We talked about Thanksgiving (which is not so easy to explain) and Black Friday (which is even harder to explain).  On my way home, I saw this sign....clearly they don't get it - why would you be frying when you have all of those leftovers...

Sometimes the river is so calm, it looks like a mirror.  It is a nice view to come home to.

November 19 - Costco Revisited

Today right after school, I took a bus out to Costco.  We had not been since August and had pretty much decided that joining for the year was not in the cards.  But, after searching around for a few things close to home and not finding them, I decided it was worth another look.  I still had my expired card from home which allowed me to walk around and check out the store before deciding to join for another year.....

The membership here is much cheaper than in the US and my new Costco card is good for one year at any Costco in the world... so, I am now back to being a member until the end of next November.

What finally pushed me over the edge?  It wasn't the endless supply of fuzzy blankets and backrest lounge pillows nor the giant jars of peanut butter nor premade margaritas nor pesto nor knife sets nor cookie sheets nor chocolate chips....although all of those were tempting.

It wasn't the turkey breasts or even the whole fresh turkeys (although I do hope the turkeys are still there in December).

No, the thing that put me over the edge was cranberries!  Beautiful fresh cranberries!

I still had my backpack full of books from school and only one shopping bag, so I bought some cranberries and rasberries and pecans and pita chips and made a list of things for next time.

Tonight, I made use of the cranberries and made cranberry chicken.  I know that not everyone likes fruit mixed with their savory dishes, but for me cranberry chicken is the perfect comfort food.  What next?  Cranberry pecan pie? Pecan pralines? Cranberry brie bites?  

November 18 - Just Keep Walking

Today it rained - a lot.  I kept putting off my walk because I knew that even a jacket and umbrella would not be enough to keep me dry.  Luckily, I had lots of hard Spanish homework to keep me distracted.

Finally, around 5pm there was a break in the clouds and I headed out.  At first I was just wandering around downtown enjoying the people watching, and then I decided to head out away from the center of the city.  My plan was to go as far as I could (along a bus route) and when it really started to rain, I would hop on a bus and get close to home.

I saw a few interesting things, like this station to plug in an electric car...

and the first car wash that I have seen here...

and still more Christmas decorations being displayed...

and the original Cruzcampo brewery...

and finally, a mall on the outskirts of town that was open even though all the stores were closed because it was Sunday - a little weird.

By then, I had walked five miles and the skies were starting to get dark (both because the sun had set and because some dark clouds were rolling in.)  So, I walked back toward town for a while and caught the metro back to Triana.  When I came out of the metro station - still about half a mile from home, it had started to rain.  Luckily it was a light rain and not the downpours from earlier in the day, so I made it home without getting drenched.  

It is supposed to rain off and on all week - good thing we were able to do laundry yesterday!

November 17 - Getting Ready to Get Ready for Christmas

This evening, Albert and I took a short walk around the downtown area.  The Christmas lights are pretty much everywhere - but they are still dark.  I think that they will be turned on the first week of December, but I am not sure exactly which day. 

The antique book fair is set up until early December, then it will be replaced in mid-December by a Christmas market.

The regular buskers are out and about - according to one of the other students at my school, in December there are people out singing and playing Christmas music - but it is still too early for them.  Of course, the temperatures in the high 60's at 9pm do not give the city a real Christmas feel to me.

The one Christmas thing that is open and operating is the Nativity market set up right next to the Cathedral.  You can buy every imaginable thing you would want to include in your nativity - even if you wanted to do a complete setup of Bethlehem and the surrounding villages...every imaginable animal (including peacocks), person (from shop keeper, to baby Jesus), food (loaves of bread to bunches of grapes), building type, and on and on.  You can even buy individual roof tiles to make repairs to buildings....

There are a few stores advertising Black Friday sales for next week (my intercambio partner asked if it was called black Friday in the US because everyone got up in the middle of the night to go shopping) - it is just one more way that we see the US culture creeping into Spain.  Here however, the sales are much tamer - no special hours or stampede worthy prices that I have seen - just another reason for a sale.