Las Fallas: Lección 1

Fallas, the huge pyrotechnic party where you never sleep for 7 days and watch a city burn.
Right, lesson 2:
Las fallas are an old tradition in Valencia, and of course, with everything old and fun, no one knows exactly how it started, but what it is now is quite amazing. Fallas is not only the name of the festival, but also a neighborhood group, sometimes a street, sometimes a couple of blocks, that get together every week and do activities and organize their falla. My falla, Arrancanpins, is very different than all the other fallas for many reasons, but we'll get to that later. That can be lesson 3.

So, this group of people, muy familiar (familial and friends), celebrate las fallas together and hire a artist to create their falla. Yes, another usage of the word "falla." No, it's never confusing....but anway, they pick a theme and create their falla, or rather, the artist does. Fallas, the monument, are general satirical and burlesque and look like cartoons brought to 3D life. Some are HUGE, some are small, but all are incredible. After the artist spends years building the falla, they burn it. Yep, it's like watching your professor rip up your senior thesis right after you finished it. It's all symbolic, you know, the cleansing power of fire that burns the winter away and creates new life for spring. Now, there's 300 some fallas in Valencia, and they all have a falla, so imagine 300 or so things burning in the city, down every street. The city is on FIRE.

Welcome to Valencia.

Cuenca

Cuenca, middle o' the mountains, right there, that window where Chris is pointing

Excursión a Cuenca!
Cuenca is a smaller town in the mountains, inbetween Valencia and Madrid, famous for las casas colgadas (hanging houses) which are carved into the side of the mountains and the Museo Abstracto (Abstract Art Museum). The best part for me was getting off the bus and breathing in the fresh, mountain air, which was such a good switch from dirty city air that I've been breathing the past month.
New experience: real tapas. Tapas is a small serving of food, like bread with something ontop or a small piece of jamon. It's like a tiny appetizer that you are served when you order a drink. From my understanding of the history of tapas is that bartender would hand you your drink with a piece of bread on top so things couldn't get in it, and it's grown into a wonderful Spanish tradition. Me and two other amigas ordered a round of cañas (small beers from the tap) and 3 surprises because we didn't know anything about the food in Cuenca. I have no idea what I ate, but damn, it was good. And cheap.

Casas Colgadas

After Cuenca we stopped at Ciudad Encantada, which is a park of rocks that's been effected by rain, erosion, and etc into wierd shapes. So beautiful. Sunny and fresh air!!!!

Caves

Mar de Piedra (Sea of Rocks)The Man's Face

The in-your-face-I'm-in-Spain Post

Vamos a la Playa!

So, this is what I did when Ohio was getting a foot of snow, rain, and sleet. Sorry yo. I had to do one in-your-face-I'm-in-Spain-post, and here it is.



A post like this will never happen again, I sorta promise.

¡Buenas Días!

Just for something a little different:
Here's a wonderful description of my walk to the unversity every morning.

Wake up 7:30am.
Music: Vampire Weekend.

Jamming jamming jamming, grab a paper that has soduko so I will not be quite as bored in class.
Take some small streets, short cuts, run across the Plaza Ayuntamiento, because it's fun and it's morning and other people are running (but I think I might be the only one with a stupid goofy smile on my face). About this time the sun has risen enough that the streets lights turn off for the day. Yeah, soooooo early. But I get to see tired spaniards rushing to work, which is great for someone who loves people watching.

If I decide I need more coffee because I didn't sleep much the night before because I had dreams about flirting with bartenders and mugs full of tea and coffee lining my door way and fiestas in my house, I stop at a small place on the edge of a park and get café con leche para llevar (coffee with milk to go).

While the coffee is inevitably burning my fingers through the cup I'm rushing across Porta del Mar and deal with the awful sounds of construction, which aren't fun that early.

Next, my favorite part. The bridge. Reference the pictures:


Then the final stretch! After 45 minutes of HELLO MORNING I arrive at the unversity, ready to sit for 6 hours straight through classes (which of course are the WORST part of this study abroad).

PS. This post is an after-effect of a two hour nap and a wonderful café con leche. Go figure.

Barcelona

top o' the mountain

The group traveled to Barcelona this past weekend, and I think I'm in love. I awoke quite early in the morning and went to Park Güell by the architect Gaudí (if you don't know who he is, look him up, seriously, educate yerself). I watched the sun climb over the mountain that I was standing on top of and yelled with joy and happiness. The building and cliffs and structures of Gaudí, so beautifully integrated, took my breath away. I know we say that a lot, but this, this was real. I spent my time in the sunshine, waking up early, going to bed early (for the first time in awhile). I must go back. There's so much to see and 2 days is not enough to see it.

Park Güell

I saw the two casas (houses) of Gaudí, the Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas - a huge stretch of street preformers, loads of people, tons of food, and a mogollón of things to see, and sat in a bar in el Barrio Gótico which made me feel like I was in Mideval times.

Park Güell
La Sagrada Familia