Saying Good-bye to Granada...

The time had come.  It was mid-May and we were catching a flight back to Arizona.  First we tried to say goodbye to all of our friends.  We spent a week trying to see everybody which was almost impossible, and then spent our last morning and early afternoon with Kellie, Brit, Nando, Paloma, Adrian, Daniela and Jose at Puerta de las Pesas.  Where else?

When the time came to say our final goodbyes (we had no idea how long it would be until we’d see them again) it was much harder than any of us had imagined.  Hugs all around and we found ourselves in tears as we left this wonderful family who had helped us with the culture, history, and yes, the language of Spain and Granada. 

They had been such a large part of our lives for the past year.  Even a few of the “hippies” Juan and Oscar waved and called “adios” as we returned to our apartment for the last time.

We had no idea what our future in the Peace Corps would bring and our Spanish friends struggled to understand, as they put it, “our desire to help” other people. 

Suddenly we had loaded our bags into Jose’s car and were on the way to the bus station.  A final hug from Jose and our magical year free of responsibilities was over.

The five hour bus ride passed in silence as we both were lost in our thoughts.  It was time to pamper ourselves so we caught a cab from the bus station in Madrid to our hotel near the airport.  We stayed at the HoteltaCH and it was perfect.  It had a small café/bar on the ground floor, a nicely equipped workout room and our room was clean and comfortable.  A good business hotel yet, it was just what we needed as we nursed our drinks and talked about what we were about to do.

A good night’s rest and a short hotel shuttle ride to the airport and we were checking in for our flight to Phoenix via Dulles in Washington D.C.  It was a little hard to imagine that we had left our youngest daughter in Granada, for a second time. 

After the usual airport hassles (less in Madrid than other places) we settled into our seats for the long journey back to Phoenix.  For once, our travel plans had gone off without a hitch.

Birthdays, weddings and Fiesta de las Cruces.

By the end of April, after several weeks of abnormally cold and wet weather we were finally treated to some typically southern Spanish spring weather.  The people began to fill the streets and the plazas again.  Tourists, bless ‘em, began to crowd the Albaycin once again.  The weather was fabulous by the time another Spanish holiday, Fiesta de las Cruces, came around in early May. 

The Fiesta de las Cruces is really an interesting holiday.  This holiday celebrates the emperor Constantin’s vision of the cross on the eve of a very important battle and some subsequent events involving his mother and his conversion.  That’s the very short version. 

This festival occurs in early May and is celebrated in Spain and Latin America.  The city of Granada is known for having one of the most beautiful celebrations of this holiday.

Every neighborhood that chooses to do so, decorates a square or plaza with traditional items and typically rural settings.  Each square or plaza features a cross of course, covered with red or white flowers.  Each neighborhood’s display is unique and all are stunningly beautiful. 

The holiday begins on a Friday (although set-up for some begins on Thursday) and is over by Sunday.  The weekend is one of incredible celebration as the plazas and squares are filled with people from all over Spain and Europe drinking and dancing as music is played, many times by live performers.

The children all get dressed up in traditional Spanish dress clothes, with the little girls all looking like Flamenco dancers,

and the little little boys all looking like Antonio Banderas in Zorro.  Many of the adults dress up as well but the kids are absolutely precious.

Noella was of course one of the cutest, in our opinion!

We used Las Cruces as a backdrop for our own celebration. Kellie turned 23 while we were there and Brittani would turn the same age the following month.  Of course a special cake was ordered from  Pasteles and we enjoyed fabulous food, drinks and great company at Puerta de las Pesas.

Another very special event occurred that was memorable and unique.  Brittani’s parents, Mitch and Deb were celebrating their 25^th wedding anniversary with a trip to Europe, the first for Deb.  They came to Granada to enjoy some of their very special time with Brittani, unbeknownst to Deb, her very romantic husband had been working out the details of a special renewal of their vows while in Spain.  With Fernando’s help we were able to reserve a time with the priest in the Monastery of Santa Isabella Real (a small and beautiful chapel in the monastery has a public mass twice a week).  It was built on the site of an ancient mosque within the original Palace complex in the Albaicyn.  This monastery has changed over the years and now houses and order of cloistered nuns.  They have no public contact and during the public mass twice a week they sit behind a wooden screen.  They provide the music for the mass by singing beautiful hymns.

On the evening that had been arranged we all went to the church – having explained that since it is so rarely open to the public we would all go down to see it right before the scheduled mass.  When we arrived in front of the church Mitch went down on one knee and asked Deb to marry him all over again, it was very touching and when she discovered that he had arranged for them to do it right then, in this beautiful church she was overcome.  Allie had come along with us to translate for the priest, no one spoke any English, but the service was simple and beautiful and created a very special set of memories that their family will cherish forever. 

It left quite a mark in all of our hearts as well!

A fabulous dinner had been ordered by Brittani and we were all treated to exceptional Spanish food and of course some lovely Cava (Spanish version of Champagne) at the restaurant and then the following day the folks left to head back to the states.

Kellie and Brittani still had until the end of June of their teaching contracts so they would be staying a while after all the rest of us had gone ahead.  Time was getting very short for us, 10 weeks had seemed like a long time when we planned it but it had flown!  Finally, the weather was beautiful, Spain was beautiful and we were going to be leaving in a few short days.

Back in Granada, Spain.

Thirty hours of flying connecting and flying some more and we are once again in Spain.  It’s raining in Madrid of course and we bypassed the taxi stand preferring to catch the free hotel van. 

Why is it always raining when we arrive in Spain?

We had charged our Spanish cell phone battery prior to leaving Montevideo and had visited our carrier’s website to add a little money to our account.  Inexplicably our phone did not have a charge by the time we reached Madrid and we couldn’t call the hotel to find out what time to expect the van.  After a 40 minute wait with cars and buses splashing water on us and on our luggage we returned to the taxi stand to acquire transportation to our hotel.  The taxi driver could not find the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza  Madrid Airport and 30 euros later we staggered into the lobby of our hotel.  At this point all we wanted was a shower and to collapse into bed.

Too tired to sleep after showering we moved to the hotel’s cafeteria where we had a couple drinks and a warmed up pizza.  After watching an entire futbol game we finally retired to bed where we slept like rocks.  We had good intentions of rising around 5 in the morning and catching a workout in the hotel gym but were so tired that we slept until 7.

At 7 we quickly rose and checked our email on the hotel WIFI finding a disturbing message that the apartment we had so carefully and frustratingly arranged would not be available and the landlords intended to put us into a different apartment in a completely different part of the city.  This, of course, was absolutely unacceptable  because to us location is everything, but since it was early in the morning we could not do anything about it prior to boarding our bus to Granada. 

We caught a taxi to the bus station in time to board our “Supra” bus to Granada.  The Supra costs a little more but provides snacks, drinks and free WIFI which we fully intended to use.  There were only 7 people on the bus and the seats were very comfortable but, as was becoming normal for us, the WIFI was not strong enough to use email.  This became more of a problem because while we had recharged our phone, the minutes we had purchased had not been downloaded to our phone (or however that works).  Ultimately we determined that we had to have the phone turned on, while we were in Spain, to get our purchased minutes credited to our phone.  Oy!

So now, in spite of all our planning, we were arriving in Granada, in the pouring rain, needing to catch a taxi but without a destination.  We couldn’t even call our friends to ensure that they would be home! 

Not to worry; our friends were home when we called them from a pay phone at the bus station in Granada and they had already worked out a better plan with our landlord.  We were to be put in a different apartment in the same building as the one we had rented, the catch was that we would have to move in about 3 weeks to the actual apartment we had expected to be in from the beginning.  Fine, we could deal with that.  

We parked our luggage in our friend’s apartment and walked to Plaza Larga and surprised our very dear friends at Puerta de las Pesas.  The surprise was everything we had worked so hard to create, we were so happy to be back!  Later that afternoon we met our landlord  and got settled   We found ourselves feeling like we were at home in Granada.

It was Allie's birthday and she had managed to keep our surprise arrival from our daughter and had engineered a meeting by inviting, well insisting, that Kellie come up to Plaza Larga for a drink to celebrate with her after work.  We waited out of sight with our Spanish friends inside Puerta de las Pesas and they watched for Kellie to come by, she had to pass us to get to the bar where she was to meet Allie.  When she passed by Fernando called out to have her come in for a moment and when she did he opened the door and there we were!

It was a very touching moment for us because as soon as she saw us the tears started welling up in here eyes.  We will never be able to adequately express how much it meant to us to share time with our daughter and her friend Brittani in this new place that had begun to feel so much like home to us.  We only wished that our older daughter Jasel could have been there as well.

Kellie is not nearly as good at keeping secrets as Allie had been so as soon as she saw Brittani the next day we got a welcome back text and then were able to catch up with her too.  What a fabulous welcome back to Spain experience.

Thank you Allie and Andrew for helping us make the arrangements and for keeping secret our return to Granada!

"Home" is not found on a map.

Home for us, has become wherever we happen to be at any point in time.  This new life does not have a "home" anchored a specific spot on a map.  Home is a state of mind rather that a piece of real estate.  We have immersed ourselves in this new view of home and have found to our delight that we love it.

Having friends from the states come to visit was a rare treat for us.  We got to show off our love for and enjoyment of this particular new "home".

Granada was really starting to feel like home to us so we were very excited to share it with those we love.  Our friends were married in May but did not have time to take a honeymoon until September.

Brent and Paige were spending time in Europe and planned to swing by and see the Alhambra and visit with us in Granada for a day or two.

I am not sure who did the planning but they made the perfect landing in Granada arriving in the late afternoon in time for a bite to eat and a short nap before touring the Alhambra at night.  The Alhambra is always spectacular in many ways but the nighttime viewing is a special treat for those who can work it into their schedules.  

We met up the following day for a late breakfast at our favorite Irish pub, Hannigan’s and then headed out for an epic walk up into the Sacramonte and the Albaicin,

the really old areas of Granada that have become home to us.

 Suffice it to say that sharing our new "home" was a wonderful experience for us.

 We found ourselves explaining the unique history that we were learning and of course,

taking them to meet the people that have become so important in our home life here in Granada.

Enjoying the Tapas experience, sharing the new foods and wines that have become our regular fare now was a unique and thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Spending the late evening listening to our favorite Flamenco guitarist Wahdi,

over more tapas was the perfect end to wonderful day.  We can't wait to do it again!

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Summer in Spain

By the end of June we were settled into a routine.  A beautiful stroll every morning through the upper Albaicin from the Sacramonte with a quick stop for coffee at Pasteles and then settle in at our outdoor table under the fig tree at school for four hours of language lessons.  Through the end of May and first few weeks of June we had several people spend a week or two with us in our class.  There was Federico, a German gentleman and then there was Maurice whose French accent was so strong that we struggled to understand his Spanish at all.  Then, we were joined by the amazing Ricardo, a young, energetic American from Miami with whom we became very good friends.

Usually, after class we would stop at Puerta de las Pesas for a drink to relieve our headaches and of course, tapas, sometimes even lunch.  Although we usually did not want to hear another word of Spanish, Jose and Fernando continued to speak with us and work with us on our homework.  We had completed the English translation of their brochure and this really helped in our learning process, especially vocabulary and also indoctrinated us into the incredible history of Granada and the Albaicin. 

Fernando was looking forward to seeing his oldest, Adrian who was returning with his young family from a couple of years in Chile.  When Adrian arrived he began waiting tables as well and one day he prepared the most fabulous seafood paella for all of us.  Did I mention that only three or four of us (generally Marilyn, Diana, Ricardo and I) would sit down and within an hour there would sometimes be as many as seven or eight?

Daniela, Adrian’s wife was pregnant and struggling through the summer heat to keep up with their beautiful and sometimes recalcitrant daughter Noella.  At three years old we were jealous of her conjugating skills if you can believe it.  Although we were concerned about our inability to speak and understand the language very well this was shaping up to be a magical summer of new friends and interesting places for us.

We sampled the nightlife around Granada on the weekends, sometimes leaving the younger students and friends around 3 or sometimes 4 in the morning to head home “early”.  By this time, the private school student deluge had ceased but the school still had 15 or 20 students, most of who socialized together at one point or another, especially during Friday afternoon/evening tapas.

By late June Ethan, a young man from Chicago with great language skills and Adam, a true polyglot whom we called “Bob” (because Antonio at the school thought he looked like Bob Marley with his wild hair), had become part of our social crowd.  The classes mixed and matched every other Monday as new students arrived and student skill levels evaluated.

Our class generally consisted of Diana, Ricardo, Paulina and ourselves with the occasional addition of another student or two.  Mabel, our friend from Singapore (and a world traveler) had finished up by the end of May and headed home.  Kelsey left for the USA and our Aussie doctors, Mike and Natalia headed home by mid-June but we had gained Lucinda “Cinders” and her husband along with a couple of beautiful girls, Tuva and Klara from Norway and Hungary respectively.  As you can see our language school was an ever expanding and contracting social net.

Meanwhile, Chessa had returned to New York in May with Renee and surprising us all, returned in time to catch the June TEFL course in Granada which she passed with flying colors.  We managed to catch up with our old TEFL teachers Dylan and Richard, although separately this time around.  Our new friend Jamie and her husband (who had told us about the house we were currently living in) were experiencing difficulty obtaining a work visa for her without returning to the USA according to some new regulations now being enforced by Spanish immigration officials and it was looking like they’d have to incur the travel expense to take care of it.

By the end of June we had our heads full of the Spanish language grammatical structure, could not understand much of what was being said around us and certainly couldn’t speak well at all.  We had made many new and fun friends however and were eagerly awaiting the arrival of our daughter Kellie and her friend Brittany in early July for their TEFL class.

 It was a perfect time to do a little more exploring, Diana was game for another drive so the last weekend in June we headed out for another Andalucian getaway.

A Bull Fight

Mike

During the first week of June there is a holiday that is specific to Granada called Corpus.  This holiday features, among other things, a series of bullfights throughout the week that generally draw the better matadors.  Culturally, we had learned how to shop at the markets, had hiked around several of the city’s important historical sites, been enjoying the Spanish custom of tapas and becoming comfortable with the use of public transportation.  Several professors at the school suggested an outing at a bullfight and we decided we’d go for the experience.

Marilyn

At the suggestion of attending a bullfight my initial reaction was, hmmmm….I don’t think I can do that.  I probably can’t sit through it and would have to leave so I should just take a pass and not include myself in this discussion.  As the professor’s talked to us about it I felt myself reconsidering.  I am in Spain, this is a cultural experience that I won’t find in many other places.  I would be attending with locals who have lot’s of knowledge and are prepared to try to explain everything to me, and sincerely want me to understand this particular custom.  More thinking required.

Mike

I felt like I was reasonably familiar with this particular extravaganza having read my Hemingway as a youngster but found there was quite a bit I didn’t know or remember.  Our professors took the time to prepare and present a little information about bullfighting in the days leading up to our outing so that we would understand what we were hearing and seeing.  The first order of business was to choose where we wished to sit.  Bullfights are held in the late afternoon so seats in the shade, logically, cost significantly more that seats in the sun.  Likewise, seats close to the ring are more expensive and we agreed with our professors that seats closer to the ring but on the sunny side would be the best value for our money because you can always wear a sombrero.  We were surprised at the prices of the tickets as we forked over the 80 euros for two mid-level priced tickets.

Marilyn

Hmmmm……we forked over the money for two tickets.  I was still having some doubts and Antonio assured me that if I did not want to stay there were several places within the Plaza de Toros where I could go have a drink and sit it out.  There would be a dozen or so of us going so it was possible I would not be the only one who was feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing.

Mike

On Friday, after school we grabbed a quick lunch with some friends, bought some bottled water and some snacks and caught the autobus for the trip across town to the Plaza de Toros.  Upon arrival we found thousands of people milling around the Plaza drinking and carrying all kinds of coolers, bota bags, hats and seat cushions and while we had all obtained sombreros we quickly decided that seat cushions were in order and stood in line to purchase some.  Our professors arrived minutes after we did carrying bota bags and bocadillos and shortly thereafter the doors opened, we found the proper entry portal “Sol” and joined the crowd streaming into the arena.

Marilyn

The atmosphere was electric around the Plaza de Toros.  The headliner matador for the bullfight was one of the top 5 in the world “El Fandi” and on top of that he is a local man from Granada so the crowd was very excited.  I learned that the bullfight would consist of 6 duels, 3 matadors fighting 2 bulls each, with a short intermission for munchies and drinks after the first 3 bulls.

Mike

It was hot and we were glad for the munchies, water, beer and wine that our group brought and, well, the bullfight went as expected with the matadors winning 6 to 1 (the first matador was gored early).  I won’t go into details here but the additional information our professors gave us regarding the sport and the traditions surrounding it helped us appreciate the skill of the matadors, the pageantry and the bravery of the bulls.  The matadors do get very close to the bulls with one matador in particular that would put his hand on the bull’s head and danced backwards until the bull stopped charging him.  This particular matador “El Fandi” thrilled the audience by kneeling in front of the door that the bulls arrive from (running, furious and crazy) with nothing but a cape.

Even though I found it to be an interesting experience I’m not in a hurry to attend another.

Marilyn

The first bull gored the matador early in the fight.  The matador “El Juli” finished the fight but killed the bull badly and it was horrible.  I decided that I should leave, Antonio and Antonio both explained that this was not normal and that I should stay for one more bull to see “El Fandi” fight at least once.  “El Juli” was taken to the hospital which meant that “El Fandi” would fight 3 bulls tonight instead of the normal 2.

I stayed and was amazed by the difference in what I saw.  El Fandi was so skilled and appeared so at ease with this huge bull in the ring, I was able to watch the artistry, skill and courage of the matador and come to grips with reasons that this sport is considered an art form in Spain.  Matadors train from the time they are small children and the years of practice certainly show.  The kill was much cleaner, faster and more humane than in the first fight thankfully.

Now, while I have an appreciation for what the Spaniards see in this experience I am satisfied that for me, experiencing it once was plenty.

Our little home in Granada.

On Monday, the day after we returned from the beach, we contacted the friends of a friend about the little house they were renting.  It turned out that they were moving out on Wednesady!  The house was in the Sacramonte, the gitano (gypsy) neighborhood just above the Albaicin known for its Flamenco schools and restaurants.  We arranged to meet with the young Australian couple who were living there later on that evening.

The Sacramonte is a family neighborhood and is known for the cave houses located there.  These cave house are really quite incredible, some have been around for a few hundred years.  There is a very specific method that has been developed to properly excavate a cave and if done correctly, the rooms created will be safe and long lasting.  Caves also have the advantage that they remain at a constant temperature (about 25 degrees Celsius) so they are cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  Today, cave houses generally have a more traditional looking house built in front of the actual cave itself so many of the houses in the Sacramonte are much larger that they initially appear.

Unfortunately, the house we went to look at did not have a cave but it was charming nonetheless.  The house was small, around 80 square meters, the plumbing was not ideal, the water heater leaked, the oven hadn’t worked in years and the small second bedroom above the garden appeared to be an addition that had been built without permits. 

The stove worked well and it and the water heater required bottles of propane gas (another learning experience).  Of course, we fell in love with it right away, primarily because of the little private garden.  Private outdoor space is at a premium in the Albaicin and this looked perfect for us.

What now ensued was the most unusual lease arrangement I had ever been a party to.  The owner was living elsewhere in Spain, the young Australian couple were leaving the following day and their deposit covered more than the utilities but there was no way for the owner to give them their remaining deposit back because they had no Spanish bank account (neither did we of course).  To further complicate matters, we did not yet speak Spanish well enough the complete a transaction like this.  The woman who owned the house had left many of her personal belongings behind in the house.  This was not a sterile apartment rental but rather we felt that we would be moving right into a completely Spanish home.

Using the Australian lady’s Spanish we negotiated a rental rate for three months, paid in advance and that we would make up the deposit difference and buy out the Australian’s unused deposit from them.  Sound complicated?  All this based on a discussion we only partly understood but confirmed in an email in a language we couldn’t, at the time, read.  We also arranged to purchase linens, towels and pillows from the Australians for a discounted price since they weren’t going to need them in Spain anymore.

On Wednesday morning we met with the Australian couple one last time.  They had loaded their belongings in a taxi and over a quick cup of coffee we gave them the money for the share of the deposit and the other items and they handed us the keys.  We had been given the landlady’s bank account number in order to pay the rent and the rest of the deposit which we did a couple of days later.  All that was left for us to do was to move; easier said than done.

An hour later a taxi dropped us off at the bottom of the long, narrow and very steep stairs leading to our new digs with our 120 kilos of luggage.  Four hot, sweaty trips later I exhaustedly collapsed into a chair in our new garden.  We had done it.  We had found our own place to live in Granada, it had everything we were looking for, the price was right and the location ideal.  Now, we just had to learn to speak the language.