Spain. What is there to say? I think everyone came in thinking that it was going to be an easy adjustment in this country since it’s so “westernized” and everything. I’ll admit that even I was a bit overwhelmed at times with the different culture. The country is beautiful, the people are friendly, and the food is delicious. Everyone here is so proud of their culture that you can’t help but be happy and open to learning about it.
Let’s start with Cádiz; a tiny port city located on the tip of the southern peninsula in Spain. On the outside it seems bustling with ships sailing in and out of port on a regular basis and trains leaving the station every 15 minutes or so, but in reality they are just as relaxed as the rest of Spain. At first it was a shock to see how many smoked, but after looking past that, we have met some of the nicest locals we will probably meet along our voyage. Everyone’s willing to talk. If you need to ask directions people will just drop what they’re doing to answer the best they can and most times it turns into a five minute conversation. Not once… okay maybe once, did we get the “stupid American tourist” look from people, although in our favor we tried to speak as little English as possible which ended up working out surprising well. I guess most people had bad experiences with locals in Cádiz, but there’s not one that really sticks out to me. There’s a rich history in Cádiz that many people just look over when they dock here. The Cathedral offers a meeting place for many and a religious sanctuary for others. The plazas and parks are a meeting place for families and communities.
Sevilla was the same kind of thing as Cádiz, but larger and more elegant. We took a 2 hour train ride and wandered around until we found our hostel. Even the hostel was impressive; modern and artsy with a roof top terrace overlooking the Cathedral. No sooner than we got there did we meet a couple from the UK around our age. They informed us of a bullfight going on and we decided to tag along. I know I touched on this before but I still do not understand the point of that. First of all, it’s not much of a fight when the bull is starved and brutally speared. Second of all, in my eyes it’s a form of torture and violation of animal rights. With that being said, I’m very glad I was able to experience that side of the culture even if I didn’t enjoy it. The Cathedral there blew the one in Cádiz out of the water. I can’t even imagine how long it took to build. At the Palace we again experienced the history in Spain as we walked into the room that Christopher Columbus petitioned the Queen at the time to sail to Asia for spices and consequently finding America. It took us a while to find the Plaza de Espana, but we managed to get there by the use of no maps and only directions in Spanish. The same laid back, go at your own pace feeling was felt here as well.
It was surprising and awesome at how much Spanish I remembered and how easy it was to communicate and comprehend. Between Jules and I it was a pretty efficient tag team, although she had to take the lead on most. Even if we struggled with it they would take the time to either go over it in English or word by word progress through the menu. There were times when we had to resort to charades but not as much. It was so much fun trying to communicate the way the locals are used to.
The one thing that caught me off guard in Spain was how much unity is seen everywhere. If you think Spain’s siesta time is a joke, well let me tell you you’re wrong. It’s shocking how quiet it will be on the streets between 2-5pm. You could hear a needle drop. It’s not as if one or two shops close, but I’d say 95% of the city is closed during that time and everyone is relaxing all at once. At night everyone gathers in the plazas and parks with no agenda. They just go there to kick a soccer ball around or even just sit and people watch. Even the homeless people would just gather and talk as if there wasn’t a care in the world. They’d all be sitting on the Cathedral steps joking and laughing. While we sat in the Plaza de Espana this little girl was trying to ride a bike and failing with her family there. By the time I made a loop around the plaza at a leisurely pace and sat back down where I had started there was already visible improvements with the girl riding. Instead of swerving to keep balance, she was able to go straight. By the time we left the plaza we had successfully witnessed a little girl learn to ride her bike. It was one of those moments that makes you reflect on life and appreciate it a little bit more. There’s always music around in Spain whether it’s something you’d think of Spain when you hear it or songs that were on the Top 40 last night such as Lady Gaga or something. Sitting in the plaza you’ll hear a guitarist on the street in one direction and an accordion player at a local café on the other end.
Lastly, the food is amazing. Tapas, tapas, and more tapas. The list of what we ate that we’re POSITIVE we ate goes as followed: fish eggs, pig’s cheek, cured hams, goat cheese, sardines heads (just found this out now!), fried baby squid, croquetas y jamon (mixture of fried potatoes and ham), stuffed mushroom, etc. Most things we’re still not sure, but it was all delicious!
Right now we’re on our way to Morocco and will be there in the morning. It’s exciting but scary at the same time. It’s such a completely different culture than Spain and we’re making the transition so quickly. Growing up with two older sisters and the things I hear about how they treat women makes me unsure of how I’m going to handle everything. Men will walk around and spit on or hiss at women as if to say “cover up more” or “we don’t approve.” It’s also interesting that we’ll be there during 9/11 so we’ll see what the other side of the story does, if anything at all. It will definitely be an experience and I can’t wait for it. I will NOT have my computer traveling around with me in Morocco so I’ll try to post updates via blackberry or during the last day in port.
Take care and change the world!
p.s sorry for the many typos…. So much to do before Morocco! J
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