Southern Arizona Outdoors (sazoutdoors.com)

If you’d like to contribute, let either of us know.

xoxox
E

Here are the books shared:

Bossypants, Tina Fey – Recommended

“Tina Fey’s new book Bossypants is short, messy, and impossibly funny (an apt description of the comedian herself). From her humble roots growing up in Pennsylvania to her days doing amateur improv in Chicago to her early sketches on Saturday Night Live, Fey gives us a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain of modern comedy with equal doses of wit, candor, and self-deprecation … Bossypants gets to the heart of why Tina Fey remains universally adored: she embodies the hectic, too-many-things-to-juggle lifestyle we all have, but instead of complaining about it, she can just laugh it off.” – Kevin Nguyen

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Aimee Bender – Recommended
“Taking her very personal brand of pessimistic magical realism to new heights (or depths), Bender’s second novel (following An Invisible Sign of My Own) careens splendidly through an obstacle course of pathological, fantastical neuroses. Bender’s narrator is young, needy Rose Edelstein, who can literally taste the emotions of whoever prepares her food, giving her unwanted insight into other people’s secret emotional lives—including her mother’s, whose lemon cake betrays a deep dissatisfaction. Rose’s father and brother also possess odd gifts, the implications of which Bender explores with a loving and detailed eye while following Rose from third grade through adulthood … this coming-of-age story makes a bittersweet dish, brimming with a zesty, beguiling talent.” – Publishers Weekly

The Handmaid, Margaret Atwood – Recommended
“In a startling departure from her previous novels, respected Canadian poet and novelist Atwood presents here a fable of the near future. In the Republic of Gilead, formerly the United States, far-right Schlafly/Falwell-type ideals have been carried to extremes in the monotheocratic government. The resulting society is a feminist’s nightmare: women are strictly controlled, unable to have jobs or money and assigned to various classes: the chaste, childless Wives; the housekeeping Marthas; and the reproductive Handmaids, who turn their offspring over to the “morally fit” Wives. The tale is told by Offred (read: “of Fred”), a Handmaid who recalls the past and tells how the chilling society came to be.” – Ann H. Fisher

Thyme of Death, Susan Wittig Albert – Neutral
“China Bayles, former rat-race lawyer, escapes to small-town Texas to operate an herb shop and enjoy the simple life. Murder interrupts her simple life, however, when a good friend and local protest organizer dies suddenly. Revelatory letters, a crazy-eyed dollmaker, a nationally known TV personality, her ex-cop lover, and a shifty developer complicate matters as China begins her amateurish investigation. Like her pursuit of the murderer, this provides pleasant escape from routine.” – Library Journal

The Lotus Eaters, Tatjana Soli – Recommended
“While the horrors of war are never far from the surface, the love stories, as well as Helen’s personal evolution, lie at the center of The Lotus Eaters … Soli’s visceral writing captures an alluring, dangerous country, and she excels at conveying the intricacies of war-torn lives. A few critics disagreed about the centrality of the romance and the characterizations, but overall, they had little but high praise for the work. ‘If you’ve never read a novel about the Vietnam War, this could be the book for you,’ concluded the Dallas Morning News.” – Bookmarks Magazine

The Imperfectionists, Tom Rachman – Recommended
“Printing presses whirr, ashtrays smolder, and the endearing complexity of humanity plays out in Tom Rachman’s debut novel, The Imperfectionists. Set against the backdrop of a fictional English-language newspaper based in Rome, it begins as a celebration of the beloved and endangered role of newspapers and the original 24/7 news cycle … The chaos of the newsroom becomes a stage for characters unified by a common thread of circumstance, with each chapter presenting an affecting look into the life of a different player … This cacophony of emotion blends into a single voice, as the depiction of a paper deemed a ‘daily report on the idiocy and the brilliance of the species’ becomes more about the disillusion in everyday life than the dissolution of an industry.” -Dave Callanan

A Song of Ice and Fire series, George R.R. Martin – Recommended
“George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series has become, in many ways, the gold standard for modern epic fantasy. Martin–dubbed the ‘American Tolkien’ by Time magazine–has created a world that is as rich and vital as any piece of historical fiction, set in an age of knights and chivalry and filled with a plethora of fascinating, multidimensional characters that you love, hate to love, or love to hate as they struggle for control of a divided kingdom. It is this very vitality that has led it to be adapted as the HBO miniseries ‘Game of Thrones.’” – Amazon

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins – Recommended
“In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch … Collins’s characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on reality shows like ‘Survivor’ and ‘American Gladiator.’ Book one of a planned trilogy.” – Jane Henriksen Baird

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Michael Chabon – Highly Recommended
“First-novelist Chabon, with ‘distinctive vision’ and ‘an elegiac, graceful style,’ spins a story about alienated youth that, while serving up some familiar details of sex, alcohol and drugs, ‘fully engages the reader in the lives of an appealing cast of characters,’ said [Publishers Weekly].” – Publishers Weekly

One Day, David Nicholls – Neutral
“The Hollywood-ready latest from Nicholls (The Understudy) makes a brief pit stop in book form before its inevitable film adaptation. (It’s already in development.) The episodic story takes place during a single day each year for two decades in the lives of Dex and Em. Dexter, the louche public school boy, and Emma, the brainy Yorkshire lass, meet the day they graduate from university in 1988 and run circles around one another for the next 20 years. Dex becomes a TV presenter whose life of sex, booze, and drugs spins out of control, while Em dully slogs her way through awful jobs before becoming the author of young adult books. They each take other lovers and spouses, but they cannot really live without each other. Nicholls is a glib, clever writer, and while the formulaic feel and maudlin ending aren’t ideal for a book, they’ll play in the multiplex.” – Publishers Weekly

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver – Recommended
“This book chronicles the year that Barbara Kingsolver, along with her husband and two daughters, made a commitment to become locavores–those who eat only locally grown foods. This first entailed a move away from their home in non-food-producing Tucson to a family farm in Virginia, where they got right down to the business of growing and raising their own food and supporting local farmers. For teens who grew up on supermarket offerings, the notion not only of growing one’s own produce but also of harvesting one’s own poultry was as foreign as the concept that different foods relate to different seasons. While the volume begins as an environmental treatise–the oil consumption related to transporting foodstuffs around the world is enormous–it ends, as the year ends, in a celebration of the food that physically nourishes even as the recipes and the memories of cooks and gardeners past nourish our hearts and souls. Although the book maintains that eating well is not a class issue, discussions of heirloom breeds and making cheese at home may strike some as high-flown; however, those looking for healthful alternatives to processed foods will find inspiration to seek out farmers’ markets and to learn to cook and enjoy seasonal foods.” – Jenny Gasset, Orange County Public Library

Testimony, Anita Shreve – Not recommended
“Most reviewers hailed Testimony as a deft, insightful exploration into the tragic, far-ranging effects of a single night. Yet critics diverged on a number of points. Some thought that Shreve’s diverse perspectives made the sex scandal and other characters’ plights, such as those of the guilt-ridden adults, more immediate. But a few claimed that the fractured narrative distracted from examining the morally gray situation more fully and decreased the overall emotional impact. Character development similarly raised questions. As the reviewer from Los Angeles Times noted, the girl on the tape—portrayed more as vixen than victim—”is Shreve’s missed opportunity for an exploration of what drives young girls toward promiscuity.” In the end, however, Testimony—like Shreve’s other novels—is not always enjoyable, but it’s impossible to put down.” – Bookmarks Magazine

Secret Knowledge of Water, Craig Childs – Recommended
“The ‘essence of the American desert,’ as the subtitle of Craig Childs’s book has it, is water. A desert, by definition, lacks it, but when water does come, it comes in torrential, sometimes devastating abundance. Childs, a thirty-something desert rat with a vast knowledge of the Southwest’s remote corners, knows this fact well … The travels that Childs recounts in this vivid narrative take him from places sometimes parched, sometimes swimming, from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the dry limestone tanks of the lava-strewn Sonoran Desert … By turns travelogue, ecological treatise, and meditative essay, Childs’s book will speak to anyone who has spent time under desert skies, wondering when the next drop of rain might fall.” – Gregory McNamee

Room, Emma Donoghue – Recommended
“In many ways, Jack is a typical 5-year-old. He likes to read books, watch TV, and play games with his Ma. But Jack is different in a big way–he has lived his entire life in a single room, sharing the tiny space with only his mother and an unnerving nighttime visitor known as Old Nick. For Jack, Room is the only world he knows, but for Ma, it is a prison in which she has tried to craft a normal life for her son. When their insular world suddenly expands beyond the confines of their four walls, the consequences are piercing and extraordinary. Despite its profoundly disturbing premise, Emma Donoghue’s Room is rife with moments of hope and beauty, and the dogged determination to live, even in the most desolate circumstances. A stunning and original novel of survival in captivity, readers who enter Room will leave staggered, as though, like Jack, they are seeing the world for the very first time.” –Lynette Mong

But before all the car show festivities, we got to spend time with our nephew Ayden. Hard to believe this was only the second time Ayden and Joe had spent together (the first being our wedding when Ayden was only six months old) because they were instantly the best of friends. I snuck in some play time with Ayden while Joe slept in our first morning which was good because otherwise, it was all about Uncle Joe.

I think my computer is going to explode from all this cuteness!

It’s been so fun to watch him grow and learn. And boy is he a handsome little guy!

I’ll admit I was a bad wife and snuck away before the car show … but it was for a good cause … to spend some quality time with these girls.

My Babe, Deanna, friends since fourth grade, and Jenna, friends since kindergarten. 

We wandered around the city and stopped in at the Food Truck Fair … oh, hipsters … and had a lovely time catching up over a pitcher of sangria. No matter how much time is between when I see them it’s like no time has passed. So lucky to have real “friends forever.”

That evening we met up with this lady.

One of my favorite people, my sister. 

We got the VIP treatment at a WONDERFUL vegan semi-fast food restaurant, Native Foods. I’m no vegan, but those nachos were to die for.

We needed a bigger table.

The day was perfect: My favorite people, a favorite city, perfect weather, delicious food.

A girl can’t ask for anything more.

These days always make me want to look at old family photos, so I wanted to share.

Grandpa Phil and Grandma Ruth on their wedding day. Grandpa snuck out of a quarantined base to marry Grandma. The happiness and love in their eyes makes my heart swell. 

The whole family, top, left to right: Ward, Ruth, Vance, Amber, Phil; bottom, left to right: Ernie, Russ, Andy, Frank. Love this so much.

Grandpa Phil in uniform. So handsome.

Beautiful Grandma Ruth

My Momma and her Daddy

Grandma Mary Ann and Grandpy in love.

Grandma and Grandpa on their wedding day. They met at a bar where Grandma ordered the wrong drink. They were married more than 50 years.

Grandpa on one of the planes he worked on during WWII.

There’s not a thing about this photo I would change. Perfect.

The Family: grandbaby Charlie, Grandpa, Grandma, Cindy, Poppa, Cathy, and Belle

My Mom and Dad on their wedding day. 

And I’ll share with you a piece of advice that my Grandpa once told me, “Take lots of pictures.”

xoxo

May 12
Barcelona, Spain 

I’ll be honest. By the time we got to Barcelona, I’d given up speaking Spanish. Really, there was no point speaking the little Spanish I know (Castilian) because they speak a different sort of Spanish (Catalan) in Barcelona – a mix of French and Spanish. But it didn’t matter, because everyone seemed to speak English. Also, I trained myself to use the lisp (Barcelona as “Barthelona”), but it’s not as prominent as I’d expected.

The thing about Barcelona for me is that there are so many languages, and so many tourists, I really had no concept of where I was. I could have been anywhere in terms of the people. But the architecture is all Barcelona, thanks to Antoni Gaudi.

First on the agenda for Barcelona was to take in Gaudi’s masterpiece, the Segrada Familia. The story is quite interesting. Construction of the cathedral began in the 1880s – regarding the timeline, Gaudi said, “Don’t worry, my client isn’t in a hurry.” The project stopped in the 1920s when Gaudi was killed by a tram outside the cathedral (Gaudi was actually living in the building). He looked so disheveled, that the rescue workers didn’t recognize Gaudi and he was almost buried as a John Doe. Someone recognized him eventually and he was buried in the Segrada Familia. After his death, the project stopped. Construction picked up again in the 1950s and the structure is expected to be complete in 2026.

The cathedral is just mind blowing. And to imagine, as we saw it, it’s only half the height of the completed project. The incredible thing is that the design is almost completely taken from nature. There was a small, but super informative museum inside the cathedral that showed all the different pieces and where the inspiration came from. Another impressive element is that Gaudi used a lot of mosaic tiles. You can’t tell when you’re on the ground, but much of the spires are covered in mosaic. Incredible.

Mosaic Tiles on the Sagrada Familia

We were able to go into one of the spires. It was neat to be able to look out over the city and to be up close with the building and the construction process.
Top of the Segrada Familia

You take an elevator up, but a spiral staircase down. One word: Vertigo.
 Weee!

After you’ve seen four cathedrals in eight days, you think you can’t see any more. Until you walk into the Segrada Familia. The thing about it is you feel like you’re in a piece of artwork, not another cathedral. It’s just stunning.

Segrada Familia

Continuing the Gaudi tour, we visited the home that he redesigned with no right angles on the facade.

The home was turned into a museum that takes you through the history of Gaudi’s design. Gaudi is beloved as much as he is hated for his extreme designs. One thing that I found fascinating was a model of a home before and after Gaudi resigned it.
Gaudi Before and After

The rooftop of the museum was true Gaudi … maybe a little gaudy, too. Had a great view of the city, though.
Gaudi Rooftop

Day one in Barcelona ended at a pier-side tapas restaurant where Joe and I got tipsy off sangria (Yes, really. Joe: “My head is all wobbly”). It was lots of fun.

May 13
Barcelona, Spain 

Day two was spent wandering around the city.

Sites around Barcelona: Mercat St. Josep and the Mediterranean Sea

People ask if I got hit on by the Spanish men. Nope. Only by a socially awkward German tourist. So. We’re having lunch and there was a tour group at several tables near us. There was a man in a red hat who kept looking over at us. I tried to tell myself he was looking for the bathroom, but where we were sitting, this was unlikely. As the group gathered to leave, Joe got up to get a drink. While I was alone, I could feel someone staring at me. I looked up and Red Hat was standing over Joe’s empty chair smiling at me. Fortunately Joe came back to the table and Red Hat and group left.

Ten minutes later we’re standing on a street corner at a red light. Suddenly Joe grabs me and pulls me to the other side of him.
Me: ‘What was that for?’
Joe: “You didn’t notice Red Hat about to lay one on you!?”

What do you know? We met up with Red Hat’s tour group on a random street corner in Barcelona and apparently he was coming a little too close for Joe’s comfort (and mine had I noticed he was there!).

We visited the Cathedral of Barcelona, with the tomb of the Patron Saint of Barcelona, Eulia … quite a story she’s got. And got to go up on the roof. Okay, I take it back. The construction workers on the rooftop did hit on me. Lucky girl I am.

And there was one more Gaudi stop to make – Park Guell. This is a park that had originally been planned as a self contained gated community. The money fell through, so it became a park. To access the park, you take an escalator. No joke. In the middle of a quaint Barcelona neighborhood on a huge hill is an escalator leading to the park.

While we were venturing up the hill/riding the escalator, a group of English-speaking college kids came up and asked Joe if  he spoke English and if this was the way to the park. His answer, “si.” Ha.

Anyway, the park was a MADHOUSE. Definitely the most populous attraction we went to during the whole trip. But there are lots of mosaic tiles and a wonderful view of the city and Mediterranean.

Park Guell

Woah. How did it become the last night of our trip? It was a wonderful whirlwind that I’ll look back at fondly the rest of my life. A honeymoon in Spain. Not everyone gets to be so lucky. I think we both learned a lot about ourselves, each other, a new and very different culture, traveling abroad, and that we can’t wait to do it again.

Joe (exhausted and sunburnt) dreaming of Picasso

Upon deciding we would go to the train station hours early, I said to Joe, “Let’s be sure not to wait for hours and then miss the train.” … it’s happened before. Oh, foreshadowing.

Over the course of our trip, we had discovered that thankfully, most announcements in places of transportation were in Spanish and English. Unless there is no pre-recorded announcement in English for the situation and the only train station staffer on duty doesn’t speak English  … then they’re just in Spanish. An announcement came over the loudspeakers in Spanish and all the people we had been waiting with get up and run out the doors in the opposite direction of the train platform. Obviously something was going on, so we found a woman who we’d heard speaking English and asked her if she knew what was happening. Apparently there was a problem with the tracks between where we were and where the train was, and the train wasn’t coming to us – we were going to it. There were coach buses in the parking lot and everyone was getting on. At no point did anyone official tell us in English, 1) that yes, what the English-speaking woman told us was accurate, 2) that we were to get on the bus 3) where the bus was taking us.

And yet, we got on the bus. I figured a 20 minute drive. Nope. An hour and a half at least. In the dark. I still don’t know where we were. The bus let us off at an empty train station where we waited another half hour (and were asked if we had any rolling papers). STILL, we don’t know this is what we were really supposed to have done. By some unusual amount of good luck, the overnight train showed up, our tickets were accepted and off to Barcelona we went!

Yea for traveling adventures!

And then … I get a call in the middle of the night (well, it was hard to tell what time it was) from Pops. I can’t answer. Why would he be calling? Penelope? And then a text, “Earthquake?” Errrr? It’s a question, so does he think I’ve been through an earthquake? I’m pretty confident the only rumbling I’ve felt is from the train and there isn’t any mass panic in the hallway. What is going on? All I know is that we’re going to Barcelona a sea-side city and after earthquakes there are tsunamis.

Later, we learned that there was indeed an earthquake in Spain and had the train gone in a straight path, we would have gone through the town that was most effected. But the train goes in a curve and we were in no way affected. (Did I use effect v. affect correctly there? Terrible with that one.) I felt horrible that it took so long for us to have Internet access and email our parents, who were lovingly besides themselves, that all was well. But no news is good news … right?

What we woke up to … no tsunami here!

May 10 
Granada, Spain 

Granada, Spanish for pomegranate.

I had heard the gypsies living in Granada are magical pickpockets living in caves, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Alas, we made it out with our wallets. The whole trip I’d been nervous about pickpockets (note how I am clutching my bag in almost all our photos), but on one particular adventure to a lookout point in Granada, I was overwhelmed by the thought that here, walking through the residential alleyways with tucked in doorways, that they (whoever “they” are) were just going to beat me and steal my bag, shoes, and fake ring (yes, I wore a fake wedding ring … and yes, it was ridiculously huge). And like most of the trip, my fears never came to fruition (although I won’t discredit the importance of being aware of your surroundings, I may have been a bit overzealous). We made it to the lookout and it was spectacular. It looks out over the city, the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevadas. We got smoothies, took in the view, hung out with the hippies and admired Saint Nick’s tomb before heading back down.

Enjoying the view. Worth risking your life for. 

Where our hotel was, it was a row of buildings, a one-way cobbled road, then a drop off/bridge to a waterway. Living along the waterway was a community of ferral cats. One of my favorite “memory photos” was two kitties curled up into a perfect (…or purfect …) circle together.

The hotel was just lovely. (Joe selected all our hotels and did an amazing job.) The lobby was an open air space with the rooms surrounding it. Our room was straight out of an IKEA catalog (love it), spacious, modern and had a view of the Alhambra.

Shine Albazin Hotel

We spent the day wandering around and stopped in at the Granada Cathedral. Giant, breezy, and bright describe this cathedral … which was a nice change of pace from the dark Sevilla Cathedral. Granada was a populous Moorish town before the Christians took it over and the Christians proudly display their victory here. One of the wall sculptures was of a horseback Catholic warrior crushing a Moore beneath the foot of his horse. Delightful. Getting past that, there was the most beautiful ceiling of bright blue with gold stars. I was mesmerized.

Granada Cathedral

For dinner, we had read about a wonderful rooftop hotel restaurant. We found the hotel, but couldn’t find the restaurant. After a little wandering and sticking our heads in random rooms, we found it. And there was no one there. A French couple joined us a little later and unsure of where the waiter was, I handed out the menus. Eventually the waiter appeared (with menus). I had a layered eggplant and potato? puree dish with marinara and Joe had lamb with a fig sauce. For dessert we ordered their specialty “bon bon” – having no idea what it was. Turned out to be a layered chocolate gelatin-like dessert. Crazy delicious. Over the course of our two hour dinner, there was never anyone other than the four of us.

“This was really nice. Just you, me and the French.” -Joe

 Enjoying a delicious cup of cafe con leche

May 12
Granada, Spain 

Our second day in Granada was dedicated to the Alhambra. They only let so many people in during a day and at certain times. Knowing this we got there  plenty early. The problem is, that the grounds are divided up – so just because you gave your ticket to one guard, that doesn’t mean you’re done. Yeah … we’re leisurely wandering the gardens when we realize thanks to a poorly placed map and a (sort of) English speaking security guard that we have to go about half a mile in just a few minutes to get to the timed tour. Ugh. I kid you not, if you don’t get to the second gate by the time on your ticket, you don’t get in. This is considered a runner up wonder of the world … you don’t go to Spain, with a ticket to the Alhambra and not see the Alhambra. Fortunately, we made it.

The Alhambra was stunning. Like the Royal Alcazar in Sevilla, the walls are drenched in detailed geometric shapes.
 The walls of the Alhambra

Although this was not where the Spanish Inquisition was led from, it was where the Moors surrendered. We stood in the very room. How incredibly surreal. In fact, when Isabella and Ferdinand arrived in Granada, the land was covered in the heads of Moors on sticks. How lovely.

One of the rooms had the most incredible ceiling. It was … hard to explain … cupped out to form a sphere …
 Seriously?

Seriously.

One interesting element is that there is water flowing throughout the property. The Moors had a fascination with water since where they originated from lacked water. The water throughout is moving, although in many spots it’s moving so slowly, you can’t see the movement with your eyes.

May 8
Cordoba, Spain 

After a quick bullet train ride from Sevilla, we were in Cordoba. Having learned from the long walk in Sevilla (and finding out that a taxi would be about 8E), we took a taxi to the hotel. We must’ve said the address incorrectly because the poor guy had no idea where we wanted to go – even stopping in the middle of intersections to confer with other drivers – and eventually turned off the meter. Finally I showed him the address in my trusty planner and he knew right where to go. He was given a nice tip.

Our hostal was right in the middle of things. First we toured the Alcazar of the Royal Christians … where the Spanish Inquisition was headquartered. There were two primary rooms to visit and many more ruins of the building. It had beautiful gardens and pools, but the real attraction was the rooftop lookout.

View from the rooftop lookout

We had a sampling of the difficulty of predicting the open/close times of restaurants in Sevilla (we walked into a restaurant mid-afternoon and behind us they closed the doors as they were closing for siesta. Keep in mind most restaurants/stores don’t post hours so there was no way for us to know … the waiters didn’t speak English, we couldn’t read the menu, and we ate quickly). In Cordoba, we experienced how there’s no such thing as a waiting list in Spanish restaurants. We walked into a moderately busy restaurant, told the waiter there would be two dining, he looked around and spoke in Spanish to the manager. The manager walked towards us, essentially pushing us out the doors. They gave a nice long explanation of why we couldn’t eat there, but we’ll never know what it was. After a long, hungry walk, we found a great sidewalk cafe with wonderful tapas. It even made Joe a believer in pork chops. Woah.

Tapas y vino. Yum. 

One of my favorite parts of Cordoba were the wall-mounted pots of geraniums. So sweet.

Cordoba geraniums

May 9
Cordoba, Spain 

In the morning of our second day we visited the Mezquita (Spanish for mosque). Inside the building are 856 candy-striped arches.

Inside the Mezquita

The Mezquita was taken over by the Christians and turned into a cathedral, and remains that way today. While the center of the building is mostly open, the edge of he building has the standard … not sure of the technical term … small “rooms” for the different Catholic saints.

For lunch we found a patio cafe with paella for two on the menu. More like paella for seven. When the waiter brought it out to us, it came in a large pan with prawns (yes, they still had eyes), pork, chicken, white fish, peas, and other yuminess.

Paella perfection

That evening we had a craving for something familiar. Spanish food has a lot of positives, but sometimes you just need a burger. Right across the street from the Mezquita is the Burger King. Ha. It was just like a clean and modern fast food place in the States. It made me laugh that everyone who entered stopped in the doorway, looked at their partner, laughed, and then entered (Joe and me included). The difference from the States? Fast food isn’t fast. And they had a tapas menu (which I would compare to an appetizer menu).

The best part? Had we not had this burger craving, we would have missed a unique cultural experience … this thing:

Catholic Parade Float?

We were headed to “have it our way” when we see the above coming towards us. I can only explain it as a Catholic parade float for a saint … and this could be wrong – anyone know more? Joe had taken this shot and was pulling out his flash. As the float got closer, from within it spoke, “No fotos.” Joe was so stunned that he actually listened.

May 6
Sevilla, Spain

We took a bullet train from Madrid to Spain (after waiting in the train station for four hours) and got to Sevilla in the late afternoon. Sevilla doesn’t have public transportation like Madrid, so we decided to walk to the hostal … with our 40 pound backpacks. May have been the longest walk of my life. And of course, when we got to the hostal they didn’t have our name in the book … odd because this was the only hotel that we paid beforehand. Keep in mind, this was during the Sevilla Fair, so it would have been difficult to find a room elsewhere (they were turning people away while we were in the lobby) … alas, they found us a room, but we’re pretty sure they just converted the broom closet to a room so we wouldn’t throw a fit. Literally, this room had no windows, except a window to the hallway with white, sheer curtains, so our room was lit up all night. Weirdest nights sleep of my life.

First on our Sevilla agenda was the Sevilla Parasol, just completed in March.

Sevilla Parasol

They were digging to build an office building, but a few feet down, they discovered Roman ruins. Well, they couldn’t build an office building now, so they built a museum around the remains and the Parasol on top of it. The Parasol is just incredible and is made entirely of wood. The views from on top were lovely – we were there right at sunset.

Sunset in Sevilla

We wandered the streets of Sevilla and stumbled upon “Duffin Dagels” an almost exact replica of Dunkin Donuts … hilarious … those crazy Spaniards.

Duffin Dagels, photo credit emilyschud.blogspot.com

May 7
Sevilla 

Day two we headed to the Sevilla Cathedral – the world’s third largest church and only completely Gothic cathedral in the world, which also houses the supposed remains of Christopher Columbus. Outside of the church we had our first run in with gypsies. We had been warned (thankfully) that they would approach, waving herbs, and saying “regalo” (gift), but when you take the “gift” they want money. Shocker. They really weren’t a problem because as soon as you said ‘No’ they backed off. Although once I did see one holding a guy by the wrist … Anyway, the cathedral was massive and thinking of how it was built is mind boggling. It was a little dark for my taste, but hey, that’s Gothic architecture for you.

Sevilla Cathedral

Next we went to the Royal Alcazar (fortress).  I’ll let the photos show you why this was a favorite of mine. The delicate plaster work is just breathtaking.

Royal Alcazar 

Another neat find was the Archive of the Indies – a complete archive of Columbus’ exploration of the New World. Unfortunately the explanatory plaques were in Spanish only, but it was still neat to be surrounded by that much history.

It was a great time to be in Sevilla (as long as you had a room booked) because of the Sevilla Fair. It’s not what we think of a fair … it’s more like families, neighbors, etc., get space on the fairgrounds, set up a tent, and have a party, all while wearing flamenco gear. One of my favorite moments was waiting at a cross walk and zooming past goes a woman in a neon green, polka dotted flamenco dress on a scooter. Love it.

Flamenco Cutie