The last week and a half have been mostly a journey toward some Spanish routine (aka figuring out how to eat on a Spanish schedule and still get Maya to school on time). Rather than take a weekend trip last weekend, we decided to settle in here in Sevilla, and it feels like we have found a nice rhythm. Beth’s work seems to be wildly efficient; she gets most of her work done in the morning before heading out for toast and coffee. Maya goes to school from 9:00 - 2:00, and I try, in vain, to get something done between dropping Maya off and picking her up. I have been absolutely delighted to be without a car, but it does mean that I have about an hour round trip both to drop Maya off and to pick her up. The positive is that I am walking a bunch, seeing Sevilla, and reading some on the subway. I don’t feel terribly productive, but maybe productivity is overrated in some situations. When Maya gets home, we go out for lunch...so we can have a cold beer…, and then Maya has a little siesta that consists of communicating with friends and watching Friends (the TV show). She delights in this time - taking off her school uniform, grabbing a blanket and relaxing. It is actually a pretty delightful scene - I will post a picture next time. After siesta, I take Maya to her afternoon activity. Maya plays soccer three afternoons a week, she rides horses one afternoon a week, and we reserve Tuesday afternoons as cultural days. Both the soccer and the horseback riding have been remarkably positive experiences. Maya and I have become masters of getting around town; we use buses, metro, taxis, walking, and running to get to the various activities she does. I explained where we do various things to a local, and she thought we were crazy. We probably are, but we are getting to know the city quite well, and Maya is working her way through the entire Harry Potter series as we ride busses, metros, and trains. On most evenings all three of us go for an evening run through the park and past the fountain at the Plaza Espana, and we return for a light snack tray, a glass of wine (Maya has lemon drink), Maya does her homework, Beth tidies up her work, and I cook some form of dinner.
Though we have had a low key week, it has not been without its highlights, revelations, and observations. We are living almost in the shadow of the Sevilla Cathedral, which is simply a stunning structure. Maya has gotten a little annoyed that I regularly comment on how spectacular it is to get to see the Cathedral in different lighting everyday, and I must sound like an old fuddy-duddy when I tell her how much she will miss seeing it when we are back in Menlo Park suburbia-landia. The Cathedral is the biggest Gothic Cathedral in the world and the third biggest in the world, and it sports a striking bell tower (the Giralda), that stands as the symbol of the city. After an evening run this week, Maya and I did go up on our rooftop terrace and she looked at the Cathedral for a while and asked, “It is so big and so detailed; how long did it take to build it?” I have been struck by the way in which the building of a cathedral is a remarkable act of faith. Yes - it is a church- but it is more than that. I had always thought of these structures as representations of the power of the Church and the city, but I had not really thought about the meaning of a building project that was certain to take one hundred years to complete (the Cathedral was constructed from 1402-1506). That means that the person/people who worked to make the project happen, those that secured the funding and dreamed up the concept, knew that they would never live to see their vision come to fruition. Starting such a momentous project requires a remarkable amount of faith - in God/Church, but also in the project and in one’s peers and in those not yet born. They have to embark on the project because they believe in the project for its own sake, not just what the project will do for them in their personal lives. We seem to live in an era in which most people do not want to start a project that will take longer than a week, month, or maybe a year. While certainly we have developed the technology to help us to build faster, we seem to have lost some level of personal and communal faith that would allow for a momentous project that would take 100 years to complete. Perhaps there is not a practical need for such a project, but I do feel deeply that there is a need for the spirit, the faith, the belief that would make such a project possible.
If you haven’t seen it, you should. The Cathedral is wildly impressive, and it is pretty fun to walk up to the top of the Giralda. We took a group selfie looking out in each direction from the Giralda...we still aren’t very good at the selfie. On the same day, we visited the San Salvador church (Sevilla tourist tip - go to San Salvador first and buy the combined entrance ticket and you can avoid the half-hour line to get into the cathedral). The smaller San Salvador is actually quite stunning and well worth the visit. Oh wait, highlight of the day: after visiting San Salvador, Maya went shoe shopping...no that is not a typo..she quickly eyed a pair of red Adidas Gazelles. Maya asked to wear them out of the store, and she declared that she now owns the coolest pair of shoes, and she is basically right - she really rocks them. Beth, meanwhile, bought a cone of cured meat...that’s right...you can just buy a paper cone full of cubed salami to snack on while you are shopping for fancy flamenco dresses (We bought the pork bits...not the dresses). You will see Maya’s sweet new kicks in the photo where she is standing next to Columbus’ tomb. Apparently Columbus didn’t want to be buried on Spanish soil, so he is in a tomb held aloft by four massive statues. The Dominican Republic claims that he is actually buried there...his bones have moved around a bunch...even spent time in Cuba.
Two other highlights from the week. After going to see Real Betis, we decided to go see FC Sevilla play on Sunday. The game was not as exciting as Betis v. Barca, but Beth and Maya decided that they are now Sevilla fans. The stadium was a spectacular place to watch a game, and we were sitting in a section that was full of families that knew each other - very cool. It is impossible to truly understand European soccer without attending a game. Unlike American football, soccer is not made for TV. In person, the flow of the game is palpable. On our walk home we decided to have lunch at a nice looking restaurant in an alley. To our surprise, it was basically a tuna restaurant; we almost fled, but our decision to try it out was rewarded with some spectacular food, including a six part appetizer that took you through essentially a full scope/meal of tuna preparations. Very cool...and maya liked it.
And last night we went out to a big performance space on the outskirts of town to see a very famous Spanish Flamenco artist named Sara Baras. I didn’t really know what I was buying when I got the tickets, and I know almost nothing about Flamenco. It turned out, for me at least, to be a remarkable show. Baras was unbelievable...her feet are faster and more controlled that Messi’s - really. The show was a little late for Maya on a school night, but I cannot imagine that we will ever see better flamenco.
Now for my favorite part of the travel journal: some observations about Sevilla and Spanish culture:
I wrote about ubiquitous small beers at lunch last time, and this week I will share the culture of the copa, which is a Spanish cocktail. However, the copa culture seems to be very specific. In the evenings, particularly Thursday-Saturday, people go out for a copa, which is almost always a gin and tonic or a rum and coke prepared with care in a large glass goblet. Once you order your copa, you spill out onto the sidewalk and chat. There is a street a half a block from our house that will be lined with well dressed Spaniards having a copa this evening. The energy is vibrant in the street. Each Copa locale has a slightly different feel, but the basic process is all much the same...and quite delightful.
I have been amazed with the Spanish adherence to the crosswalk. While Spanish drivers might appear a little crazy, they ALWAYS stop at the crosswalks. In the city, the pedestrian lights work and are followed, but out near maya’s school, we cross a bunch of streets without lights. As soon as we step into the crosswalk, people stop. I have been trying for years to get people to respect the crosswalk on the Alameda up from our house in Menlo Park, but the attempt has been futile and dangerous. Here no one even questions whether cars will stop - they just do.
Finally, we have been pleased that we got here when we did because the orange trees that line almost every street were all laden with fruit; they were simply full of oranges. Now almost all of the oranges have been picked, sent to England for marmelade, and the streets look much different. Now we just have to wait for the oranges blossoms.
Tomorrow we head to Granada. We are going to spend the night in the Parador inside the Alhambra...should be spectacular.
