Las Cuevas de Nerja

Our next stop was the small beach town of Nerja, but I am devoting a whole blog post just to the Cuevas de Nerja (Nerja Caves) because they are that cool. Annie and I hiked up to the caves, which was neat because it was Halloween, and it was appropriately really foggy that day. Las Cuevas de Nerja were only discovered 50 years ago by a group of boys who were playing and stumbled upon them, but they trace back to 25,000 BC and have cave paintings from ancient civilizations, etc. Pictures won't do the caves justice, but they are INCREDIBLE. I think Annie put it perfectly when she said, "I'm an English major, and I'm at a loss for words to describe the beauty of the caves." They are immense, and the number of stalactites, stalagmites, and columns must be in the millions. I was just awe-struck by their natural beauty. God is truly an artist.

An old aqueduct amidst the fog on our hike to the caves.

Annie at the entrance to the caves. They are celebrating their 50th anniversary of discovery.

Me in the caves.

Just trying to give you an idea of the scale of the caves: that's me looking at the biggest known column in the world. The caves are immense - some places are around 250 feet high. In total, the caves are about 16,000 feet long.

Pictures were tough in the caves...we weren't allowed to use flash. But man, they were beautiful.

Malaga

This is Malaga - complete with its bullfighting ring off to the left.

Annie and I took a little trip down to the Costa del Sol. Our first stop: Malaga - which is the birthplace of Picasso. It's a great town - complete with beaches, a big port, the Picasso museum (which I highly recommend), a hilltop fortress, beautiful Cathedral...not too shabby, eh? We also found a great little cafe near our hotel, which was typically Spanish and delicious. Although I have to admit, one of the funniest things was when we were standing on a random street corner and happened to look inside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the sushi restaurant next to us.  Both of us did a double-take...and then burst out laughing.  They were doing a photo shoot, but the subjects were just a man and a women with tropical leaves and flowers "carefully" placed. It was very Adam and Eve reminiscent...and we couldn't figure out what that had to do with sushi.  But to everyone else, it was just another day...ah, I love it.

Just me, taking in the sights of the port and the Cathedral.

The Alcazaba de Malaga - an 11th century palace/fortress.

More of the Alcazaba - typical Moorish style. I love the little stream of running water that channels through the middle.

A cool shot of the Cathedral from the Alcazaba.

Enjoying a glass of Rioja and some queso viejo after a long day of sight-seeing!

Vespas and Futbol

My chariot to/from the game

Tonight I went to my first Spanish futbol game. Spaniards are CRAZY about their futbol teams, and everyone has a team that they are immensely devoted to. In Sevilla, there are 2 teams: Sevilla Futbol Club and Betis. And obviously there is a fierce rivalry between the two. The game tonight was between Sevilla Futbol Club and RCD Espanyol de Barcelona. Although the game ended in a tie, it was so much fun to be there with a packed stadium, listening to the constant roar of the crowd. There isn't a play that goes by without lots of cheering, shouting, and singing from the crowd. And to top the night off, I got to cruise around Sevilla on a shiny red Vespa...don't worry Dad - I wasn't driving, and I was wearing a helmet! :)

Sevilla Futbol Club vs. RCD Espanyol de Barcelona

As my Spanish friends say, this is where the "hooligans" sit...

Antonio and Adolfo - serious SFC fans

And me, at the game!

Javi's Birthday

Today was my friend Javier's 30th birthday party. In typical Spanish fashion, there was an incredible array of delicious Spanish tapas, sangria, music, and lots of laughing. It was a blast!

Ok, so for his own cake, Javi put "largo muerete" on the top...which translates to "die tall guy". We couldn't stop laughing about this, and the guys even created a song to sing, appropriately titled "Largo Muerete." Increible!

Javier and his cousin from Valencia

Aranoa, Noemi, and I

Aranoa and Mike

Another Beautiful Day in Sevilla

El Torre de Oro

Today was another beautiful day in Sevilla. It rained overnight and this morning, so the air was clean and everything just looked brighter and more magical than normal. :) I met up with my friend Annie for some tapas, and then we just meandered around town. Magnifico!

Plaza Nueva

Among the flowers in Plaza Nueva...

Ayuntamiento

A glimpse of the Cathedral and Giralda...

A poster for a corrida (bullfight) in Sevilla

The Letter

Ok, this was WAY too cute not to document - and it totally made my day. I received a letter today from one of my students. It was (mostly) in English, so she clearly spent a lot of time (with a dictionary) working on it. Here's what it said:

"To my teacher Lesdey (my name is impossible for Spanish people to say, especially kids),

Lesdey, are hard working with us and try to endure heavy children.

I really like you as a teacher, and as an assistant [to] MariCarmen. You are very friendly, peaceful, and beautiful. Ojala pudira go with you on vacation to your country. Lesdey, guess what? To say our midst who came to be his assistant made me nervous, but eager to meet you. But when I saw you, I was very happy because I had never met a real English. You know that was my dream? Knowing an Englishwoman. To end this letter, I'll tell you what is your favorite color: I think it is because your blue eyes sparkle throughout the night.

Bye bye, a bear hug hug from the part of Mary Ahumada!!!"

Santa Juana Jugan

I had a really neat experience today. I went down to the Cathedral, and happened upon a mass in honor of the recent cannonization of Santa Juana Jugan.  Normally, mass in the Cathedral is in one of the little side chapels, but today it was held at the main altar.  The archbishop of Sevilla celebrated the mass, along with about 20 other priests; they had a relic of Santa Juana, and about 30 nuns from the Hermanitas de los Pobres (which is the order that she founded) attended as well. They had a great choir to accompany the beautiful organ music - it was quite an inspiring event!

A Day Around Town

Today was a beautiful day in Sevilla - perfect for exploring the city, which is exactly what Annie and I did.  We were even treated to a clara (my first), which is beer and lemon soda, by a group of Spaniards at a quaint little cafe on a narrow side street.  Here are just some random shots from around town...

Churros y cafe con leche -- the Spanish breakfast of champions.

A view of the Cathedral from Avenida de la Constitucion.

Who doesn't love Canarian Wrinkly Potatoes? Ah, gotta love translations!

Iglesia de San Pedro...I think. :)

A view of the Giralda from Plaza de San Francisco.

Spanish Parking

Today I witnessed a classic example of Spanish parking.  Like many things typically Spanish, rules don't apply much when it comes to parking your car.  After returning to Sevilla from a day of work in El Cuervo, Rocio's car was completely blocked in on all sides by cars.  I was confident that we were stuck there for a bit, but Rocio wasn't the least bit worried.  She and Roberto (another carpool buddy) simply pushed the cars out of the way!  I was in awe...but I guess the rule to Spanish parking is that you never use your parking brake.  And that way, if you are late or can't find a parking spot, you simply park wherever is convenient, and someone will push you car out of the way, if need be.  So just don't expect to find your car in the same place that you left it...  Unbelievable, but hilarious!

Vejer de la Frontera

I officially fell in love with Vejer de la Frontera.  It is a beautiful little town that sits on a hilltop, with vast views of the ocean.  There is something about the town that is both magical and charming.  Maybe it's the fact that all of the buildings are white, or that the cobblestone streets are pristine, or the castle and castle walls, or the beautiful churches and street names...but it truly is majestic.  You can tell the pace of life there is relaxed, and the people are very friendly.  It reminded me of a mix between Assisi, Italy and some little island town in Greece.  Beautiful.

Just enjoying a glass of vino joven with the girls...

Los Canos de Meca

...And on to another beach town!  I have to admit that I was surprised how relaxed and not congested the beaches were.  There are lots of cute little beach houses and cafes, but there's not a crazy influx of people.  In fact, we had breakfast at a cafe where we had our own private rooftop patio overlooking the ocean.  Perfecto.  Anyway, I'm sure the pictures speak for themselves...