Sep 2005

(That would be Lisbon's largest bottle of Port)

On Monday we drove up the coast from Lagos north towards Lisbon, or Lisboa as it is called here. The drive up let us pass through the all types of terrain, for example. Imagine that you are heading out towards Bodega Bay and winding you way through the hills, curves, sand and rocks that punctuate the coastline. Then all of a sudden the rocks turn into the "tundra" setting and some trees start to show up. Next, you look out the window and now you are basically heading south on the 5 towards San Luis Obispo past the huge wind turbines on the hills. Then the winding road pops you into a little town, much like the the one just before Doran beach where Alfred Hitchcock filmed the birds. Upon exiting the town (where you will see a white sign with black letters with the name of the town in it and a huge red slash through it denoting you are now leaving the town), you get back on the roads and wind through some more hills with the beach and cliffs on one side and the hills with really nice houses on the other (aka PCH in Malibu) and before you know it, actually about 297km later, you are crossing one of the most beautiful suspension bridges and battling traffic down the main drag in Lisboa, Portugal, the country´s capital.

Most of our sightseeing was done from the car while trying to find the hostels in the guidebook. We passed by no less than 10 different statues of all the Portugese explorers and their respective plazas and parks before parking under the Plaza de Don Pedro(I or II) and booking a room at one of the (slightly shady, but pretty standard) cheap, big city hostels.

Because we had to leave early the next day we used the rest of the afternoon to walk around and made it to the Castelo do Sao Jorge (The Castle of Saint George) where we got to walk around inside, and up around the edge of the castle and in the towers. The views of Lisbon from the castle were amazing, as are the pictures that my semi-functioning camera allowed me to take. The experience in the castle was made complete by the guitarrist playing in the courtyard providing a kind of antique and relaxing Portugese soundtrack to the visit.

We headed back towards our hostel passing by some plazas and statues along the waterfront of the Tejo River and back up another hill to try to figure out what the gothic arches above the buildings were. They turned out to be the remnants of a destroyed roof of the cathedral the now houses the Architecture Museum of Lisboa, but we were too late and didnt get a chance to go inside.

Porto, the famous wine of Portugal and Spain seemed to be calling our name as we walked by a bodega (wine shop) with a free tasting sign in front. Not knowing much about wine as is, Porto was a much bigger mystery. We sampled a White, Ruby, Tawny, Vintage 2000, and a more expensive 1998 Vintage porto (in that order).

PORTO: the deal with porto is that it is a sweet wine (used as an aperative if white and a dessert wine as a red) and is between 19-22% alcohol, made that way by the combination of brandy with the special grapes growm all over, but most famously in the northeastern part of Portugal. The white is the only one served cold, and the others are served at room temperature. The white, ruby, and tawny are all ready to drink when shipped to the stores. They have matured first in oak oak barrels (of varying size) and then in the bottle ranging from 2-5 years depending on the type of wines. Whites usually the least, Tawny the most of the three. The dates are not printed on these bottles because the wines are usually a combination of years all put together and therefore not dated. The vintage wines are different in that they are from only one year, and age most of thier life in the bottle. There you could buy 10, 20, and 40 year vintages (for a pretty penny). The longer you wait the more brown the wine becomes, and the better it tastes. The 2000 Vintage we tried was the better of the two, and once opened has to be finished in about 2 weeks, while the 1998 vintage, of higher quality had to be finished within 2 days of opening the bottle. The experience was very educational and surprisingly yummy. I, not being one for red wines, enjoyed them all and,lucky for all of you, I bought a bottle of the 2000 Vintage to bring back...so its Porto tasting for all!!

After the cultural immersion (aka wine tasting) we stopped at the grocery store and tried to understand portugese (haha). Portugese sounds like Spanish words mingled with Russian ones, spoken with a French accent. They can pretty mucn understand anything you say in Spanish, but try to understand them and you walk away feeling pretty dumb. Hunger soon set in so we set off, after getting dolled up for our last night in Portugal, and headed off to find some traditional Portugese intertainment/food.

Walking down from the Castle along the windy cobblestone streets of the Alfama area, we had passed some restaurants which advertised Fado performances that night. Fado is a typical Portugese style of singing, usually to a guitar or two. The music is very somber (def not cheesy pop song somber) but kind sorrowful and very passionate, at least for the singer. We enjoyed our dinner, sorry no linguisa (typical Portugese sausage) to the beautiful sounds (and untranslatable lyrics...sorry ill work on Portugese next) of the music in a restaurant of 6 (very intimate) tables, in what appeared to be a bathroom. It was about that big with floor to ceiling tiles and everything. Needless to say it was memorable.

Another successful trip through another country on my list. I definitely did not get to see enough of Lisboa and could really spend another weekend seeing the sights, and probably another shopping at the amazing stores and eating yummy food, but I guess that will have to wait.

Friday Sept 23: The mezquita was amazing, but Portual is a must see on a trip to the Iberian Peninsula. Chris, Cody, Marissa, and I, after our plans to go up north to Basque country miserably failed, rented a car and decided to head out the the southern and western coasts of Portugal for the extended weekend. The drive there and throughout Portugal was nothing less than gorgeous. As you drive into Portugal you pass through lots of colinas (hills) and past castles and other arcitectural gems that are, of course, not titled, so you have no idea what you are actually looking at.

Our first stop was just over the border of Portugal into the Algarve region in a city called Faro. It is the biggest and capital city of the region although we managed to not stray too far from the waters edge. When we arrived, we settled into our (5€/night) hostal, and wandered around the Cidade Vehla (portugese for old city). We passes the famous Arco de Vila, the entrance to the old city, and enjoyed the rest of the evening on the patio people watching.

The next day we headed out toward Lagos, but not before stopping for some tasty Portuguese pasteries (they have those down pat!) and taking a look at the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) inside the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Church of our lady Carmen). The chapel was one of the most unique and creepy things i have ever seen in my life. It is made of bones and more than 1245 skulls of monks burried in the church´s former cemetary. Creepy, yes, and reminicent of the scenery inside the pirates of the caribbean ride at Disneyland, skulls and bones and all, but really neat at the same time.

Saturday Sept 24: On to Lagos. Just a few hours away was the gorgeous town of Lagos. One of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen, Lagos is a windy city almost to the very southwestern tip of Portugal. While the tourbooks rant and rave about the crazy party scene, we kept a lower profile, renting an apartment and spending the 2 days there on the Meia Praia and Praia de Pinhao the two amazing beaches. The first is like most southern cali beaches, a longs stretch of sand but littered with tons of shells, really fine sand and much clearer water. The second was one of my favorite beaches in all the world. Its the trademark of the Algarve region with its cliffs, caves, and crazy rock formations littering the coast. You can see all the layers, created over time, which make the already brightly colored rocks that much prettier. We spent our second day lounging on the beach there. Swimming out, in, and around the cliffs, slithering through the small passages created between the rocks and the sand, and trying not to slice skin while climbing over the jagged rocks.

As the sun went down, we called it a day, and after brushing the more course sand off, said goodbye to the crystal clear (and surprisingly cold) water and headed back up to our apt.

Other adventures in Lagos included a night out to dinner where we tasted the local cuising, seafood, and wine and this small restaurant in town. I also made everyone stop at this little bar for drinks simply because the tv in the background was showing rugby!!! How i miss rugby, and since this was the closest I had been in a long time, I couldnt pass it up. Our last night in Lagos, we made dinner. I finally got some chicken (Carmen doesnt like it so we dont really eat too much of it), and to actually cook!!! (another thing i dont get to do ofter here).

Woke up early on Monday to head to Lisbon...(oops off to class, check the next entry for Lisbon details)

The reason you should visit Córdoba isnt for the great location or the vivid night life but the Mezquita and the surrounding old Jewish quarter called the Judería.

Fridays here are rarely for class, they are for excursions, projects, the occasional exam or a day off. This last friday (Sept 23) was the 2nd of our excursions, and we didnt even leave Córdoba. We walked through the Puerta de Almodovar which was the entrance into the center of the Caliph´s city before he built himself a new palace at Medina Azahara.

We wandered through the old cobblestone streets lined on either side by old stucco buildings forming a literal labyrinth through an area of Córdoba just north of the Guadalquivir river. Winding through the narrow streets, our guide, Antonio, also our history teacher, led us through the archway into the Patio de los Naranjos (orange patio) in the middle of the Mezquita (pictures at http://images.google.es/images?q=cordoba+mezquita&hl=es&btnG=B%C3%BAsqueda+en+Google).

The Patio is enclosed on all sides by the walls of the Mezquita. On one side is the Mezquita itself, and the other the Torre do Campañas (bell tower). The patio is raised in the middle and has tons of orange trees planted between all the small channels that the muslims used to collect water (they had a huge obsession with water). They neither the orange trees or the patios cobblestones are part of the origninal 10th century architecture, although the mezquita and bell tower are. The gorgeous patio, with a fountain in the middle and all the ambiance of a garden in bloom was formerly the place used for worship when the muslims came to the mezquita for services.

Next we headed into the mezquita. Built in 784 A.D. it is the only mezquita left intact in Spain. Inside the mosque, there are 850 granite and marble columns supporting hundreds of striped arches made of rock and brick that create the red and white striped look. At one end is the prayer niche, Mihrab, covered in inscriptions in Kufic of the 99 names of Allah. The Capilla Villaviciosa lies in the same end and is where the Calipha (muslim king) worshipped, apart from the rest of the Muslim community. The muslim architecture, art, inscriptions and influence still remain in the former mosque, although during the Crusades, in 1236, Córdoba was conquered by the christians and a cathedral was build directly in the middle of the mosque. As you walk through the muslim mosque, you are all of a sudden thrown into the Cathedral which has all the same features as any other medieval church in europe including the ornate metalwork, carvings, and statues. On sunday mornings the sacerdotes (priest) even use the coro (choir dome) to sing.

The place is absolutely amazing. The architecture is different than anything else I have ever seen, and although coming to Córdoba i knew that there was influence from many different religions who had occupied the area, the Mezquita is the proof the the coexistence of the religions in the city.

After gauking at the beauty like a regular tourist or "giddies" as we foreigners are called here, we left the Mezquita and crossed one of the tiny streets to a place called Bar Santos, famous for its Spanish tortilla. Different from mexican tortillas, Spanish ones are made of egg and potato and are thicker. This one is so thick that they serve it in slices, like a pie. Santos lived up to its reputation, and I would call friday a successful (and educational) day in the life of Córdoba.

After that, it was back home for me to pack, because in a few short hours, I would be on the road to Portugal!!

A week of new things has been the story of my life (and probably will be for the following months here in Europe).

The week started like any other one at school, I had spent the weekend here and headed back to school on Monday. School is starting to pick up pace a little in terms of the amount of material they shove into one day, but I also feel my understanding is getting better, even through the thick Andalus (pronounced An-dah-loo here) accent.

My comprehension and speaking will get even better now that my Intercambia is back in town. Intercambios are people studying English her in Spain that get set up with American students here and both can work on the language they are studying. My intercambia´s name is Carmen, actually Maria de Carmen or Mayca for short.

On Wednesday Mayca and I 'dimos un paseo' (took a walk) around the streets of the Jardín (the area where I live) and into el Centro (the downtown of Córdoba). We got to Plaza de las Tendillas and headed to an heladería (ice cream shop) where i finally figure out what the hell 'Túrron' ice cream is: Nougat flavor, and everywhere in Spain, and not my favorite. I think ill stick to Coco (coconut), Pistachio, or Merengada, which is the ice cream version of leche canela limón.

KEEPING BUSY: Other activities keeping me busy include: Shopping (surprise, surprise), tasting new foods (lots of seafood and other fried treats...you wont ever recognize me when i get back. Just look for the fat one wearing cute spainsh clothes in the airport. And by spanish clothes i mean lots of crazy mis-matched prints and a color we now call Córdoba orange). Tuesday we got a group of people, along with Marissa´s (very persistent) intercambio, Rafa, and a couple of the other students´"siblings" to come play a pick up game on one of the outdoor courts here. Although there are a few grass "pistas" (fields) the majority are cement with lines and a goal frame in the ground. After a few games, its was almost dark, and time for dinner. As I was leaving I talked to one of the host-brothers who is 16 and plays rugby! He said he would talk to the coach to see if i could come out and play with them.....and i am waiting (as patiently as I can) for info...I MISS RUGBY!!! and the concept of women´s rugby hasn´t quite made it to Andalucía yet. In fact, very few sports are available to women here, and going to inquire about gym memberships definitely gets you some interesting looks when you are checking out the weight rooms.

FRIDAY: Tomorrow is an excursion to the Mezquita, the mosque constructed in the 10th century during the Muslim rule of Spain. When the Christians conquered the Muslims at the beginning of the 11th century, instead of destroying the Mezquita which was the usual habit, they left the original building and built thier church inside of it. More details after the visit.

WEEKEND PLANS: After the Mezquita, Marissa, Chris, Cody and I, after much debate and switching back and forth between destinations for our extended weekend, we decided to screw the (expensive and quasi inefficient) public transportation, and rent a car to drive to PORTUGAL. The fun part about that is we can decide where exactly we want to go when we see it instead of being in just one or 2 places.

I think thats all for now. For all you inquiring about any spanish romances, none to report...yet. There are a couple hotties in the program, which gives me something to stare at while in class when i forget to pay attention. But, since half of the group that I usually hang out with is made up of guys, which here generally means "novios" (boyfriends), my game is kinda shot. Thus, tonight is girls-night-out. Marissa and I are heading out to take in the Spanish scene "soltera" (unattached). Basically, its our excuse to convince spanish guys that American women are super fun and really fun to hang out with, even if they do slaughter the language a bit.

¡Hasta Luego, ten un buen fin de semana!

FRIDAY 15 Sept:¨"Medinat AL-zahara" Friday was the first excursion for our program. The group split in half (as was the fab 5) and Chris and I, apart from our other 3/5, went to the ruins of the Medina, which is the old Islamic word for city. The place took nearly 10,000 men and close to 25 years to build only to be destroyed 100 years after construction started by a civil war. The Medina was built by the Muslim Caliph (king) during the time when Córdoba was the Islamic capital of the world around the 10th century. The tale is that he built it for his wife, but the real story is that Córdoba, the main city, was too populous for his liking, so he built himself a palace about 6 km outside the city where he, his concubines, religious/political officials (which were the same people) and the army worked and lived. The palace itself isnt very well preserved for the exception of the "office" of the Caliph, a few archways, some of the pools where water was kept, an oven and remnants of the fortress walls and living quarters.

The entire fortress was built from the rocks from the surrounding Sierra mountains for the exception of the marble and ivory columns that were imported from the middle east. The walls are decorated elaborately with carvings, although none of animals or humans because there were not allowed to be depicted in art. The carvings in the stone on the walls consists mostly of geometric shapes and plants, such as the tree of life. The walls surrounding the 2nd of the 3 levels of the original Medina, were military barriers and built at 90º angles as to more easily defend. The pools around the palace were also interesting, and when I asked why so many reflecting pools I was told that the Muslim community loved the sound of water, which was scarce in their native country.

The Medina was an intersting place, it was hard to imagine it as the citadel of the once capital of an empire extending over 3 continents. Next week is the Mezquita, the "cathedral" for Muslims here in Córdoba.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Out on the town was the name of the game and the fab 5 (not named by me) aka Chris, Cody, Marissa, Jessica and I met up at Plaza de las Tendiallas (i have no idea what that means) where we broke out sippee cups and hung out with some Spaniards, learning new and useful words (like ronronrear=to purr) before heading to a bar/club for a little late night/early morning dancing. After a couple hours of Spanish dance music (not as bad as it sounds) I was ready to call it an (early by Spanish standards) night, and headed home around 4am.

SATURDAY: a day of much needed R and R. I woke up to find both Carmenita and Diego at friends houses, so i kinda had the house to myself except for Carmen who was in and out. I spent the morning sipping my tea and reading Harry Potter in spanish (which takes about 3 times as long), before popping in Matilda (also in spanish) to take up the afternoon. Later, Marissa, Cody and Chris came over and we hung out by the pool.

SAT NIGHT: That night the 5 of us had decided to go out for a traditional Spanish dinner aka Tapas. Carmen had recommended this great place, called Salinas, by the Plaza de las Corederras which served traditional Cordobese cuisine. After a 30 minute wait we were finally seated and in a state of utter indecisiveness, let the waiter pick the dishes, wine and dessert (although we piped up for the caraf of sangria). Our meal consisted of about 8 different dishes including some of the following (*** is the highest rating I am giving any dish): Salmorejo(***) a creamy tomato paste garnished with hard boiled egg slices and pieces of ham. Spinach and Garbanzos (***) which had a little bit of a curry/mexican flavor, Fried vegatables (**), Croquetas and Croquetas de Bacalao (**) which are fried balls or cylinders of different vegetables or meats, Araña fritos (*) which is fried fish, and another type of over salted fish with some orange slices which doesnt deserve a rating. The dessert was ok (*) some pudding surrounded by a less sweet version of flan and chocolates. The wine, whose name if am forgetting was the house Tinto, the famous type for this reason, and was very good (**). It was not to dry, a little on the sweeter side, and one of the better reds I have tasted.

After dinner we walked our stuffed selves up to another plaze to meet up with Rafa (Marissa´s intercambio) and friends for a little more spanish hour before heading home.

SUNDAY: Up, out and about bright and early, Spanish time. Met up with some people to head out to the Mercadillo (a big street or flea market) in an area called Arenal by the stadium here where the river bends. The vendors mostly sell clothes and shoes and they all pretty much look the same. Somehow I managed to escape with only a few additions to my Euro-wardrobe which now includes pleather yellow stilletto boots, white sunglasses (of the obnoxiously large type) and long string of beads, which is pretty much a necessity here. After walking the market we headed back home walking along the other side of the river, and catching a great view of the Mesquita and ribera (waterfront) of Córdoba.

Im glad i stayed in Córdoba this weekend, there isnt always a lot going on but its nice to get to see the city in its normal routine. Things are starting to cool down weather wise, and the holidays are almost over which means that businesses will be open more, all the schools will start, and I will be able to get a picture of what Córdoba is like for most people, most of the time.