¡Vaya Merienda!

La merienda segun Wikipedia es:

"un tipo de comida ligera que se toma a mediodía o, más usualmente, a media tarde o antes de la cena.^[1] Suele tomarse un bocadillo, o pieza de pan con embutido, pastas o bollería, acompañado de alguna bebida, fría o caliente, como café, batido, zumo, chocolate caliente o leche, entre otros. También puede consistir en alguna pieza de fruta, yogur, café con leche, etc."

Vaya, parece que nos pasamos un poco. Me voy a tener que poner de dieta cuando volvamos a casa.  ¿Alguien tiene alguna recomendación?

La merienda according to Wikipedia is:
"a light meal^[1] in Southern Europe (particularly Spain), Latin America, and the Philippines. Usually taken in the afternoon or for brunch, it fills in the meal gap between lunch at noon and dinner, or between breakfast and lunch. It is a simple meal that often consists of a piece of fruit, cookies, yogurt, and other snacks paired with juice,chocolate, coffee, and other beverages."

Well, this definition doesn´t really apply to the the variety and quantity of food and beverage that was consumed in this merienda.  Does anybody know of any post Spanish vacation diets they would recommend?

El Castillo de Santa Catalina, Jaén

Here is a little driving adventure among many we managed to record while trying to get to the castle in Jaén.  There are some places where the streets are so narrow that a bigger car wouldn´t have fit.  It´s very fun driving through some of these streets.
Aquí está una aventura en el coche entre muchas, que pudimos grabar en rumbo al castillo de Jaén.  Hay unos cuantos lugares donde la calle está tan estrecha que un coche un poco más grande no cabe.
 

Cartagena

Fuimos a Cartagena para ver a una amiga de Eli que conoció cuando estaba estudiando en la Universidad de Granada.  Llegamos un poco tarde y no nos dio tiempo de conocer la ciudad ni de ir a la playa, una lastima, pero lo pasamos bien con Carmen, su marido Juan y su bebé Juanito.
We went to Cartagena to see a friend of Eli´s she met when she was going to the University of Granada.  We got there a little late and so we didn´t have time to see much of the city or to go to the beach but we had fun with Carmen and her husband Juan and little Juanito.

more after the jump
más después del salto

Murcia, Pool Time

Eli´s sister MariJose and her husband Leandro invited us to Leandro´s parent´s house to swim a few times.  They have a great little pool to cool off in after baking in southern Spain´s heat.  Alejandro learned how to take a deep breath and, holding onto my neck, dive into the depths of the pool.  Seriously, a pool is a must have if you live in a place like southern Spain.

Marijose, la hermana de Eli, y su marido Leandro nos invitaron a la casa de los padres de Leandro para mojarnos un par de veces.  Tienen una piscina guay para refrescarse después de estar ardiendo en el sol Andaluz.  Alejandro aprendió como montarse en mi espalda, cojer aire y bucear en las profundidades de la piscina.  De verdad que hace falta una piscina en un lugar como el del sur de España.

 

more after the jump

más después del salto

Murcia, El Mar Menor

El Mar Menor

 

It´s not very deep and it´s separated from the rest of the Mediterranean so the water gets super warm.  Its great for the little kids but it gets super salty as well, not so great fot the kids.  

No es muy profunda y está separado del resto del Mediterraneo, guay para los peques pero también hace que el agua este muy salada, no tan guay para los peques.

La Alhambra, Granada

Whenever we come to Spain we have to go see the Alhambra.  It´s always amazing and each time we see it from a different perspective.  This time we went to a viewing area directly across from the palaces called El Mirador de San Nicolas.  There was a guy there singing and playing flamenco music on his guitar and the experience was surreal.  It was so cool I had to record it.

Siempre que venimos a España vamos a ver a la Alhambra.  Es siempre asombroso y parece que cada vez la vemos desde una perspectiva distinta.  Esta vez fuimos a un sitio al otro lado de la Alhambra que se llama El Mirador de San Nicolas.  Había un hombre allí con una guitarra cantando música flamenca y cantando y toda la experiencia fue muy surreal.  Era muy guay así que tuve que grabarlo.

España

It´s been a little while since I´ve been on blogger and everything is different.  Anyway, we are here in Spain, Andalucía, the south of Spain enjoying some sun and heat.  So far we´ve been to Andujar, a small farming town where Eli´s cousins live, Murcia, Cartagena and Granada and of course Jaén with Eli´s mom.  Here are a few pictures to get started.

Ha pasado bastante tiempo desde meterme aquí en blogger y todo ha cambiado.  Bueno, estamos aquí en España, Andalucía, el sur de España disfrutando un poco del sol y el calor.  Hasta ahora hemos estado en Andújar, un pueblo pequeño donde viven los primos de Eli, Murcia, Cartagena y Granada y claro que Jaén con la madre de Eli.  Aquí están algunas fotos para empezar.

 

more pics after the jump

más fotos después del salto

Flashback Friday España 2006

My favorite city in Spain, Granada.  It has everything!  Mountains and skiing, beach, beautiful city, and the Alhambra. 

Mi ciudad preferida en España, Granada.  ¡Tiene de todo!  Montañas para esquiar, playa, ciudad bonita y la Alhambra. 

Eli's cousins have a house out in the country near Jaén in a city called Andújar with tons of olive trees.  Her uncle recently started buying goats and selling their milk.  This trip we got there in time to see all the playful baby goats and Natalia loved giving them their bottles.

Fuimos a Andújar cerca de Jaén donde los primos de Eli tienen una huerta de olivos.  Su tío recientemente empezó a comrar cabras para vender su leche.  En este viaje llegamos a tiempo para ver los chotos y a Natalia le encantó darle su leche en biberón.

CELEBRATIONS IN MADRID!!!

ESPAÑA

¡¡¡CAMPEONES DEL MUNDO!!!

Spain vs. Germany World Cup Semifinal Highlights

Cordoba

La Mezquita de Córdoba is an amazing and stunning example of a crashing together of cultures. Originally there was a Christian temple, the basilica of San Vicente which was destroyed sometime in the 8th century a.d. It was destroyed by the Spanish Muslims in order to build the Mosque, a sanctuary that would become one of the most important in all of western Islam. Years later in the 13th century, the Christians reconquered Cordoba and commenced with the rituals of purification of the mosque. Usually cathedrals were built on top of these holy buildings but this Great Mosque of Cordoba was so immense that the cathedral had to be built inside. It is an amazing experience to be walking around the mosque and then suddenly come face to face with an enormous cathedral. Some of the images below illustrate this clash.

Here are some pictures of the Mezquita from outside as well as from inside.

Just outside is the Guadalquivir river which is one of the four large rivers in Spain. By the time it gets to Cordoba it is really big. It looks dirty but it's really the turbulence lifting sediment and carrying it downriver. We picked a lousy day for visiting Cordoba; the temperature got up to 115 degrees F. We thought we were going to die. Luckily we brought with us a spray bottle which we continuously emptied on us and the kids. The only people out on the streets were idiot tourists like ourselves. So, some respite in the shade of some trees on the banks of the river did us well. It also gave Natalia and me a chance to grab some pebbles and water for our collection.

Granada

The crown jewel of the Muslim empire in Spain in my opinion is definitely the Alhambra in Granada. Each time I have gone I stand in awe at the perfectly detailed craftsmanship of the buildings and gardens. If you ever find yourself in Andalucia, you must go see the Alhambra.

Another reason for our frequent visits to Granada is because it is home to Eli's alma mater, the University of Granada, where she studied for five years. We usually meet up with Dolo (Dolores) and her sister Carmen, Eli's friends and roommates through college who are a lot of fun to hang out with.

We reserved a night tour this time at the Alhambra and we barely made it in time. When we arrived we had five minutes to make it from the entrance all the way to the Nazaries Palaces. I took off running with Natalia and we got there with seconds to spare. Once inside, we were able to stay until they closed the buildings. Visiting at night was very cool. There is so much to take in, both in the palaces as well as in the gardens so this time it was nice to be able to focus on the palaces.

Alicante

My computer has been giving me all kinds of problems. After many frustrating hours with customer service and a few hammer blows to the cpu I finally figured out the problem. My wireless adaptor went bad on me and I had to buy a new one. Anyway.....

We went to Alicante for more beach and also to hang out a little with Leandro's sister Marijose and her husband Hector. Natalia was also able to swim with Aaron, Marijose and Hector's little boy, first at the beach and then in the pool. Alicante's beaches were sooo clean; too bad we didn't have tons of time to just hang out there. Sorry about the sparse photos, I was too busy swimming in the Mediterranean.

Murcia

Eli's sister Marijose and her husband Leandro now are living in Murcia so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to go see them there especially since they live so close to the Mediterranean. It was evening before we actually made it to the beach "Los Narejos" and the sun was setting. The "plan" was to walk on the beach and maybe roll the pants up and walk a little bit in the water so we didn't even think about bringing swimming suits and towels. I guess the kids had other ideas which the quickly made known. The water here is very warm and it took the kids literally under a minute to get in, clothes and all. I even ended up having to sacrifice my RSL shirt for kids to use to dry off.

The next day Alejandro and I went to the store for sun block because we were headed right back to the beach and we came across a park on the way.

Jaen

Eli's family is from Jaen and naturally we set up home base there. It is one of the lesser known of eight provinces that make up Andalusia which translates into fewer tourists and a more authentic travel experience; it also means that the historic monuments and tourist attractions, although plentiful, are smaller in scale compared to others in the region. One thing it is known for, which you might have guessed by looking at the picture above, is that it is the olive oil producing capital of the world.

Some of the places we made it to this time are the Moorish Baths, the fair, Jaen's first university, the Castle Santa Catalina and the Children's City.

Jaen's Moorish Baths, some of the largest and best preserved in all of Europe, are found in basement of the Palace of Count Villardompardo. The baths were originally constructed around the 11th century but sometime during the middle of the 13th century, the Christians conquered the city and built the palace on top. After conquering, the Christians would build their cathedrals, churches and other buildings on top of other cultures' temples, mosques and other holy buildings. Maybe they believed that by building their cathedrals and churches on top of other buildings they considered unholy they would somehow purify them. I was not able to take pictures inside because it wasn't allowed but I was able to smuggle out some dirt from one of the baths in the hot water room.

La Feria de la Virgen de la Capilla de Jaén, the smaller of the two fairs during the summer in Jaen takes place some time between the 2nd and 3rd weeks of June. It is a Catholic event complete with a procession but also includes bullfighting and rides and food of course.

Here are some pictures of Jaen's first university. I don't really know much about this place, we ended up here by accident. It is a cool building though.



El Castillo de Santa Catalina sits atop a mountain overlooking the city of Jaen. It was built by the Christians sometime after they conquered the Muslims in the 13th century AD and was a major staging point for conflicts between the Christians and the moors in Granada. We always manage to make it to the castle on our trips maybe because it is cooler there than in the city or maybe it's for the night views of Jaen which are so cool.

La Cuidad de los Niños was an area between two and three acres filled with theme based play equipment.
We ended up visiting this park often because the kids really had fun.

La Boda

I have been having technical difficulties with uploading pictures but it seems to be resolved. The first week in Spain was basically getting ready for Eli's sister Marijose and Leandro's wedding. Normal Catholic weddings in Spain are a large enough production in and of themselves but LDS (Mormon) weddings are marathon like.

Friday morning we all got up and got ready for the official civil ceremony which took place at "El Ayuntamiento de Jaen" which is like the city building (top left picture). Natalia was chosen to be the ring bearer along with Aaron, the groom's nephew and the two of them really hit it off. After the ceremony, everyone went down to lay in wait for the bride and groom (los novios) to come to the street where they would be covered with fistful after fistful of rice. This part is especially fun for everyone but the novios. I'm not sure what the meaning is behind this tradition but I assume it has to do with wishing a life of bounty for the newly weds. I don't think anyone really cares what it means; it's just plain fun tossing hand fulls of rice.


After the initial ceremony and a quick lunch, the bride and groom separate with their own close family where the photographer comes for pictures. Soon after, we all went to the LDS church building where the family of the bride and groom could attend a type of ceremony since most of them are Catholic and not able to attend real ceremony in the Madrid temple.

From there we were off to La Juleca where a full on reception awaited us. The first part of the reception took place in a garden like area complete with a small pond and waterfall. We were served every kind of appetizer you can imagine including jamon serrano, roasted almonds, cheeze and grapes, croquetas and many other things I don't even know the names of. Natalia especially loved this part because she was able to run around with Aaron and eat all the jamon serrano she could. When the novios' arrival neared we were ushered to the banquet hall where everyone was seated and the real celebrating began. The dinner consisted of multiple courses and I actually lost track but there must have been at least seven. This is generally possible because everyone who attends is expected to give the novios a monetary gift which at least covers the cost of the plate. The reveling continued for us until 2 a.m. when we finally were forced to leave due to injury.

Natalia had been running around and had fallen down hard on her arm. We were afraid she may have fractured her arm so we went to the emergency room. After x-rays and such it was determined that she was fine so we finally made it home at 3 a.m.

The next day, Saturday afternoon we had to make the four hour trip to the Madrid Temple for the sealing ceremony. All the previous events the day before were a lot of fun but the sealing ceremony was perfect. I think we finally made it back to Jaen safe and sound at 2 a.m. thanks to lively conversation and three or four Red Bull energy drinks I pounded just in case (I tend to get

a little drowsy driving sometimes).

Yuuuuuummm!!!

Some things about our Spain trips are always awesome.  The food for example is always sooooo good.  Here we have a little seafood\fish sampler.  Bocarones, merlusa and calamares.  Mmmmmmmm good.

We are still alive....

Sorry for the lack of posting. It has been difficult, well more difficult than I thought, to post consistently. We have been very busy with.....well, I will fill you all in on the details pronto. Here are a few of the places we've been.

Calm Before the Storm???

Saludos from.......España!!! After a grueling trip (22 hours including layovers, other delays and the drive from Madrid to Jaén) we have arrived. At the beginning of the trip Alejandro was doing really well. I was worried about a complete travel catastrophe since he loves to wiggle so much and hates to be restrained. So far so good. I even commented to Eli that this might be the calm before the storm.....and that storm came. We made it from Indy to Cincinnati and from there to New York but during the last few hours of the flight to Madrid Alejandro couldn't take any more. Finally we arrived and he slept most of the way to Jaen in the car.

Rafa, Eli's brother, and his wife Lidia picked us up at the airport and, after a some turns and glorietas, told us he didn't know where he was. He also said that he has come many times to the airport but manages to make it home a different way each time. I was thinking "how hard can it be to go there and back especially if you have been numerous times?" A little bit later, somewhere in Madrid, Rafa finally stopped in a gas station and asked a cab driver how to get to Jaen. After a few minutes of thinking about it, he gave us directions. I realized that if a Madrid cab driver has to take a minute to think about how to get onto a certain interstate from somewhere in Madrid, a simple trip from the airport to Jaen may just be harder than I thought.

The good think about getting a little turned around in Madrid was that we were able to drive around "La Puerta de Alcalá" which is in the center of the city. It was cool because we generally don't usually spent time in Madrid.