La comida buenísima

A blog entry dedicated to deliciousness: Because I know all I really care about is food...


I think avocados are the best food ever. Probably most of you know this about me, but I eat them whole as frequently as possible. Guess what my host mother buys for me to eat every day for lunch? Good guess! AVOCADOS! I just want to express how happy this makes me. Apparently they grow here in Spain (jealous) and are found in all of the fruterías. And even though my host parents think I´m really strange, I don´t care. What one wouldn´t do for love...

Another find I have to credit my friend Ferry for finding is dried kiwis. Do they have these in the States? I am not sure, but they are incredible! And they are sold at the fruit stands around the city and are soooo delicious. Maybe even more delicious than the dried apricots I had in Morocco...


A more savory find: Clams in butter garlic sauce. Listen, I am not a clam fan at all, but I went to a seafood specialty tapas place and there were BABY CLAMS (the size of nickels or quarters roughly) in the shell and they were incredible. I know it sounds simple and I´m from the PNW so I should eat this stuff like popcorn, but for whatever reason these were beyond delicious. Actually seafood in general here can be quite tasty. They have salmon sushi tapas that are buttery delicious mmmmm

And now that it´s beautiful and hot here, I´ve had a chance to sample several heladerías. The best ice cream I´ve had thus far is the raspberry gelato at what is known to be the best ice cream place in Granada. It literally tastes like raspberries in ice cream form. Not at all creamy, but smooth and tasty. I figure, it´s gotta be healthy because it´s just like eating fruit. Right?

And perhaps one of my FAVORITE place to go is a little tea shop where I order té pakastaní (Pakastani tea) which is creamy and chai-like and a little sweet, but very flavorful. Whatever they put in that is gold.

I promise to keep updating my adoring fans (all three to five of you...) on my delicious finds and I am not leaving here without recipes from my madre. Until my next exciting food encounter...

Muchísimas amigas!

This past week has been filled with Haverfordian visitors! Two friends from London came (they were already in Spain on their month-long spring break European tour when the volcano erupted) early this past week and we found a new tapas bar that is delicious! There is no shortage of good tapas bars here in Granada. This weekend another friend came from Berlin and we enjoyed churros y chocolate at a great café this morning with Liz, one of my Haverford friends studying here with me! It's been a delicious week. There is nothing I love more than sharing good food with friends -- it's the best. And as for Haverfordian friends (another one of my top-favorite-things), my darling friend Cameron will be here on Thursday for 6 days! AND my very first Vashon Island amiga has just booked her tickets to visit me in May! I love visitors. They're just so much fun.


This evening I also went to a Granada Club Football (Granada FC) game with a friend of mine here! It was actually a ton of fun even though I've seen mediocre college teams with more talent. Granada is about two levels down from favorite soccer teams like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, but it did fill the entire stadium with cheering, stomping, drumming fans which, let's be honest, is better than all the Seattle sports teams combined. They won too! The fans celebrated with doing the wave all around the stadium several times... I guess silly sports antics know no borders... Anyway, the picture above I did NOT take, but I thought it captured the ridiculousness of the team better than any I snapped.

Tomorrow starts my fourth-to-last week of classes and fifth-to-last week in Granada. Even though it seems like time is rushing forward, many of my friends are leaving in the next two weeks to return back to the States and I am lucky enough to be here for another seven (my parents are coming at the end of my program for two weeks more of traveling!) Now I just hope this 75 degree weather will last also...

Morocco

Africa! I have recently returned from the dark continent of mystery. It was pretty crazy and I have rarely been to a place so different from my home (any of them, Vashon, Haverford, Granada). Even disregarding the insane political, social, economic, and cultural differences, the bare sensory input was an onslaught of smells, tastes, sights, and sounds brand new to me. They drink a mint tea with tons of sugar several times a day unlike any tea I've ever had (and I have had a LOT of tea in my life). The cous cous is delicious and the streets smell like the bakeries which constantly bake sweet bread. The cars are bright and poorly made, the walls are stone and the architecture is Islamic, there are cats everywhere, and the people dress in intensely patterned clothing. I guess Northern Africa is more like the Middle East than what is typically thought to be "Africa" (to truly see "Africa" I think you have to go quite a few countries south). The people are predominantly Muslim and the country is Arabic, although these words' meanings are very non-specific. What it means to be Muslim in Morocco wasn't at all necessarily what one might think it means typically. Essentially, this trip threw a lot at me in every way from food to food for thought. As usual, I will explain the details with my photos...


This is the Rock of Gibraltar! It is entirely encased in a cloud -- I am told this is because when the English took Gibraltar they brought their awful weather with them. Anyway, we hiked to the top which was awesome (minus the lack of view) and this is also where the monkeys are!


The monkeys! They sit on your head! There are apparently about 300 on the rock and it is unclear exactly how they got to Gibraltar or why they are still there and no where else in Spain.

We stayed in Gibraltar for the night before taking the ferry boat to Tangier! It was a ROUGH ride, but totally worth it, obviously.


The food in Morocco is delicious -- this is 7 vegetable cous cous and it was incredible. Another wonderful dish: baby noodles with cinnamon and almonds, mmmmm.


WE RODE CAMELS! Ha, be jealous. It was really crazy to be on a camel and their joints bend at very strange angles.


So we stayed with a host family in Rabat -- the city we went to after Tangier -- and stayed for two nights. Within an hour of arriving at our host house (we stayed in groups of 3 Americans), our host mother decided to dress us up in three different outfits each of her traditional clothing. She took over 120 photos of us for over an hour. Moroccans are known for their hospitality, but that was not what I was expecting...


The markets were pretty crazy. You have to bargain with the shop-owners and everything is squished together and insane! I did buy a pretty scarf and some earrings though!


We went to the Rif Mountains to this TINY village to talk with a Moroccan family. Their children were SO CUTE. We gave them a soccer ball and it was almost as big as the little boy. ADORABLE. Anyway, it was interesting to see what village life is like. It seems very isolated, but extremely beautiful. It was such a weird experience to see their small children and think of how different their life would be compared to mine. I guess in some ways it was just as interesting to realize how similar they would be, too.


After stopping by the Rif Mountains, we arrived at Chefchaouen, which is back in the Spanish part of Morocco (Rabat is farther south and thus in the French region). It was all blue and white; the buildings are made of white stone and painted blue in many places. They sell lots of colorful items and it was a lot of fun to shop and walk around such a beautiful city.

On Monday, we left Chefchaouen and took the BEST FERRY I HAVE EVER TAKEN from Ceuta (a Spanish territory in Morocco) back to Spain. The seats were huge, cushy, and could recline quite a ways. Just had to mention that for an Vashonites who might read this. I know you guys would have appreciated this ferry's clear awesomeness.

Some other awesome experiences without photographic evidence: We went to a Hammam, which is an Arabic bath, and scrubbed layers of skin off of ourselves and also got massages! We got henna as well on our hands, although mine is actually almost all gone already. We went to the beach in Rabat briefly, as well, and I went into the Atlantic Ocean for the first time! Surprisingly, even though I go to school on the east coast, my first time in the Atlantic was on the African coast... Oh, and we got to see storks! They are, for the record, not big enough to carry babies so that is a very misleading tale.

Now, I'm back in Granada for the next couple weekends. Some friends from London were just here and it was SO GREAT to see them! We took them out to our favorite tapas places, churros y chocolate, and the best tea in Granada. Another friend is visiting from Berlin on Friday (Inshallah -- a very useful Arabic phrase meaning "If God wills it") and then my friend Cameron comes next week! Turns out we have only 4 more weeks of classes and 5 more weeks in Granada! Ah! But I guess I can't be too sad about returning to the best coast and living in beautiful Seattle for the summer!

Una semana en Granada

I have no words to describe how much I love Granada. I mean, I do, but it's hard to really capture the greatness of Granada in words and pictures. This week was not filled with crazy trips to foreign places, traumatic encounters, outrageous parties or anything like that, but it was one of the most wonderful ones of the semester. We went to the Generalife which are these beautiful gardens in the Alhambra. My professor was sure to tell us that they were not named "la vida general" (literally: general life) although a lot of the British tourists I overheard seemed to think that, haha. My friends and I even spotted some frogs in one of the canals of water! Yeah, that was definitely a highlight...


The Generalife!

On Friday, we went hiking about half hour from Granada and it was BEAUTIFUL. We walked maybe 5-7 miles first along this beautiful river, over a waterfall, and through a cave, and then up into the hills on the way back. It was stunning! And because we've had so much rain this winter, everything was bright green! There were times when we were literally bent over backwards trying to get around the rocks without falling into the river, but it was totally worth it. I also almost died when crossing the bridge over the waterfall (I am so afraid of bridges!), but my friend has a Disney princess backpack that I focused on while crossing and so I was okay, haha.


The river we walked along...


The almond tree blossoms! They were beautiful and they're all over Spain! You can also see our little perrito friends who followed us along the walk.

I spent Saturday and Sunday at the beach (Nerja, which is part of Costa del Sol) with some friends and it was so much fun. This morning we went swimming in the Mediterranean! It was a little cold, but I'm from the PNW so I have some tolerance for freezing water. I also got sunburned -- whoops -- but it's okay because I am finally a color that is not white (sort of) and that is great. While we were staying there, we had this really cute apartment suite with an adorable patio and it was a great celebration -- we were there to celebrate two of my friends' birthdays. I wish I could return! Alas, I think I have no more free weekends...


The Mediterranean where we went swimming!

Soon (now) begins the month of visitors! My friend Josh is coming tomorrow from London, my friends Nora and Michele are coming next Monday on their European tour during their one-month-long spring break, after we return from Morocco, then my friend Pam comes from Berlin that weekend and my friend Cameron is coming from Galway, Ireland the last weekend in April! Ahhh the days are certainly numbered, but it's great to be spending them in Granada!

Semana Santa: Roma, Venecia, Irlanda

Hola a todos! Last week was Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Granada which is possibly their most important week all year, celebrating Good Friday and Easter with processions, parades, and insane floats each day from Sunday to Sunday. I have some regrets about missing it because it is said to be spectacular, but as it was my spring break, I had a pretty fun time outside of Spain.

Thursday morning, I left for Rome, which is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited.


The first night, my friends Carmen and Anastasia and I went to the Vatican to see what turned out to be a rally of students/youth in support of the Pope. Apparently he's been accused on some rather serious sins.


Interesting cultural experience #1: Italian party thrown by the Italian student Asia lives with where we taught some of the Italians how to play beer [wine] pong and drank a lot of wine and ate a lot of delicious food. Italian culture can't really be topped by any other.


I'll spare you all of my photos of Roman monuments because I saw a lot of them. Actually, it's almost impossible to go anywhere in Rome without seeing breathtaking buildings of centuries past. This is the pantheon, and I also saw Trevi Fountain, many of the gardens in the north-eastern part of Rome, Piazza Novana, and a variety of buildings I had never even heard of but seemed very important.


Okay I also went to the Colosseum at night and it was incredibly beautiful. How did they build something so magnificent without technology or machines?

Other Roman highlights: I met a ton of Americans who are studying in Sevilla and went out with them (some were staying in my hostel). The gelato was OUT OF THIS WORLD. It's sooooo good. Pizzas are served whole and they are incredible. Basically I am in love with Italy and its sunny wonderfulness.

Next, I went to Cividale to visit a former exchange student of my family, Erica. Cividale is about 10 minutes from Slovenia so obviously we went to Slovenia -- such an awesome country to add to my list. To give you a better reference, it is also 1.5 hours from Venice. The town is very small and quaint and I mean, who can say no to authentic Italian country cooking? The answer is no one.


We made pasta! Obviously Erica helped me but mostly I handmade both types seen above myself: ravioli with a yogurt, ricotta, and freshly picked herbs filling and parparadelle with nettles in the dough and topped with freshly-picked-garlic-leaves pesto sauce. Erica made the rest of the meal: risotto with dandelion buds and herbs from her garden and fresh salad with flowers and an herby dressing. DELICIOUS! We also had the best gelato I've ever had in a nearby town, San Giovanni, which is made fresh every day and once won the award for the best gelato in Italy. Mmmm

My last destination was Galway, Ireland. I stayed with my friend Cameron and met all of her fun friends! We went out after their last day of classes (so unfair - I have two more months of class!) and then most of them scurried away on European travels. First off, Ireland is incredibly beautiful! Also, Galway is Seattle's sister city! Who knew? Makes it that much cooler. That weekend, Cam's sister and mother both came and it was a ton of fun to see them too. I know them both relatively well because I've visited San Francisco where they live more times than I can count.


In Galway, there are swans everywhere! And this city is one of those canal cities that is also on the river so the sunsets are always gorgeous.


So pretty :)


Cam, Hadley (her sister), Lee (her mother), and I went biking around the Aran Islands. These are the cliffs we stopped to see! Don't worry, there was no biking near the edge. Although there was no fence and nothing stopping you from hanging your feet off the edge -- or falling to your death. Oh to be outside of the US... We also got our hands on the beautiful Aran Island wool sweaters. They looked too weird on to buy, but they were very soft and beautiful!


Last tourist site: The Cliffs of Moher. These are also beautiful and also frightening.

Other Irish highlights: Cameron and I saw the weekly Irish dancing in one of the pubs in Galway -- very silly. I bought some excellent earrings and I got to make macaroni and cheese and chocolate chip cookies which are two of my favorite recipes to cook and which I cannot get in Spain. It was so great to cook again! I miss it a lot.

This weekend some friends are I are celebrating two important birthdays (Liz and Ferry!) at the beach since it is now beautiful, sunny and warm in Granada. Next week we head off to Morocco! The time is ticking away here... Real life is fast approaching.