Rainy Day Adventures in Preciosa Granada

"It never rains in Granada," they say.

LIES they told me. LIES. In my experience, it always rains in Granada. True, my experience was about three days, so I guess that means a return trip is in order to lessen those odds.

I went to Granada, an Andalucian gem, by train with roommates-in-training Lauren and Emmeline in late February 2014. Between Whatsapp chat group activity, Facebook messaging and numerous bank transfers, we were ready and excited to visit one of the most beautiful cities in Spain and the home of La Alhambra, a 9th-Century Muslim palace and fortress complex set high on a hill. Moorish poets described it as "a pearl set among emeralds." Impresionante.

and this is why you come to Granada!

Amid all the beauty in Granada, we also booked a quaint Airbnb with a sweet kitchen - a double edged sword, as it were. Unfortunately, we spent the bulk of our only somewhat sunny day in the kitchen trying to chef up a good breakfast. Go figure.

Despite the craptastic weather that had us wrapping our feet in plastic bags before introducing them to our still-soaked boots and picking up corner-store umbrellas, Granada truly is beautiful. Old, narrow streets lined with fragrant orange trees. Alleys winding through lively mercados. Vibrant spices piled high in display windows. Stained glass. Butterflies. Waterfalls. Tapas the size of your head!

Here's a preview of my pictures, which you can view in full here. Proof that "there is nothing in life sadder than being blind in Granada" - see below!

old steps outside our apartment rental

how I (and my hair) really felt about that weather 

my favorite Spanish ad ;)

bachelor party? 

just had to grab one!

spices galore

tapas received for ordering our first round...beating the mess out of Madrid tapas

those boots aren't actually 2-toned...they were soaked and squishy :-/

gorgeous stuff like this ornate ceiling everywhere

group selfie! 

"Take pity on him, woman, for there is nothing in life like the shame of being blind in Granada."

Self-Indulgence & Getting "IT" Together

I've noticed lately that every time someone asks what I'm doing in Madrid, the conversation spirals into this (only seemingly, I hope) self-indulgent monologue. Checkmark all of the wonderful, soul-searching clichés:

• I've wanted to live in Spain for years!
• I never liked my career path!
• I don't want to work in an office; I want to sing!
• I wanted to try something different!
• The time was right in my life!

Blah, blah, bullshit...you get the point. Yep, I moved here exclusively for me. Helping some little ones learn to speak American (yeah, I said it - I am a language and culture assistant) is just a bonus. I know that may sound profoundly self-centered and selfish, but the point of it is really that I'm in a perpetual state of "getting myself together." I'm pretty sure that for approximately the last 6 years of my life (give or take just as many), anytime I catch up with a friend, no matter my mood, I conclude with, "ya know, just tryna get it together!" And I'm fine with that. I don't always make the best choices for getting "it" together...and oftentimes I realize that I'm not even exactly sure what "it" is...sheesh. But I have to try - and I do know that everything about my experience here is enriching the effort, just like everything before I got here led me up to the decision to come here. Whoa. I just made myself dizzy.

So, one of my latest efforts: an songwriting class. My left and right brains are probably both highly annoyed with me, but I know that my comfort zone for expanding my skillset tends to be in a classroom setting. I have made timid, feeble attempts at songwriting for years now, but always gave up or shoved them away in disgust and disappointment. A couple years ago, a dear friend sent me some instrumental tracks and asked me to write to them. He rebuffed my lyrics with irritation because they weren't songs...and it hit me: I don't understand this. I fully understanding that trial and error is the only true way to improve, but once I got serious about it trying, I accepted that I needed to satisfy that left-brain need to take some tests and get some grades. Maybe I'm feeding the wrong beast here, but I'm gathering my things, making progress...slowly but surely.

Throwback: Wandering Solo in Geneva & Lyon

the Lyon wind blowing through my hair ;)

Hey, 'member that time I went to Switzerland? And France? Huh? No? Oh snaaaaaap. It's because I didn't tell you. *slaps own wrist* Bad blogger.

At the beginning of November, I decided to take advantage of our first puente (literally, bridge, but more figuratively, a bridge to the weekend or long weekend) by exploring a new country. With my extra-long 5-day weekend, I wanted to make the most of, so I booked a flight to Geneva, Switzerland, which included a train trip to Lyon, France...solo. Looking back, maybe it was ambitious for my first solo vacation, but I suppose I was eager to join the legions of wanderlust-filled travel bloggers setting out on the open road against all odds.

Ok, once you've stopped laughing, please proceed.

Unlike most of my trips, where I meticulously prepare a spreadsheet of activities, locations, information resources and the like (again, stop laughing!), I didn't have much time to prepare for this trip, since I went waaaay overboard in my Halloween presentations at school. (Anybody need 200 plastic spider rings?) Yes, I had my Geneva hostel, Swiss train and Lyon boutique hotel booked, and fondue at the top of my "to-eat" list, but beyond that, I had no idea how I'd fill my days.

Long story short, I walked around...just...lookin', as my Chi-town girlfriends would say. Lookin'. I hate to say it, but I found Geneva rather boring. Even on the weekend, every restaurant and bar was quiet, ho-hum. There are some monuments and museums, but they didn't particularly interest me, so the only major thing I saw was the Jet D'Eau, a huge water fountain that was built for functional usage, and turned into a tourist attraction.

Behold: world's first ever VERTICAL panoramic photo. BOOM.

Lyon was a different story. I fell in love with the little town - it's friendly people, amazing food, and cultural sights all squeezed into one cute little walkable area. I wished I had stayed there for three days instead of one!

outside the Lyon courthouse at sunset...just beautiful!

A few tidbits:

• Fondue in Geneva: Suuuuper expensive, but I definitely expected it to be a decadent treat, and the only meal I purchased that day! I wish I had ordered raclette, which is essentially the same thing, in smaller portions, plus potatoes!

that cheese is hot!!

• Swiss chocolate: I got a bag of goodies from what is supposed to be the best chocolatier in Geneva (and at that price, they damn well better be), and I still would have preferred some gummi bears. Just not a chocolate lover.
• Swiss train: Lovely ride, very efficient systems, slightly scary security procedure.
• Street art: I've only recently realized how much I love seeing street art, and it's reflection about the people in that place.

free?

not street art, but this is how you know you're near a Black hair shop. Just look for Bey and Rih...

• All Saints' Day: I realized this was a big holiday in Spain, but didn't consider that it would be big elsewhere in Europe...Hence, I didn't have time to visit Musee des Beaux Arts, a major draw to Lyon for me. It also made it hella difficult to just get a croissant! Despite many closings, Lyon was beautiful!

how is this real?!

one of many moments where I felt like I was in the movie "Labyrinth"

• French cuisine: Wow. I had the best meal since I've arrived in Europe at a little cafe near the river, right by my hotel. Amazing. Here's another look in case you forgot.



NOMtastic

• Hostels: I am officially not about that life. However, mine was outside of St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva - a lovely view - at least on the outside. Since this is not a Catholic cathedral, the inside is not decorated or adorned with any frescoes, stained glass, etc.

St. Pierre Cathedral

best thing in the hostel ;)

• And of course, other quaint little local things...

this ad would never fly in the US! 

my charming fellow bus rider in Geneva

my Lyon Drake-hands cabbie...all we listened to on the way to the airport

Truly, a solo trip is really the perfect time to step up your selfie game. For an exhaustive (like, seriously) look at my trip, check out my pics!

I know this isn't a great recap or review of these cities, but quite honestly, something more important happened on this trip. In addition to it being my first time taking a trip by myself - no one to meet up/have dinner/visit with - it was also my first time staying in a hostel and navigating for an extended period in a place where I don't know the language. Perhaps it shouldn't be a shock that that last item was a real kick in the boo-tay. I knew that Geneva, being a world business center, had a lot of English speakers. I didn't really expect it in Lyon, but there were plenty there, too...but I apparently didn't give much thought to what to expect or how to approach such a situation....

I found myself trying to bumble along with pointing, gesturing and giggling until I got a wakeup call from the man at the kebab place in Lyon. (Sue me, street meat sounded good.) I tried to guess the questions he was asking - I mean, ordering a kebab has a pretty standard procedure, right? But the bottom line was, and is, that I do not understand French. Not written. Not spoken. Like, AT. ALL. I didn't succeed in guessing the questions he was asking as I pointed at tomatoes and giggled toward lettuce. Finally, the man said, "DO. YOU. SPEAK. ENGLISH?" The grin slid off my face onto the grimy floor and I nodded a sheepish (don't all writers just die to use that adjective?! How Judy Blume of me. I digress.) confirmation.

Good thing I had a kebab because after that, the emotional eating was on. I felt like such a jerk. A typical tale of American arrogance in Europe. I knew good and well that French was not my schtick, so why did I essentially force this man into begging me to speak my native language? I was trying to be a jerk, obviously, but isn't perception everything? Wandering around France waiting for someone to ask me if I speak English? Sounds like a jerk. It was a humbling moment. I also realized that despite how much I enjoyed my independence and the sights in Lyon, I felt lonely. Failing to make a legit attempt at  actual communication with the people around me left me feeling very isolate. That evening taught me a lesson in informal diplomacy if nothing else. And what does GI Joe say? "Now you know, and knowing is half the battle."

a plaza in Geneva lit with tiny squares bearing greetings in languages from around the world. comforting :)

A Day With Sofía, La Reina

I'm not sure why it took me five. whole. months. (yep, that's how long I've been living in Madrid) to go see what is probably my favorite work of art. Museums in Madrid frequently offer free evenings and paid admission days are a steal for seeing huge collections of world-famous artists...so there really is no excuse to not enjoy them! Granted, in my family we tend to zip through museums in record time, but we still enjoy it. It was high time. So I dragged my homie Tomás out on this rainy weekend and we walked off our Indian food comas at El Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. First order of business: selfies with the art:

An easel with a canvas - are we the artists or the subjects?

Guernica by Pablo Picasso is for sure one of my top-three favorite works. I wrote a research paper on this painting in high school and it's been a favorite of mine ever since. Short history lesson on the work: Guernica is a small village that was bombed in April 1937 during the Spanish Civil War at the direction of Franco, Spain's former military dictator. After reading an eye-witness account of the suffering and inhumanity that transpired in Guernica, Picasso began sketching Guernica and finished the huge mural (about 11x25') after about six weeks of work in Paris. Images such as a woman holding her dead child, a horse screaming in pain, fire bursting through the door and contorted human bodies convey this chaos inflicted upon innocent people. Picasso wouldn't allow Spain to host this work until democracy was established in the country, so it didn't get to Spain until the 1980s and didn't reach its permanent home here in Madrid until the 1990s.

Guernica, Pablo Picasso (1937)

I don't often connect with paintings the way I do with music, but in this piece, the depth of feeling can really be seen - both in the sheer size of this work, and in the layered messages contained in it. So, as you can tell, I was geeked to see it. Sofía doesn't allow photography anywhere near Guernica, but we took plenty of pics with some of our other favorites...

yes, it's moving - I think it's a commentary on the concept of time

a girl after my own heart - so salty and sassy!

deep thoughts

a comment on love from a heart-broken artist

I was diggin' this whole silhouette in a silhouette thing. Dope!

Finally! We found his brain!

The museum is huge - we were beat after walking 1.5 of it's four floors of art - so I'll definitely be back to take in more. Check out all the museum pics here!

Keeping Up With The LaLa

Madrid graffiti artists drop knowledge: "If you don't fight for your dreams, you will live in a nightmare."

Funny how the final line on my "About" page challenges you, my darling reader (who I have missed oh-so-much) to "try and keep up with me!" with an imagined minxish wink. Well surprise, surprise...guess who's had the hardest time keeping up? ME!

Not sure if you've noticed, but it's been a nice, round three damn months since I've so much as whispered a word over here. One could say I'm livin' la vida LaLa (couldn't help it)...too busy to blog! However, the whole point of the blog is to keep folks in the loop who would like to be loop'd, without answering the eternally awkward and impossible, "So, how's Spain?"

Now, if you will, drape your middle finger lightly over the tip of your index finger - fingers crossed for more blogs! Yeah!

This week has been...challenging. I have felt emotionally twisted, frustrated with my job, stressed about an impending deadline and down-right exhausted. But it hasn't been like last year, when I was emotionally twisting...well, the way women like me often do ;), frustrated at an unfulfilling career, stressed by group projects and exhausted by all-nighters writing papers. This week I felt the emotional twists of blossoming relationships, frustration toward my unruly 4th-graders, stress over the assignments due for my online songwriting class (Berklee, what?!) and exhausted because I was singing at a jam session until 3am on a school night. Now, I can take delight in all these challenges.

"Challenging" is sometimes a euphemism for "hard" or "difficult," and sure, it feels that way sometimes, but how would it feel in the absence of challenge? What would I be striving for? It's cheesy, but would I value the sunshine so much without the clouds? My time here is about reaching out and actually touching those things I want - and I've realized that the first step in actually owning those desires - something I kept myself from doing for a long time. Even on the crummy days, or endless weeks or the, ahem, months when I have felt too busy to write a blog, it's all been useful for me. So here's to sharing that with you!

And just for some extra bloggy goodness, one of my favorite quotes (though I haven't had success in verifying its source): "The difficulties of life are intended to make us better, not bitter."