The Parents are in Town

This week my mom and dad arrived and we have been doing a lot of sightseeing around Sevilla.  We went to the top of The Giralda for the first time and were lucky enough to have great weather.  The views at the top are amazing.  During the week we were also able to squeeze in a Flamenco show and some great tapas at Albarama restaurant.  A busy week despite some serious parental jet lag.

Cathedral and Giralda Tower

View from Tower

Another viewpoint

This weekend we rented a minivan and headed over to Cordoba.  The old jewish quarter in Cordoba was really amazing and I think has Sevilla's Santa Cruz neighborhood beat.  The main cathedral, called The Mezquita, is a huge structure with mixed Moorish and Christian architectural styles. The original parts of the structure were started in about A.D. 600 by the Visigoths, then converted into a mosque by the Moors.  The massive darkened interior with all the arches is quite a sight.

Interior Arches

Moorish doorway

Camila in The Mezquita

Isabel being 2

Cleaning Day

My parents are arriving tomorrow so we spent the morning cleaning up preparing for the "white glove" inspection.  I have to pop over to Corte Ingles after Spanish class to grab some beer and wine and re-up on some ingredients for a few Spanish dishes I plan to make for the folks.  Another hectic, stressful day here in Spain.

Photo bomb

The kids in uniform

Metropol Parasol

Produce market underneath

From across the street

The plaza playground

playground part deux

This is how we roll (in a bus)

I love the doors here

Typical home in El Centro

-Dave

Fall in is the air

The weather has noticeably changed here in Sevilla over the past few days.  Fall is in the air, the leaves are beginning to litter the sidewalks, and the afternoon sun doesn't peel the skin off the back of your neck as it once did.  Today we experienced our first drop of rain since moving to Sevilla.  Almost 6 weeks without a raindrop!  As we stood and watched the somewhat anemic rainstorm through our french doors, Camila turned and asked, "Where's the thunder daddy?" "The thunder is back in Tampa honey."  How I miss my Florida afternoon thunderstorms.

I began private Spanish tutoring this week and am very happy so far.  To my chagrin, and as it was at CLIC, she refuses to speak any English.  Although initially frustrated with this approach, I am beginning to get with the program and see the benefit.  Little by little (poco a poco), I am making improvements and starting to see a light at the end of the verb tense tunnel.  So for the rest of the blog I shall wax grammatic about the preterito, preterito perfecto, and my personal favorite, the pluscuamperfecto.  Not really.  But my point, if there is one, is that it is going pretty well.  Hopefully after another month or so of practice I won't freeze like a deer in headlights when someone approaches me randomly on the street.  Vamos a ver.

Today, we dragged the kids to EcoFest Sevilla.  Basically, an expo for organic food.  The organic industry here in Spain is fledgling at best.  There are no Fresh Markets here teeming with "my coffee is more fair trade than yours" organic foodie types.  It just doesn't exist.  So EcoFest was an attempt to get some more traction for the industry.  Overall, it was a really nice and well attended event.  They even had a kids play area.  Smart guys, smart.  We bought some really nice cheeses, olive oil, chorizo, and jamon iberico.  Can't wait to dig in!

Ali and I have also found a great farmers market here in Sevilla.  It is underneath a huge public artwork that looks like a giant mushroom.  Appropriate I guess.  We will be buying most of our perishable goods here from now on.  The vegetables are really fantastic.  However, as far as the meat goes, the hygienic practices are somewhat suspect.  And when I say suspect, I am being quite charitable.  Would you buy chicken breasts from a guy who just skinned and butchered a whole rabbit, scooped brains from 4 sheep skulls that he cracked open with a meat cleaver in full view of everyone, and then turned to you with his unwashed hands?  Neither would we.  We left without the chicken.  Apparently, hand washing is optional here in the meat industry.  I will take my steak well done thank you.

Fresh Vegetables!

 Sheep brains anyone?

Fresh Rabbit

La comida!

On Sunday evening, we decided to sit down and try the online grocery shopping thing.  It took a LONG time navigating the online store, trying to figure out what food we wanted, and learning the metric sizes of the packages.  Luckily, the store saves your shopping list so it's quicker the next time you place an order.  My delivery came as scheduled and I was thrilled with the service!  As a bonus, there is no delivery fee if you spend at least 200 Euros.  The girls should have enough snacks to last several months.  Here's a picture after I had already unpacked a few of the bags.

I have been a little stressed lately over what and how much the girls are eating.  Some days they eat real food, some days they will eat only junk, and some days they eat nothing but crackers and milk.  Camila has lost some weight but Isabel looks the same with her protuberant belly.  I am even allowing them to drink juice and chocolate milk (my friends who know my household restrictions are gasping right now) just to get extra calories in them.  So today I had a great laugh when I read Isa's teacher's entry in her school book.  The girls each have a notebook where the teachers and parents can communicate daily regarding how the kids ate, used the bathroom, etc.

Under observations it says "Como come!  Lo suyo y lo de sus compis."  English translation: "How she eats!  Her food AND that of her classmates."  That's my Isa!  

~Ali

Narrow streets and cheeseburgers

Dave and I did a little sightseeing today.  The center of town is truly a maze, and it's fun to walk around and get lost.  There are intersections everywhere and the names of the streets change every block.

On one of the spacious sidewalks, trying not to get hit by side mirrors.

Video of one of the many intersections.

 Narrow streets.

 Roman columns in the city center.

 A common theme in Sevilla.  I gotta get one of these for our room.

Plaza de Encarnacion.  There's a farmers market under there!

After taking in some of the antiquities of the city, we decided to stop in the Plaza de Armas for lunch.  We tried out Fosters Hollywood, the "American" restaurant in Sevilla.  After looking at the menu we were a bit skeptical about the quality of the food.  The menu was TGI Friday-esque with photos of the food including a particularly worrisome glamour shot of the quesadillas.  We ordered a bacon cheeseburger and fries to split with high hopes.  OMG!  The deliciousness and juiciness of the burger was more than I could handle.  Heinz ketchup, Gulden spicy mustard, fresh lettuce, tomato, and the meat... fantastico!  I was so giddy the whole bus ride home.  I had a post-cheeseburger euphoria one could only experience after living outside the US for a month.  Quite a surprise.  We didn't think they could pull it off.

Ali 

A good date night and Anniversary

Please excuse the poor quality pictures as the iPhone camera has its limitations.  Nevertheless, we had a very nice Anniversary on Friday night starting the evening off in the Arenal neighborhood eating tapas and drinking good wine.  We got adventurous and tried a small sandwich (montadito) with pulled pork, chorizo, and blood sausage (morcilla).  It turned out to be absolutely delicious despite our reservations about eating blood sausage.  Additionally, we tried stewed pork cheeks (carillada) and lamb meatballs with mint.  Everything was good.  Incidentally, if you are a vegetarian, you will be miserable here.  Almost all the dishes are meat based.

(funny side note for the ladies:  So here I am, in my cute outfit, makeup on, hair done, riding a poorly maintained city bike on our way to the other side of town for tapas.  A little different than hopping in your car to go to SideBerns with the AC on!  -Ali)

Ali in front of the big top

As you may have expected, the Cirque du Soleil show was amazing.  Inside that traveling big top they managed to create a dream-like, otherworldly environment.  The creativity of the production and the physical prowess of the performers was truly impressive.  We thoroughly enjoyed it. I managed to snap one photo of the stage before I was accosted by the staff for taking pictures.  Once again, my iPhone doesn't capture the ambiance of the stage adequately.

Afterwards, we headed to the popular Santa Cruz barrio for some Flamenco.  The bar is directly across the narrow street from our first apartment.  The music was great and we spoke with the flamenco singer during a break.  Turns out he lived in the U.S. (well, Miami) for a few years and spoke decent English despite being hammered.  The room where the music was being performed was a relatively small rectangular shaped room with people sitting along the wall clapping along to the beat.  People would stand up spontaneously and dance from time to time.  It was an intimate atmosphere with mostly locals (like us) and the music was great.  We stumbled into here randomly.  I love finding places that way.

Enjoying some Flamenco

Our week

This week has been a relatively routine week for us Sevillanos.  I had a measly three days of Spanish class since Wednesday was a national holiday (Dia de la Hispanidad) and this particular class doesn't meet on Fridays.  This actually worked out well since the class has turned out to be pretty lousy. I am going to start private tutoring next week which I think will be a lot more efficient.

The kids did well in school this week and Isabel is finally starting to get over her cold.  It's one of those colds were they act pretty well during the day, then at night they sound like they are going to expel a lung.  A few nights ago, upon checking on her after a particularly bad coughing fit, I fully expected to discover an ex vivo lung specimen on the tile floor.  Things got bad enough that Ali took her to a pediatrician at a walk-in clinic.  He basically repeated exactly what I had told her, which made me feel warm and happy inside.  This is what I got for the 80 Euros.  What my wife got was a little piece of mind and some cold medicine.  All things considered I think it was a good investment.  Isa started to improve quickly after the visit.  Why is it that kids so frequently improve after a doctors visit even when the doctor didn't necessarily do anything definitive?  This is truly one of the great pediatric mysteries of the universe.

With the kids doing well, Ali and I set out to explore the city.  Here we are riding Sevilla's communal bikes.  The bikes are strategically placed throughout the city and you simply pay a small fee and go.  The bikes can be returned at a different location, so you can use them to commute across the city.  There is even a basket in front for your small lap dog.  Pretty cool.  The weather was great that day and we ended up riding for over 2 hours.

Ali on her bike 

Me on my bike 

Today is an important day for three reasons.  Firstly, it is our good friend Steve Wyckoff's birthday, so Happy Birthday Steve.  Secondly, it is our good friend Laura Shaw's birthday, so Happy Birthday Laura.  Lastly, and for the purposes of my next segue, it is our 5th wedding anniversary.  Hurray, we made it!  A few more years and we can get a respectable divorce (just kidding).  But seriously, to celebrate tonight we are going to see Cirque du Soleil, who are in town with their traveling big top for just a few more days.  Additionally, we are hitting some of the tapas bars that you guys have suggested in your emails.  Thanks again for the off-site research!  We are excited to be celebrating 5 years of marriage and our 2nd date night in Sevilla. If any memories persist beyond the inevitable haze of good wine and savory tapas,  I will be sure to report them.

Hasta Luego, Dave

For the grandparents!

Sorry to photo-bomb the blog, but after speaking with my mom tonight, there is a request for more pictures.  A few more...

 Enjoying a wine at the hotel before heading out for the evening.

 This was another beach near us.  Cool surroundings, but a little steep of a walk to take the kids.

 My two oldest :)

 My Isa.  

 You can't tell in this picture, but there were a number of topless sunbathers on the beach.  I had to explain to Camila that she would see other people's "boobies" here.  She was unimpressed.  So was Dave for that matter.

Our car rental.  A BMW 1 series hatchback.  Diesel engine like most cars here.  Dave filled up the tank for 70 Euros.  Ouch!

More from Lagos, Portugal

Lagos turned out to be a fantastic beach weekend.  We had some bumps in the road, like our restaurant choices, but overall, it was great to see the girls enjoy the beach, and we were in awe of the scenery.  The cliffs are amazing in person.  On Sunday evening, we drove to Sagres and Cabo de San Vicente, the most southwestern point in Europe.  We watched an amazing sunset and took in the ocean views.  I freaked out a little bit when Dave and Camila got a little too close to the edge, but seriously, there is nothing to protect you from falling to your death.

 These are the "kids cups" of Europe.  Yes... small wine glasses. 

 There was a guy making huge bubbles in a plaza for the kids.  They absolutely loved it!

 Playing in the sand at Praia de Mos in Lagos.

 My beautiful Camila.

 The beach was seriously amazing.  No seashells, but fantastic rocks.

 Dave braving the water.  It was a bit too cold for me to get in.

 "What cliffs?  I have a lollipop!!"

 Holding on to my babies for dear life.

Amazing sunset.

night-night sun!

Tonight I took Isabel to the health clinic.  She's been sick with a cold and a cough for the better part of the last 3 weeks, so 80 Euros later,  we were diagnosed with a virus and got sent home with some cough medicine.   Hopefully we'll get a good nights sleep tonight.