More Stories from Sevilla

We are having a big time in Sevilla despite the unrelenting heat.  I think we are a bit sunburned and sun-roasted just a bit, but no one has gotten sick, and only one student has been pickpocketed so far.  No worries if you are a parent – she has already been in touch with her mom.  Credit cards have been canceled, and funds have been wired for the rest of her trip.  

As I mentioned in an early post, we started our visit at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Sea.  It is largest Gothic Cathedral in the world, and third largest church in the world. What makes this cathedral so interesting, I think, is that it began as a Muslim mosque in 1184.  Then, when Ferdinand III conquered Sevilla in 1248, he Christianized the mosque. In the 14^th century, one of the mosques minarets was destroyed in an earthquake and replaced by a bell gable.  By 1401, the decision was made to replace with mosque with a Cathedral that would demonstrate the city’s wealth.  It has been under construction and/or renovation ever since.  What one sees in walking through this constantly evolving structure is not only Gothic architecture, but also examples of Baroque, Romantic and Renaissance influences as well.  Wow.

We also visited the Royal Alcazar, which was originally a Moorish fort, but when Ferdinand III conquered Sevilla, he made it his palace.  It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe!  I found several things very interesting about this palace.  First, it has examples of extraordinary tile work throughout the palace.  Second, was truly an example of how Muslim and Christians can work together in both practice and in style.  

Last night, Tony and I wandered to dinner with the O’Deas.  We decided to just find dinner randomly somewhere.  We wandered into what looked like a neighborhood bar where no one spoke English.  We ordered beers, and the bartender gave us some eats that included peanuts, olives and what looked like fava beans.  When we ordered our second round of beers (which were very large and served in what looked like large wine glasses), we asked for tapas (which are like appetizers).  He attempted to ask what kind, and we indicted we just want 4 kinds, and that we trusted him to decide.  We threw caution to the wind.  Well, first he brought something that looked like some sort of cured ham on a sliced tomato on a small piece of toasted bread.  We each got one serving.  It was delicious.  Then he brought out something fried.  Initially, we thought it might be fried clams, but I suspect it was fried shrimp – served with mayonnaise.  Again, wonderful.  Then, squid.  Two different types of squid.  I don’t do squid, but Greg O’Dea gave me grief for not trying it, and I ate some squid.  I didn’t gag, but I still don’t do squid.  We even had tiny octopi on the plate!  Finally, we had some sort of mildly spicy pork dish served over French fries.  The whole experience was delightful, and partly so because we left it to chance.  

Today, we are trying to figure out what we want to do before we tomorrow for Granada.  It is still wicked hot, but we are hanging in there.  

Joanie

Sevilla, Spain: A City of Contrasts

We have spent only 24 hours in Sevilla, Spain, but those of you who know me well know that won’t stop me from going ahead and making some potentially judgmental observations about this city.  As noted in my title, it is a city of contrasts.  As the fourth largest city in Spain (with a municipal population of about a quarter million and a metropolitan population of about 2 million), there are lots of people living within a relatively small area.  Consequently, Sevilla prides itself on being the “greenest city in Spain.” As a result, we see these enormous recycle bins all over the sidewalks.  Interestingly, though, garbage cans are far more challenging to find.

Sevilla does a beautiful job of celebrating its historical buildings – the Cathedral of St. Mary (which has been under construction and/or restoration for centuries) and the Alcázar (a one-time Moorish palace that dates back to the 12^th century), but some of the vintage buildings have graffiti all over them.  Weird.

The city has embraced the modern world, and it seems to be building some gorgeous new buildings using cutting-edge modern architecture, and yet Sevilla’s Roman heritage in evident in the Roman ruins that can still stand all over town.  Another area where the city’s contrasts are evident is the traffic.  Drivers generally seem polite, especially with tourists who occasionally cross the street outside of the crosswalks.  Drivers will stop for pedestrians without honking at them.  That said, however, what we have noticed multiples times is that many drivers blatantly ignore traffic lights.  So, when we get ready to cross the street the light tells us that we can, we still have to look and make sure that no small trucks or cars are barreling through the light.  Yikes!  

Anyway, despite the fact that the temperature was 99-degrees yesterday, and it promises to be as hot today, everyone is well.  I promise to write more later about what we have done.  I also promise to post some pictures.  Just too much to do right now.

Joanie

London in the Rearview

We are about 5 hours off the plane, and I won’t lie, it is fantastic to be home.  Lots of Ella love and some cold TaB, and I feel like I am slowly recovering from the past 10 days.  While Tony and I had one of the best trips I think we have had with the students in another country, each year the toll these long-distance adventures take increases.  My legs will be sore for days, and the pile of mail we need to deal with is massive – not to mention the laundry!  

Nevertheless, it continues to be worth the effort.  I learn so much everywhere I go.  I noticed subtle things on this trip.  For example, I know in many entries, I have referenced how unfailingly helpful and friendly people in London are.  I cannot count how many times I would ask Tony a question about where sometime might be and a passerby would stop to answer it.  Or, someone would see us looking at a map and stop to ask how he or she might help.  More importantly, every offer of help seemed to be genuine and sincere.  Then, when we got to Atlanta’s International Terminal today, every time I went outside the terminal to look for the bus that was supposed to take us back to Chattanooga this afternoon, someone from the airport would approach me and say “Can I help you?”  Here’s the thing, though.  The TONE of the question was not genuine and helpful, but it consistently sounded accusatory – as though I had been caught crossing some invisible line I was not supposed to cross.  Perhaps I imagined it, but it struck me that we Americans are not always as welcoming as we could be.

I will offer another example.  London is an enormous city with many people.  Frequently, when we were walking along narrow streets or through parts of the Tube, we sometimes bumped into people, or they bumped into us – especially if they were rushing past us.  In every instance, they always apologized so genuinely that it was touching.  I cannot tell you how many times I have had people run into me on the street, in the airport, on campus, etc., with virtually no acknowledgement whatsoever.  While these apologies may seem like small gestures, they are powerful.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying Londoners are somehow better than Americans.  People are people all over the world, and that is why traveling to new places is so important.  I am just pointing out one way in which a cultural difference that affected me influenced how I felt about London.  That said, I remain acutely aware that it was many people on this side of the pond who made this trip to London possible to me and the other faculty and students.  

Another cultural difference I sensed is that people in England seem far more open about many issues than Americans.  When you see commercials in the U.S. that address treatments for, uh, farting, the commercials  are extremely nuanced.  In England, the ads are blunt and hilarious.  One product they market is called “Wind Setlers.”  The TV ads for “Wind Setlers” are hysterical.  

In other ways, the words they use for certain things are just charming.  I love that they refer to train cars on the Tube as “carriages” and the illegal disposal of waste onto land as “Fly Tipping.”

Okay, there is lots of laundry that needs to be done, and I have mail to read and work to do.  Seriously, though, if you don’t have a passport, get one soon and plan a trip overseas.  You won’t regret it.

Last Day in London

Tony and I ventured out to Abbey Road this morning.  I have said many times on this trip you can spot tourists because we often walk on the right instead of the left.  Here, Londoners not only drive on the left, but they generally walk on the left.  It is very confusing.  Today, however, it became glaringly apparent that tourists are also very rude.  Londoners have continued to surprise us at every turn with house kind and helpful they are.  Regardless of whether it is sincere or not, it is heartwarming to feel so welcome everywhere we go. Tourists, on the other hand, often surprise us with how rude, thoughtless and obnoxious they can be.  When this happens, we just pray they are NOT Americans.  

We had a wonderful lunch at another magnificent historic pub called The Harp.  This pub has been named the best pub in the nation several years in a row.  I don’t think many tourists go here because when we walked in most of the patrons looked like bankers who were there drinking their lunch, and they all stared at us when we entered.  The lady behind the bar, however, was incredibly friendly, and she took our order.  In addition to some great beer, we ordered The Harp’s homemade sausages on homemade buns with onions.  I got lamb sausage (YUMMY!), and Tony got the pork sausage.  

Following lunch, we indulged in some delicious gelato – I had hazelnut, and Tony had some sort of chocolate. 

I am so ready to get home, sleep in my own bed and see my sweet little Ella, but I am already missing this place.  London is such and vibrant city, and there is just so much to do.  I may be a girl who has spent most of her life in small town Chattanooga, but I have always felt that I am meant to be a big-city girl.  Whether it is Boston, Chicago, Munich or London, I think I need to live in a much larger city at some point in my life.  My years in Cincinnati gave me a taste of a somewhat bigger city, but all my years of travel make me realize that I need more.  While Tony and I are both worn out, it is a good sort of exhaustion because we have seen and done a lot, but we also feel there is much more to do.

I remember someone telling me not long ago that only 20% of Americans have passports.  If you are part of the 80% that does not have a passport, seriously think about getting one sometime soon and go somewhere.  See the world beyond the U.S.  You won’t regret it.  There are places I have visited that I would probably not visit again, but I have never regretted going anywhere.  If you think you cannot afford it, remember that not everyplace is expensive. 

Life is too short to live it all in one place.

Thoughts on London

We are planning our final day here in London, and Abbey Road will likely be our first stop.  As we look forward to coming home, I generally like to reflect on our visit.  Among the things I adore about London include:

1.       The Tube: It is fast, efficient, clean, and it goes everywhere.  The “carriages” always seem to run on time, and I wish we had Tubes all over the U.S.

2.       The People:  In addition to the diversity of people here, everyone is unfailingly polite and helpful.  I don’t know that I have ever been anywhere in my life where people have seemed so genuinely kind and willing to help perfect strangers.  It seems so odd that in a huge city like London there are so many people that are willing to just be nice to perfect strangers.  The world would be a much better place if it were more like London.

3.       The Food: I can’t get enough of the food.  It is so good.  When you think of London, you don’t think of “cuisine,” but we have loved everything we have eaten here – fish & chips, fish dogs, British ice cream, sausages, etc.  My guess is part of why the food is so wonderful is that Europe does not allow GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) in their food like the U.S. does. 

4.       The Surprises: Everywhere we go, we see or experience something we did not expect.  It has been magnificent.  Heck, see Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles on the day we landed was certainly a surprise!

Among the things I won’t miss are:

1.       The Weather:  The cold I can stand, but the constant rain (or threat of it) is a bit much to bear.

2.       The Prices: This is a pricey city.  You need lots of money to live here.  Internet access has cost us about $17 per day!