Last Tuesday, February 23, was my new friend's, Dayna, birthday! Actually her 21st birthday! It was unfortunate that it was on a Tuesday but we were determined to have fun! Some bars that we go to have 1 euro beers on Tuesday and Thursday nights. A few of us stopped by the pastry shop to get a cake and then there are these chinese stores that sell just about every, cheap crap you can imagine! So we were able to get "2" and "1" candles and a party hat!
Dayna, Birthday Girl, with her Party Hat On!
When we arrived at the bar it was unusually crowded for a Tuesday night so we had to do the cake eating on a bench outside! Dayna was so surprised and excited about the cake when she arrived. But since none of us smoke we had to ask some Spanish girls to light the candles for us. And they joined in singing "Happy Birthday" with us! The cake had cream on the outside with pineapple chunks mixed in and some chocolate drizzled on top, very sweet but delicious!
The Cake!
Me, Val, Kassandra, Dayna, Morgan, & Katie
After cake eating we went into the bar for a few beers. We only hung out for a little bit but Dayna said it was more than she was expecting for her Birthday and she really enjoyed herself! Yeah to birthday celebrations!
This past Saturday me and a group of new friends took a bus trip to La Rioja which is known as wine country in Spain. Northern Spain and particularly this area is known for some of the best wine. According to Rick Steves, "Rioja wine is a D.O.C. product, meaning that by definition it can only be produced in La Rioja region. Protected from the elements by the Cantabrian Mountains to the north, vineyards have thrived in the valley of the Ebro River since Roman times."
Throughout the region there are many towns, one can stop into for wine tasting. However, we chose Haro which is the capital of La Rioja. Haro sits up on the La Mota hill and from the top one can see the whole region. We went up to an overlook and it was gorgeous, the valley and the mountains. We also were extremely lucky and had a beautiful day but the wind was wicked.
La Rioja Region
Overlook of the Town
All the Bodegas in Haro
When we first arrived by bus about an hour south of Bilbao, out the bus window on top of the bus station building were the biggest bird's nest I have ever seen! They were storks' nests actually and there was even something about them in the guide book! I just couldn't get over how big they were!
The Storks' Nests!
First, we went to the wine museum in Haro. We got there around noon and our wine tour wasn't til 5pm so we had some time to kill. The wine museum was more than I expected, modern, looked newly built and very informative and interactive. First you watch a movie about La Rioja region and the film footage was just gorgeous. I wanted ride around in the helicopter they shot from all day! Then you go up to the 3rd floor and work your way down. The third floor was about the plant and the growing process, second floor was the fermentation, bottling the wine, and how to examine the wine through taste, smell, and appearance. Finally the first was about La Rioja. It was a nice tour and very relaxing. However we could only all get so much out of it because we weren't all studied up on our Spanish Winery vocabulary.
Different Types of Wines in La Rioja
Part of the Museum
The attendant at the front desk spoke very good English, very friendly and helpful. He pointed out some good places to eat lunch once we were done with the museum. We found this one place that was the cheapest menu of the day but was still 14 euros, a little pricey. But we all saw these chickens roasting in the back so we elected for that platter, chicken, salad, and fries for 7 euros. It was the best chicken I've ever had! And it was also a lot, we each got a small bird. The sauce they dipped it in was like an oil but it was very flavorful. Definitely a satisfying lunch.
We decided to head up to the old part of town after that. We walked through the Plaza de Paz, Plaza of Peace, and up to St. Thomas Church which has been a national monument since 1931. Of course we walked up there during Siesta time and the church wasn't open. A little disappointing but still beautiful to look at from the outside. After some exploring we found a nice bar and tried some wine since we had some time to kill. We all had a glass of red wine for 0.70 euros! So Cheap and so Good!
Plaza de Paz
Iglesia de San Tomas
Iglesia de San Tomas
Bar we stopped into
Cheers!
Glasses of Wine
Finally 5 o'clock rolled around and we headed over to the bodega, winery. There was actually a big group on this wine tour, about 20 or more which I was not expecting. Of course we were the only Americans. The guide said he try to talk a little slower for us so we could understand more, but it didn't feel like he was talking any slower! It was wicked fast and so much information! We walked around to see the plants, the fermentation vats, the barrels, where it is corked, ect. He said it would only last an hour and half but at the 2 hour mark, I was done trying to comprehend.
Fermentation Vats
Barrels of Wine
Finally, we got to a nice cozy room where there were two tables with wine glasses set up. We went through the process of looking at the wine color on a piece of paper, smelling it, and then we all tasted it together. Next we tried the same wine but it was 2 years older to taste the difference. I definitely liked the younger wine more. Then we were done. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I thought it would be more like you sit and try all different types and they tell you what the difference is, but it was still a good experience. Also, since I'm not 21 I can't actually say it was the best wine I've ever had. It was my first wine tour. I guess we'll just have to take the guide books' words for it.
Art After Dark is a party at the Guggenheim about once a month. Last month a group of us tried to go but we didn't buy tickets ahead of time and by the time we got to the Guggenheim tickets were sold out. So this month I was determined to go. I just wanted to be able to say that I partied in the Guggenheim Museum! They had a DJ, two bars, and a huge open space to dance and mingle. Also, the whole museum was open to just walk around which was fun. The party was really chill and more older people but there was good group from Cide to hang out with.
Also, one of the main reasons to go is you get a free entry into Fever which is a big club in Bilbao. However, I didn't make it to the club because on Fridays the metro stops running at 2am and that is when the club opens. So the only way to get home was pay for a taxi, which would have been like 30 euros for me, or wait til 6am when the metro starts running again. I just elected to go home, but I am happy to say that I have partied in the Guggenheim!
This past Friday Cide, my study abroad program, treated us to another wonderful excursion. We took a bus trip to the city of Gernika or Guernica and Mundaka. Some of you may know about Guernica from the famous painting by Picasso, Guernica is famous for the bombing in 1937. The city is the historical capital of Pais Vasco, Basque Country. During the Spanish Civil War Franco was threatened by the rebelling Basque people and so he asked the Germans to bomb the city to rubble.
A replication of Picasso's "Guernica"
Most importantly, though, Guernica is the historical capital of Pais Vasco. It has a famous symbol, thousand year old tree or the tree of Guernica, which symbolizes the old freedoms and the past Biscayan protagonist. When we first arrived in Guernica we visited the tree and the Assembly House in Gernika, which use to hold the meetings of the General Assemblies of Biscay. In 1876 the old laws which governed life in Biscay were abolished and meetings no longer took place. However, in 1979 the General Assemblies were recovered. We walked through the Assembly House after watching a video about the history of the tree and Basque country. Next, we toured the Assembly Chamber, where all the assemblies take place, and the Stained-Glass Window Room, a museum dedicated to the history of Biscay. It is know as the Stained-Glass Window Room because the ceiling is a complete stained glass window that represents the tree as a meeting point for the different towns in Biscay. It is quite impressive to walk under!
"The Old Tree" is approximately 300 years old.
The Assembly Chamber
Tree of Gernika was planted in 2005 and directly descends from "The Old Tree."
The Stained-Glass Window Room
After touring the Assembly Chamber we walked over to the Gernika Peace Museum, which was a modern museum. It was inspired by the tragic bombing of Gernika on April 26, 1937. The museum exhibits operate around three major questions: what is peace, what is the legacy of the bombing of Gernika, and what about peace in the world today? The exhibit for the bombing of Gernika was very well done and you were able to grasp a sense of the devastation it caused. The ground was glass which has rubble and cards and pieces from the bombing underneath it. You could read about the impact of the bombing and listen to stories from survivors.
Floor of the Exhibit
Another look at the Bombing of Gernika exhibit
There was also a temporary exhibit in the museum called S.T.O.P, Sobreviviendo en los Territorios Palestinos Ocupados. The translation is Surviving in the Palestine Occupied Territories. The exhibit is a look at the effects of the conflict in Palestinian territories through the statements of local inhabitants. It was done by photographer Giovanni Marrozini who revealed these stories of the region where the population are terrified by checkpoints, searches and bombings, but also by a lack of hope and a feeling that they have no future through a series of photographs. The exhibit was set up like you were walking through a checkpoint with barbed wire and the lights. It was a very moving exhibit and opened my eyes to a lot of things happening in Palestine.
S.T.O.P. Exhibit
One thing you can always count on while on a Cide Excursion is lunch! They always take us to the nicest restaurants and we get served 3 course meals. This time we got served traditional seafood Paella which is rice, vegetables, and seafood. I'm not the biggest fan of rice so I basically just ate all the seafood which included crayfish, fish, mussels, clams, squid, all of my favorites! Then for the main course we got served a white fish which was good, but the dessert was to die for! It was this light, rich, chocolate mousse cake drizzled in raspberry sauce. And we had coffee to go with it. It was the best ending to a delicious meal!
Paella
Best Dessert Ever!
After lunch we got back on the bus and drove to Mundaka which is situated on the mouth of the Mundaka Estuary. It is a small fishing town but is known for its great waves for surfing. It holds the World Championship of Surf. The town was quaint but the view was just gorgeous. Too bad our nice, sunny day quickly turned into a cold, wet, windy, miserable day. The minute we got off the bus everyone pulled out their umbrellas and huddled together to get away from the wind and rain. But the view was still pretty and I was able to get some good pictures. Again, overall it was another successful Cide Excursion!
View of Mundaka
Mouth of the Estuary
Me, Jacklyn, and Nina with a beautiful view behind us!
Carnival is a huge celebration right before Lent to have fun and drink and dance before one must give up something during Lent. In Spain during the reign of dictator General Franco, Carnival was baneed for 40 years. Now it is back in full swing! It is similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans back in the states except even bigger. Everyone of all ages gets dressed up in crazy, original costumes, most of them made and not just bought at a store.
Starting last weekend on Friday morning I was walking around Algorta and there was a parade of little kids on the streets being led by a car playing music. I didn't understand all of it but there were different groups of kids in certain costumes, robbers, cops, and prisoners. Someone told me that Carnival is also a time to make fun of government and its institutions. So that could explain those costumes. Then there was a huge tent set up with a stage in the main plaza. A clown on stage played music and led songs for all the kids to sing and dance too. It was fun to watch!
Little kids in the Parade dressed as Prisoners
Kids as Police
Dance Tent
That night I went pintxo hopping with friends and in one of the plazas there was Carnival rides and stands set up. Similar to what you would see at like a town fair. I didn't go on any of the rides because they didn't look too safe. But I got the biggest thing of Cotton Candy I've ever had in my life for 2 euros! It was seriously 5 times the size of my head! And so delicious!
The Biggest Cotton Candy ever!!
Carnival in Bilbao
Then on Saturday in Bilbao, there was a huge parade. Each year there is theme and this year's was broadway musiclas. Each float was a representation of a broadway musical and they had singers and dancers. They were very elaborate. I knew mostly every musical, Moulin Rouge, Cats, Greace, Flash Dance, Mary Poppins, Jungle Book, Phantom of the Opera, but of course all the songs were in Spanish. And there were also floats with men in drag on them, i'm not sure what they were representing but they had huge boobs, makeup and ridiculous outfits!
Spaniards dressed as American Tourists
Phantom of the Opera
Moulin Rouge
Mary Poppins
Cats
Grease
The streets were packed with people though in all different types of costumes. I was unable to get a picture but my favorite was a guy dressed as a Transformer! His costume was all made out of wood and he could actually transform from a robot into a truck that had wheels! At first I thought it was a little kid as a truck but then he transformed into the robot! It was the craziest thing ever!
Kid as an airplane!
That night my friends and I just went to Casco Viejo and went from bar to bar. In Plaza Nueva there was a huge tent set up with a dj and band. But the streets were littered with trash! The thing that blows my mind here in Spain is that everyone just gets 2 liter bottles of juice or soda, mixes it with their alcohol and just drinks on the streets. No one says anything, you just find a place to sit or stand with your friends on the sidewalks and drink! After bar hopping though we went to a club but didn't stay too long cuz it was so crowded and getting late.
Tent in Plaza Nueva
However, the festivities continued this Saturday night in Algorta, my suburb! It was so nice because I could just walk a few blocks down the street and I was in the midst of the festivities! There were so many people though all dressed up in crazy costumes and again just drinking on the streets, outside the bars, on the beach, just everywhere! My friends and I just had so much fun walking around and hanging out and just being a part of it all. Last night I didn't go in until 4am and that was early for Spanairds! There were still tons of people going until 6am!
ALL the people in Algorta!
ALL the trash on the streets!
People just sit wherever and drink and hang out
I think the worst part, I wish I had not seen was the girls that look like they are 10 years old but probably barely 13, maybe, out drinking. While I was standing in the plaza an ambulance pulled up and then the EMTs walked by with a 12 year old girl in their arms. She was so gone that she couldn't even walk herself or open her eyes or anything. She was the tiniest thing and looked like she was 10 years old. All of her friends were following looking very flustered and had no idea what to do, one of them started crying. It was just insane! All I could think was where were this girl's parents? A part of me really wishes I had not witnessed that part of Spain, the problems with underage drinking.
But Carnival was a success and I am so happy I got to witness and be a part of it!
My name is Ashley Cameron and I'm a volunteer with the Episcopal Young Adult Service Corps. Starting in August 2013, I will be living in the Northern Philippines and working with the Episcopal Development Foundation of St. Mark, based in Santiago City. I am helping manage funds of the development program to ensure they are loaned out in poverty-alleviation ventures and that funds are made available when participating communities submit proposals for new projects. I am very excited about this new adventure and hope you will share it with me by following this blog!
