Andrew

¡Saludos desde Valencia!

The weather is hot and the women are even hotter. Air conditioning is virtually non-existent here. The best solution is a cold drink and a swim in the Mediterranean Ocean. Clothing is optional at the beach and many women choose to go topless. To cool down at night, you just open up the windows and let the breeze blow in from the beach to keep you cool.
One of the best ways to experience the flavor of Spain is in a tapas bar. Tapas are small snacks that are often served in outdoor cafes. They don’t cost much, so you can try many different dishes. So far, my favorites are Patatas Bravas (like steak fries served with buffalo sauce), Calamari (Fried Squid), Chorizo (Sausage), Merluza (delicious white fish in a red sauce), and Carne de Pincho (beef with sautéed onions in red sauce). The beer here is excellent and really hits the spot on a hot day. Espresso is also cheap here and everyone drinks a lot of it. Coca-Cola tastes better here, because it is made with real sugar. We found a chain restaurant that serves American-style food. For some reason they insisted on putting an over-medium fried egg on top of my hamburger. Go figure.
There are many activities through the school here. We toured the historic district of Valencia and saw several buildings that dated from the 15th century including a the cathedral where the Pope recently visited, and a circular Arabic market called the ¨Plaza Redonda¨. Tonight we are taking salsa lessons. Tomorrow we are visiting a museum and Saturday we are taking a trip to Altea. I have never walked so much in my entire life. I’m suffering from a quarter-sized blister on the bottom of my foot, but there is no time to slow down. There are cars, motorcycles, and motor scooters everywhere. (People sometimes drive their scooters down the sidewalk), but since I don’t have one I have to walk everywhere. No wonder the people are so fit here.
Aside from the tourist stuff that we have been doing, there are bars, cafes, and shops to visit. There are few movie theaters. Home life is different too. Here, it is customary to entertain out of the house, at a bar or cafe. Families are very close and it is not uncommon for a man into his 40´s to live with his parents. Likewise, when parents get too old to live on their own, they typically move in with their children. A typical flat in Valencia can cost between €300.000 and €1.000.000 or more. The public gardens in Valencia are absolutely amazing. Words cannot do them justice. We have spent hours strolling through them and have still barely scratched the surface. The buildings are beautiful, the architecture is amazing, and there are many, many sculptures.
What an exciting first week it has been. The Pope came to visit this weekend along with a million pilgrims. It was impossible to get anywhere. The police had the streets barricaded. The usually good public transport system ground to a halt. We returned from the beach on a bus Saturday, which dropped us in the middle of the city. We had to walk the remaining miles home. We encountered a sea of yellow and white (the color that the pilgrims were wearing). They were camped out like hippies watching a 30´flat-screen television broadcasting the Pope.
Sunday we went to a bar and watched the World Cup on a big screen television. We were cheering for Italy in a predominantly French bar. That made it even more exciting when the Italian team won. Afterwards, people went nuts. People were dancing in the streets, honking the horns on their cars and driving the streets with Italian flags hanging out of their windows. It was very exciting. Perhaps soccer will one day find the popularity in America that it has found in the rest of the world.
We are having a good time exploring an interesting culture that is very different from our own. I think that when I return to the United States, this trip will have broadened my horizons and given me a new perspecive on our own culture. I look forward to seeing all of you back in ¨The States.¨

¡Hasta Luego!

La Playa de Las Arenas

Going to the beach is a big part of life here in Valencia. The beach is only a short ten minute bus ride away from the home or the school. The beach in Valencia reminds me of Long Beach, California. There is a long boardwalk that stretches from the port (Where the America’s Cup is being held) past several restaurants and a hotel, beach volleyball courts and a gypsy market, past statues and into the distance to where I have never visited. Normally we go to La Playa de las Arenas (one of two popular local beaches). There are always lots of people there because many Europeans choose to spend their summer vacations here. The beach itself is covered with trash because many people litter there. However it is close and we always have fun there.
We also visited one other beach called Altea on a Saturday excursion through the school. It was incredibly beautiful. The beach was small and clean. The water was a crystal blue. Next to the beach arose an enormous rock the size of a mountain. It was only for a few hours, but we had a good time swimming and socializing with the other students from Russia.

L'Oceanografic

Recently Jessica and I visited L´Oceanografic, which is a part of L´ Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias (A huge complex that includes a science museum, an opera house, an outdoor garden, and more. Also, it is worth noting that the architecture was all designed by famous Valencian architect, ) L´Oceanographic is a marine complex that houses marine life from all over the world. Exhibits included the Mediterranean Ocean, tropical, temperate, arctic, Antarctic, deep ocean, and a Dolphinarium. We paid €18 to get in. It was well worth the price of admission. We spent about six hours there. My favorite exhibits included the sea lions, going through tunnels underneath sharks and sting rays, and of course the dolphin show was incredible.

The Bullfight

This past Monday, Jessica and I attended our first bullfight at the Plaza del Toros, which was built by the Romans here in Valencia .  It was an intense cultural experience and I believe that it is safe to say that it was not exactly what we had expected.  I chose to reserve my own personal judgment, and instead appreciate the cultural experience.  I now understand why the Spanish feel that bullfighting, when done correctly, is both an art and a dance.  The toreadors (Toreador is preferred term to matador because matador literally means ¨killer¨ and can be taken as slightly offensive) are both graceful and brave.  The toreadors we watched were actually toreadors-in-training and were therefore referred to as ¨novillos¨.  All were younger than I am.  The youngest was only 20 years old (he was also the best).  Each appeared to weigh less than 200 pounds, yet each faced animals that weighed more than 1000 pounds.  Despite the sentiments that I felt for the bulls, I was still able to enjoy the excitement of the event and appreciate the skill of the toreadors. 

Toledo

On our way back home, Jessica and I decided to visit Toledo . We didn't have much time there, but I am so glad that we went! It was an incredible journey. We traveled three and a half hours from Valencia to Madrid by high-speed train, and then backtracked a half hour to Toledo . Toledo is a city with as great a history as any city in Europe . It was spared the destruction of World War II. As a result, many of the old buildings are still standing and in great condition. Toledo is definitely a tourist city. There are shops everywhere and they are all geared toward tourists. The primary exports of Toledo are the artisan goods for which it is famous; damasquinado, marzipan, swords, and knives. The shopkeepers all speak English. We only had one evening and a half day to spend in Toledo . We made the most of what little time we had. We started out by walking the city and taking pictures. We saw so many ancient buildings. The most important were the Alcazar, the cathedral, the bullring, and El Puente de San Martín. The pictures of those are posted below.

We spent most of the second day doing the tourist thing, shopping for souvenirs. I looked everywhere for a real sword, but all that I could find were display swords. So instead I decided to purchase one very large top-quality knife. The blade is chrome-moly and the handle is beautiful olive wood. We did a lot of shopping and purchased many other smaller items including decorative plates and damasquinado. We had finished shopping and began looking for a taxi to take us home because our train was supposed to leave in less than an hour. We got directions to the taxi pickup, but no taxi ever came by. I asked a man to call the taxi service for me, but he claimed not to have a phone and gave me the number instead. I found the nearest telephone, but the hook was broken and I had to hold it up with my finger while I dialed the number with the other hand. I dialed and it had begun to ring when my finger slipped and it hung up. I tried to dial at least three more times but the line was busy. By this time we had little more than thirty minutes to catch our train. We panicked and started running for our hotel, hands full of souvenir bags. Halfway there we stopped at a hotel and asked the lady to call the taxi service. She tried twice, but the line was still busy. We continued running to the hotel, which was at least a mile away uphill. I arrived first, out of breath. I explained in a panic to the concierge that we needed a desperately taxi in a hurry, because if we missed our train, we would be stuck in Toledo and we would also miss our flight. The line was still busy, but fortunately for us another couple had called a taxi. I wanted to take their taxi, but instead we had him radio for yet another taxi which arrived not five minutes later. We threw our bags in the trunk and hopped in the taxi with fifteen minutes to get there. As we rode, the man explained to us that most of the taxi drivers were on vacation because it was July and that is how it works in Spain . We arrived at the train station with less than five minutes until the train was scheduled to depart and we still had to pass through security and board the train. I threw the driver the money and told him to keep the change. We jumped out of the cab, grabbed our bags, and ran for the security check. People had already started boarding the train. We hurried through security and quickly boarded the train. It left the station about two minutes later. Relieved, we relaxed and waited for the next leg of our adventure to begin.

Andy Mengwasser Scavenger Hunt 1

1. Vicente Blasco Ibáñez

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez was born in Valencia in 1867. He was an internationally recognized writer of regional novels. His famous works include Los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1916), Mare Nostrum (1918), and Los enemigos de la mujer (1919). He was a member of the Republican party and served as the editor of El Pueblo , an antimonarchist newspaper. In 1896, he was arrested because of his political views and actions and served two years in prison. Vicente passed away in 1928. Below is a picture of two of his books.

2. Joaquín Sorolla

Joaquín Sorolla began painting at 15 years of age in his home of Valencia, Spain. Three years later he went to Madrid where he was employed copying master works at the Prado Museum. At the age of 22 he went to study in Rome. There he became skilled in the art of shading and highlighting. In 1911 the HSA commissioned him to paint scenes for the New York Library. The collection is now a museum known as the Museo Sorolla and is contained in Sorolla´s house in Madrid. Below is one of his paintings depicting people enjoying guitar at an outdoor cafe.

3. Barraca

Barracas are a type of house that is normally constructed of mud plaster, straw, and/or brick. We encountered many barracas in the Valencian countryside during our train ride to Valencia and on our excursion to Altea.

4. Chufa (Cyperus esculentus) is a type of edible tuber that has a taste similar to a nut. They have been used to make a drink called horchata for hundreds of years. Horchata is very popular here in Valencia. It has a flavor similar to soy milk. It can be served cold or granizada (frozen). I like horchata, but the chufa that I ate did not taste very good.

5. Oldest Horchateria

There are two horchaterias in Valencia that claim to be the oldest; Horchateria de Santa Catalina and Horchateria el Siglo. They are located across from one another in the Plaza Santa Catalina. While touring the historic district, Jessica and I encountered the two horchaterias. We decided to try an horchata granizada at the Horchateria de Santa Catalina. It was good. We also tried Fartons (he he... yeah) which look like breadsticks, but taste like croissants with powdered sugar on them. They left something to be desired. Dig the pictures.

6. ¨Valencia¨ - Lyrics by Helmut Lotti

"Valencia es la tierra de las flores
De la luz y del amor
Valencia tus mujeres todas tienen
de la rosas el color
Valencia la sentir como perfume
En tus huertos el azahar
quisiera en la tierra Valenciana
mis amores encontrar

La blanca barraca la flor de naranjo
La huerta pulida de almendros en flor
La Turia de plata y el cielo turquesa
Y el sol Valenciana van diciendo amor

Amores en Valencia son floridos
Como ramos de azahar
Quereres en Valencia sus mujeres
Con en alma suelen dar
Pasiones en la huerta Valenciana
Si le dan el corazón
Sus hembras ponen alma y ponen vida
En un beso de pasión

Valencia es la tierra de las flores
De la luz y del amor
Valencia tus mujeres todas tienen
de la rosas el color
Valencia la sentir como perfume
En tus huertos el azahar
quisiera en la tierra Valenciana
mis amores encontrar"

7. Most famous Valencian Acrhitect: Santiago Calatrava

Most well-known work: Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias

Valencian Address:

IN HOC SIGNO VINCES C / Marques de Sotelo 1-11° 46002 VALENCIA SPAIN

8. La fideuá is a typical Valencian dish, similar to paella except that instead of rice, hollow noodles are used and the meat is exclusively seafood.

9. Acequia – An acequia is a type of irrigation system originally developed by Arabs. When the Arabs conquered Spain in 711, they brought with them their technology including farming and irrigation techniques. An acequia is essentially a community-shared waterway for crops. The water is usually gravity-fed from mountain snow or river-runoff, through pipes or aqueducts, into fields. Acequias were later adapted for use in the American Southwest. Thanks to its simple and ingenious design, many acequias that were built hundreds of years ago are still in use today,

10. Dama de Elche

The Dama de Elche is a famous statue of a woman wearing an elaborate headdress. It is generally accepted as being one of the finest examples of pre-Roman Iberian artwork. It is thought to date from the 4 th century B.C. The artifact was discovered in 1897 and purchased by Pierre Paris who immediately had it shipped to France where it was exhibited in the Louvre Museum. In 1941 it was returned to Spain. It is currently on exhibition in the Prado Museum in Madrid, a fact which is the source of great controversy. The people of Elche are fighting to have La Dama de Elche returned to them. They believe that the real statue should be exhibited in Elche and not Madrid. Currently there is a copy of the real statue on exhibition in Elche, which is located in La Comunidad Valenciana.

Scavenger Hunt 2

1. Rice

Valencia is the number one producer of rice in Spain. There paella rice grows in standing water in large fields. In the village of Calasparra which is located in Murcia, they grow two historic varieties: Sollana (which is called Callasparra rice), and Bomba, a variety that was nearly forgotten until it was recently recognized as being the best rice for paella.

2. Silk

The Lonja was the Moorish silk exchange that was built between 1482 and 1492 under the watchful eye of Pere Compte. It is generally considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings of the European gothic style. From the outside, the Lonja looks like a medieval castle. The architecture is truly phenomenal. In person, you realize how truly massive the beautiful, spiraling pillars actually are. The carvings on the doorways are also quite interesting and have fantastic detail. Visiting the Lonja was like taking a trip back through time; truly awesome.

3. Ceramics

The National Ceramics Museum is located very close to Españole. Valencia has been a center of ceramic production and trade from the thirteenth century. Housed in the Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas, this museum offer an overview of outstanding works in ceramics from Manises, Paterna and Alcora. Although we did not go inside the museum, we did pass by it on multiple occasions when touring the historic district. The outside of the building is covered in some of the most intricate carvings that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. The realism of the carvings is phenomenal.

4. Yachts

We visited the America's Cup Port which is located down by the La Playa de Las Arenas. Louis Vuitton now sponsors the event. We took an interactive video tour that explained the origin of the event, looked through the gift shop, and then made our way through the museum of scale model ships. There are scale models of every ship that has ever won the America's Cup, beginning with the race's namesake, The America. I don't know much about yacht racing. Apparently the swiss team, Alinghi won the previous event. Since they have no large body of water (like an ocean) the event is being held in Valencia. Alinghi will race the winner amongst the remaining teams sometime later this year.

5. Citrus Products

Valencia is famous for oranges. Even as a boy, I remember seeing commercials on television advertising Valencia oranges. I am yet to try a Valencia orange, but I have been drinking fresh, locally made orange juice that is 100% juice, not from concentrate. It is very good. I suppose that since Florida is very close to Georgia, getting fresh O.J. is just not a real big deal for me.

6. San Jose

San Jose means Saint Joseph in Spanish and the Festival of Saint Joseph means one thing: Las Fallas. Las Fallas is Valencian for "the fires". The heart of the festival is the construction and destruction of ninots--huge cardboard, wood and plaster statues that appear to be very cartoonish. The ninots are placed around the city and remain in place until March 19th, when they are burned during "La Crema." Starting in the early evening, they stuff them full of fireworks. The crowds begin cheering, the streetlights are turned off, and all of the ninots are set ablaze at the stroke of midnight. Each year, only one ninot is saved from destruction by popular vote. It is then taken and placed in the “Museo Fallas” where it is exhibited with the previous winners, which date from the early 1900's. We visited the Museo Fallas on one of our day trips. It was very interesting, but regrettably they did not allow photos to be taken inside the building.

7. Fireworks

The fireworks in Valencia are the most amazing that I have ever seen. Valencianos really love their fireworks. It seems that they will use any excuse to set them off, and what a show it is. The other night we watched in amazement while standing on the beach as the fireworks master set of an unbelievable orchestra of fire. There were at least half-dozen types of fireworks that I had never even seen before. The most amazing were the ones which exploded, dropping clusters of fireworks which landed on the ocean and then exploded again, sending showers of sparks cascading all over again. There were others, which slowly hovered and then rose only to slow down and then rise again. Their graceful rise and fall reminded me of sparkling jellyfish shooting across the sky.

8. Water

There is water everywhere in Valencia. Of course there is the beach. There are also fountains everywhere. But the best, the bluest, the most crystal-clear water had to be in Altea. Altea is a small pueblo about 20 km away from Valencia. It is a picturesque place with narrow streets, steep hills, and beautiful blue tiles on rooftops. There is also an amazing mountain that rises dramatically from the ocean, almost as though a giant dropped a large rock right there in the sand. Despite all its other features, the water is the best attraction in Altea. It is as blue as I have imagined the waters in the Bahamas to be. It is cool and refreshing, fun to swim in, and much cleaner than the beach in Valencia.

9. El Idioma Valenciano

Valencia is a city of two languages. The local dialect is Valenciano. Castilian, which is commonly known as Spanish was forced upon the rest of Spain by the government located in the area of Castile, in the center of Spain. Valencia, like many other provinces of Spain and the Spanish people themselves, was stubborn and headstrong. They decided that, although they would learn and speak Castilian Spanish, they would continue to use their local dialect as well. Getting around Valencia can be difficult at times for a person who speaks only Castilian Spanish. That is because many of the signs, especially those for public transport are written solely in Valenciano. Also, in some districts of town, the majority of the signs for businesses and restaurants are also written in Valenciano. In class we did some activities that taught us to recognize the telltale signs of some of the major dialects spoken throughout Spain. At times the similarities are enough that I can recognize the meaning of a Valencian phrase. Usually however, it might as well be in Japanese.