Alicante, Fiesta de San Juan

What a crazy, busy time it's been! I just finished another class today so I finally have a little time to breath and catch up. My class was about the Legacy of Al Andalus, and every day we spent an hour an a half in lecture, and another hour and a half visiting sites around the city. I did well on the midterm, and today's final also seemed pretty easy. So I'm mostly waiting to hear how I did on my paper. Thankfully my friend Pablo sat down with me for more than an hour yesterday and helped me correct the grammar!

I've spent almost all of my time the past two weeks either hanging out with Spanish friends or hanging out with with American and Spanish friends. We're all really excited about the soccer Euro Cup, and feel pretty confident that Spain will win this Sunday. It's also boosting the overall spirits of the city, as far as I can tell. Particularly when Spain tried to put the bank bailout plan into practice, things looked pretty grim here and everyone I talked to was sure it was going to fail. They also seem very disheartened with a lack of leadership and accountability (aren't we all?). With this Euro Cup, however people are happy to finally have something to celebrate. Some friends especially appreciated Germany's loss in the game, as a little rebellion against the country that sort of dominates discussions about the Euro. I think this article summarizes pretty well the sorts of discussions I've had about things here http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1218108--is-germany-s-angela-merkel-the-most-pro-european-leader-in-europe

On a lighter topic, I went to Alicante this past weekend with Megan and Mary, two amazing girls that were also in the Camino de Santiago trip (Megan's also the girl I went to Italy with). This time we were visiting our friend Alfonso that we met on the Camino. He welcomed us into his relatively spacious apartment for the annual festival of San Juan that coincides with the much more ancient traditions of celebrating the Summer Solstice. The most basic explanation possible is that every year they pay for artists to make huge sculptures out of wood or polystyrene and plaster and such and then on the night of the solstice it all goes up in flames. Bonfires and parties in the streets, added to a city on the Mediterranean with miles and miles of beaches? Who wouldn't want to check that out?
http://www.xn--espaaescultura-tnb.es/es/fiestas/alicante/hogueras_de_san_juan.html
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2012/06/24/alicante/1340547164.html

Alfonso was an amazing host, with an extremely rich knowledge of the city and it's history. Not only did we enjoy the festival, but he took us on a walking tour of the city, and learned all sorts of things about Alicante and Valencia in general. A lot of people only know about the southern culture of Spain, with the Flamenco Dancing and the Alhambra etc, but they don't realize how diverse the country itself is in terms of society, geography, climate, history, language, and cultural influences. With Alfonso's professional style tour we were able to get a much better feel for the area and its traditions, including the festival, but also architecture, history, buildings, neighborhoods, music, clothing, and current events.

I also got to spend a little time with some of Karen's best friends from Granada, because one is from Alicante and the other works there during the summer. Every time I have the opportunity to see them I really love it because they are so fun and so kind. I know Karen is really sad to part with everyone here.

(sergi's photo, he's not pictured)

By the end of the weekend I arrived back in Sevilla completely exhausted but quite happy in the knowledge that I have truly made some lifelong friends here in Spain. I know it's only a matter of time before our paths cross again.



Tomorrow we're going to Jerez for a winery tour and wine tasting, and then half a hour away to the beach!
(I finally stop being sunburned and we head to the beach...*sigh*)