Amy’s Gripping Commentary

Well, I think I made it through NaBloPoMo. The weather in Ireland turned cold a week ago and is now snowy and icy. They actually kicked us out of work early and two of three roads away from the plant were immediately blocked by jacknifed trucks. It took me an hour to drive my ten minute commute yesterday because an inch of snow became ice-rink roads. If they treated the roads it would have been fine. And if anyone knew how to drive on “slippy” roads it would have been better, but most locals are trying to go 5-10 mph and then they can’t get up the slick hills. There was a work email advising us to avoid routes with hills. hahahahahaha

Bad weather is all relative: I think this is only the second time in 30 years they closed work early due to snow, and the grass wasn’t even covered when we left. The roads were slushy but fine, but when all that freezes tonight… yuck. I’m kind of glad I went in Sunday to get some work done because this is a three day week for me as it is, and now I’m not as far behind with my projects. A guy at lunch said his kid was 11 before he even saw snow, so I believe it doesn’t happen often! I advised my fellow diners to take home cafeteria trays for their sledding pursuits. Other parts of the country received a LOT of snow so I guess our inch here and there isn’t so bad. But listening to the radio amuses me: today a weather person tried to explain why it felt a lot colder than it was when the wind was blowing (“we call that wind chill!”), there was a proud report of AN actual plow in the western part of the county, and we are getting lots of advice about dealing with the “bitterly cold” temperatures. Oooh… sometimes it drops to upper 20s!

David walked into town for pints with a friend but I opted for a nap on the couch with a Walter foot-warmer. Walter’s been puking for a couple of days and I hope he’s feeling better before we hop a plane Thursday for our next adventure. I also hope the bad weather doesn’t ground our plane!

I’ve got about two posts of pictures left from Spain, so may as well finish those too!

ongoing account of May trip to Spain

When we left the Alhambra to explore Granada, we found flamenco dancers and dressed up horses and riders everywhere. There were celebrations in the streets and several decorated crosses in plazas, which I think must have been our accidental visit during Dia de la Cruz (Day of the Cross) and related May celebrations, May Crosses. We had seen some decorated crosses in Málaga too but there was more of a party going on in Granada.

The last picture is our triumph over hours of wandering to find the ‘right’ food, which I’ll just say was my companions’ attempt to find ‘authentic’ food at some pricepoint I didn’t care about, while still trying to accommodate something I could eat. In the end I wouldn’t say I liked this food, but I’m glad I ate somewhere that was local and representative of the culture and that means it was still a good experience.

ongoing account of May trip to Spain

1-3. Bath houses with star-shaped openings in the ceiling
4-7. Palacio de Generalife, 1300s. #6 shows the stairway railings with running water built in

ongoing account of May trip to Spain

More of the Alhambra
1-5. Remainder of pictures of 14th century palaces
6-8. Inside Palace of Charles V, 1527
9-11. The Alcazaba/citadel, 9th century

ongoing account of May trip to Spain

An Irish Thanksgiving meal: actually it was five Americans and a British guy, who has been quoted as saying the title of this post, which I think had something to do with not paying to swim in a pool. He had pumpkin pie for the first time (made with pumpkin we had our visitors bring from the States because you can’t get canned pumpkin here).

Our Irish coworkers wished us happy Thanksgiving way more times than I’ve ever heard it in the US and asked if we were going to take vacation days. Seeing as how it’s freezing cold here and there’s nothing to do in Ireland in November, we just went to work!

Emmy ate all the bread off the counter again today but we managed to have a nice spread and even heard Alice’s Restaurant on internet radio. Now it’s time for bed!

Phoning it in tonight… tired from work and visitors. Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow in the States! David’s mom is here and is cooking a dead bird. I made a pumpkin pie and Emmy the dog stole a loaf of bread from the counter, bread crumbs from the trash, and pearl barley and rice noodles from the pantry. Everyone plays a part… kind of glad I’m escaping at work most of the day.

Enjoy these cards from someecards.com and don’t eat too much mash (that’d be mashed potatoes)

ongoing account of May trip to Spain

Just a quick upload before the deadline. These were taken inside the 14th century Moorish palace. The carvings covering the walls are amazing!

ongoing account of May trip to Spain

I hitched a ride with the Polish couple I’d met on the bike tour, and we left early in the dark to drive to Granada to see the Alhambra. It might be the most fantastic place I’ve been–just incredible.

1. Washington Irving lived at the Alhambra for awhile and was the US Minister to Spain; just like home in Irvington!
2-7. Some of the extensive gardens of the Generalife.
8-9. Palace of Charles V

Time for Calm Tummy
Watch the ad…

The cranky tummy running and waving his arms in this video cracks me up!

Emmy sacked out like this for over an hour the other day:

And happy birthday to David!

ongoing account of May trip to Spain

I felt I’d seen most of the sights in Málaga after two days, so I took the commuter train to Fuengirola and then picked up a bus to Mijas, a “white village” up the mountain overlooking the sea. What I noticed most about it besides all the white buildings was that it was full of Brits who have holiday homes there.

1. Some of the weirdest figures/statues can be found in this junk shop in Fuengirola. I also saw a Dunne’s, which is an Irish department and grocery store… not sure why it’s in southern Spain too.
2-3. The town of Mijas on the slopes
4-6. A grotto cut into the rock, with more elaborate clothing and ceremonial accessories stored for the Virgin. Note the folded paper prayers stuck in the gaps in the stones.
7. The burro taxis were not operating by the time I arrived, which is just as well since I’m sure I would have been sad for the burros.

ongoing account of May trip to Spain

Just a neat shot of the palms along the streets

In Constitution Square

Another vegetarian restaurant! More good food

I asked the tour leader what she recommended for an evening activity and made arrangements with the Polish couple to ride with them the next day to another city. Next up: the “white village” of Mijas

ongoing account of May trip to Spain

1-3. Every bike tour should stop at the beach for a drink! We sat in the sun and had a sweet wine, Málaga Dulce. In that first picture they’re cooking seafood in the small yellow and white boat.
4. Hans Christian Andersen statue, with a duck in his bag (patito feo). He enjoyed his time spent in the city and now spends every day in the sun facing the sea.

ongoing account of May trip to Spain

Picasso sits on a bench in Plaza de la Merced where he was born in 1881. (Antonio Banderas was born in this city too.)

Mosques become churches with a little paint

At the bullring. I was glad to hear they only have fights a couple times per year here… but many cities have bullrings. Meanwhile Catalonia has banned bullfighting just this year, though it may be less a statement of cruelty to animals than it is their wish to be separate from the rest of Spain.

An alley not far from Calle Larios

ongoing account of May trip to Spain

On the second day I decided to go on a bike tour, which was led by a native English speaker who moved to Málaga a few years back, and I was joined by a young couple from Poland who now live in Glasgow (plus the husband is half Algerian, I think, and his English had a lot of Scottish brogue to it!). We saw several of the same places I had toured the previous day, but this time I got a lot of back story and also found new sights to explore.

1. Calle Larios, where my hostel was located
2. statue near the hostel
3. on the bikes
4. The Alcazaba from the top of the building across the street
5. The Roman theater from across the street. It was only rediscovered in the 1950s
6-7. Holy Week (Semana Santa) celebrations in many cities in Andalusia (and other Hispanic-influenced parts of the world) are elaborate. The description of the marching people carrying these massive thrones down the streets made me want to visit during the religious holidays someday. I had seen huge doors the previous day, which turned out to house a couple thrones decorated with gold, silver, lace, and elaborate embroidered fabrics. The party we saw the night before was a fundraiser for these huge floats which are stored all around the city by the various groups who have cared for them for centuries (plus they are too big to keep in the churches). The woman who ran the bike tour knew the people who managed this building and they let us in to see the thrones up close.

An idea of the street processions: