subject: MMM: Palaces and Caves and Tuna OH MY!
Hola Family, Friends, Frisbees,
Hope all is well on your horizons and November is going along as it should be. My apologies for not sending out more frequent mass mailings (although lets be honest, you don't want to hear from me too often!) Many things have happened in the past month, so I'll try to run down a summary. You can also see my last two columns for the Diamondback here:
Mi Camino
10,000 Fiestas
(if links don't work, go to www.diamondbackonline.com and search for Melanie Lidman)
HOW 'BOUT THEM CARDINALS?
At our International Halloween Party 2006 featuring food, drink, and merrymakers from all around the world, the only other three Americans dressed up as baseball fans (complete with plastic bats from the US...because that's an essential item you should never travel without). I dressed up as Bob the Builder for the sole reason that when I looked around my room half an hour before the party started the only thing I found was a bunch of stolen construction signs and a headlamp.
"So how bout them Cardinals?" the girl from Minnesota asked me. "Cardinals? In Murcia? That's weird!" I answered. "No, no--the Cardinals--they won the World Series."
Upon hearing this my mouth dropped open and I was rendered speechless. I FORGOT THE WORLD SERIES!!!!! What kind of American AM I? Ok, a season without the NHL, I can survive, and it's not like the biggest baseball fan, but WHO FORGETS ABOUT THE WORLD SERIES? Well, I bet I can name more Real Madrid players than you.....
THE PRINCESS AND THE TUNA
Not to sound jaded or anything, but it's really ENOUGH with the Spanish men playing guitar under my balcony and singing to me. It started one inconspicuous Saturday afternoon, when I was sitting in my room and s uddenly Baroque style Spanish music floated up to my window. I look outside, and lo and behold, there are 25 gentlemen below my window dressed in the height of 14th century fashion, complete with puffed sleeves and those funny pants that they wear over tights, sporting tiny round guitars and singing about lost loves.
My Italian roommate and I rushed to our balcony where we listened to a few songs, applauding wildly just the way damsels in distress on third story balconies are not supposed to applaud. The gentlemen turned out to be members of Tuna , the law fraternity at the University of Murcia, and the Engineering frat at the University of Cartagena. Before we knew it, they had invited themselves all over to our apartment that very same night for a party. Apparently this is a Tuna thing, they go around singing, find girls to host parties, and then come and sing below their balconies until the girls invite them up for rum and coke. After a few hours of "Your lips are like a rose" and "Beauty like the moon" then they move on to the next party. Now why can't frats at Maryland be more like this?
Our party was lamentably cancelled for a variety of reasons, but they keep hinting about coming back. And there's nothing to brighten up your day like a man wearing funny tights playing guitar for you.
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: 1, UNIVERSITY OF MURCIA: 0
No one is ever allowed to complain about UMD bureaucracy ever again. Time it took me to register for Spring 2007 classes: 15 seconds. Time it's taken me to register for Murcia Fall 2006 classes: 2 months and counting. I still don't even know exactly what classes I'm taking. Books? Riiiiight.
168 KM OF THE CAMINO
3 AM BUS STATION ARRIVALS
15 MINUTES AT THE ALHAMBRA
(and other reasons Melanie will never be a professional organizer)
My various logistical blunders have made me the butt of many Lidman family jokes, and is a major part of the reason why I'm not allowed to plan my parent's visit to Spain coming up in December. So I'm sure it will surprise few people that instead of hiking 100 kilometers in 3 days on the Camino de Santiago as we had originally planned, we hiked 168 kilometers in 4 days, causing me to miss my own informational frisbee meeting that I had planned. The Camino was an absolutely incredible experience that I am so lucky to have had the chance to do. I wouldn't change a thing about the experience except for my 27 blisters that provided a bit of an obstacle to my enjoyment. They also provided entertainment for an entire hostel our second night of the Camino as everyone there gathered round to watch two vetrinarians "explotar" mis "ampoyas" (blisters) as I writhed in pain and everyone shook their heads in disbelief at the stupid American girl rushing through the Camino and procuring more blisters than a barefoot banshee. But the Camino was really amazing, check out the article for a more in-depth explanation of how we dragged ourselves over mountains and through downpours to Santiago de Compostela.
Various other logistical mishaps and money-saving attempts have also led to confrontations with bus station security guards at 4:00 A.M. Really, is anyone hurt by two Americans saving 15 euros on a hostel by curling up next to the cafeteria?
But the most devastating logistical mishap thus far has been the Alhambra debacle. The Alhambra is a Moorish palace dating from the 1200's that has been occupied by quite a few international forces of different religions. The entire complex is absolutely huge, amazingly preserved and decorated in the height of Arabic opulence and beauty. It is Spain's Macchu Picchu, located in the mountains of Granada, with the breathtaking Sierra Nevada mountain range as a backdrop. In the words of the Rough Guide, "if you see one thing outside of Madrid, it should be the Alhambra." The most incredible part of the complex is the Nazaries Palace, which, according to the books, is just beyond words.
In order to protect this incredible national landmark, visitors are issued timeslots during which they can enter the palace. Aha, I guess you can see where I'm going with this. 15 minutes after our time slot closed, Allison from Oregon and I skipped merrily to the entrance, only to be firmly turned back by the burly moustached security guard. After two hours of begging and pleading with various authority figures the answer... was still no. Allison from Oregon is going back with her parents, but it looks like I'll be leaving Spain without seeing the palace. To make myself look a little better though, I've talked to four other Americans who had the same experience at the palace, so we're not the only ones.
The rest of the grounds were absolutely incredible, gardens and fountains and hidden plazas. We got back at the Alhambra by playing frisbee right next to the guard station. Take that backhand, Proseguridad! (If anyone is interested, I HIGHLY recommend Washington Irving's "Tales of Alhambra" for his incredible use of language in the descriptions of the Alhambra and its inhabitants, and also because it is an example of how bumming around in a castle four four months can win you international acclaim, an idea that brings warmth to my heart).
A picture from the beginning of our walk, at one of our highest points.
This is me at one of the most miserable points in my life when my picture has been taken. Day 4 of the Camino, 8 km from the end (I thought we were 5 km from the end, which at our speed translated into an hour more of walking). It was POURING down rain and I had no poncho. I was thoroughly and utterly soaked, every single muscle was screaming in pain, and my blisters were swimming in swamp-filled shoes. If a taxi had passed, no question I would have called it quits and gotten in. One of the twins I was hiking with, Lyndsy and Kelly from New Jersey, took this picture as I was coming up over a big hill, just livid at the world. THE LAST TIME I WAS DRINKING SANGRIA IN A CAVE WITH GYPSIES...
...was in Granada in the Sacromonte neighborhood, where the best flamenco can be heard on Saturday nights. Our little cave bar had only one guitar that passed from hand to hand as the night stretched on and the music echoed into the mountain. It was one of those experiences where, even though we'd read about the cave bars in the Rough Guide, we felt one of those "This is soo Spanish! We are so authentic!" moments, feeling like you're seeing Don Quijote's Spain. The only downside to spending hours in a Spanish cave listening to flamenco? A cave means no windows, and the chain smoking Spaniards caused some throatal discomfort the following day.
WHERE THERE IS NO FRISBEE
Feeling the hole in my life created by not playing Frisbee, I might possibly join, yes, you guessed it, the University of Murcia's Waterpolo team. Funny how you become part of the strangest groups when you're in a new place. I've also befriended the Honors Law Student Government clique, don't ask me how that happenned. Having never played nor seen a waterpolo game before, I'll let you know how my first practice goes. Does this speedo make my butt look fat?
KEEP MEL OFF THE STREETS!
Through some surprising events out of my control, I have suddenly found myself without housing next semester (I know we've discussed my inability to make plans, but this one wasn't my fault). So if you UMD people know any cool houses looking for a cool housemate, please let me know. Tell them I'll bring everyone a gift from Spain.
Well, if you've made it this far, you're for sure on my good list, and isn't there something more important you should be doing? Thanks for caring, and keeping in touch, and for wasting time by reading my ramblings. Hoping you can enter all of your palaces, physically and spiritually, and that your plans go as planned but leave plenty of room for spontaneity.
Love and Tunas,
Meli
No comments:
Post a Comment