I’ve Moved… Again!
Posted by: JoDuggs on: October 20, 2011
I’m back in Spain, baby! I decided to spin off Hablog Español instead of continuing here with another year’s worth of posts. So I bring to you this site’s offspring: Hablog Dos: Return to Spain.
Follow Hablog Dos at its new location.
I’ve Moved!!
Posted by: JoDuggs on: September 16, 2010
While it’s evident from my last posts that I left Huelva and returned home to the US, I never gave an update of what was coming next. A return to Spain? Moving back to Arlington and getting “a real job” (as my mom likes to call it)? Bumming around Europe on all the money I saved last year in Spain? hahaha good one, self. It turned out the answer was none of the above.
I spent about 7 weeks of my summer up in New Hampshire teaching ESL at Cardigan Mountain School’s summer session. I had reapplied to the Teach in Spain program, but because I applied toward the end of the application process (I wasn’t sure in Jan/Feb that I wanted to go back, those were the days of the miserable rain and cold apartments) I was placed on the waiting list. So while I was in New Hampshire I was looking for other opportunities to teach abroad. One of the teachers I worked with taught in Egypt, so I applied there. Another taught in Ecuador so I applied there, too. No dice on both accounts. I applied to a few other random places, all the while contemplating going to Asia or going back to Spain on my own (which would mean illegally since they don’t give work permits to Americans, too much paperwork and money involved).
Then toward the end of August there was a glimmer of hope: an email from the Spain program saying “we have several vacancies! please respond immediately if you are still interested!” So I replied right away, assuming I’d hear from them in the next few days. Which I never did. So I followed up and they said “what email? oh, that email? that was only so we could remove people from the waiting list who were no longer interested. you’re still screwed” or something like that. Gee, thanks. Because that was abundantly clear from your original email…
So I was depressed for about a week, realizing I was now officially unemployed, living at my parents’ house and turning 27 years old. Ouch. The night after my 27th birthday (depression mildly lifting) I applied to a job in the Czech Republic, half assuming I wouldn’t ever hear back. But I awoke on Friday morning to an email asking me to fill out a detailed application and make a web video of myself introducing a new vocabulary to an imaginary class. On Saturday I had a skype interview and was offered the job. On Wednesday I boarded a plane at Dulles, setting off on my next adventure: teaching English in Karlovy, Vary, Czech Republic!
Follow my exploits at my new blog, Czech, Please!
CAMPEONES DEL MUNDO!!!!
Posted by: JoDuggs on: July 25, 2010
I returned home to the US on June 10. The World Cup started two days later, June 12. Sean, my younger brother and futbol fanatic, told me I was “the stupidest person alive” for leaving Spain two days before the World Cup started (because they were a favorite to win). “No, seriously,” he said, “what the hell is wrong with you?”
sporting my Spanish pride at CMS during the World Cup
About a month later, on July 11 Spain captured the World Cup title with a win over the Netherlands. I watched the game on a big screen in the theater of Cardigan Mountain School where I was teaching ESL for the summer. And I couldn’t help but think that my little bro was right… I talked to a few of my Spanish friends and teachers on facebook and they said you couldn’t imagine the celebrations. People in the streets everywhere, yelling, waving flags, going crazy. I still think it’s awesome that the year I lived in Spain they won the World Cup (for the first time ever) but can’t help but think I could’ve been there to see it…
In any case, VIVA ESPANA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hasta Luego, Huelva
Posted by: JoDuggs on: June 11, 2010
Traveling is not just seeing the new; it is also leaving behind. Not just opening doors; also closing them behind you. But the place you have left forever is always there for you to see whenever you shut your eyes.
sunrise in Huelva
Adios, Alto Conquero
Posted by: JoDuggs on: June 9, 2010
Ignacio, Pablo, and Cristina
As the last days of school approached I actually started to dread the end. I feared I would cry in front of all the kids and then be awkward and sniffly and not able to talk… I had really lucked out with the kids in both my classes and in private lessons and it was hard to believe my time with them was coming to an end already.
The first things to end were my private lessons. My oldest group of three, Pablo, Cristina, and Ignacio actually forgot that it was my last day until I reminded them at the end. It was kinda nice since they weren’t thinking about it, I didn’t have to dwell on it too much. They were really sweet and fun kids so I was sad to be finished with their lessons, the only positive being that I didn’t have to take the bus to their house every Thursday afternoon.
The next week I finished the rest of my private lessons. After my Monday classes (Lourdes and Javi, Alvaro, then another Javi) I stayed for dinner at Javi’s house. His parents, Teresa and Paco, are very very very nice. Alvaro and his mom, Angustias (the French teacher from the high school who had originally hooked me up with all the private lessons) also joined us for dinner because the two families are good friends.
Alvaro, Javier, and me
They cooked up delicious croquetas and salmorejo–two of my favorite Spanish dishes. They also served a lot of nice Rioja wine. We had a good time, the conversation flowing (in Spanish, meaning I did a lot of nodding and smiling) along with the wine until 11pm… I had to be in school at 8:30am the next morning and I was running a little late. When I got there my teacher Rosa asked me if I had a good time the night before. I didn’t realize she had spoken to Angustias already that morning so I answered, “good time? with what?” haha. Then she told me she already knew I had been out late drinking wine with the parents.
Ale J, Ale M, and Kike
My last class with my little ones (they’re now 11 years old, so not that little, I suppose) was a lot of fun, we pretty much just played a lot of games that we had done earlier in the year to review what we had learned. I think of all my private students they will miss me the least, but I can’t really take that personally seeing as how most 11-year-olds would rather not have 1.5 additional hours of English class per week. The first week I was without my private lessons (my last week at the school) it was very strange. I had spent so many afternoons/evenings with those kids it had become a habit. I almost didn’t know what to do with myself … then I remembered I lived 15 minutes from the beach.
my 4th ESO non-bilingual class
My last days at the school were also a little strange because on my last Thursday, the teacher I work with on those days, Nuria, was absent so I had the last classes with those kids by myself. But she had told them ahead of time that it was my last classes with them so it was no surprise. With the 4th ESO non-bilingual we just played a game and surprisingly most of them participated and didn’t give me any trouble (of all my classes this one definitely had the most “punks” in it, but I actually enjoyed them most days).
4th ESO bilingual and my giant card
The next period I had the 4th ESO bilingual English class, one of my favorites. They were really sweet and threw me a “surprise party” complete with chips, soda, tortilla de patatas, and music from CDs that one of the girls had burned specifically for my going away party. They were the class that I definitely devoted the most time to as far as lesson planning and teaching in the actual classroom goes so it was really nice of them to throw a party for me. They also gave me a gigantic card that they all signed, so that was cute, though maybe not the most convenient thing to bring back to the US.
half of the table at the teachers going away lunch
After school that day we had going away lunch with all the language assistants (there were 5 of us total, 3 French and 2 English) and language teachers. It was seriously one of the most delicious meals I’d had in Spain. I ate wayyy more jamon than is healthy for one person (jamon is the special ham from acorn-fed pigs that I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, Huelva produces some of the best jamon in he world). I didn’t eat dinner that night and was still full when I woke up in the morning.
That weekend I enjoyed my last night out with my American friends, and in typical Spanish fashion we stayed out until after sunrise. Ashley was the first to leave for the U.S. on that Sunday morning, which was very sad, so we don’t need to go into that here…
1st ESO bilingual English
Monday May 31 was my last day at the school. I had classes only with the youngest kids, 1st ESO. They wanted to have a party for me, but the principal said there had been too many disruptive going away parties for the language assistants the week before so they couldn’t have one.But they were still really cute and gave me little signs they had drawn, some photos, and lots of hugs. Two students in the bilingual French section sang “I’ve Got A Feeling” as a going-away gift to me. The one was even beat-boxing. It was actually really good until they got a case of the giggles one minutes into it then it never really rematerialized.
Luckily at the end of the day everyone (teachers, students) head straight for the exit so there was no prolonged, tearful goodbyes. Though I will admit to crying briefly during the day when I had to go say goodbye to some of the 3rd ESO classes because they were all so sweet, saying “thank you” and “we’ll miss you” etc. So I didn’t make it out of there tear-free…
1st ESO French bilingual
On the plus side though I have joined Spain’s version of facebook, Tuenti, so I can keep in touch with the kids. (Also, I am friends with Spanish striker Fernando Torres on Tuenti, double bonus!) Some of them have been posting on my wall asking if I want to come back, which, of course, I do, but it’s hard to explain to them why it’s not so easy to make it happen. But hopefully I will make it back sometime in the next year and visit the school before they forget me 
Los Cuarenta Principales
Posted by: JoDuggs on: June 8, 2010
The title of this blog probably means nothing to 99% of you reading it. But here in Spain (at least in Andalucia) we have a radio station called Los Cuarenta Principales, which translates to Top 40. We get this station on our TV so it’s the one I listen to most often. It plays a nice mix of American/British and Spanish music so I can hear songs I recognize but also learn new Spanish ones.
I wanted to do a recap blog and talk about some of the things I will/won’t miss about Huelva, the things I’m most looking forward to about coming home, and my favorite experiences of the year. And what better way to do that with a Top 40 (more or less…)? So I present to you, broken into 4 categories, my personal Cuarenta Princiaples of my year in Spain.
Top 10 Things I Won’t Miss About Huelva/Spain
1. Dog poop all over the sidewalks
2. People who don’t say “excuse me,” “bless you,” and other pleasantries we’re used to exchanging
3. Being reliant on DAMAS to get anywhere outside of the city
4. The crazy people who ride the buses and the often unhelpful and unfriendly bus drivers
5. Hanging my clothes out on a line to dry
6. Living next door to a construction site and all the sounds that go along with that (circular saw at 8am? nope, not going to miss that)
7. Having montaditos (little sandwiches) and kebab as my only options for to-go food
8. Having to check/light a bombona (little gas tank) before showering
9. Walking uphill the entire way to work so that I was always sweating by the time I arrived
10. Being stared at while running, wearing work-out attire, or being sweaty in public
Top 10 Things I Will Miss About Huelva/Spain
1. Living 15 minutes from the beach
2. The food: Jamon!!! Tapas in general, croquetas specifically. And Lays Receta Campesina chips! I’m not a big chip person to being with, but this flavor is amazing. I sent a bag of them in a box to myself so I can enjoy them in the U.S.
3. Siestas
4. Being able to walk pretty much anywhere in town
5. My awesome (Spanish) roommate, Maria
6. Going out until 6, 7, 8am. Seemed crazy at first, but I know I’m going to miss it when bars at home close at a measly 2am
7. Caramel vodka and tinto de verano (red wine with Fanta limon)
8. My American friends I made here. The year would not have been what is was had it not been for the great girls I was lucky to have around: Alicia, Amanda, Ashley, Brittany, and Katelyn. <Os quiero para siempre>
9. Alto Conquero, the fantastic high school I was lucky enough to be placed in. And of course all the teachers I worked with there as well as my students
10. The view from Alto Conquero, especially on a day with a clear blue sky. I never got tired of it
Top 10 Things I Am Most Looking Forward to about Coming Home
1. Hummus
2. Mexican food (specifically California Tortilla and Chipotle)
3. Cider (and any beer that isn’t Cruzcampo–definitely OD’ed on that)
4. Air conditioning
5. Central heating (okay maybe only appropriate for winter, but it was soooo cold in my apartment this winter I’d be happy to have heating in the summer, too)
6. Being able to go to stores (and get anything done) on Sundays
7. Being able to get a meal at 5 o’clock if I happen to be hungry at that time and people won’t look at me strangely and tell me the kitchen doesn’t open again until 8.
8. Stores open all day, and 24-hour Harris Teeter!
9. Real napkins, not thin small squares of paper
…and last, but most certainly not least…
10. Spending time and catching up with family and friends
Top 10 Experiences of the Year (in no particular order)
1. Watching my first Semana Santa procession in Huelva, there was a tangible excitement in the air
2. Jumping off the boat in Lagos into the fresh ocean water
3. The breathtaking ferry ride on Lake Como and experiencing Italy for the first time with my (1/2) Italian parents.
4. Sitting in a bar in Barcelona til 3am with Mike, Kyle, and Ryan pondering the mysteries of life (or something like that)
5. Successfully finding an apartment in Huelva on my third day there, major accomplishment of the year
6. Observing Feria in Sevilla firsthand (even if Amanda and I got ripped off by the waiter in the food tent…)
7. Hitchhiking a ride from a hippie in a big, blue van when my roommate, some of her friends and some of my American friends had taken the train to the sierra of Huelva and had to walk 5km to the closest town. (I don’t know why, but I don’t think this ever made it into a blog. Ask me the story next time you see me in person though, it’s a gem)
Ashley, me, Brittany, and Jose in the back of the van
8. New Years in London. Enough said
9. Going to “Farm Camp” with the 1st ESO (youngest) kids in April. I think this one also never got a blog, but we had a fun overnight trip doing many outdoor activities like archery, zipwire, biking, kayaking, rock climbing (or attempting and getting halfway up the wall for me), oh and getting stuck out at the lake during a major thunderstorm then riding back to the main camp in a tiny Suzuki Samari in pouring rain on dirt-turned-mud roads convinced I was going to die on the outing with the kids…
10. My last night in Huelva. My roommate cooked an amazing tortilla de patatas and my favorite salmorejo and invited a bunch of her friends over. 
My last two American friends still in Spain (Brittany and Alicia) came into Huelva for the night. We ate a ton, danced a lot, went out to a bar until 3am. And as a gift they all signed a Spanish flag for me. I will say, being hungover and near vomitting the next morning in the McDonald’s at the Barcelona airport while trying to hold down a cheeseburger was not a “Top 10″ experience, but my last night in Huelva was totally worth it
“It’s Evolution” in Lisbon
Posted by: JoDuggs on: June 7, 2010
Brittany and me in front of a statue in Lisbon
The day I finished school, May 31, my friend Brittany and I rented a car and drove to Lisbon, which is only about 3.5 hours from Huelva. The bulk of our drive was up one toll road in Portugal. We had no idea how much it would cost and joked about pulling up to the window and the guy telling us it was 20 euros. Turns out we weren’t far off: the toll for driving from the start of the highway where we got on to Lisbon was 18 euros. Ouch! But we had amazing luck otherwise and without a GPS and only sub-par GoogleMaps directions we navigated our way into the center of Lisbon without getting lost or hit by the crazy drivers.
The first night we were pretty tired and didn’t have energy for much more than eating. We randomly picked a cafe on a touristy strip near our hostel and enjoyed some tasty hamburgers. But what we definitely did not enjoy was the creepy waiter who shamelessly ogled Brittany for 5-second clips at a time and at one point rested his hand on hers. Men in Spain have a reputation for staring and whistling at women, but we found the men in Lisbon to be wayyyyyy worse than any we had encountered in Spain. The next day a younger guy hissed at us we walked by like that was supposed to be some sort of mating call.
trolley in Lisbon
Despite the sketchy men we met a lot of nice people in the city and had a really good time exploring. We had a map of the city but a few of the neighborhoods were full of tiny, windy streets so it was nearly impossible to follow where you were on the map. At one point we followed a nice old man to get to the castle. He didn’t speak any English but just motioned us to come with him (okay now that I write this it sounds a little sketchy itself, but he was a pretty old guy, seemed nice enough).
We finally found where we were trying to go (and were sweeaattyy after walking uphill for what felt like 2 hours) and rejoiced a bit when we made it. First we ambled through a flea market. There was A LOT of random junk, but we found one nice jewelry stall and a really cool t-shirt stall where the guy designs and prints all the shirts himself (he has an online store if you want to peruse ). Those were both handy for a little souvenir shopping.
me in front of beautiful Lisbon
From there we ascended a little bit further to the castle for some magnificent views of the city. It was such a gorgeous day the views were absolutely incredible. After a late lunch and a little bit of shopping (there was an H&M, the one store we don’t have in Huelva—how could we resist?) we changed and headed to the Elevator tower to get a drink and more nice views of the city. Except the top floor of the Elevator ended up being closed so we got up to see some views of the city, but couldn’t get a drink.
We decided to just walk around and find another nice place to sit outside and get a drink. We ended up at a restaurant with long tables that sat you next random people when it gets crowded. Of course we ended up with two chatty German men who were funny for a little while then just got annoying because we knew they were just listening to everything we were saying. When we told them we were leaving to go get our own dinner (at a restaurant that had been recommended to us by the guy at the hostel) they said we should stay there and talk to them while they ate. “It’s evolution … women talk, men listen,” was their line. Ha, okay buddy. We high-tailed it out of there shortly after that comment. As we were leaving the table they asked where we were eating and said they were going to come visit us but I just pretended not to hear and walked away.
cute outdoor cafe in Lisbon with a nice view of the castle
We did enjoy a delicious meal of Portuguese meats, as well as cod fritters, octopus salad (good flavor, terrible texture), and vinho verde (“green wine” from Portugal). After that we hit the town. Even though it was a Tuesday night the bar scene in Barrio Alto was happening. We met tons of friendly people and almost all of them spoke perfect English. (In Portugal they don’t dub over English TV shows and movies like they do in Spain so people in Portugal hear much more English than people in Spain.) The night ended around 3:30am, not quite as late as we stay out in Spain, but a good effort for a Tuesday night anyways.
Wednesday morning we didn’t do much other than eat breakfast and pack up before hitting the road again. I wish we could have stayed longer (this was the best arrangement that worked for both of our schedules), but we definitely made the most out of our 1.5 days there. I absolutely loved Lisbon, would put it at the top of my list of places visited this year, and could definitely see myself living there in the future (assuming I can’t make it back to Spain )
Beer and Waffles and Chocolate, Oh My!
Posted by: JoDuggs on: June 5, 2010
me with Mannekin Pis!
At the end of May we had a “puente” (long weekend) in Huelva because it was the celebration of the Virgin of El Rocio. It is basically a famous pilgrimage to the small town of El Rocio in the southern part of the Huelva province. Thousands of people dress in the typical flamenco dresses and suits and ride horses and walk the path to El Rocio (from the city of Huelva they walk for about two/three days before they arrive in the town). Before I realized what a big deal this was for Huelva I had made plans to meet Brett (from Scotland) in Belgium.
My flight out on the Thursday morning left Sevilla at 9:10. I was packed the night before and headed out of my house at 5:30 to catch the 6am bus to Sevilla… except there wasn’t one.
Apparently, Tues-Thurs the 6am bus is a pueblo (local) bus that doesn’t go directly to Sevilla. In the past, I had only taken the 6am bus on Fridays so I had no idea it didn’t run directly to Sevilla mid-week. The bus driver said they would arrive in Sevilla at about 8:30. Then I’d still have to get to the airport (a 15-minute cab ride from the bus station)…
So I sat there at the bus station contemplating my options. I could wait for the 7am bus, that would get me in at 8/8:10am. I couldn’t take the train because that didn’t get in until 8:30. For a few minutes I thought about taking a cab. I had no idea how much it would cost (definitely upwards of 100 euros) but surely I’d end up spending that much on a new ticket if I missed my flight. But as fate would have it there were no cabs at the taxi stand outside the bus station and none drove by in the few minutes I stood out there. So I decided to just wait and chance it on the 7am bus.
mmmmmmmm Beglian waffles
I slept most of the way into Sevilla but woke up at 8am just in time for us to be hitting some traffic about 2 miles outside of the city. For the next 15 minutes as we inched out way closer and closer to the bus station the knot in my stomach grew larger and larger. I knew there was absolutely nothing I could do to make the bus go faster but I was anxious nonetheless.
As soon as the bus came to a stop I ran off, grabbed my backpack from underneath and booked it to the cab stand. The cab pulled into the airport at about 8:30. I ran to the RyanAir check-in desk (because even though I had an e-ticket they have to check your passport), but it was closed. So I ran to security where the woman (surprisingly nicely) told me to go back to the ticket counter opposite of check-in and the woman there would check my passport. “Corre!! Corre!!” she yelled at me (Run! Run!).
I ran back to the desk, interrupted the purchasing of some couple’s tickets, got my ticket stamped, and ran back to security. The security lady asked me if I had everything now, smiled then told me to “Corre! Corre!” again because my flight was boarding. Of course this would be the ONLY time I’ve flown out of Gate 10 in Sevilla (not exaggerating when I say every other flight has been out of gates 1-3). But luckily Sevilla’s airport is minuscule compared to the ones in Madrid and Barcelona so I only had to run a few hundred yards to get to my gate.
sipping a delicious Delerium Tremmens
And by some miracle there were 15 people still waiting to board the plane (a few were arguing with the employees over the strict one carry-on rule). I made it on and grabbed a seat, still sweating and in disbelief that I had actually made the flight. Phew, what a way to start a weekend.
I met up with Brett in Brussels in the evening (was after 5pm before I arrived, had a connection in Milan). Since it had been a long (and adventurous!) day for me we just grabbed dinner and a few beers then called it a night. The highlight of the night was discovering the most delicious beer: Mort Subite Kriek. It’s a cherry beer that tastes like someone melted a cherry Jolly Rancher, added some carbonation to it and put it in a glass. Yum!!
Friday we explored Brussels: the Mannekin Pis, the Grand Palace, Belgian beers, strawberries dipped in chocolate, waffles topped with chocolate, more Belgian beers.
mmmm delicious afternoon snack!
Saturday morning we caught a train to Bruges, about an hour from Brussels. I had been there before about a year-and-a-half earlier (along with Brussels) on a European trip I took at the end of 2008, but I absolutely loved it so was very eager to go back. And we did a few things that I hadn’t done on my first trip like climb up the bell tower in the center of town and take a boat ride on the canals. Oh and of course we sampled some more Belgian beers. Brett was on a mission to not try any beer twice so his selections were very varied. (Though there are so many you could probably live in Belgium for years and never drink the same beer twice.) He had even bought a “Beer Guide to Belgium” book in preparation for the trip.
We spent a large portion of our evening at a terrific beer cafe called Brugs Beertje (I think) sampling various beers. I had another cherry beer, but this one wasn’t quite as good as the Mort Subite. Though the waiter told me it was because all the sugars in this one were natural so it had a fresher taste. For dinner we ended up at a random restaurant where I had a comforting veggie lasagna but Brett struck out with attempt to eat local fare with a soggy not-quite-stew/not-quite-soup dish.
outside the amazing beer cafe
On Sunday morning we took another train to Ghent, which is almost halfway between Brussels and Bruges. I had not visited this town on my previous trip to Belgium so it was totally new to both of us.
The city center of Ghent was really pretty (minus the construction going on in parts of it). Like Bruges, there are some canals that run through the city. We walked along the Graslei, a really nice stretch along one of the canals. The weather was gorgeous so people were eating and drinking at all the sidewalk cafes.
Luckily we made it to the Castle of the Counts just as they were letting in the last visitors of the day. The castle was really neat, much more preserved (or renovated, I forget) than most of the ones I have visited. We explored the castle for a while, taking in some great views of the city from its rooftop.
Brett and me on the top of the castle in Ghent
Naturally, we found another great beer cafe in Ghent (thanks to a tip from Brett’s book) and had a few delicious beers (I drank more Mort Subite kriek and a tasty apple beer) to end the evening.
Monday morning it was already time to go so we headed back to Brussels to catch our respective flights. Thankfully all trains and buses were running when we needed them and my trip was much less eventful.
Better Late Than Never
Posted by: JoDuggs on: June 4, 2010
Amanda, Katelyn, Brittany, me, and Alicia on a bridge in Granada
It took me 8 months, but I finally made a trip to Granada! In the middle of May me and 4 of the girls went for our last weekend excursion together. It was almost our whole “Huelva crew”, except Ashley who had previous plans with some of her teachers.
We arrived early Saturday morning in Granada, expecting the weather to be similar to the 80 degrees and sunshine that we had left behind in Huelva… and we were unpleasantly surprised. It was cool, even bordering on chilly. We hadn’t really factored in the mountains when deciding what clothes to wear. So most of us were traipsing around in flip-flops and that generated quite a few stares. People in Spain stare in general, but especially when they see something strange. So us wearing flip flops outside the beach was definitely stare-worthy, especially because it was a little cool.
delicious tapas in Granada
On Saturday we walked around town, did a little bit of shopping, then got started on the free tapas. In Granada they have a policy that if you order a drink you get a free tapa to go along with it. So we “tapa-hopped” for a few hours and got some nice snacks.
At night we met up with a few other kids that we had met in Sevilla during our orientation. We had some drinks with them at a bar (and subsequently more free tapas!) then went to a really neat discoteca, Granada 10, which is an old movie theater converted into a club.
Since we stayed out until 6:30am Sunday morning came very early for us. We had to be out of the hostel at 11, then we had tickets to enter the Alhambra at 12:30. The morning was a blur of showering, packing, scarfing tostada and cafe con leche, then speed walking up a steeeeeep hill to get to the Alhambra on time…
the Alhambra
But we made it. And WOW. It was AMAZING. We had an absolutely gorgeous day (much warmer than the day before) with beautiful blue skies. The views from the old palace/fort were unbelievable: the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains towering to one side, the white and brown houses of Granada to the other.
The Alhambra also has a a section called the Generalife gardens. We were lucky to be there when everything was in bloom and enjoyed strolling through the peaceful, gorgeous rows of roses and colorful trees. After a frantic morning it was nice to just relax and walk through such beautiful scenery…
me in the Generalife gardens
In the Summertime…
Posted by: JoDuggs on: June 3, 2010
when the weather is hot… we go to the beach. Well in Huelva we do, anyways. Way back in the fall (for those who have been with me from the beginning) I mentioned that my friend Brittany lives in a beach town, La Antilla, about 40 minutes from the city of Huelva. The first two weekends of May a few of us headed there for some nice relaxation on the playa.
gorgeous La Antilla
Unbeknownst to us, Saturday May 1 was a holiday, their version of Labor Day. This meant of course that NO stores were open (including grocery stores) and the buses were operating on a slightly different schedule. This was problematic for multiple reasons: 1. We hadn’t bought food for the weekend. 2. We hadn’t bought booze for the weekend. 3. No buses were going to La Antilla until 9pm Saturday night (as opposed to the normal 11:30am departure). Luckily, we were able to take a bus to Lepe, the closest town to Antilla then take an 8 euro cab from there.
Since the stores weren’t opened and we hadn’t planned much of a weekend, the expectations were pretty low. But we thought a nice, chill weekend would be just as well….
But sometimes when you have no expectations you end up having the best nights ever. Like the time you go out to fundraiser happy hour just to support a co-worker’s cause and you end up singing karaoke until 1am in Adams Morgan, DC. But I digress…
Amanda, Brittany, Ashley and I at the "Crusoe Bar" in Antilla
Because we had no food we ended up going out to dinner at a pizzeria in Antilla. Afterwards we stopped in the bar next door just to see what was going on in there. Of course, in typical Spanish fashion, there were some children in the bar at 1am.
We stayed for a drink, which turned into more drinks, and eventually made friends with a group of older patrons in the bar. We danced with them to both current pop music and traditional Spanish music. Two of the women were even trying to teach some of us how to dance Sevilliana, a traditional type of dance here that is done at Feria and other Spring celebrations.
Amanda, our new friend Javier, and me attempting to dance Sevillana
We ended up closing the bar down at 3am or whatever. It was such a random night, but I hadn’t had that much fun just dancing and laughing in a very long time…
The next weekend we returned to La Antilla. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t as nice, so we didn’t get as much beach time in. but the stores were open so we could eat and drink to our hearts’ desires.
