Finally, I have WiFi

But only on Thursdays. Sadly. Anyway, here is a post long overdue. Enjoy!

2/4/09

Today I was inspired to blog. Yes, inspired. And what inspired me, you ask? Was it some beautiful sculpture or piece of art? No. Was it the pain of classes, or some intriguing intellectual question? No. Did I get mugged, and need to let everyone at home know that I’m all right now, though with several bruises? No. Well then, Tim, what the hell was it?!

Cheese.

Yes you heard me. Cheese. For the first time over the course of my time in Spain, I have actually been surprise by food. Others on the trip were surprised (and some, appalled) long before. In our paella, a shrimp was served whole, with the head still on, unnerving a few members of our company (I just finished reading LotR again, pardon the strange language). But I have seen that for years, both at home and at restaurants. Did the sight of a piglet dead but whole at the butcher’s shop phase me? Nope. Once you’ve seen cow penis frozen and sold at a supermarket, any sort of meat will fail to surprise (I swear, you could play baseball with one of those things).

No, what got me was cheese. We had just finished our traditional ginormous (spelling, anyone?) meal, and I was waiting on dessert, when my señora asked me if I would be willing to try cheese. Sure, I said, I love cheese. What she brings out was a piece of cheese, clearly prepackaged and in the shape of a flan. Fair enough. But what got me was that they used to putting fruit jam on top. Jam! Nothing in American, Southern, or Asian Cuisine prepared me for this strange culinary combination. Once over my surprise, I tried it, and (as expected) loved it. And that was one of two culinary delights of the week, the other of which I’ll get to some other post.

Clearly this is probably more exciting for me than to you, and it is highly ironic that I spent more time describing my encounter with a piece of cheese and jam than any single experience with a cultural icon since my arrival. But, it cannot be helped. That said, it is time to back track a little bit and describe a little of Granada for you, so we can eventually catch back up to the present.

I (as well as most of the others, I believe), fell in love with Barcelona, and was not quite so impressed with Granada. However, it did have it’s perks, and it’s one really awesome site, which is worth the trip should you ever come to Spain: the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a palace/fortress that was built by the Moors during their long time in Spain. It sits on the top of a small, green mountain overlooking the city. Behind it are snow capped peaks, the combination of which makes it look like something out of a fantasy novel. Walking through the halls and imagining what it was like in its hay day put me in the mind to write more fiction, though I have yet to begin.

What makes the sight even better is the Plaza of Saint Nicholas, which is located on a mountain directly opposite the palace. I went there twice: once during the day, and once for the sunset. Gorgeous. With good reason Bill Clinton once called it the most beautiful sunset in the world (funny story and side note: the authorities put up a plaque that said “Bill Clinton was here.” By the next day, there was graffiti next to it saying “and so was I” and “me too.” The plaque itself didn’t last the night before being smashed).

Well, I’ll let you go with that. I saw free flamenco too, which was awesome, and got free tapas with drinks at various bars, a must if you go to Granada. And I turned 21, as roughly 50 people noted via Facebook (all of whom I still have to reply to). Well, time for me to sleep, and/or watch the equivalent of Fox News with my host family. ¡Adios!