Josh the night owl

I'm not going to even bother telling you how late it actually is here. Let's just say that Morocco is only a few hours away. I can't wait to get away from worrying about exams, internships and grade-point averages, but mostly I'm excited to go to Morocco. Riding camels and traveling through the desert are just some of the perks.

I was hoping to post more, but I have some summer internship work to put to sleep before I hit the sack myself. One of my November resolutions is to make time to blog. I have stories about soccer games, crossing the sidewalk and family reunions, which will likely take the backseat after Morocco, Italy and Prague.

Oh, and just because you post anonymously doesn't mean I don't know who you are. Choose your words wisely.

But for now, I am off to Africa through November 5. Happy Halloween!

Ch-ch-ch-ch Changes

After about two months of blogging, I thought it was about time for a change.

You may have noticed the column of photos along the side, which I added to spiff things up a bit and show some shots you may not have already seen. I'll be updating pictures periodically as I travel around Europe throughout November. I also loosened up the comment restraints, so now you can comment without worrying about an account. Random side note: This photo comes from the castle in Trujillo.

This evening, I'm headed out to a soccer game and soon to Morocco for the first five days of November. But I'm not really looking forward to leaving at 5:45 a.m. Thursday, which is actually only 11:45 p.m. Wednesday for you if you're on the East Coast.

Look for at least one more post between now and then. Stay classy.

Josh vs. Man, Josh vs. Rabbit

First possibly stunning fact: You haven't seen anything from my new camera yet. That said, this action shot comes from last weekend's trip to Merida, Caceres and Trujillo, more specifically the Roman ruins of Merida. Battle No. 1: My esteemed colleague Ethan and I waged an epic struggle where gladiators and animals fought each other to the death hundreds of years ago. By the end of our vicious fight, I had the 20,000 proud (actually just a professor) asking for Ethan's death. I was victorious. Moving on.

What you're about to read next may shock you. It might not, depending on how attached you are to rabbits. If you happen to be particularly fond of those furry creatures, you might want to stop here.

Second possibly stunning fact: Last week, I had an exquisite meal. That's right, your worst fears are true. Battle No. 2: I ate rabbit. Before you start accusing me of being a terrible person, you should know that ... I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and don't feel a tiny bit bad about it! OK, that's not entirely true. Let me back up.

In Spain, people eat rabbit. It's not exactly a delicacy, but it's not a common fix for the munchies either. Keep in mind that this is the same country that kills bulls for sport. So, one day my housemother asks me if I'd be interested in eating rabbit for lunch one day. I was a little apprehensive, but my roommate and house brother Carlos were ready to take on the task. Despite playing with his food (in bad taste with rabbit at the table), Carlos was highly disappointed. I was not. Rabbit has a similar taste to chicken, just a little stronger, and it is best served with potatoes. Mmm.

To summarize: Josh 2, Man/Rabbit 0.

A tale of three cities

As it turned out, I actually went to three cities this weekend: Merida, Caceres and Trujillo. Offered by The Center for Cross-Cultural Study, the free trip included visits to a tremendous castle (not pictured at right), a medieval quarter, the birthplace of Francisco Pizarro (conquerer of Peru), a convent for nuns, Roman ruins and more.

I feel like each trip gets better and better, though it's easy to say that with Morocco up next. This weekend, I got the chance to talk to people that I had barely seen since the first day in Spain, see some incredible sights, and learn a little bit about what the life of a nun is like. It's kind of random, but there's something new every day. And don't worry, photos are coming.

Leaving the nest

Something tells me that you've been waiting for this picture.

Finally, here is my living space in my apartment in Spain. It's not much, but considering the fact that generally I have a nice apartment, I have a great housemother (whose son hooked me up with Internet), and well, I'm in Spain, all is good.

Tomorrow I am headed to Merida, bright and early. At the end of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, General Francisco Franco had this ingenious plan to take his troops through Merida to get from Seville to Madrid. Ultimately, it helped him win the war.

Check back late Saturday or Sunday for more on Merida. For now, enjoy the cathedral, which amazes me every time I see it. (This photo is my new desktop wallpaper.)

Headed to paradise city

November might just be the best month of my life. We'll ignore the fact that I have to write a handful of lengthy papers by the time the month is over.

When I signed up for a school-affiliated trip to Morocco (first weekend in November), I was excited. When I said, "Hey, let's go to Venice," found somebody to go with AND booked the flight (third weekend in November), I was even more excited. But the latest plan I've made may surpass them both.

I was planning a trip to Barcelona with some friends, and one person was spitting out other travel ideas like sunflower seed shells. "Let's go to Rome, Paris, Africa, EGYPT!" she said. And then it hit me.

After credit card problems, failing Internet and a slew of other small issues, I have booked a flight to Prague. During the last weekend in November, three friends and I are flying first to Barcelona, then straight to Prague for two nights (48 hours) and finally back to Barcelona for an evening before an early morning flight to Seville. Confused? Here is the abridged version: I'm going to Prague. Last night I got so emotional about it that my friend couldn't tell if my emotion came from happiness or sorrow. I can't wait for Venice, but words cannot describe how stoked I am for Prague. Prague!

Weekend wrap-up with the 'rents

After traveling a week in Spain, my parents returned to Seville to spend some time with me last weekend (Oct. 5 to 7). Despite me getting sick again, we had a great time with flamenco, the beach and some of the most food I've had all semester.

Now I've had plenty of good food here, but I had been longing for flamenco and quality beach time. Flamenco originated in southern Spain and displays some of the most passionate dance performances. The performers we saw included a guitarist, singer and two dancers. Naturally the guitarist was my favorite. He played a Latin-style guitar, and the musicianship was incredible. The speed that his fingers scurried up and down the guitar neck, and the rapid rhythm and time changes as well as the complexity of his sound were equally impressive. The singer mixed wailing, hand-clapping and foot-stomping, while the dancers produced their own take on the genre.

The first dancer was a woman who was so immersed in the performance that her face contorted in almost discomforting expressions. She never smiled and her emotion poured through her performance. The man that followed was more of the happy-go-lucky type. Though maybe not as professional, his immense agility and suave style captivated a packed house. Another contrast between the men and women in general was their dress. The men were dressed in simplistic black and/or white, while the women wore elegant orange dresses. This contrast added an extra spark, and overall I enjoyed the hour-long performance.

The next day, we headed south on a road trip to the beach in Cadiz. The experience was a bit of a blur because I was fighting a cold. We had a nice lunch of about every fried food you could name (unintentionally). That night, after walking about 45 minutes or so, we settled in at a great restaurant in Triana across the river with a gorgeous view of the cathedral. We had some big dishes of fish, beef, salad and shrimp. Small, simplistic portions are much more common than elegant dishes in Spain, so this was a treat.

We said our goodbyes.

Seville's No. 2 Attraction

Next to the cathedral (figuratively and literally), the Real Alcazar is Seville's biggest attraction. More or less a mini Alhambra, the Alcazar is the royal palace of Seville, where Spanish kings lived, and others married, as early as the 14th century. See photos here.

Backtracking just a bit, last night I checked out "Eastern Promises," the latest film from Viggo Mortensen and director David Cronenberg (responsible for 2005's "A History of Violence"). Critics are salivating over it, and rightfully so. It may be more brutal than a bullfight, but it's well done. The film deals with the Russian mafia, so if you're into mafia, you'll probably like it.

That said, the movie-going experience was slightly different from the day before (after all this was a Friday night instead of a weekday afternoon). Tickets were twice as expensive, a man sat next to me explaining everything to his wife, and we had assigned seats. Yes, assigned seats. Rows and seats were numbered, and the tickets corresponded. A little unnecessary I think and difficult if two friends try to buy tickets separately and sit together.

While I'm on the subject of the movies, Myriam showed my roommate and I her movies. She's into a wide variety of genres, including American films dubbed in Spanish as well as actual Spanish films. She had everything from "American Beauty" to "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." She's awesome.

And finally, an update on Italy. The flight is booked. The "hotel" is booked. Friday, November 16, to Sunday, November 18, two friends and I will be in Italy. Friday is Milan to see the Duomo (cathedral) and Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, "The Last Supper." We'll spend all day Saturday in Venice, then head back to the Milan airport for an early morning flight back to Seville on Sunday. I can't wait.

One promise left unfilled. Check back tomorrow.

Spanish on the silver screen

After hearing horror stories of friends having to pay 15 pounds ($30) for a ticket to the movies in London, I wondered how my first experience at the movies in Spain would go.

A friend offered to go see "Hairspray" at a plaza just down the street from my apartment. However, someone told us that all of the music was in English, which of course, with a musical, means that the majority of the film would be in English. We made the last-minute change to "Ratatouille" and were not disappointed. Tickets were 4.60 euros, which is about $6.50. Not bad for a Thursday afternoon.

I would recommend the film to anyone, especially "Chef Jeff." It's about a rat with a passion for the kitchen who helps a kid cook at a top restaurant. It's animated, funny and intellectual. A character must decide between helping out a kid and living with his family. Nevermind that this is a rat, it's still a nice story. Nevermind that the film claims France has the best food (clearly Italy). But with American films, Spain has people who always dub the voices of famous actors. The Spanish version usually comes out a few months after the American version.

I couldn't understand every word, and after watching the trailer on YouTube, I realized I missed out many of the jokes. I still enjoyed the film and got more experience listening to people talk rapid Spanish. However, it was nice to hear people speak Spanish well, as opposed to people in Seville dropping every other consonant.

Also, there were only a couple of previews and a short animated film before the actual movie. The short film featured two aliens trying to transport a boy from his bed to the spaceship. This one poor little alien-in-training sat in front of a board of hundreds of switches, trying to figure out the right combination to bring the boy to the ship. He struggled mightily, as the kid ended up flying around the room banging into everything (while still managing to sleep!). It was funny, you just had to be there.

"In a Little While"

"In a little while
Surely you'll be mine
In a little while I'll be there
In a little while this hurt will hurt no more
I'll be home love"

- U2

Check back Thursday for the first of several postings that will include an update on Italy, photos from a palace in Seville and a recap of "the morning after" a second weekend with my parents.

Rome around the world

It looks like I won't make it to Rome this semester, so I'm glad I got to see the Roman ruins of Italica just outside of Seville. (That said, Italy still looks like a go to Milan and Venice.) This shot was taken in the arena where animals, gladiators and other men fought to the death. More photos from Italica are here. Meanwhile, here are some other notes from the past week in Spain.

I was watching TV during lunch a few days ago, and I saw a man killed in a bullring and another man lying dead on the street after a motorcycle accident. The report then showed motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic and riding on the white lines between lanes. People think New Jersey drivers are crazy, but some of these motorcycle drivers are out of control. But like I said before, there is much more viewer discretion in the U.S. For me, TV news is too extreme, because I think of the kids and the victim's families watching.

I learned some other Spanish culture tidbits in class. In Spain, it is free to get a sex change and to go to the doctor for whatever reason (coverage comes from social security). And at The Center for Cross-Cultural Studies (where I take my classes here), students and professors used to smoke in class. I'm glad I'm here now.

Myriam's daughter came over for lunch today. Carlos was making hummus and found a half-dead cockroach in the kitchen. Myriam started screaming and went nuts. Carlos sprayed the kitchen and the smell drifted to the living room, where we eat. The smell was too strong, and we had to close the doors to the living room, which I didn't even know existed until now. And I was worried about mosquitoes (which are still eating me alive and are also the name for smaller motorcycles here. Fitting, I think.). In fact, Carlos was running around his room spraying last night after he had unsuccessfully tried to kill a mosquito.

Last semester, I lived in the basement of the Garden Apartments at Ithaca College. After hosting a fair share of creepy crawlers, I figured a house in Spain would be insect-free. So much for that.

Don't Stop Believin'

Unfortunately, the first playoff game for the Philadelphia Phillies has ended in a 4-2 loss. However, it is only one loss, and tomorrow is a new game and a new opportunity. For Phillies fans having a tough time stomaching the defeat, here's a video to lift your spirits. Credit goes out to The Zo Zone for picking this up. Jason, this one's for you.

Grab bag

Here's a crazy post in the middle of another crazy week.

• Having mom and dad around is even better than I expected. We found a couple of great bars to eat tapas (hors d'oeuvre type dishes) and knocked out most of the big tourist sites in one weekend. We had a few drinks at the Hotel Alfonso XIII on Saturday and saw the cathedral on Sunday (photo at right). My dad ate five or six meals on the plane to Madrid and the train to Seville combined, but now I may be eating more than he is. Hard to believe, isn't it?
  

• It barely rained my first month in Spain. Most days were simply blue sky and hot sun. Since my parents arrived Saturday, every day has rained, been cold, been cloudy, or all three for at least a few hours. I walked home through the pouring rain tonight. Way to go, mom and dad. Otherwise, my parents are touring Spain this week (with the new camera). They went to Cordoba and are in Granada today.
  

• The buses are becoming harder and harder to predict. Monday morning, the driver of one of my buses (I take about six buses every day) let so many people on that nobody could get off for their stop. Today, the driver only let people on at the bus station and wouldn't let anybody from other stops get on the bus. Any guesses for tomorrow?
  

• Philadelphia can finally enjoy October baseball as the Fightin' Phils prepare to square off against the Colorado Rockies. After saving grounds crew from the tarp in Colorado in July, I'm predicting the good karma will help the team win this series. I'll be watching on MLB.com. If you are a Phillies fan, this should make you laugh. For now, enjoy the greatest 6 minutes the Phillies have had in at least 14 years.