24 April 2009
23 April 2009
Suit of Lights
Good Afternoon,
(welcome to the last place you will see alive bull)
Yesterday night I went to a bullfight! Sort of an unnecessary form of entertainment if you ask me, but don't since this isn't my culture.
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This is copied from a website, and explains it all much better than I could:
"A Corrida starts with the paseillo, with everybody involved in the bullfight entering the ring and presenting himself to the public. Two Alguacilillos, on horse's back, direct themselves to the presidency and symbolically ask for the keys to the "puerta de los toriles". Behind that door there are the bulls.
With the door being opened and the first bull entering the ring the spectacle starts. It consists of three parts, called tercios, being separated by horn-signals. There are three toreros in each Corrida , by the way, and each will have to torear two bulls.
In the first tercio the bullfighter uses the capote, a quite large rag of purple and yellow color. Now enter two picadores, on horse's back and armed with a sort of lance.
The second part is la suerte de banderillas. Three banderilleros have to stick a pair of banderillas into the attacking bull's back.
In the final "suerte suprema" the bullfighter uses the muleta, a small red rag. He has to show his faena, his masterity to dominate the bull, and to establish an artistical symbiosis between man and beast. The Corrida ends with the torero killing the bull by his sword."
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There were six bulls and three matadors: two bulls per man, and the first ones were not that good, but the last bull (he looked like the biggest, meanest, and smartest) was. Applauding and saying "Muy bien!" or "Bueno" is how the Spaniards show their approval. Whistling means that the bull sucks, or the matador sucks.
I only heard applauding and "bueno" on the last fight, nobody whistled. And the matador (only 25 years old-which is usual) won an ear.
Winning an ear or two from the bull is the same as "winning" a bullfight. In the Sevillan ring, it is extremely hard to do this because my city tends to ask a lot from the fighters. But the guy won one and I was happy I stayed for the last fight.
hasta pronto, corey
The horse and the picadores. The horse is blindfolded and padded because the bull rams into its side. Poor horse. But at least it is padded now; before the 40s or 50s, the horses were usually disembowled at this point. Stupid.
This was the last bull. The best by far. And the matador was so smooth.
Blindfolded mules carrying away the carcass. And the clean-up crew...
A picadores, the bull, and a banderillero. The bull has to stand inside the inner red ring, and the picadore and his horse stand on the outside of the outter ring. When the bull is positioned just so by the banderillero, the picadore gets the bull's attention and the bull rams the horse and the picadore stabs the bull.
The Colombian matador and the bull. Notice the sword in his hand. He is about to win his ear.
Victory lap with his ear.
*************************************************************************
This is copied from a website, and explains it all much better than I could:
"A Corrida starts with the paseillo, with everybody involved in the bullfight entering the ring and presenting himself to the public. Two Alguacilillos, on horse's back, direct themselves to the presidency and symbolically ask for the keys to the "puerta de los toriles". Behind that door there are the bulls.
With the door being opened and the first bull entering the ring the spectacle starts. It consists of three parts, called tercios, being separated by horn-signals. There are three toreros in each Corrida , by the way, and each will have to torear two bulls.
In the first tercio the bullfighter uses the capote, a quite large rag of purple and yellow color. Now enter two picadores, on horse's back and armed with a sort of lance.
The second part is la suerte de banderillas. Three banderilleros have to stick a pair of banderillas into the attacking bull's back.
In the final "suerte suprema" the bullfighter uses the muleta, a small red rag. He has to show his faena, his masterity to dominate the bull, and to establish an artistical symbiosis between man and beast. The Corrida ends with the torero killing the bull by his sword."
***************************************************************************
There were six bulls and three matadors: two bulls per man, and the first ones were not that good, but the last bull (he looked like the biggest, meanest, and smartest) was. Applauding and saying "Muy bien!" or "Bueno" is how the Spaniards show their approval. Whistling means that the bull sucks, or the matador sucks.
I only heard applauding and "bueno" on the last fight, nobody whistled. And the matador (only 25 years old-which is usual) won an ear.
Winning an ear or two from the bull is the same as "winning" a bullfight. In the Sevillan ring, it is extremely hard to do this because my city tends to ask a lot from the fighters. But the guy won one and I was happy I stayed for the last fight.
hasta pronto, corey
The horse and the picadores. The horse is blindfolded and padded because the bull rams into its side. Poor horse. But at least it is padded now; before the 40s or 50s, the horses were usually disembowled at this point. Stupid.
This was the last bull. The best by far. And the matador was so smooth.
Blindfolded mules carrying away the carcass. And the clean-up crew...
A picadores, the bull, and a banderillero. The bull has to stand inside the inner red ring, and the picadore and his horse stand on the outside of the outter ring. When the bull is positioned just so by the banderillero, the picadore gets the bull's attention and the bull rams the horse and the picadore stabs the bull.
The Colombian matador and the bull. Notice the sword in his hand. He is about to win his ear.Victory lap with his ear.19 April 2009
Missent to Jamaica
Hola todas,
Funny stories:
-->One of my best friends, Amy, tried to send me a Valentine's Day card back at the end of January. It never made it to me, and we were both upset because she had put a lot of information into the card. And besides that, I have loved getting mail (thanks mom,dad,gran,alex, and kristen!).
When I got back from Italy, my roommates hand me a letter--it was Amy's!
Stamped in blurry blue was "MISSENT TO JAMAICA". I laughed for about an hour. The best part was that after I leave Spain, the school will not forward any recieved mail to me, so it came in perfect timing.
-->A couple of months ago, I'm not really sure when, me and one of my roommates Jennifer were walking to class as usual. All of a sudden, I look over and there is a crash/thud in the middle of the street. Some guy on his motorbike had stopped at the red light and FELL OVER! hahahaha
Me and Jen started laughing our butts off and pointing; I think the dude was embarrased...It had to be the funniest thing I had ever saw. I mean really, who's bike falls over?
-->Yesterday I was gift shopping and in the Centro (the biggest shopping district in Sevilla) there was a booth set up in the street. I'm used to seeing the weirdo street performers, the beggars, and the gypsies, but not this. The banners hanging on thebooth said
"¡Comer carne es cruel!" and "¡El futuro es vegetariano!" --translating to , eating meat is cruel and the future is vegetarian...bwhahaha, in Seville?? Just shows you Dad.
OK, the last story wasn't that funny, but it's something I want to remember, so I am posting it on cyberspace, therefore making it permanent.
have a wonderful Sunday, corey
Funny stories:
-->One of my best friends, Amy, tried to send me a Valentine's Day card back at the end of January. It never made it to me, and we were both upset because she had put a lot of information into the card. And besides that, I have loved getting mail (thanks mom,dad,gran,alex, and kristen!).
When I got back from Italy, my roommates hand me a letter--it was Amy's!
Stamped in blurry blue was "MISSENT TO JAMAICA". I laughed for about an hour. The best part was that after I leave Spain, the school will not forward any recieved mail to me, so it came in perfect timing.
-->A couple of months ago, I'm not really sure when, me and one of my roommates Jennifer were walking to class as usual. All of a sudden, I look over and there is a crash/thud in the middle of the street. Some guy on his motorbike had stopped at the red light and FELL OVER! hahahaha
Me and Jen started laughing our butts off and pointing; I think the dude was embarrased...It had to be the funniest thing I had ever saw. I mean really, who's bike falls over?
-->Yesterday I was gift shopping and in the Centro (the biggest shopping district in Sevilla) there was a booth set up in the street. I'm used to seeing the weirdo street performers, the beggars, and the gypsies, but not this. The banners hanging on thebooth said
"¡Comer carne es cruel!" and "¡El futuro es vegetariano!" --translating to , eating meat is cruel and the future is vegetarian...bwhahaha, in Seville?? Just shows you Dad.
OK, the last story wasn't that funny, but it's something I want to remember, so I am posting it on cyberspace, therefore making it permanent.
have a wonderful Sunday, corey
18 April 2009
One more Italy photo....er, photos
We have here clockwise:fresh zucchini at the market in Florence
a cappuccino and croissant for breakfast
gnocchi in a tomato sauce with huge chunks of melted mozzarella...yum
my first gelato in Italy; peach
my second cup, chocolate and tiramisu
THE WINNER! : yougurt flavor with nutella swirls
fresh pasta for sell at the market in Florence
a slice of pizza in Pisa. in Italian, peperoni = bell pepper...wtf?
a slice of Italian cake that my hostel gave me on Easter. European sweets are not sweet for the most part. It was very bready and dry, but still good. I bet it would have been perfect to dip into coffee or hot chocolate
a cream-ish filled pastry in Pisa. more of a curd than a creme
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And I am copying Jacob. It's a cover of my favorite Buddy Holly song by one of my favorite artists. And it's animated just for my bro ;)
16 April 2009
Fotos de Italia
These should be in order.
-clh
Basilica in Florence (the Duomo is behind this)
at Piazza della Signoria, The Fountain of Neptune. An avg. man only comes up right past Neptune's knees. It was huge (as was David)!
Firenze sunset
Piazza Michelangelo 
smallest truck ever 
in Florence, on the Ponte Vecchio
Beatriz from Peru!(and her pasta with bolognese) 
Indian dancers in Venice... 
fatty pidgeon
what I "climbed" - the campanile in Plazzo San Marco
pizza! I had the one on the far right-spinach and some sort of chz.
those famous gandolas 
15 April 2009
Bus, Boat, Plane and Train
Buon giorno!
I just spent Easter weekend in Italy. And while my favorite Easter memories have been of searching for my hidden Easter basket with my brothers, and getting a head’s start on the egg hunt because I’m the baby and the only girl, Easter ’09 might be the most memorable yet.
Two nights in Florence (Firenze), two nights in Venice (Venezia), and one night in Pisa. My favorite city was Florence. The art, the people, the city itself were just amazing to me. Venice was beautiful too, and it seemed that around every twist in the streets, you would stumble upon a palazzo (palace) or another chiesa (church).
The sights:
Of course, in Florence the main structure that immediately draws us tourists was the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, or the Duomo. Only disappointing occasion was that because it was Holy Weekend, the Duomo was closed, but está bien because I climbed up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, the plaza where yet another copy of David stands tall. It was sunset and the views of the city were beautiful. I could see the Duomo clearly and plus, it was free compared to the 10 euro view from the Duomo.
Okay, if you are a lover of Renaissance art-picture Birth of Venus or Spring by Botticelli, then go to the Uffizi. If not, please do not stand in line for 2 and ½ hours like I did. By the time I made it into the museum, I couldn’t even appreciate the art because I was so tired and hungry. Whatever, I can still say I went…
My favorite visit in Florence was actually a photography museum, Fratelli Alinari Museum of the History of Photography. There was NO line, NO other tourists, and TONS of beautiful photographs.
I made my way via train to Venice on Saturday and was greeted with crowds of tourists and um, strangely, Indian dancers in front of the train station… I was a bit confused because I am in Italy, not New Mexico…
I went first to Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark’s Square) and easily found my way there even though it is very easy to get lost in Venice. Other than because I have inherited great directional skills, thanks Dad!, I just followed all the other tourists and kept a look out for the yellow signs that pointed the way to all the major plazas and bridges in the city.
Easter I climbed (lie: they made us take an elevator) the campanile that is in Piazzo San Marco to see great bird’s eye views of Venice and went to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and. The tower was really awesome and I got some great pictures (that I’m sure every other person there has too). Because I got there early, the line wasn’t too long. And I loved the Guggenheim art collection and saw my first Jackson Pollock and Rothko! I’m now in love with Pollock’s stuff.
When I went to Pisa, it totally disappointed me because it was so small and boring! The only thing really to see there was the Leaning Tower and Basilica, but that really doesn’t take long.
The food:
Hmm, my first pizza in Italy totally lacked flavor, and my first gelato (peach) did too. I was not a happy camper. After searching and searching and taste-testing and taste-testing, I found the best gelato in Florence/Venice. It was by the River Arno in Florence and was yougurt with nutella swirls. And funny enough it was also the cheapest to be found in Florence (Venice’s gelaterias were all cheaper than Florence’s; you think it would be switched…)
But alas, all the pizzas I tried still left me thinking/knowing that I could make it better back home. So I can’t wait to expirement with pizza in Texas!
I did eat gnocchi (pasta made from potatoes) one night and then some cannelloni stuffed with ricotta and spinach. The pasta of the cannelonni was so light and airy and made me wonder how they made it that way, I mean, it wasn’t even as if they just rolled it really thin, it was a different texture than pasta that I am used to but nonetheless delicious.
The people:
Everyone in my hostels that I met were so nice and mostly from Spanish speaking countries! How ironic, I go to Italy, yet I mostly spoke Spanish while I was there!
I met a really nice girl from Peru who just finished her Master’s in English. She has been studying in France…confusing a little. But she is headed back home next week I think after having been in France since fall 2007. She didn’t seem too happy about going back to Lima because she was going to have to move back in with her parents as is traditional there.
We saw the sights in Florence together and ate supper my last night in Florence.
Suprisingly, most of the people in my hostels were girls traveling alone too. And it was so easy to travel by myself, I never got lonely or in sticky situations, and I communicated with so many new and nice people in Italy.
The only time that an Italian man actually hit on me was in Pisa while I was sitting in the greeeen grass beneath the tower waiting for good lighting so I could get a picture of myself. He wasn’t creepy or anything, we just talked in a combination of English, Spanish, and Italian for over an hour about the most random stuff. I finally told him I was tired and was going back to my hotel. I think he called me beautiful or something, I really don’t know, but I got a kick out of it but no great picture because the lighting never improved.
Oh yeah, and the weather was absouletly gorgeous. It was forcasted to rain everyday in every city, but it didn’t, and I had the most amazing time. I know where I will be moving if America ever goes belly up. There is so much that I didn’t get to see/do in those cities, and now so many more places in Italy that I want to visit, like Rome, Naples, Verona, Siena, Sicily, Capri, and Milan. Okay, that is a lot…
So long, and hopefully one day we can go to Italy together! Or you come visit me when I’m living in my little country house there and cooking biscotti and lasagna.
Ciao!
I just spent Easter weekend in Italy. And while my favorite Easter memories have been of searching for my hidden Easter basket with my brothers, and getting a head’s start on the egg hunt because I’m the baby and the only girl, Easter ’09 might be the most memorable yet.
Two nights in Florence (Firenze), two nights in Venice (Venezia), and one night in Pisa. My favorite city was Florence. The art, the people, the city itself were just amazing to me. Venice was beautiful too, and it seemed that around every twist in the streets, you would stumble upon a palazzo (palace) or another chiesa (church).
The sights:
Of course, in Florence the main structure that immediately draws us tourists was the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, or the Duomo. Only disappointing occasion was that because it was Holy Weekend, the Duomo was closed, but está bien because I climbed up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, the plaza where yet another copy of David stands tall. It was sunset and the views of the city were beautiful. I could see the Duomo clearly and plus, it was free compared to the 10 euro view from the Duomo.
Okay, if you are a lover of Renaissance art-picture Birth of Venus or Spring by Botticelli, then go to the Uffizi. If not, please do not stand in line for 2 and ½ hours like I did. By the time I made it into the museum, I couldn’t even appreciate the art because I was so tired and hungry. Whatever, I can still say I went…
My favorite visit in Florence was actually a photography museum, Fratelli Alinari Museum of the History of Photography. There was NO line, NO other tourists, and TONS of beautiful photographs.
I made my way via train to Venice on Saturday and was greeted with crowds of tourists and um, strangely, Indian dancers in front of the train station… I was a bit confused because I am in Italy, not New Mexico…
I went first to Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark’s Square) and easily found my way there even though it is very easy to get lost in Venice. Other than because I have inherited great directional skills, thanks Dad!, I just followed all the other tourists and kept a look out for the yellow signs that pointed the way to all the major plazas and bridges in the city.
Easter I climbed (lie: they made us take an elevator) the campanile that is in Piazzo San Marco to see great bird’s eye views of Venice and went to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and. The tower was really awesome and I got some great pictures (that I’m sure every other person there has too). Because I got there early, the line wasn’t too long. And I loved the Guggenheim art collection and saw my first Jackson Pollock and Rothko! I’m now in love with Pollock’s stuff.
When I went to Pisa, it totally disappointed me because it was so small and boring! The only thing really to see there was the Leaning Tower and Basilica, but that really doesn’t take long.
The food:
Hmm, my first pizza in Italy totally lacked flavor, and my first gelato (peach) did too. I was not a happy camper. After searching and searching and taste-testing and taste-testing, I found the best gelato in Florence/Venice. It was by the River Arno in Florence and was yougurt with nutella swirls. And funny enough it was also the cheapest to be found in Florence (Venice’s gelaterias were all cheaper than Florence’s; you think it would be switched…)
But alas, all the pizzas I tried still left me thinking/knowing that I could make it better back home. So I can’t wait to expirement with pizza in Texas!
I did eat gnocchi (pasta made from potatoes) one night and then some cannelloni stuffed with ricotta and spinach. The pasta of the cannelonni was so light and airy and made me wonder how they made it that way, I mean, it wasn’t even as if they just rolled it really thin, it was a different texture than pasta that I am used to but nonetheless delicious.
The people:
Everyone in my hostels that I met were so nice and mostly from Spanish speaking countries! How ironic, I go to Italy, yet I mostly spoke Spanish while I was there!
I met a really nice girl from Peru who just finished her Master’s in English. She has been studying in France…confusing a little. But she is headed back home next week I think after having been in France since fall 2007. She didn’t seem too happy about going back to Lima because she was going to have to move back in with her parents as is traditional there.
We saw the sights in Florence together and ate supper my last night in Florence.
Suprisingly, most of the people in my hostels were girls traveling alone too. And it was so easy to travel by myself, I never got lonely or in sticky situations, and I communicated with so many new and nice people in Italy.
The only time that an Italian man actually hit on me was in Pisa while I was sitting in the greeeen grass beneath the tower waiting for good lighting so I could get a picture of myself. He wasn’t creepy or anything, we just talked in a combination of English, Spanish, and Italian for over an hour about the most random stuff. I finally told him I was tired and was going back to my hotel. I think he called me beautiful or something, I really don’t know, but I got a kick out of it but no great picture because the lighting never improved.
Oh yeah, and the weather was absouletly gorgeous. It was forcasted to rain everyday in every city, but it didn’t, and I had the most amazing time. I know where I will be moving if America ever goes belly up. There is so much that I didn’t get to see/do in those cities, and now so many more places in Italy that I want to visit, like Rome, Naples, Verona, Siena, Sicily, Capri, and Milan. Okay, that is a lot…
So long, and hopefully one day we can go to Italy together! Or you come visit me when I’m living in my little country house there and cooking biscotti and lasagna.
Ciao!
Semana Santa Fotos
I was just as tired after standing there for an hour in the sun. He had a better view though.
La Borriquita paso. The first paso of Semana Santa.
A cofradio passing infront of our school. We got to watch from the rooftop.
A touch of good luck.
A Virgin Mary float; one usually follows each Jesus float.
I thought it was funny that they were just standing at the crosswalk like it was no big deal. And it isn't. They are everywhere and it is normal to Sevillians, just not Americans.
a Nazareno
relighting candles
Beso de Judas paso
underneath a paso
all the little kids were collecting wax, also, the Nazarenos give out candy to the kids and there was this one little girl next to me singing this song asking the "Nazareno, Nazareno, something something, porfavor un caramelo!" it was adorable
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