New friends, mascletas, and killers

After seeing a few of the beautiful fallas in our barrio, I decided we should head to the city centro to see the huge fallas.  In the way there we ran into our Australian house mates who were headed in the same direction.  We all immediately got it off and walked and talked for a long time in search of mascletas.  

Las mascleta are the noisy firecracker displays set up in each barrio.  Some are bigger than others but all are loud enough to rattle your inner eardrum and shake up your heart.  The deafening sound is like none other.  

After missed a few mascleta by mere minutes we finally found a small one and waited here for the explosions.  It was well worth it.   Our housemate were so cool.  Originally of chinese and Malaysian decent they lived in Australia and were recently married.  Their plan was to spend 2 years traveling the world, a year in Europe and a year in Asia!  I LOVE meeting other travelers!!! After a few hours we parted ways.  Our plan was to go to a bullfight, which they'd done the previous day and enjoyed, and they were in the search for more fallas and mascletas.  The bullfight would be la morenas one day early bday present from me!

La morena and I made it to the bull fighting rink bought our tickets and grabbed a delicious quick lunch and a Spanish sandwich fast food joint.  Before we knew it we were af the bullfighting rink  watch or first of 8 matches. Of course the first match had to be the most traumatizing.  The bull was not going to be an easy win and was a true champ.  After being repeatedly stabbed he fell in dispair, while the matadors tried to deliver the final blow by stabbing him in the too if his head. He didn't die.  The matador continued to stab him 5 times to be exact but the bull refused to die, he bravely stood up and began to charge again.  Every single one of us was in shock!  Finally the bull couldn't take t anymore and dropped only to be stabbed several more times as his body quaked and quivered.  I was traumatized and sick all at once.  To make matters worse there were 7 more matches to follow.  This is one of those cultural

Differences that I find it almost impossible to appreciate.  It was bloody, cruel and unfair.  Right next to us however wa a very sharp older man who was a former matador and explained so many thing to us in detail.  He spoke so passionately about the kill that it was like poetry.  The matador (or killer, from its Spanish meaning) is supposed to be skilled enough to have a clean kill in which the bull is not repeatedly stabbed as we saw in the first fight.  After so much killing and conversation we'd made a new friend Carmelo Espinosa.  After the bullfight he led us to a restaurant that had the best paella in town and went in his way back to Madrid.  

After a nice long super delicious dinner we stepped out of be restaurant to see the smaller fallas were being burned already!  It was amazing.  After seeing some small fires we decided to take a taxi home to rest before leaving to see the bigger fallas but at midnight.  We hulled at home for about an hour then headed out with our German housemate Julian, just to see the larger fallas in our barrios burn.

Today was everything Spanish, everything Valencia, everything fallas.   Having la morena to share it all with also meant everything to me.  Feliz Cumpleaños nena!!!!

La morena- old friends in new lands

By 3:30 am I was home in my PJs and just finished talking to my Australian roommates.  I figured I'd stay up and wait for la morena.  I go into bed and updated my YouTube channel with videos.  Starting at 4 I got up every 10 minutes or so to look over the living room balcony to see if la morena was on the street.  The last time I remember checking was at 4:45.  The next thing I know I'm waking from a deep sleep to the sound of someone stomping up the apartment building stairs.  I jumped up opened the apartment door and there she was.  My loooong time travel buddy!! She look exhausted and relieved all at the same time.  The taxi dropped her off blocks away due to las fallas blocking the roads, so she walked with her backpack several blocks in the crowded party street.  She finally found the building but couldn't get in.  She finally for in but didn't know the apartment number.  So her plan was to make as much noise as possible until I opened the door.. Her plan worked!

Las morena and I met our freshman year of college, when we were 18.  We were both participated in a university sponsored study abroad in Guayaquil, Ecuador with the intention of learning Spanish.  While there we became close and have shared adventures and host families in several places in Latin America. When she decided to change careers to teach English in Spain, she knew she could count on me to come visit and to participate in a great adventure.  

We wre so happy to see each other and excitedly chatted at a whisper.  We didn't want to disturb the other housemates, especially the German kids, Riva and Rosa.  We chatted til the sun can up and I think I literally fell asleep mid sentence at about 6am or so!  

La morena is one of my favorite travel partners.  She's low maintenance, don't require a lot of stuff, and has a great outlook on life and enjoying it to the fullest.  Reunited and it feels so good!

The next morning... Well almost noon we got up went down to a cafe for breakfast and we started her first day of las fallas.

Firework bonding

After my 4 hour map I woke up and was pretty content on staying in until my friend (we will call her "la morena") arrived at 4 am, however on the way to the bathroom my German housemate stopped me and insisted that I attend the fireworks display downtown.  He said the previous nights was amazing and this was supposed to be even better.  Since it was the second time someone recommended this to me today I said to myself ,"oh hell just go... You're not spending all this time and money to sit in the house and wait... You can wait after the 1:30am fireworks show" so off I went.

The German pointed me to the right and insisted that I couldn't miss the metro train station.  After asking 2 people on the street I was at the station in less than 5 minutes.  The streets were packed and it was 12:30.  Sleeping is not a priority here... At all!!  With the help of a metro employee I had a metro card and was on a jam packed subway car and on the way to the colon station, only 3 stops away.  At that stop 95% of us got off all together and headed above ground.  

Up there we joined with 4000 of our closest friends and headed to the bridges where the fireworks would happen.  

The streets were so crowded that I never made it to a bridge, I was standing between buildings in the vicinity and if seemed like a good enough place to be.  

Once the fireworks started we all began to cheer.  As they continued they became more impressive.  All phones and cameras were in the air, we collectively "ooh-ed and aahh-ed" and chattered about how beautiful it was.  About 7 minutes into the constant display of sparkling sky they turned it up another level of greatness, at that point everyone in unison without being told, lowered their camera and phones. We all stopped talking and we looked up... Captivated at the flashing lights.  The fireworks sounds rolled like infinite thunder shaking my heart and soul.  We we all in awe.  No one had to say anything because we all felt the same indescribable feeling.  We felt... beauty.  It was a strange feeling to have much less share it with so many strangers on a street corner in a strange land in the middle of the night, but it happened.  What we felt was as spectacular as what we saw.   

After the show I walked back to the station and bought Buñuelos.  They are like funnel cake calls sprinkled with sugar and rellenos, which are like churros stuffed with cream and topped with sprinkles.  I sat on a bench and ate them while I waited for the crowd to thin out on the way into the metro station.  I was home rather quickly.  At 3am the streets were more crowded than ever, but I still headed home to wait for la morena, who estimated she'd arrive at 4-4:30am

Ave and Las Fallas

When we arrived in Madrid I was ready for the next phase of my plan.  I deplaned and passed through immigration.  I wasn't asked any questions the guy just looked at the picture, looked at me, stamped the passport, Passed it back and said, buen viaje (have a nice trip).  Well that was easy!

  I found a place to change my dollars to Euros.  This magic trick turn $140 USD to 80€... I've never felt so much pain in my LIFE.  I've been in Europe 10 whole minutes and the euro is already kicking my ass!!  Next it was time to find a taxi.  Hundreds of them were lined up so I was directed to the front of the line where a very friendly taxista picked me up,  I explained that I needed to go to ave 05090.  He knew exactly where it was and after a 15 minute right through beautiful Madrid I was being dropped of at the bullettrain station.  I used my debit card to buy my 54€ ticket at the ticket machine and 30 minutes later I was on the bullet train heading to Valencia.  The train was identical to the bullet train in Tokyo.  The ride was a hour and a half and I slept a good portion of it.  

The train station in Valencia was full of an exciting buzz over las fallas., most people headed straight for the tourism center so I followed that crowd.  They had many magazines, maps, and itineraries for all the fallas activities.   I took as much as ai could and asked one of the assistance to point out my new residence on one of there maps she have me,  she circled it and drew a route in how to get to the center if it all from there.  She recommended I take a taxi to my new apartment. 

The taxi knew where to take me but was unsure if he could drop me off directly in front since many streets were blocked with fallas in the intersection.  He was correct in thinking that fallas would block our way but boy was I excited to see them.  He was able to get me within 2 blocks and I walked the rest of the way completely enchanted by the larger than life statues.

Las Fallas started during midevil times (600-1700AD). Each year neighborhood communities get together and construct these comical statues that poke fun at the years negative events.  The events will make fun of politics, entertainers, undesirable social constructs, and current events.  They are made if cardboard, paper mâché, styrofoam, and wood.  They are made with such detail that they are mind blowing many are as tall as 4 stories high.  Each day around 2pn is the mascleta.  La mascleta is the deafening firecracker display that rocks the city.  Each neighborhood has their own mascleta with the largest being in the city center. The thundering sound of explosives and firecrackers are strong enough to rattle your eardrums and this is music to the locals ears.  All day long children and families are setting off firecrackers, it's like New Year's Eve 3 months late.   I immediately started filming and photographing las fallas.  I used my iPhone GPS to get me to my apartment but had no idea which apartment to ring... So I rang them all, one at a time.

"Hola, se encuentra Ana y Guillermo?"

"No, estas equivocada"

Finally apartment 5 told me to try apartment 12.  Apparently I'm not the only one to have called each resident.  I walked up the narrow winding staircase to apartment 12 and knocked.  A lady opened the door. "Ana?!"

"No, no soy Ana.. But you're in the right place.  Are you renting here too?"  She asked switching to english.  

"Yes" I explained.  This must be your room then.  She pointed to the first room on the right.  It was definately the bunk beds from the picture, they were unmade though, as if someone just rolled out of them and left.  She explained that the previous guest had just left and Guillermo hadn't made it home yet to clean up.  I dropped off my bag and have myself a tour of the apartment and it's other temporary residents.  The lady who opened the door was there with her boyfriend and two young daughters.  They were from Germany.  Our other housemates, boyfriend and girlfriend, looked Asian but were from Australia.  The Germans spoke perfect English,of course, and even spent time in Atlanta as teenagers on a foreign exchange.  They all were helpful in helping me get settled in by pointing out important things and giving me the free wifi code.  Free wifi is like oxygen when you are traveling!

Since my bed wasn't made I saw that as a sign to freshen up and get out.  I took a quick shower while I charged my phone, changed clothes and headed out.  After filming the first set of fallas i saw a local pointed me to the city center.  I was immediately stopped by a black man who asked if I was also from Africa as he was Nigerian.  I told him that I was only visiting for las fallas and that I was from the US he almost jumped for joy when he heard me speak English. He insisted on leading me to the main fallas area, I accepted the offer and we walked and talked.  He appeared to be in his 40s.  He left Nigeria to study electrical engineering here in Spain but wa haunted I him studies due to his lack of Spanish language skills, he wa struggling with the language.  He's lived here 3 years and enjoys it, the people are very friendly to him, and help him when he needs it... This is why he felt compelled to also help a list visitor in the Valencia's spirit and as good training from his ibo mom back home in Nigeria.  Due to the economic crisis in Spain and most of Europe time were hard bug he was happy nonetheless.  We walked around for hours and he lead me time very place he knew a falla to be.  My travel angels are the best!  After about 5 hours the jetlag started to get to me, he walked me back to where I could find my way back home alone and he left me with his phone number in case I was in need of help or a free meal.  Thank you Kingsley for being a travel angel to me!  

I then stopped by a pizzeria for food and water then headed back home.  My bed STILL want made and Ana and Guillermo were nowhere to be found.  The German man was kind enough to point out the sheets for me so I took out the prettiest ones and made my own damn bed!  I got in my PJ and made sure I talked to everyone at home on skype and viber.  As I was drifting off to sleep Guillermo came home apologizing for not being here to greet me and clean up.  He had a great vibe,  I hope I get a chance to sit down and talk to him before I leave.  Here are some pix of las fallas: 

It's not after midnight and I'm

on my way to the huge fireworks display! I'm well restee after a 4 hour sleep and my friend should be arriving in about 3 hours!  I'll keep you all posted :-)

 

Leaving something behind

Right now I'm on the plane on the way to Madrid.  This trip has been in the works for like 9 months.  I have this horrible feeling that im leaving something behind.   The plan is to fly into Madrid then take a bullet train into valencia for las fallas festival.  I have all the tickets, and all the documents I need but I still feel like I'm leaving something behind.  As a Spanish teacher each year I teach my students about Las Fallas festival.  Year after year we are blown away by its artistry and exquisite detail. This year I have the opportunity to see it with my own eyes, hear it with my own ears, and live it fully.  I haven't left behind my eyes, ears, or any other body part but I feel like I'm leaving something behind.  What I'm leaving cannot be bought at a store, customs and immigration won't check my bags for it.  Homeland security won't scan my body for it.  What I've left behind is 3 pieces of my heart... AlphaPoppa, Zane, and Dude. It feels weird traveling without them.  They are my favorite travel buddies, but it was just better to leave them all home so they don't miss anymore school, to save my Euros, and to move more quickly while on the move.  

What's wrong with me?! I should be happy for some alone time.  Without my travel crew to make me laugh, aggravate me, ask me a million unanswerable questions just all seems too... QUIET!! Before taking a looooong good sleep on the plane, the kinda sleep I couldn't take with the kids around, I promised that I would embrace this lacking feeling then let it go.  Everything was pointing me on a solo journey to Spain.  Everything fell into line and my long time travel buddy will meet up with me in Valencia (wait til you meet this amazing gal!).  After a day and a half in Valencia we will continue on to Rome.  I've been teaching myself Italian and can't wait to make myself laugh just by merely hearing myself speak Italian in Italy.  This trip will be good for me and ultimately i realize that I had not "left my family behind", no matter where I go in the world they will always be in my heart, thoughts, and dreams.  They are an inseparable part of who I am and god knows as long as they have access to wifi they will skype, viber, and FaceTime me to death.  Lol.  The journey continues people, the ancestors have spoken, so on I travel.